Shopping for an E46
Discussion
Well i own a 325ci heres a quick rundown of some of the running costs:
does 20mpg on average for local.
low 30's on motorways. these are all OBC readouts by the way.
Did the oil and filter, parts alone cost me £90 from Euro car parts.(castrol edge 5w30 8 litres and OE oil filter)
had new tyres done all around, bought a set of falkens fk452's, set me back £385 inc fitting.
Road tax was done in Dec for £210.
air flow meter is playing up sometimes, thats about £130-£200 depending on supplier and what brand.
Oh yes, new clutch needed 6 months ago. £600
hope that helps.
does 20mpg on average for local.
low 30's on motorways. these are all OBC readouts by the way.
Did the oil and filter, parts alone cost me £90 from Euro car parts.(castrol edge 5w30 8 litres and OE oil filter)
had new tyres done all around, bought a set of falkens fk452's, set me back £385 inc fitting.
Road tax was done in Dec for £210.
air flow meter is playing up sometimes, thats about £130-£200 depending on supplier and what brand.
Oh yes, new clutch needed 6 months ago. £600
hope that helps.
320 owner here.
Heavy on oil - this seems to only affect particular drivers/engines. I've yet to distinguish a pattern between type/brand/viscosity of oil and/or how the car is driven as yet, so it seems to come down to luck of the draw as I see it.
Average 30/31mpg (OBC readout again) on a mixture of town/major A roads driving.
From what I've read and heard, a 330 shouldn't be considerably more expensive to run than a 320, so if you go for a 6-pot go for the 330.
Heavy on oil - this seems to only affect particular drivers/engines. I've yet to distinguish a pattern between type/brand/viscosity of oil and/or how the car is driven as yet, so it seems to come down to luck of the draw as I see it.
Average 30/31mpg (OBC readout again) on a mixture of town/major A roads driving.
From what I've read and heard, a 330 shouldn't be considerably more expensive to run than a 320, so if you go for a 6-pot go for the 330.
I've got a 325ti compact and I can't rate the engine highly enough. I'm getting 28mpg overall which includes town and motorway driving. I've seen an average 32mpg on a trip to the 'ring which included going well into triple figures on the Autobahn.
Four P Zero Rosso tyres was £600 and the engine is chain driven so the cambelt doesn't need changing (well if it goes it will be and seriously expensive but it's less likely).
I know a lot of people hate the looks of the Compact, and that's fair enough, but the 325ti is a bit of a bargain - mine was a few thousand less than a similarly equiped coupe and has the practicality of the hatch. I'm really happy with mine and I'd recommend one. I think you'd be happy with any E46, however. They're rubbish in the snow though.
Four P Zero Rosso tyres was £600 and the engine is chain driven so the cambelt doesn't need changing (well if it goes it will be and seriously expensive but it's less likely).
I know a lot of people hate the looks of the Compact, and that's fair enough, but the 325ti is a bit of a bargain - mine was a few thousand less than a similarly equiped coupe and has the practicality of the hatch. I'm really happy with mine and I'd recommend one. I think you'd be happy with any E46, however. They're rubbish in the snow though.
In my opinion, you should either go for the 2002 onwards 318ci with the 2.0L 16v lump (143bhp I think) or for the 330. Don't expect the 330 to be as economical as the 318, it simply does not happen.
My 318ci (02) used to do 33-39mpg depending on use, my B3S (3.4 but based on 330 lump) does 23-27, but mostly 23
and is on a par with my mates 330 in terms of economy.
My 318ci (02) used to do 33-39mpg depending on use, my B3S (3.4 but based on 330 lump) does 23-27, but mostly 23
and is on a par with my mates 330 in terms of economy.Over the last 6 years in my 330ci auto I have averaged 27mpg in auto and 26mpg in sport (according to the computer) - fairly low proportion of motorway driving apart from the occasional longer trip. I reckon thats pretty good for a car of that performance.
Running/servicing costs over 55k miles have been relatively minimal as services have been at 15k intervals.
The road tax temporary restriction helps but who knows what the little g**S will do to is in a couple of years - if they are still there.
TBH I only ever look at differences, not actual costs, as you are going to be paying something whatever it is you buy/run.
Can't recommend the 330ci highly enough - it's the longest I have ever owned a car and I would guess they aren't too expensive at the moment.
Running/servicing costs over 55k miles have been relatively minimal as services have been at 15k intervals.
The road tax temporary restriction helps but who knows what the little g**S will do to is in a couple of years - if they are still there.
TBH I only ever look at differences, not actual costs, as you are going to be paying something whatever it is you buy/run.
Can't recommend the 330ci highly enough - it's the longest I have ever owned a car and I would guess they aren't too expensive at the moment.
anonymous said:
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You would be suprised at the diference in idle noise once it has been remaped, due to the better/higher mixture of fuel and air it does sound much smoother. (Then again if your not a diesel fan already i doubt i could change your opinion - all i can say is, it took me a while to get used to driving a diesel engined car properly, but when you do it is very rewarding)My 320td is booked in for re-mapping this friday which will up the figures from 150BHP to 200 and 240LbFt to 320, the old girl should fly then lol
The idle noise is a minor niggle which I'd be happy to overlook if it weren't for other shortcomings. We have an E92 330d M Sport touring in the family, which I have put quite a few miles on myself. Personally, I find it less satisfying the more I drive it. Once the novelty of all the torque wears off you are left with a low-revving, slightly weasy engine with soft throttle response. It simply ain't sporty or engaging. I prefer the 3.0 petrol by a mile, despite the relative lack of torque.
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seems like your hell bent on a petrol, are you looking for a E46 or E92? dont no what the insurance would be like for you but for £15,000 you could pick up a great E46 m3 (Avoid the SMG box which completley ruins the experience) and running costs are not that harsh in comparison with the 330i when driven sensible.
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seems like your hell bent on a petrol, are you looking for a E46 or E92? dont no what the insurance would be like for you but for £15,000 you could pick up a great E46 m3 (Avoid the SMG box which completley ruins the experience) and running costs are not that harsh in comparison with the 330i when driven sensible.
bic said:
I'm looking for an E46 I did pretty much choose a 318 but should I consider the 6 cylinder models? PH help me decide!
You might have to right off the idea of the 318 above (which has neither sharp throttle response or wide power band) and delve a little deeper into those pokets of yours and get an m3 if your above post is anything to go by.seems like your hell bent on a petrol, are you looking for a E46 or E92? dont no what the insurance would be like for you but for £15,000 you could pick up a great E46 m3 (Avoid the SMG box which completley ruins the experience) and running costs are not that harsh in comparison with the 330i when driven sensible.
disagree, go for SMG, cracking piece of kit, adds to the experience
disagree, go for SMG, cracking piece of kit, adds to the experience
Shameless plug. Looking to sell very quickly.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/841553.htm
When I gave up my 2.5 Z4 3 years ago, I loved the engine so much I couldn't bear to go back to the 4 cylinder or diesel 3's I had previously (E46 also). So I got the 325ci (has same engine as Z4 2.5).
You won't regret pushing to a 2.5 or 3.0 petrol.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/841553.htm
When I gave up my 2.5 Z4 3 years ago, I loved the engine so much I couldn't bear to go back to the 4 cylinder or diesel 3's I had previously (E46 also). So I got the 325ci (has same engine as Z4 2.5).
You won't regret pushing to a 2.5 or 3.0 petrol.
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