RE: BMW 320Ci Cabriolet | Shed of the Week
Discussion
Is it really that bad? Driver's seat is worn, but that's often the case on a 16 year old car. The MOT history is better than many I've seen, didn't fail an MOT between 2011 and 2019 to be fair (which is not an indicator of abuse) and the advisories on the last one are fair for the age, one of the shocks being on the way out (fair enough at 119K miles) and the usual tyre being close to the legal limit. I've seen far worse MOT histories on E46s of this age.
Its not clear why the car is being sold for spares/repair but at the end of the day, its the E46 cab with the least desirable 6 pot and least desirable colour interior so that's probably a big part of the low price. It doesn't float my boat (I'd want a minimum of a 325i in an E46 cab) but nice to see a BMW on here for a change (don't think shed is a big fan of the marque as they're quite rare on SOTW) and I think people are being unduly harsh (assuming the engine really hasn't broken!!). Just my opinion though.
Its not clear why the car is being sold for spares/repair but at the end of the day, its the E46 cab with the least desirable 6 pot and least desirable colour interior so that's probably a big part of the low price. It doesn't float my boat (I'd want a minimum of a 325i in an E46 cab) but nice to see a BMW on here for a change (don't think shed is a big fan of the marque as they're quite rare on SOTW) and I think people are being unduly harsh (assuming the engine really hasn't broken!!). Just my opinion though.
This car looks rough, I couldn't think of a worse way to spend £1500. The exterior looks passable at 20 feet, the interior will never look passable. Those seats look like someone died on them. I like an E46, I own one, not in this flavour, but this is one that unfortunately looks fit to defecate itself in the near future.
greenarrow said:
Is it really that bad? Driver's seat is worn, but that's often the case on a 16 year old car.
Is BMW interior build quality really that bad? My E class is now on about 120k, I got rid of my last one at 160k, neither looked anything like that. Nor did my Saab 9-5 at similar mileage.This dealer sells plenty as spares or repair, had a quick look:
https://www.dvpcars.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale/?Sort...
https://www.dvpcars.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale/?Sort...
Pusikurac said:
I Live in central Europe. And cheapest 3series cabrio is 3x the price of this shed.
This is suspiciously cheap.
I live in central Europe too and yes, prices are considerably higher for both new and used cars. This is the closest example I could find here, around GBP 5K:This is suspiciously cheap.
https://www.sauto.cz/osobni/detail/bmw/rada-3/1632...
otolith said:
greenarrow said:
Is it really that bad? Driver's seat is worn, but that's often the case on a 16 year old car.
Is BMW interior build quality really that bad? My E class is now on about 120k, I got rid of my last one at 160k, neither looked anything like that. Nor did my Saab 9-5 at similar mileage.soad said:
This dealer sells plenty as spares or repair, had a quick look:
https://www.dvpcars.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale/?Sort...
That is a new one on me...because they have POA on a Corsa! https://www.dvpcars.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale/?Sort...
Pusikurac said:
I Live in central Europe. And cheapest 3series cabrio is 3x the price of this shed.
This is suspiciously cheap.
I don’t know about Silesia, lovely as it looks, but Mobile.de has these going from €12k to €16k same age, spec and mileage. UK cars seem to be around £4k. This vehicle looks awful and would cost more than a better one to bring to a presentable condition.This is suspiciously cheap.
In general cars in Germany are cared for and last long, especially BMWs, so they hold their value. The British obsession with buying new vehicles makes the UK the most profitable country for manufacturers with the highest new prices and worst depreciation.
There would be a business exporting nice but undervalued cars back to EU, but this one would go over the side.
Not Sheds finest.
Speedgirl said:
Pusikurac said:
I Live in central Europe. And cheapest 3series cabrio is 3x the price of this shed.
This is suspiciously cheap.
In general cars in Germany are cared for and last long, especially BMWs, so they hold their value. The British obsession with buying new vehicles makes the UK the most profitable country for manufacturers with the highest new prices and worst depreciation. This is suspiciously cheap.
There would be a business exporting nice but undervalued cars back to EU, but this one would go over the side.
Not Sheds finest.
Here's an example of a new car price between UK and Czech, taking into account the the standard model (no options) and at a interbank exchange rate:
BMW M3 Touring:
UK price £83,479
Czech price CZK 2,579,200 (£91,423 equivalent today)
Also, new cars can have a lesser specifications here and customers are charged more for extras. Take the Range Rover/Land Rover HSE models, in the UK you typically get a panoramic roof but you don't here, you may pay £800 for metallic paint but over here you pay more than £1000.
You've never had it so good ladies and gents :-)
That's had a hard life.
My old man's 2001 E46 320i touring with same miles but auto has just died a death. Gearbox failure which has written off the car. Was in better condition that this and we paid £950 at auction (I know touring vs cab but still).
Nice sounding engine. Bit gutless though, and very thirsty (both oil and fuel).
Had just replaced with a facelift E46 320d touring with a stack of history for £2k.
This car is a complete bodge. It's too cheap for a reason. Not even worth breaking as the bits you'd sell off easily (wheels are 1 series I think and interior revolting) are worthless.
My old man's 2001 E46 320i touring with same miles but auto has just died a death. Gearbox failure which has written off the car. Was in better condition that this and we paid £950 at auction (I know touring vs cab but still).
Nice sounding engine. Bit gutless though, and very thirsty (both oil and fuel).
Had just replaced with a facelift E46 320d touring with a stack of history for £2k.
This car is a complete bodge. It's too cheap for a reason. Not even worth breaking as the bits you'd sell off easily (wheels are 1 series I think and interior revolting) are worthless.
It’s certainly cheap for a (superficially) reasonable looking 320 convertible.
However there’s very little information on the ad beyond the ‘spares or repairs’ attempt to absolve the dealer of any post sales responsibility. Not a good sign.
You’d have to go and see it, could either be a pleasant surprise or a dog.
However there’s very little information on the ad beyond the ‘spares or repairs’ attempt to absolve the dealer of any post sales responsibility. Not a good sign.
You’d have to go and see it, could either be a pleasant surprise or a dog.
I ran an M54 for a few years in a 330i. Some of my experiences:
Rebuilt the vanos as I had no faith it was working
Replaced cam position sensor
Replaced all the air intake pipes & vacuum as they were split
Replaced ICV
Replaced the radiator which was bowed at the bottom & split
Replaced the expansion tank when that exploded
The gearstick wouldn't centre - common issue needing a gearbox-out fix
Oil leak from (I think) the filter housing
Replaced the CCV to try to stem the oil consumption - it didn't help
Replaced the belt & failed tensioner
Replaced leaking water pump
The oil consumption was incredibly bad in the end - 1 litre for 250 miles. No blue smoke though & no oil leak (in the end).
It seems the 320i, 325i and 330i M54s all have pretty much the same fuel consumption - mine averaged 28mpg over 3 years.
I can't say I'd want another.
Rebuilt the vanos as I had no faith it was working
Replaced cam position sensor
Replaced all the air intake pipes & vacuum as they were split
Replaced ICV
Replaced the radiator which was bowed at the bottom & split
Replaced the expansion tank when that exploded
The gearstick wouldn't centre - common issue needing a gearbox-out fix
Oil leak from (I think) the filter housing
Replaced the CCV to try to stem the oil consumption - it didn't help
Replaced the belt & failed tensioner
Replaced leaking water pump
The oil consumption was incredibly bad in the end - 1 litre for 250 miles. No blue smoke though & no oil leak (in the end).
It seems the 320i, 325i and 330i M54s all have pretty much the same fuel consumption - mine averaged 28mpg over 3 years.
I can't say I'd want another.
JD2329 said:
It’s certainly cheap for a (superficially) reasonable looking 320 convertible.
However there’s very little information on the ad beyond the ‘spares or repairs’ attempt to absolve the dealer of any post sales responsibility. Not a good sign.
You’d have to go and see it, could either be a pleasant surprise or a dog.
Croydon.However there’s very little information on the ad beyond the ‘spares or repairs’ attempt to absolve the dealer of any post sales responsibility. Not a good sign.
You’d have to go and see it, could either be a pleasant surprise or a dog.
Rotten seats and interior.
50 shades of silver.
Bumper hanging off.
Odd (aftermarket?) wheels.
Spares or repairs.
No part of that is likely to lead to a pleasant surprise.
Speedgirl said:
I don’t know about Silesia, lovely as it looks, but Mobile.de has these going from €12k to €16k same age, spec and mileage. UK cars seem to be around £4k. This vehicle looks awful and would cost more than a better one to bring to a presentable condition.
In general cars in Germany are cared for and last long, especially BMWs, so they hold their value.
I'm in Berlin at the moment, and haven't seen many E46s at all - but I suspect the stringent TÜV every 2 years has condemned a lot of them to the scrapper. The cars on Mobile.de are very overpriced dealer-stock and have been on there for a fair while.In general cars in Germany are cared for and last long, especially BMWs, so they hold their value.
PistonTim said:
Odd (aftermarket?) wheels.
The wheels are genuine BMW Style 171 and "period correct" for 2005 & 2006 SE-spec Coupes & Cabrios.Edited by BFleming on Friday 23 September 10:56
I ran a 97 E36 328 cab from 2013 to 2020 that was in that condition when I bought it for £1500 and it didn't put a foot wrong. I only got rid of it because the Cat got nicked, it needed a respray and it was just easier to by a Z4 in good nick. Well, that's what the man maths said anyway
BMW seats go like that, particularly if you are powerfully built. It's bad yes, but every car I saw in that price bracket was the same and I've had similar wear patterns start on an E39, an E63 and an F32 (Yes I am an addict...). You can get better condition seats on ebay and should be an easy swop.
On price this seems cheap so I would want a really good look at the roof, the drain points and the seals at the A Pillar and the tonneau. As for the rest if it starts, stops in a straight line and there's no mayo that's going to make a nice 2nd car convertible for someone with handy with spanners and has kids who needs the 4 seats.
BMW seats go like that, particularly if you are powerfully built. It's bad yes, but every car I saw in that price bracket was the same and I've had similar wear patterns start on an E39, an E63 and an F32 (Yes I am an addict...). You can get better condition seats on ebay and should be an easy swop.
On price this seems cheap so I would want a really good look at the roof, the drain points and the seals at the A Pillar and the tonneau. As for the rest if it starts, stops in a straight line and there's no mayo that's going to make a nice 2nd car convertible for someone with handy with spanners and has kids who needs the 4 seats.
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