Can you get a decent 330ci for less than 2k...?
Discussion
Hi,
I am in the market for a car, my budget has no movement as I recently lost my job [due to corona] - I have however, managed to pick up some manual work but it means I will also need a car.
I've always wanted an e46 (ideally an m3) and have seen a few advertised within my price range. I am not too worried about the mileage as I will be clocking the miles up but I am a bit nervous about even considering one with 100k+ miles, let alone 140k+
Would a manual be more reliable at that kind of mileage? I've actually seen a few cabrios around that price point which would be amazing but obviously add a little extra scepticism with the price.
Any input would be great.
I am in the market for a car, my budget has no movement as I recently lost my job [due to corona] - I have however, managed to pick up some manual work but it means I will also need a car.
I've always wanted an e46 (ideally an m3) and have seen a few advertised within my price range. I am not too worried about the mileage as I will be clocking the miles up but I am a bit nervous about even considering one with 100k+ miles, let alone 140k+
Would a manual be more reliable at that kind of mileage? I've actually seen a few cabrios around that price point which would be amazing but obviously add a little extra scepticism with the price.
Any input would be great.
Having been looking at 325i and 330i E46s for the wife; cars I've seen under £3k have been more or less dogs, a lot over priced too.
The E46s suffer badly from rust, more so than the E39s; plus at that price range they're rarely looked after cars and 9/10, in my experience, they're being sold by text-talk illiterate morons...
Our budget is c£5k for her car; mainly, like me, she might do 6k miles a year, but now she's going to be working from home until at least Jan 2021, the mileage will be lower, so happy to stick another £1k on top for the right car (spec, condition, mileage etc)
Don't get me wrong; you'll get one at £2k; but don't expect too much (actually, expect a lot of work and bodywork to be done; least if that doesn't need to happen, it betters your expectations)
Try the E46 forums and relevant E46 groups and buy/sell groups on FB and see how you get on there; hopefully you'll find a higher mileage one, but one that's been looked after and maintained by an enthusiast and an older owner
The E46s suffer badly from rust, more so than the E39s; plus at that price range they're rarely looked after cars and 9/10, in my experience, they're being sold by text-talk illiterate morons...
Our budget is c£5k for her car; mainly, like me, she might do 6k miles a year, but now she's going to be working from home until at least Jan 2021, the mileage will be lower, so happy to stick another £1k on top for the right car (spec, condition, mileage etc)
Don't get me wrong; you'll get one at £2k; but don't expect too much (actually, expect a lot of work and bodywork to be done; least if that doesn't need to happen, it betters your expectations)
Try the E46 forums and relevant E46 groups and buy/sell groups on FB and see how you get on there; hopefully you'll find a higher mileage one, but one that's been looked after and maintained by an enthusiast and an older owner
Depends on what you mean by decent.
I managed to get a fairly 'decent' one for £900
You'll be hard pushed to buy low mileage examples (<100k) for <2k. I wouldn't worry too much about mileage. The M54 engine is decent enough, though can have an appetite for oil. It's the body you've got to keep an eye on. Rust is the killer.
Convertible is great but good ones will command a higher price. Moreoever, if money is tight, the roof introduces a whole new variable as a potential problem/bill.
IME, manuals seem a bit rarer. I'm sorry, I can't comment on the relative reliability of the manual vs auto box. Manual is more economical.
As long as you go into the purchase with your eyes open, you'll be fine. They are old cars, and things can go wrong. Various sensors, cooling system, suspension bits and bobs. If you can do a lot of the work on the car yourself, you'll save a lot of money. Parts are plentiful and easy to obtain.
Good luck with your search!
I managed to get a fairly 'decent' one for £900
You'll be hard pushed to buy low mileage examples (<100k) for <2k. I wouldn't worry too much about mileage. The M54 engine is decent enough, though can have an appetite for oil. It's the body you've got to keep an eye on. Rust is the killer.
Convertible is great but good ones will command a higher price. Moreoever, if money is tight, the roof introduces a whole new variable as a potential problem/bill.
IME, manuals seem a bit rarer. I'm sorry, I can't comment on the relative reliability of the manual vs auto box. Manual is more economical.
As long as you go into the purchase with your eyes open, you'll be fine. They are old cars, and things can go wrong. Various sensors, cooling system, suspension bits and bobs. If you can do a lot of the work on the car yourself, you'll save a lot of money. Parts are plentiful and easy to obtain.
Good luck with your search!
Not a ci but I bought a 330i Touring for £1800 last year and have used it as my only car for 12 months now. Needed rear fuel pipes for the MOT and I put on a pattern N/S/F wing as the existing one was a bit scabby around the arches, but otherwise it's been great
I was lucky to find a decent one though - I bought it unseen on eBay on the basis of an ad with good pictures, written in grammatically correct English with no multi coloured / capital letters.
Probably with a bit of patience and letting your head work over your heart.
Try get one from an enthusiast. As said above, from a fellow forum member.
My brother had bought a 330ci Coup it was 2004 Im certain he paid less than 1800 for it March 2019.
Issue primarily was wings needed sorting / replaced due to rust. Other than that was spot on. Usual ongoing maintenance. It was a manual too
I bought my 2004 330 convertible for 2350 last August.
I'd say the bodywork on mine was in decent nick, however needed coolant system sorted, new windscreen, gearbox service and 4x new tyres, oh a 2nd key. So within the first two weeks it owed me over 3k.
You will be able to find one, but they do go quick and it will be inevitable that some cash will needed spending.
Nows a good time to buy as I think it's only a matter of time before I think they start appreciating.
Try get one from an enthusiast. As said above, from a fellow forum member.
My brother had bought a 330ci Coup it was 2004 Im certain he paid less than 1800 for it March 2019.
Issue primarily was wings needed sorting / replaced due to rust. Other than that was spot on. Usual ongoing maintenance. It was a manual too
I bought my 2004 330 convertible for 2350 last August.
I'd say the bodywork on mine was in decent nick, however needed coolant system sorted, new windscreen, gearbox service and 4x new tyres, oh a 2nd key. So within the first two weeks it owed me over 3k.
You will be able to find one, but they do go quick and it will be inevitable that some cash will needed spending.
Nows a good time to buy as I think it's only a matter of time before I think they start appreciating.
Thank you all for the input so far, I am sponging it all up.
I've found a decent looking 330ci for mid 2k (I think it's overpriced but potential to negotiate) with 140k miles and some cosmetic damage to the roof and seats. It looks as though it is run on Eagle F1s and I spoke to the owner for an honest review and he came across well and informative.
I've done a bit of a search on the MOTs (last done Aug 19) just to see whats happened in the past. It would appear it has failed quite a few MOTs to date but passed its most recent one with the following minors:
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
I've tried to do some googling on these but struggling to come up with any detail on cost of repair / danger factor.
In a strange way it re-assures me that it has failed MOTs because it means a lot of the issues have already been resolved.... Though there is the obvious worry that it is just a turd.
In terms of petrol, I live central to London and will have a mixed bag of driving both long and short journeys. I'm not so worried about fuel costs, once I can work it shouldn't be such an issue.
I've found a decent looking 330ci for mid 2k (I think it's overpriced but potential to negotiate) with 140k miles and some cosmetic damage to the roof and seats. It looks as though it is run on Eagle F1s and I spoke to the owner for an honest review and he came across well and informative.
I've done a bit of a search on the MOTs (last done Aug 19) just to see whats happened in the past. It would appear it has failed quite a few MOTs to date but passed its most recent one with the following minors:
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
I've tried to do some googling on these but struggling to come up with any detail on cost of repair / danger factor.
In a strange way it re-assures me that it has failed MOTs because it means a lot of the issues have already been resolved.... Though there is the obvious worry that it is just a turd.
In terms of petrol, I live central to London and will have a mixed bag of driving both long and short journeys. I'm not so worried about fuel costs, once I can work it shouldn't be such an issue.
Edited by alexs2b on Sunday 21st June 18:18
I have one,you hopefully can do your own repairs,theres lots of help on the internet.As above rust is a problem,and needs to be dealt with.I maintain mine proactively,and am constantly replacing worn parts like brake dust sheilds,the seats,engine ancillaries.I am at 218k miles original engine gearbox and clutch and i push it daily.The oil issue is possible to fix easily i did it and so have many others.
g3org3y said:
alexs2b said:
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
Sound like potential future ball ache/£££ tbh.Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
It was a reliable and fun car, if a little rough around the edges. Just a small scab on one rear arch, also the drivers front arch starting to go, and a bit of a poor paint job to the driver's door. Forgetting all this and despite it's appetite for oil, it was a much better built car than any E39 I've owned and I do miss it. A decent one is going to be £3k plus all day long. I think I was lucky with running costs, all it needed was a thermostat and rocker cover gasket.
g3org3y said:
alexs2b said:
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
Sound like potential future ball ache/£££ tbh.Front Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Offside Rear floor corroded
Nearside Rear floor corroded
Offside Rear support bar corroded
I can hear: "Severe Corrosion to the jacking points" coming up very soon, based on the floors being corroded (E46 floor corrosion is not a common issue).
My advice?: Avoid that car like the plague!
I second that. I'd be wary of a corrosion advisory.
However you could get a bodywork specialist to check the work involved to rectify and use that to negotiate the price.
That way you can have a car you know you've sorted the corrosion to your satisfaction.
But sorting corrosion properly is something in itself, resolving not only the corrosion but the surrounding areas to ensure it doesn't come back and is structurally sound.
However you could get a bodywork specialist to check the work involved to rectify and use that to negotiate the price.
That way you can have a car you know you've sorted the corrosion to your satisfaction.
But sorting corrosion properly is something in itself, resolving not only the corrosion but the surrounding areas to ensure it doesn't come back and is structurally sound.
Prices seem to have firmed up again for these, there was a 152k touring posted in the barge thread advertised at £2.5 which may take your fancy
Someone mentioned fuel costs above which is part of the issue but I would say any E46 you buy (being on my 3rd) is going to throw bills, they are 15-20 years old. You could easily drop your purchase price again in 18 months even on a well maintained car if you're not doing your own spannering. They are great cars when running well but as the common wisdom goes don't forget they were expensive-ish and relatively complex cars in their day and still need maintaining as such.
But they are great, just line up some interest free credit cards
Someone mentioned fuel costs above which is part of the issue but I would say any E46 you buy (being on my 3rd) is going to throw bills, they are 15-20 years old. You could easily drop your purchase price again in 18 months even on a well maintained car if you're not doing your own spannering. They are great cars when running well but as the common wisdom goes don't forget they were expensive-ish and relatively complex cars in their day and still need maintaining as such.
But they are great, just line up some interest free credit cards
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