E46 325 - what to look out for?
Discussion
Whilst browsing for alternatives that will be equally as comfortable to drive as my SAAB 9-3, yet not too costly, I found the 325i 4 door may be one candidate.
A few reasons for looking at these: They're not as expensive as the 328 and 330 models which seem to hold a premium price of £3k up. The power is similar to the SAAB I currently have. They look comfortable with the leather interiors (I hope) and maintenance doesn't seem too bad.
I've been getting itchy feet with my SAAB 9-3 lately. I've had it remapped to stage 1 at 220bhp but the erratic idling behaviour requires some looking into to fix. With the amount of time spent fixing it, it's really testing my patience.
What should I look for in finding a decent 325 at less than £2k? Any advice would be appreciated as the only 3 series experience I have is the e46 316 my mother had for 10 years that never put a foot wrong till she sold it.
A few reasons for looking at these: They're not as expensive as the 328 and 330 models which seem to hold a premium price of £3k up. The power is similar to the SAAB I currently have. They look comfortable with the leather interiors (I hope) and maintenance doesn't seem too bad.
I've been getting itchy feet with my SAAB 9-3 lately. I've had it remapped to stage 1 at 220bhp but the erratic idling behaviour requires some looking into to fix. With the amount of time spent fixing it, it's really testing my patience.
What should I look for in finding a decent 325 at less than £2k? Any advice would be appreciated as the only 3 series experience I have is the e46 316 my mother had for 10 years that never put a foot wrong till she sold it.
Edited by TotalControl on Wednesday 25th January 12:07
Thank you.
I think maybe the correct question to now ask (whilst doing some googling) is experiences with the 325 as opposed to the 330.
Is it worth going for the 325 over the 330, or should I wait it out and just get the 3.0?
Advice appreciated.
I think maybe the correct question to now ask (whilst doing some googling) is experiences with the 325 as opposed to the 330.
Is it worth going for the 325 over the 330, or should I wait it out and just get the 3.0?
Advice appreciated.
Edited by TotalControl on Wednesday 25th January 12:49
helix402 said:
I don't have any mpg figures to hand but in my E46 experience all 6 cylinder petrol E46s (bar M3) do similar mpg. Apart from autos maybe using a little more.
My experiences are different. I had (well, ended it up with the wife as her car) a pre facelift 325Ci on a 02 that was better on fuel than the two facelifted 330Ci cars I later had. It wasn't any slower really either and had more than enough old school grunt to have fun with.All that aside I really like the E46 still. Great drivers cars and still look good in the right colour and with the right wheels.
yeah those famously accurate manufacturers tables. All I can relate to is my experience, which I've posted honestly.I've run a 325ci manual as a daily, for 10,000 miles. Cost per mile is 18.9p
OBC hovers around 28mpg (average 27.6)
Useage is mostly short journeys.
This car was a mint 1 owner car, even now only at 73k, I'd have to dig into the file to see what's ever gone wrong with it as nothing comes to mind.
My first E46 was sound, but it did use up a lot of oil, needed a new crank case valve breather and ultimately was let down at 136k by needing various bits under the head gasket changed, too expensive a job for such an old car.
I don't find the 330ci the next level in performance, so if you get a good manual 325 it's not worth passing by.
OBC hovers around 28mpg (average 27.6)
Useage is mostly short journeys.
This car was a mint 1 owner car, even now only at 73k, I'd have to dig into the file to see what's ever gone wrong with it as nothing comes to mind.
My first E46 was sound, but it did use up a lot of oil, needed a new crank case valve breather and ultimately was let down at 136k by needing various bits under the head gasket changed, too expensive a job for such an old car.
I don't find the 330ci the next level in performance, so if you get a good manual 325 it's not worth passing by.
Funny to stumble on this thread as I saw a 325i advertised locally...strong money, but only 79,000 miles and owned by an old gent apparently who has spared no expense!
As I recall from the EVO test back in the day, the 330i is very long geared, with 2nd running to 66 MPH I think and 3rd to nearly 100...hence the 325i, which only runs to 58 in 2nd (I think) feels nearly as fast in day to day driving...I remember EVO concluding that they preferred the freer revving 325i.
Anyway, the one I have seen is an auto which puts me off a bit, as BMW autos of that period were famously much slower than their manual equivalents...i.e. E39 528i, manual 0-100, 18 secs, auto 21.5 secs.....
As I recall from the EVO test back in the day, the 330i is very long geared, with 2nd running to 66 MPH I think and 3rd to nearly 100...hence the 325i, which only runs to 58 in 2nd (I think) feels nearly as fast in day to day driving...I remember EVO concluding that they preferred the freer revving 325i.
Anyway, the one I have seen is an auto which puts me off a bit, as BMW autos of that period were famously much slower than their manual equivalents...i.e. E39 528i, manual 0-100, 18 secs, auto 21.5 secs.....
greenarrow said:
Funny to stumble on this thread as I saw a 325i advertised locally...strong money, but only 79,000 miles and owned by an old gent apparently who has spared no expense!
As I recall from the EVO test back in the day, the 330i is very long geared, with 2nd running to 66 MPH I think and 3rd to nearly 100...hence the 325i, which only runs to 58 in 2nd (I think) feels nearly as fast in day to day driving...I remember EVO concluding that they preferred the freer revving 325i.
Anyway, the one I have seen is an auto which puts me off a bit, as BMW autos of that period were famously much slower than their manual equivalents...i.e. E39 528i, manual 0-100, 18 secs, auto 21.5 secs.....
Mine's a 5 speed manual, it says 0-60 is 7.2 but you're right, it's 8.3 for the auto! As I recall from the EVO test back in the day, the 330i is very long geared, with 2nd running to 66 MPH I think and 3rd to nearly 100...hence the 325i, which only runs to 58 in 2nd (I think) feels nearly as fast in day to day driving...I remember EVO concluding that they preferred the freer revving 325i.
Anyway, the one I have seen is an auto which puts me off a bit, as BMW autos of that period were famously much slower than their manual equivalents...i.e. E39 528i, manual 0-100, 18 secs, auto 21.5 secs.....
I think it really depends upon what you want/need OP!
You are unlikely to get any decent 330i for £2K!
Do you need back doors? I got a 325ti Compact in that budget 2 years ago with just under 80K miles - and for some reason the Compacts don't seem to rust like the other body-shapes.
So a red photo follows:-
The Compact is mine, the 325 Sport Touring belongs to my nephew as he became a father last year so he had to up his budget (above yours) and sell his Compact!
Look out for banana radiators, split radiator expansion tanks, perished auxiliary drive belts, worn suspension bushes, corroded brake pipes, and no doubt other issues - but if you find one that has had one or more of these issues dealt with that is good news!
You are unlikely to get any decent 330i for £2K!
Do you need back doors? I got a 325ti Compact in that budget 2 years ago with just under 80K miles - and for some reason the Compacts don't seem to rust like the other body-shapes.
So a red photo follows:-
The Compact is mine, the 325 Sport Touring belongs to my nephew as he became a father last year so he had to up his budget (above yours) and sell his Compact!
Look out for banana radiators, split radiator expansion tanks, perished auxiliary drive belts, worn suspension bushes, corroded brake pipes, and no doubt other issues - but if you find one that has had one or more of these issues dealt with that is good news!
helix402 said:
I don't have any mpg figures to hand but in my E46 experience all 6 cylinder petrol E46s (bar M3) do similar mpg. Apart from autos maybe using a little more.
I'd agree with that. My M3 has been surprising though ; around 23MPG average, and a 70MPH trip once did yield low 30s. If I do 80ish on the motorway it will comfortably do around 30MPG, which was a surprise coming from the Clio ; that was around 37MPG at 80ish and mid to high 30s at 70mph.Anyway, alot of the faults you will may be wear and tear (suspension, belts etc.) but I'd keep my eye out on the following:
-Electrics ; check they all work
-Keys ; not a massive problem but check they are all present and work ; new key from BMW is £130 and for the battery replacement it's around £50 from BMW Keys
-Cooling issues; I'd personally walk away from one with signs of overheating and tampered fan systems. But as said the expansion bottles can become brittle
-DSC issues. They are generally an ABS sensor but it can also be a DSC sensor at around £80 a pop.
-Rear subframe mounts. My friend's 328i Touring manual has had a mount repaired in the past according to the paperwork. There are guides online on how to check for them however.
Are the autos that bad? I'll be honest but I hated the manual 'box in my E36 323i that at times I wished I bought an auto for the first time ever with a car; my yardstick at that time was an Escort RST with a 4 paddle clutch as well ; not the friendliest clutch for day to day driving which I ended up driving anyway.
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 27th January 13:18
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 27th January 13:19
My E46 M3 costs about 11p per mile more in fuel than my 325 which I daily. However as the M3 is driven sedately on route to my fave B roads , I would imagine that gap would increase a lot if I daily drove the M3 so when you factor in the service, repair and even tyre costs I can see why the M3s running costs are a big off putting factor.
They feel very different to drive , sometimes hard to believe they are the same generation.
They feel very different to drive , sometimes hard to believe they are the same generation.
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