E46 bmw 2.0 ish need help please

[welshjohn]

A while ago i enquired about the purchase of a renault twingo.But since then things have changed and she's got her self pregnant.As of this a larger car is needed.I know i want a e46 bmw petrol or diesel of around 2.0 cc with a budget of around 3k i think a 2002/03 models are within reach..Most of the ones within price are around the 85'000 mls + .Is there any thing to be wary of as these cars get into higher mileage?. What is the real world fuel consumption like maintenance times etc.Basically any real world advice on these would be very gratefully received.One other thing is there much in it between the 1.8 2.0 and 2.3's.Would also consider a auto if a nice one turns up..

thank you john

[Tefal]

I'd go with a 320i or a 323i petrol over a diesel if you are not doing huge miles, steer clear of the 318i 16 valve engine as they can be problematic.(valvetronic)

If you are going for a diesel then some of the models had swirl flaps which can fail and ruin the engine. Explained here. http://www.bmwforums.info/general-guides-how-tos/9...

Turbos can be a known failure also if serviced poorly. There is a thread on that same forum describing the issues.

[Willy Nilly]

My manager had a 1999 318, which is probably a 2.0. It spent most of it's time either on a breakdown truck or at the dealers having various cooling and or electrical problems attended to. I'd not touch one with a barge pole.

[A3tdi]

Hi John,

I currently have a 318i sport which im in the process of selling. I've had it around 18months and put on about 10k miles. Its not the fastest car around, gets about 30 mpg mixed driving and around 35-38 mpg on a good motorway run (i£80 tank = 400-450 miles). Mine is ok kitted out i guess for a 318, full leather sports seats/auto/cd changer/bluetooth/climate control etc).

Positives:

It is surprisingly fun to drive! - Handles well and is engaging
Good sports seats, comfy on 200mile+ drives
Suspension as above - although its a sport model its not rock hard in comparison to an s-line audi and can comfortably eat away at motorway miles
Good stereo - not over-bearing
Good boot space
Autobox - very smooth gear changes, impressively smooth in fact. Good kick down when required.

Negatives:

Tyres - rear 265/35/18 (good branded tyre costs in excess of £200)
Brakes - pads/discs all round £450
Servicing - £250+ dependant on where you go - Every 16000miles/1 year - i believe the service book states
6 months tax = £137.50 (2004 model)

General:

If i could do it again, i would probably opt for a 320i/325i. It wont kill your wallet like a 330i, but would provide a bit more fun and enjoyment in driving terms. But if economy is a requirement i would suggest 330d (40+mpg) and the torque would no doubt keep you entertained for a long time!


Regards,

Dal

[welshjohn]

cheers for the prompt replies.So from reading the posts we probably do about 150mls a week mostly urban and 50 zones so will rule out a diesel.reading more about the 1.8 problems will be looking for a 2.0 or 2.3 auto or manual.Is something along these line ok?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3893722.htm
Thank you for the write up dai found it really useful.

Edited by welshjohn on Thursday 7th June 21:04

[FleshMechanic]

2 door with a baby? I thought you would be after a 4 door?

[welshjohn]

FleshMechanic said:

2 door with a baby? I thought you would be after a 4 door?

I Only just noticed it was a 2 door. Will be looking for a 4 door.She wants an estate but have to draw the line somewhere.Do the autos use more fuel than the manuals.I have tried google but getting varying results on answers..

Edited by welshjohn on Thursday 7th June 22:29

[Tefal]

welshjohn said:

I Only just noticed it was a 2 door. Will be looking for a 4 door.She wants an estate but have to draw the line somewhere.Do the autos use more fuel than the manuals.I have tried google but getting varying results on answers..

Edited by welshjohn on Thursday 7th June 22:29

Auto will use a little more fuel yes.

The 323i will be a pre-facelift model with the M52Tu engine, good reliable engine.
The 320i will be the M54 engine, again a reliable engine, that can be had in the pre-facelift guise or the post facelift guise if you are throwing a bit extra cash.

[defblade]

welshjohn said:

She wants an estate but have to draw the line somewhere.

Once baby arrives, you will want an estate, too. Then you'll sell this car, lose money, and buy an estate anyway (although you may find an e46 even in estate form a little small ). Then you'll realise that saloons are rubbish and hatchbacks are just poor estates and there's actually nothing wrong with an estate and you love being able to drop the seats and chuck loads of stuff in and you'll never buy anything else ever again.

Not that I am biased...

[Andyjc86]

I have a customers E46 320 td in at the moment (turbo replacement) Although the car is 9 years old he is stuggling to come to terms with BMW prices. For me they are over priced and a bit bland.

[300bhp/ton]

welshjohn said:

A while ago i enquired about the purchase of a renault twingo.But since then things have changed and she's got her self pregnant.As of this a larger car is needed.I know i want a e46 bmw petrol or diesel of around 2.0 cc with a budget of around 3k i think a 2002/03 models are within reach..Most of the ones within price are around the 85'000 mls + .Is there any thing to be wary of as these cars get into higher mileage?. What is the real world fuel consumption like maintenance times etc.Basically any real world advice on these would be very gratefully received.One other thing is there much in it between the 1.8 2.0 and 2.3's.Would also consider a auto if a nice one turns up..

thank you john

Only being picky, but since when has a BMW 3 Series been a "large car"? Ok the e90 is bigger, but the e46 is still pretty compact. And do you really need a "big" for a pregnant lady?

[rallycross]

A 318 2.0 SE estate manual will do the job.

Should get av of 30+ mpg (petrol)

£3k should get you a nice example eg 2002/2003 with 60-80k miles.

Long run mpg is much better 40 mpg possible.

Servicing using a local garage not expensive.

Nothing specific to look out for but check for rust around rear wheel arches and fsh including getting a vosa Mot history report to be sure it's not been clocked.

Also check fm radio is working as the radio booster can fail on these and its expensive to get one from BMW.

They drive very nicely for an estate and certainly don't feel big.

Edited by rallycross on Friday 8th June 08:55

[dooosuk]

A3tdi said:

Hi John,

I currently have a 318i sport which im in the process of selling. I've had it around 18months and put on about 10k miles. Its not the fastest car around, gets about 30 mpg mixed driving and around 35-38 mpg on a good motorway run (i£80 tank = 400-450 miles). Mine is ok kitted out i guess for a 318, full leather sports seats/auto/cd changer/bluetooth/climate control etc).

Positives:

It is surprisingly fun to drive! - Handles well and is engaging
Good sports seats, comfy on 200mile+ drives
Suspension as above - although its a sport model its not rock hard in comparison to an s-line audi and can comfortably eat away at motorway miles
Good stereo - not over-bearing
Good boot space
Autobox - very smooth gear changes, impressively smooth in fact. Good kick down when required.

Negatives:

Tyres - rear 265/35/18 (good branded tyre costs in excess of £200)
Brakes - pads/discs all round £450
Servicing - £250+ dependant on where you go - Every 16000miles/1 year - i believe the service book states
6 months tax = £137.50 (2004 model)

General:

If i could do it again, i would probably opt for a 320i/325i. It wont kill your wallet like a 330i, but would provide a bit more fun and enjoyment in driving terms. But if economy is a requirement i would suggest 330d (40+mpg) and the torque would no doubt keep you entertained for a long time!


Regards,

Dal

The 330 manual costs NO more to run than the figures you've quoted above.

My 330ci sport on a motorway can do 420miles/tank.
Servicing is the same
Tyres are the same
Tax £10 more/6mths maybe.

[Mikeyplum]

defblade said:

Once baby arrives, you will want an estate, too. Then you'll sell this car, lose money, and buy an estate anyway (although you may find an e46 even in estate form a little small ). Then you'll realise that saloons are rubbish and hatchbacks are just poor estates and there's actually nothing wrong with an estate and you love being able to drop the seats and chuck loads of stuff in and you'll never buy anything else ever again.

Not that I am biased...

This.

I have a Bora (Saloon) and, in fairness, the boot is massive. Though, imagine trying to fit a pram through a letterbox, that's what it's like.

My mate has an e46 320ci Touring (2.2 petrol) and he swears by it. Currently has circa 155k on the clock and, fair play, it's smooth as a babies bum to drive and totally reliable. Picked it up fairly cheap, under the £3k mark iirc.

[hornetrider]

Would echo the thoughts on getting an estate. I test drove a 325i SE Touring recently and I was tempted, although for me personally it wasn't quite quick enough or refined enough (I was 'downgrading' from a 7 series) so I chose an E39 530i Sport Touring.

The 5 series is at another level to the 3 series, much more refined, and a fair amount of space too. An E46 isn't actually that big. A nice car though.

[dooosuk]

DJC said:

...a new calliper as the old one had seized; cost just over £200. ...

You need a new mechanic. A 330 caliper is only £80 exchange and should be less than an hours labour to fit. £200 seems extortionate.

[Mikeyplum]

dooosuk said:

You need a new mechanic. A 330 caliper is only £80 exchange and should be less than an hours labour to fit. £200 seems extortionate.

Unless he needed new pads and discs because of said fked caliper seizing?

[DJC]

Mikeyplum said:

Unless he needed new pads and discs because of said fked caliper seizing?

I don't recall the exact breakdown, but it was something along the lines of:

Caliper £85
Pads £30
Pad Sensor £15
Labour £60

+ VAT

[Tango13]

300bhp/ton said:

Only being picky, but since when has a BMW 3 Series been a "large car"? Ok the e90 is bigger, but the e46 is still pretty compact. And do you really need a "big" for a pregnant lady?

An e46 saloon is size wise only a couple of inches smaller than an e34 saloon. A mate was given one as a company car and he parked it next to my e34 so being the anoraks we are, out came the owners manuals and there is very little in it.

[Devil2575]

I had an E46 330i 4dr a while back. Not really big enough as a family car. We had to use my wifes Mazda 6 hatch most of the time. The boot on the 3 series is not very big and could only just fit our pram in.

If you want a 3 then go for an Estate.

Repair prices are a bit strong but you can save a lot by avoiding the main dealers like the plague. £400 for discs and pads? An independant specialist would do this job for about half that.
Also if you are prepared to buy used parts there are loads of speciallist BMW breakers out there.
These cars do suffer numerous niggles that can quickly add up. I'm a big fan of BMWs but they do not deserve their reputation for reliability.

Don't get a diesel. You don't do enough miles.

Forget the 323. They stopped making them in 2000 so it would be older and the early E46s suffered from a problem with the rear subframe comming away from the floor pan of the car.

My money would be a 320i with the 2.2 liter 170 bhp straight 6.

Not really any cheaper petrol wise than a 325i/330i but less desirable so cheaper to buy and cheaper to insure.

318i with the 2.0 engine will get better economy but there have been a few reliability issues. Still there are loads around.

To be quite honest, unless you really want a BMW and are prepared to either get your hands dirty or spend a bit more running it i'd consider a Mondeo Estate.

You will get a lot more car for your cash, it will probably be more reliable and they are a decent drive.