TRD's bargain beemer, E46 328Ci
Discussion
I got the chance to swap my Puma, with 103,000 miles, which needed a bit of work doing to it to make it good again, for my mates BMW, a 66,000 mile E46 328Ci and £850 his way. To be honest, I was missing RWD and a sonorous engine since the Zed.
So far I love it, nice all rounder, quick, handles well, very comfortable and nice ride, sounds great, is a nice place to be and was cheap to buy. Probably one of my favourite cars.
I got it 2 weeks ago, and it has performed flawlessly, but it does need a few little jobs doing, which I'll get into later.
First, a few pictures - they were taken in the work car park, so excuse the fact the location is extremely unglamorous
I've probably done about 600 miles in it so far, and it's getting around 27 MPG, which is a bit worse than the Puma it replaced which generally got around 35 MPG.
As you may have noticed from one of the photos, the kidney grilles were different colours, so as a first task, I replaced the odd one out.
Tonight, it developed a belt squeal. Well, it already had a slight chirp when I got it, but is now constant. I'm contemplating buying the following kit and, to use an oft-used expression, man the f
k up and get it fixed myself.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D6091-DRIVE-FAN-BELT-TEN...
Anyway, its a nice car and I like driving it so, I'll keep this thread updated.
So far I love it, nice all rounder, quick, handles well, very comfortable and nice ride, sounds great, is a nice place to be and was cheap to buy. Probably one of my favourite cars.
I got it 2 weeks ago, and it has performed flawlessly, but it does need a few little jobs doing, which I'll get into later.
First, a few pictures - they were taken in the work car park, so excuse the fact the location is extremely unglamorous
I've probably done about 600 miles in it so far, and it's getting around 27 MPG, which is a bit worse than the Puma it replaced which generally got around 35 MPG.
As you may have noticed from one of the photos, the kidney grilles were different colours, so as a first task, I replaced the odd one out.
Tonight, it developed a belt squeal. Well, it already had a slight chirp when I got it, but is now constant. I'm contemplating buying the following kit and, to use an oft-used expression, man the f
k up and get it fixed myself.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D6091-DRIVE-FAN-BELT-TEN...
Anyway, its a nice car and I like driving it so, I'll keep this thread updated.
Edited by TameRacingDriver on Thursday 24th October 20:45
I had a e46 323i SE in Sea green and thought it was a lovely car, except the clutch delay valve seriously hampered my view of it - never seemed to get the clutch feel right on pull away.
I realised that there was a mod to delete the CDV, but sadly it was replaced with a boring company car before I had chance to deal with it.
you are right about the interiors - a lovely place to sit and be. I now have a e39 528i auto, which again has a lovely interior.
Nice car, btw.
Neil.
I realised that there was a mod to delete the CDV, but sadly it was replaced with a boring company car before I had chance to deal with it.
you are right about the interiors - a lovely place to sit and be. I now have a e39 528i auto, which again has a lovely interior.
Nice car, btw.
Neil.
TameRacingDriver said:
I did have an inkling that I would regret this thread. As sure as night turns to day, I'm being proved right. No wonder I don't bother as much with PH any more. I get the impression that people on here enjoy witnessing other people's misfortune, pretty sad state of affairs really.
Well, just for once I'd like to see you avoid getting stung with a huge bill! £2500 for the 172 seems outrageous. I also quite like 328i's so a reasonable outcome would be encouraging. TameRacingDriver said:
Didn't know about the CDV I have noticed there's a knack to pulling away, can't say it bothers me.
Thanks
Its been a while since I owned mine, and my memory is fading a bit, but some googling on the cdv should reveal some stuff. I recall it was a bit like it always wanted to stall unless you revved it more than usual.Thanks
rb5er said:
Looks a very nice car other than the wheels.
Nice and tidy interior but the seats seem a bit slack for such low mileage, has it had a couple of "big" guys sat in there for a few years?
Wheels are MSW 22's. I have a nearly new set of these for sale on Ebay right now (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151146967061?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649) with brand new track rubber Nice and tidy interior but the seats seem a bit slack for such low mileage, has it had a couple of "big" guys sat in there for a few years?
...I think they quite suit that E46...
Squeal may also be the water pump. Worth checking out the source of the noise, water pump, thermostat and thermostat housing are all worth replacing if you take on that job. Not too hard for a DIY'er
rb5er said:
Nice and tidy interior but the seats seem a bit slack for such low mileage, has it had a couple of "big" guys sat in there for a few years?
Not sure mate, but I find the seats comfy, and they don't look too bad IMO.I'll check the water pump tomorrow, IIRC didn't these have plastic ones as standard? If so, I'll upgrade to a metal one. The water pumps themselves seem cheap enough (on ebay anyway - any comments about that or should I stick to genuine?).
TameRacingDriver said:
I get the impression that people on here enjoy witnessing other people's misfortune, pretty sad state of affairs really.
Eh?I think the car looks good, but there has been some history of certain people buying cars, spending lots on them and then flogging them on in much better condition than in which they were bought -It sounds to be a very good service for the new owners.
I'm one of the people usually shouting,
"keep the car!" and "learn to fix it yourself more cheaply!".
It's a fairly old car, it will almost certainly need some cash/time throwing at it.
MC Bodge said:
Eh?
I think the car looks good, but there has been some history of certain people buying cars, spending lots on them and then flogging them on in much better condition than in which they were bought -It sounds to be a very good service for the new owners.
I'm one of the people usually shouting,
"keep the car!" and "learn to fix it yourself more cheaply!".
It's a fairly old car, it will almost certainly need some cash/time throwing at it.
Agreed. I'm guilty as charged in the past. Some people seem to be writing it off before I've started, yes I've had my fair share of problems but I'm willing to get my hands dirty this time! I think the car looks good, but there has been some history of certain people buying cars, spending lots on them and then flogging them on in much better condition than in which they were bought -It sounds to be a very good service for the new owners.
I'm one of the people usually shouting,
"keep the car!" and "learn to fix it yourself more cheaply!".
It's a fairly old car, it will almost certainly need some cash/time throwing at it.
TameRacingDriver said:
Agreed. I'm guilty as charged in the past. Some people seem to be writing it off before I've started, yes I've had my fair share of problems but I'm willing to get my hands dirty this time!
Do it!Even if it's just the smaller stuff you start with, brakes, fluid changes etc, then build up to the other stuff, it's what I did, well, I drank tea and mocked D4MJT as he did all of the work, but it's all the same!
I'd get shot of the wheels and reap the insurance rewards of somethine OEM, then I'd colour the leather in with a black pen.
Since it's awfully RWD what's your winter plan? bricks, snow tyres, I think I'm just going to lower my pressures a bit and fill the boot up, my commute is all main roads anyway, ish
TameRacingDriver said:
Agreed. I'm guilty as charged in the past. Some people seem to be writing it off before I've started, yes I've had my fair share of problems but I'm willing to get my hands dirty this time!
Before you spend any more money on the car, buy yourself a haynes manual, join an e46 owners forum and get a decent comprehensive tool kit. Something like this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...With a screwdriver set, a pliers set and a hammer should be enough to get you started. Replacing the auxiliary belt is a good one to start off with, a relatively simple job but one that'd save you a good chunk of cash over going to a garage!
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