Wednesday 19th February 2020

BMW 328i (E46) | Spotted

A genuine, one-lady-owner-from-new version of perhaps the best 3 Series ever - form an orderly queue

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There's nothing quite like tracing the history of BMW's core models to make you feel old. 2021 is the year the E39 5 Series becomes a classic, having been launched in 1996; sometimes it's easy to think of the 1 Series being a fairly new addition to the BMW family, but it was launched in 2004; and the E46 3 Series, the vehicle to be raved about for the next few hundred words, went out of production just two years later. That was 14 years ago. It was launched in 1998, a year when the average house price was £70k, All Saints had three (!) separate number one hits in the UK and the McLaren F1 hit 240mph. Also known as an awfully long time ago.

That said, time has done nothing to dim the significance of the E46 3 Series. While the E36 predecessor had been a competitive compact exec for a lot of its time on sale, towards the end of the 1990s it was being given a very hard time by new rivals like the Alfa Romeo 156. The E46 re-established dominance for the small BMW saloon, and how: more dynamic, more luxurious, and more capable than the car it replaced, the E46 3 Series was the car to have for, really, its entire time on sale. At the same sort of time as the E39 was the larger executive saloon class leader also - bring that together with the contemporary M3 and M5, perhaps the most complete examples of each ever to exist, and it was an incredible time for BMW.

And although those M cars have very much enjoyed - and continue to enjoy - they're time in the sun as far as values are concerned, not many of the more humdrum variants are that coveted. Which is understandable, because to a lot of people they are just another of the BMW saloons that you see on the road every day. But look how in demand those early, six-cylinder 3 Series now are, and also how the compact executive car is moving away from the template that served the 3 Series so well for so long, and it's easy to see them becoming more coveted. Especially as so many will be driven hard, and driven a lot, because the E46 really was that good.

Cars like this 328i SE are always going to be interesting and desirable to the right person. Though not the best example of a car that'll one day be worth more - because it's already a lot - this E46 is a remarkable survivor. For a car so popular, so accessible and now two decades old, it's incredible such a thing exists.

This Titanium Silver BMW 3 Series has covered 11,600 miles since 1999. At 21 years old (or very nearly), that's 550 miles a year. The advert states its original owner, who bought the car from Sytner BMW Tamworth, used it "sparingly" - you don't say - and owned it for nearly two decades. Now not every low mileage find looks that fresh, but this is a gem: seemingly perfect body and paintwork, flawless interior leather, lustrous wood veneer. It's surely as good an example of an E46 to now be found, crucially with that lovely 2.8 straight six as well.

Being sold with a new MOT and warranty, as well as recent service that refreshed brakes and pads at all four corners as well as the usual fluids, plugs and so on, it's a 328i ready for its next owner to cherish. Perhaps not as a regular driver - something like this might suit better - but as a usable modern classic that must now exist in miniscule numbers. At £15,000 it's chunky money for an ordinary 3 Series but, if you'll excuse the cliché, it must be near-impossible now to find another. And for a car that defined a genre like the E46 3 Series, especially the six-cylinder cars, that could easily be temptation enough.

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SPECIFICATION - BMW 328I (E46)
Engine: 2,793cc, straight six
Transmission: 5-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 196@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 206@3,500rpm
MPG: 27.7 (NEDC)
CO2: 243g/km
First registered: 1999
Recorded mileage: 11,600
Price new: c. £27k
Yours for: £14,995

See the original advert here.

[Johnny5hoods]

Gonna say it before anyone else does: if that was a manual, it would sell in an instant.

[helix402]

Johnny5hoods said:

Gonna say it before anyone else does: if that was a manual, it would sell in an instant.

Not for £15k! Much as I love a good E46 it’s a joke price. This was my 1k 328iA SE, 1 owner, fsh, wood, horrible grey leather, blah blah......even came with a 328 plate!

Edited by helix402 on Wednesday 19th February 07:18

Edited by helix402 on Wednesday 19th February 07:25

[Numeric]

Definately fo me my favourite 3-series from the time when BMW were for me so much better than anything else.

I have only driven the 3.0 and 2.5 but actually felt the Auto suited the car very well and may be my preference.

This car had a 'grown up' quality feel and the best compromise of suppleness and control in this spec until the latest 3-series, while if memory serves NVH was better than any 3 since, as much down to tyres I imagine.

I understand those who felt it maybe lost a little of the agility of the one before, but interior was a marked improvement while long trips were effortless.

This car as specced is a long distance cruiser - like all SE BMW of the time - if you wnated harsher you chose M-Spec, to be honest I never would have, I liked the wood and long distance comfort - but my radio is glued to R4.

[SD_1]

I have one of these rotting away in my garage, a 1998 model on an S plate with a manual gearbox. Absoloutely brilliant car, with a lovely engine. Drove it for years, but mine was killed off by rust in the end, the sills like to rot from the inside out and it is just not worth repairing.

Although, if they are going for £15k now I might need to reconsider that

[GTiWILL]

I don’t understand the logic of buying something like this, at that price;

At £15,000 you wouldn’t want to drive it every day as the value would quickly tumble away, yet conversely it isn’t really a collector’s item for squirrelling away. I’m not saying it doesn’t have a certain appeal, but not enough to part with anything near £15,000.

There’s a lid for ever pan though!

[buggalugs]

I loved mine, just the right amount of movement and suppleness in the twisties, it was such a lovely thing to peddle it had a really nice flow to it. Mine was a manual with a nice fat metal gearknob.

Rusted to death sadly, but not before hitting 260k miles...

[g3org3y]

Hexagon in crazy prices shocker.

Not worth it imo at this price (obvs). As has been said, auto and colour combo bit dull. Saloon also not as good looking as the coupes. Really needs the later 3 litre engine for the proper E46 experience.

[Maxus]

I love the E46 and plan to keep mine but i'm not sure who would buy this apart from BMW or a Dealer for display purposes.
It's not a particularly desirable model and the value is in the condition and mileage. Use it and that disappears.
If it was a 330ci I could see the point but then I guess that would be up for £20k+

[s m]

Here’s the manual one tested

[JD2329]

If you want a good E46, spend a quarter of this amount on a nice example and another couple of grand to bring it to perfection.
This only makes sense if adding to a collection - and is it really that collectible?

[V8fan]

Yet another reference in an article to cars becoming 'classic' at 25 years old. Its an arbitrary figure and not backed up by anything.

[Turbobanana]

"Form an orderly queue" suggests everyone will want it: I think it's plain to see from comments so far that you have overestimated demand for a boring-looking, old car with the wrong gearbox - albeit one in exemplary condition. But £15,000? Someone will, I suppose.

Also,

PH said:

...they're time in the sun...

[BFleming]

Hexagon pricing, dull colour, wrong wheels, SE spec, wrong gearbox. Apart from that, lovely!
Hopefully anyone with a non-M E46 doesn't get carried away into thinking it's worth megabucks all of a sudden. It categorically isn't.

[blade7]

I'd rather have an E36 328, the engine has more potential.

[BFleming]

blade7 said:

I'd rather have an E36 328, the engine has more potential.

Not that I'd recommend it with this particular 328i, the inlet manifold from the 330i M54B30 fits the 328i M52TUB28. You need to retain the throttle body from the 328i though, and source an adapter plate to fit it to the M54 mainfold (M54 is FBW, M52TU is not). Burger motorsports in the US used to sell the adapter plates.

[PTF]

How much??

If it was a manual touring m-sport with full BMW history and less than 50k miles then it MIGHT be worth £5k.

That's hilarious.

Why has the market for anything more interesting than a Fiesta Zetec gone so nuts?

[john_1983]

What do we think the one-lady-owner-from-new got for it?

It wouldn't surprise me if it was as low as £3k

[Ray_Aber]

A lovely looking car, with perhaps the best dash of any of the 3 Series variants. When you look at the current 3 series models (G20 and F30), you have to wonder where the elegance of the E30 and E46 models went - both inside and out.

[cerb4.5lee]

A tiny bit of me died inside when I saw that it was an auto.

I've had a E90 330i auto and an auto doesn't suit this type of engine in my view.

I can really appreciate a tidy low mileage E46 though for sure.

[helix402]

BFleming said:

Not that I'd recommend it with this particular 328i, the inlet manifold from the 330i M54B30 fits the 328i M52TUB28. You need to retain the throttle body from the 328i though, and source an adapter plate to fit it to the M54 mainfold (M54 is FBW, M52TU is not). Burger motorsports in the US used to sell the adapter plates.

M52tu has a throttle motor and cable. I did the B30 manifold conversion on mine.