E46 330Ci or 325Ci Help!

[Mustoe]

Sorry to add another what car to buy post but any opinions would be a great help.. 

Looking to buy a car this weekend but am currently in between two E46 M Sport coupes..

Both cars are exactly the same price within my budget,  but can't decide...

If anyone has any experience in owning either, their performance, fuel eco, and what they are like to live with that would be great.

First
 2002 325Ci Msport manual 
Full service history
100k 
Imola Red (main reason I am temped by this car)
Alacantra Interior 
Very clean overall 

Second 
2002 330Ci Msport SMG auto
Full service history
85k
Silver (quite a lot of silver cars out there..) 
Leather interior (slightly aged)

Any thoughts would be great

Cheers

[mattuk89]

Personally i wouldnt buy a smg 330, heard too many problems with it, but if manual vs manual, 330 every time, same economy, with more power.

[happychap]

One issue with the 325 M54 engine is that they are renound for using oil. Mine uses 1 litre of oil every 500 miles, might be due to the ccv needing replaced, other then that its a great car. Dont know if that helps, dont let the high oil consumption put you off if its the right car.

[Exige77]

I've had the same manual 330Ci MS for 11 years and 160K miles.

It's been a great car. Still drives like new.

Always used a bit of oil since new.

30MPG ave over 160K miles mixed driving.

Ex77

[Mudfugly]

If you can stretch to it, go for a facelift model, later MV2's and LED rears, from around 03 onwards.

Oh and imola red as well,and a 330 as well :-)

[Effortless]

I have (or my wife has) a 325Ci MS on 05/05 with 60k, and I have a 330Cd MS on 05/55 with 80k, both manuals.

Typical range is 320 miles on a tank of 63 litres.

It is a manual, and I would be a little wary of the SMG to be honest... I don't have any inside info, just at that age an mileage, too much for me to risk.

It has been completely reliable, with NOTHING going wrong or having to be replaced to date.

Imola Red is my favourite colour, closely followed by Silver Grey. The E46 coupe is a good looking vehicle!!

I have a brochure from 2005, happy to scan any bits that you want.

The fuel economy figures make me smile...urban 22.1 & 22.1, extra 40.9 & 40.9, combined 31.4 & 31.0 (325 & 330), so not a lot in it!!

However, there is the question of 192hp & 231hp.

I drove my wife's car hard today, after not having driven it for a while, and after my 330Cd daily driver, it feels gutless. It isn't though, but as you will know, petrols need thrashing to get the best out of it.

I assume you're looking at 02's for budget reasons, but, as Mudfugly suggests, the facelift cars are nicer. If you can stretch to one....

My overall impression... I love the E46 coupes... they look great, they have great engineering, they're built great, they handle great, they sound great and they go great... bit of a fanboy then!!

If you have any specific questions, please post up.

HTH,
Effortless.

[Zebrs]

mattuk89 said:

Personally i wouldnt buy a smg 330, heard too many problems with it, but if manual vs manual, 330 every time, same economy, with more power.

+1 find a good 330ci manual and enjoy!

[Mustoe]

Thanks for the detailed info guys, that's a massive help, and nice to know your thoughts on the SMG!

I wasn't aware they could be problematic..

Would love to go for the facelift but the budget doesn't allow unfortunatly, however have to agree with effortless, they are stunning looking cars..

Love the Imola red, not usually a fan of red cars, but pic looks stunning..

Amazing how close the fuel economy is between the two.. 

Must say I'm very temped by the Imola 325 as they are so rare, especially in my budget..

I'm currently running an Slk 230k and assuming the 325 will be similar performance wise..

Do people generally think it would be really worth passing up the 325 Imola for a 330.. 

Thanks guys and will post pics of what I go for.. 

[SWoll]

Depends whether performance or colour is yout priority.

The 330i is a genuinely rapid car, 325i is mearly a quick one.

[Bitzer]

I ran a 2003 325i auto saloon for 2 years and 30000 miles around 5 years ago.

All that went wrong was the washer bottle needed degunking (small filter at the base of the bottle) and the passenger side seat occupancy sensor needed overriding

It used no oil between services either.

Oh, and get a 330ci manual

[mattuk89]

Mustoe said:

Do people generally think it would be really worth passing up the 325 Imola for a 330.. 
 

Personally no, if i bought a 325 i would always be gutted everytime i saw a 330, when i bought my old 330 last year, i saw a perfect 325, and was very tempted to buy it, as i was searching for a nice facelift 330 for a while, i decided against it as i knew i would regret it, and then the week later a perfect facelift 330 came up for sale in budget, so i snapped that up.

I did have a 323 saloon before the 330 though, and thats with a 2.5 engine, so that did sway me into not getting a 325ci.

End of the day its up you whether you want the extra power or not, but as i said in my other post, the MPG with with the 2.5 and 3.0 is near identical.

Edited by mattuk89 on Friday 18th January 21:00

[Mustoe]

Cheers guys, going to drive both tommorow and will let you know...

Def looking for performance so 330 it may be.. Also found a manual in my budget so looks like I need to look at 3..

Out of interest does anyone have any experience, or heard any stories etc with the SMG gearbox..

Is it really a bad idea to consider, I did here they are pretty impressive especially on the CSL ; ) (if only!)

[siovey]

Hi Mate, the E46 coupe particularly in Sport guise is a beautiful looking car.
Dont get a 330 ssg or auto. Hold out for a manual car if you can. The ssg is rare and a troublesome gearbox, and the tiptronic isnt the best either (inevitably at some point, you wont be able to reverse! lol). Having said that, i had my 330 auto from 74k to 98k over 3 years without any issues (apart from terrible mpg - worse than my M3 under the same driving conditions)
If you get a 325, you'll always wish you got a 330. Its a much better car, but do make sure it's a manual!
Good luck with your search!

[Vee]

Mustoe said:

Cheers guys, going to drive both tommorow and will let you know...

Def looking for performance so 330 it may be.. Also found a manual in my budget so looks like I need to look at 3..

Out of interest does anyone have any experience, or heard any stories etc with the SMG gearbox..

Is it really a bad idea to consider, I did here they are pretty impressive especially on the CSL ; ) (if only!)

It isn't SMG, that came in the M3.
325s & 330s came with SSG. Always went wrong and out of BMW warranty costs £££ to fix.

When I was buying my 330 back in 2004 an enthusiast on another forum had a Clubsport with SSG that gave constant problems. Recommended me to stay well away from them.

[VinceM]

I recently sold a 330Ci manual facelift, liked it a lot and would echo what others say here. Mine had 120k on it and still felt strong. And returned 30mpg easily...

I have a friend who works for a BMW dealer, he always recommends a manual everytime, he says the SMG is grief.

[rufusgti]

Just to throw a spanner in. I've recently bought an 02 325i msport. Ive achieved 30 mpg over the last 3k miles with all kinds of driving. It goes very well. I came from a 172 cup, so at first it felt sluggish. Now I've learnt how to get the best from a 6 cylinder it feels better. It's a capable quick car.
I hear the 330i achieves similar mpg, yet I'm not sure how true it is. If a nice 330 had been available I would have bought it. But I wasn't going to pass over mine which was only on 65k and pretty much mint.
Nothing has needed doing so far. Which is always nice.

[Mustoe]

Hello guys,

Though I'd give you an update..

After a day of e46 coupe driving I have returned home with a very clean, almost immaculate 330 coupe M Sport..

First driven was a 2002 330 manual 90k on the clock, which got me hooked on the power of them, although the body was very poor condition and generally looked un cared for..

Then the 325, very clean, but coming from the 330, now understand what you guys are talking about performance wise..

Finally drove a silver 2002 330 SMG, only 80k only the clock, with dark red leather and in great condition for its age, also had full BMW history with only 1 owner..

This car just felt so good to drive, everything was tight and really liked the gearbox.. Being such a clean car I couldn't say no..

Fingers crossed the gearbox will be ok!

Cheers for all the advise

Pics to follow once the snow melts!

[V8OW]

Sounds great.

What was your budget by the way?

I'm tempted to get rid of my 320 auto (only bought as it was cheap and local) and look for a 330 manual.

[rufusgti]

Pics please, especially of the interior.