E46 buying advice

[don logan1]

Hello, I'm after an E46. I'll be doing about 10k miles per year. I've got about 3 grand to spend.

I was originally thinking i'll just get a 318, just had a few questions on what to look out for. Then i had a few people on other forums say that the N42 engines in the 318i in my price range were best avoided.

So then i thought i'd get a 320d. Then i found out about common problems with M47 engine- Turbo, injectors, swirl flaps and the associated problems when they go.

A few people have advised getting a six cylinder as they're a lot more reliable, smoother, more pokey. So a 320i se is what i'm now interested in. Haven't heard about any common problems with this one.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I won't be doing a lot of mileage, but insurance is a bit high for me on a 320i. Also, i'll only have the car for 18 months so it needs to hold its value as much as possible. Do they?

Is around 3 grand enough for a decent E46, whichever i decide to buy?

From looking on autotrader, 3k seems to get you a 320i se, 80k ish miles, full BMW SH and leather interior.

And are there any particular things in the service history that should have been replaced by now such as rear springs, suspension bushes, turbo on diesels etc?

Any advice on spotting moody dealers? Haven't done much car buying in the past due to having work vans...



Cheers.

[FunBusMk2]

There's this thread running which, whilst centred around a 330 contains a lot of relevant detail which applies to all E46's. You'll also read of my experience with a 318Ci which has left me a little bitter! Great cars though, I loved and hated mine.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

[don logan1]

Any opinions on this?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...


Apart from the brown interior bits...

[FunBusMk2]

Bin the wheels and I think it's a tidy example.

[don logan1]

Quite liked those wheels...

So check rear springs, subframe and the other stuff you'd usually check on a car.

How would i go about checking the bushes and other suspension parts that go?

Cheers.