The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread
Discussion
Anyone in the market for a 325ti face-lift manual sport? I've been trying to decide whether or not I should go out and get a 330d for my 25k p/a commute as oil and being at the petrol pump every 3/4 days is starting to tire.
Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
eezeh said:
Anyone in the market for a 325ti face-lift manual sport? I've been trying to decide whether or not I should go out and get a 330d for my 25k p/a commute as oil and being at the petrol pump every 3/4 days is starting to tire.
Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
I got rid of my 328ci and went to a 330d as I do broadly the same mileage as you. I had it a month and then sold it for an E91 330i. Stick with petrol. It's better. Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
This one appeared on AutoTrader today:- https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012016...
OK it's a pre-facelift, but very low mileage and it has the electric sunroof. Doesn't seem dear compared to what has been advertised lately.
OK it's a pre-facelift, but very low mileage and it has the electric sunroof. Doesn't seem dear compared to what has been advertised lately.
JakeT said:
eezeh said:
Anyone in the market for a 325ti face-lift manual sport? I've been trying to decide whether or not I should go out and get a 330d for my 25k p/a commute as oil and being at the petrol pump every 3/4 days is starting to tire.
Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
I got rid of my 328ci and went to a 330d as I do broadly the same mileage as you. I had it a month and then sold it for an E91 330i. Stick with petrol. It's better. Car has 160k +, body is straight minus stone chips on front, been looked after well by myself, does have a few minor niggles but nothing major.
Unsure.
I've been eyeing up this car however i think id really rather have a manual than the auto
https://https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324400290354
side note: its been a while since i've spotted you on my commute, must have been those luminescent green seats that caught my eye!
Mr Tidy said:
This one appeared on AutoTrader today:- https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202012016...
OK it's a pre-facelift, but very low mileage and it has the electric sunroof. Doesn't seem dear compared to what has been advertised lately.
Every thing about that spec makes me OK it's a pre-facelift, but very low mileage and it has the electric sunroof. Doesn't seem dear compared to what has been advertised lately.
, how they sold so many in that interior/exterior combination is beyond me!!eezeh said:
What made you switch back to petrol from the diesel?
I've been eyeing up this car however i think id really rather have a manual than the auto
https://https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324400290354
side note: its been a while since i've spotted you on my commute, must have been those luminescent green seats that caught my eye!
Personally, I found the diesel engine one dimensional in the car. After my E46 328ci went (the subframe mounts failed I've been eyeing up this car however i think id really rather have a manual than the auto
https://https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324400290354
side note: its been a while since i've spotted you on my commute, must have been those luminescent green seats that caught my eye!
) I thought I should do the sensible thing and get a diesel since the mileage made sense. I bought a nice one, a 6 speed manual 330d sport, with xenon lights, bluetooth. Black with cream leather. Nice car, and presented really well, but the engine felt too heavy for the nose, I didn't like that it didn't rev, and in spite of the 'MEGA TORKZ' I didn't find it anywhere nearly as rewarding to drive as my 325ti. Good outside lane motorway car, though. I sold it after a month and 2,000 miles, and swapped into an E91 330i with a manual gearbox. I do much prefer it, helped by the fact it spins to 7,000 RPM. 
I've not done my regular commute for a while, but might be doing it more next year! You need to keep your eye out for a boring looking silver 3 series estate.
I do still have my 325ti too, but I don't use that to commute very often at all.eezeh said:
Krikkit said:
For 25kpa I'd be wanting a longer wheelbase, automatic and diesel tbh, as good as a Ti is at most things it's not long-distance in comfort.
Easy torque, comfy seats and good ride quality sooth many miles in a boring commute.
Quite, the sport suspension is rather crashyEasy torque, comfy seats and good ride quality sooth many miles in a boring commute.
My first E46 Compact was a manual 2004 facelift 320td SE I bought in 2005 when I was doing around 14K miles a year (with business mileage) and while I enjoyed it, the 325ti I bought in 2014 was just so much more fun.
I'd never want an auto unless there was no other option.
I think it boils down to what kind of roads and traffic you have as well.
I used to do 35 miles each way on a mix of congested dual carriageways and marginally quieter sweeping A-roads. On a lovely summer's day when the traffic was right it was a genuine pleasure to have a manual to use. On a gridlocked, roasting hot bank holiday Friday when the roads are seized solid it was a depressing nightmare. In winter when the weather was filthy and you were stuck in trains of 10+ cars all nose-to-tail to stop overtaking, it was a depressing nightmare.
The right answer (as with many things) is 2+ cars to use - a 325Ti for the good days, something economical with an auto, AC and heated seats for the crappy days.
I used to do 35 miles each way on a mix of congested dual carriageways and marginally quieter sweeping A-roads. On a lovely summer's day when the traffic was right it was a genuine pleasure to have a manual to use. On a gridlocked, roasting hot bank holiday Friday when the roads are seized solid it was a depressing nightmare. In winter when the weather was filthy and you were stuck in trains of 10+ cars all nose-to-tail to stop overtaking, it was a depressing nightmare.
The right answer (as with many things) is 2+ cars to use - a 325Ti for the good days, something economical with an auto, AC and heated seats for the crappy days.
Krikkit said:
I think it boils down to what kind of roads and traffic you have as well.
I used to do 35 miles each way on a mix of congested dual carriageways and marginally quieter sweeping A-roads. On a lovely summer's day when the traffic was right it was a genuine pleasure to have a manual to use. On a gridlocked, roasting hot bank holiday Friday when the roads are seized solid it was a depressing nightmare. In winter when the weather was filthy and you were stuck in trains of 10+ cars all nose-to-tail to stop overtaking, it was a depressing nightmare.
The right answer (as with many things) is 2+ cars to use - a 325Ti for the good days, something economical with an auto, AC and heated seats for the crappy days.
Don't want to be a git here, but why are they so bad when the weather isn't good? My 325ti has been all over the shop, and with climate, a decent stereo and the other E46 amenities it never felt bad doing big miles. Of course the lack of auto could be an issue, but I never thought mine was sparsely equipped. Saying that, mine's a well optioned model and everything works.I used to do 35 miles each way on a mix of congested dual carriageways and marginally quieter sweeping A-roads. On a lovely summer's day when the traffic was right it was a genuine pleasure to have a manual to use. On a gridlocked, roasting hot bank holiday Friday when the roads are seized solid it was a depressing nightmare. In winter when the weather was filthy and you were stuck in trains of 10+ cars all nose-to-tail to stop overtaking, it was a depressing nightmare.
The right answer (as with many things) is 2+ cars to use - a 325Ti for the good days, something economical with an auto, AC and heated seats for the crappy days.
On that note, I had it MOT'd today after I forgot and it ran out. A slightly misting rear shock absorber was the only advisory. This year has been a 'light' year for the mileage, at... 457 miles this year. Darn pandemic. It's only a second car, but still. Most of the year it's spent in the garage.
JakeT said:
Don't want to be a git here, but why are they so bad when the weather isn't good? My 325ti has been all over the shop, and with climate, a decent stereo and the other E46 amenities it never felt bad doing big miles. Of course the lack of auto could be an issue, but I never thought mine was sparsely equipped. Saying that, mine's a well optioned model and everything works.
On that note, I had it MOT'd today after I forgot and it ran out. A slightly misting rear shock absorber was the only advisory. This year has been a 'light' year for the mileage, at... 457 miles this year. Darn pandemic. It's only a second car, but still. Most of the year it's spent in the garage.
Yes, I use my Ti all year roundOn that note, I had it MOT'd today after I forgot and it ran out. A slightly misting rear shock absorber was the only advisory. This year has been a 'light' year for the mileage, at... 457 miles this year. Darn pandemic. It's only a second car, but still. Most of the year it's spent in the garage.
Has all the usual E46 stuff, climate for demising windows, heated seats, stereo, Satnav
With winters on its fine in snow and ice too
s m said:
With winters on its fine in snow and ice too
I can confirm goodyear eagle f1's in the snow, it is a tad useless.Contrary to popular advice regarding as high a gear as possible etc etc, with the tyres being as awful as they are in snow the best approach for getting home in said heavy snow was a lot of revs and a lot of opposite lock
otherwise you'd just get stuck.
No i will not be making the same mistake again next year!
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