E46 Which one ?

[anonymous-user]

Hi all

Just want some information on E46's, looking for a 330i or CI, but open to the lower straight 6's as well.

Any major issues too look out for?

Tuning, whats possible only looking for 230 -250 bhp / Ftlb ?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[blue_haddock]

Problems? Rust, lots and lots of rust!

[SlickSwissToni]

Great cars to drive, amazing weight distribution, handling and the sound of the straight six is perfect!

Issues are rust, handbrake snapping/weak, oil burning/vanos, the entire cooling system can be temperamental too.

You might find yourself buying rear tyres quite often too!

[SlickSwissToni]

SlickSwissToni said:

Great cars to drive, amazing weight distribution, handling and the sound of the straight six is perfect!

Issues are rust, handbrake snapping/weak, oil burning/vanos, the entire cooling system can be temperamental too.

You might find yourself buying rear tyres quite often too!

The 325 and 330 petrol would be my first choice (M3 if funds allow), the 330d has much better mapping potential than the petrols.

You might get an extra 10 bhp on a petrol remap but it will feel much more responsive.

Diesel, big difference after a remap, lots more bhp (40+) and torque.

[culpz]

Stick with the 330, as the fuel consumption is exactly the same as the 320i and 325i, but you get more power, which makes it a no-brainer. Other than finding maybe a better example, there's really no need to be looking at the lower power models IMO.

[d_a_n1979]

LBW2020 said:

Hi all

Just want some information on E46's, looking for a 330i or CI, but open to the lower straight 6's as well.

Any major issues too look out for?

Tuning, whats possible only looking for 230 -250 bhp / Ftlb ?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

As above

They rust for fun now they're at the age they're at... So wings, arches, sills and jacking points need to be checked thoroughly.

The M54s a solid lump, but cooling systems are chocolate like with age, so make sure it's been maintained recently (water pump, stat, hoses, rad ideally etc). Check for oil leaks too (rocker gaskets, oil filter housing gasket). Cheap to fix but faffy. CCV and DISA can cause issues, so again check for recent maintenance.

IMO buy from an enthusiastic that's cherished and maintained the car.

If you've a low budget, keep saving and buy a better example as they can cost of poorly maintained / unloved etc.

IMO 330i is the one to go for, but the 325i and 328i engines are great also

What is your budget?

Re tuning, concentrate on better brakes and better tyres than pumping money into NA tuning IMO. Tuning isn't cheap and on an NA engine, it's usually not worth the outlay.

[psymonr]

Having recently parted ways with my E46 M3 as it was wanting for too much, needed a subframe repair along with preventative measures for the vanos issues and rod bearing failure, and rust, a lot of rust,

I think even for an E46 330ci, if driven hard (read: properly) will likely have a cracked subframe which is £2.5k to fix repair correctly, so you can actually drive it as intended, then there's a lot of rust generally by this age. Personally, I feel like they require a lot of money for what they are, even the non-M models, so I'd suggest going in with an open mind about how much it may cost to keep it running well enough to use. One of the biggest frustrations I found was that E46s are just heavy (not by modern standards), but as great as the engine in the M3 is, there was no taking away from it's more 'GT' character than 'sports car' character. Without that engine, I'm not sure what is really left behind, apart from a now rather aged saloon car. If you just love them for what they are, then go for it, but if you want a driving experience, I think there are less costly/risky options out there,

[chungasarnies]

psymonr said:

Personally, I feel like they require a lot of money for what they are, even the non-M models, so I'd suggest going in with an open mind about how much it may cost to keep it running well enough to use.

^ This is the fairest way to sum up E46 ownership IMO, unless its a very well sorted 330i, M3 or Alpina, I don't think the expense quite justifies the car.

Having just sold my 95k 325i Touring -

The 330i is better but if you find a better maintained 325 its worth a shot. And if it doesn't have an M54 don't bother IMO.

They need a st load of maintenance, if you aren't handy with a spanner, don't consider it. 2k spent on mine in 18 months, that was doing all the work myself, on a car with full BMW service history.

Rust will be a pain and costly to put right properly

Watch this and if you're not put off go for it. They're very nice cars when they're in fine fettle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bOIhlbtpek

Edited by chungasarnies on Wednesday 6th January 17:09

[anonymous-user]

Yikes now i am scared lol but huge thanks for the thoughts.

So my other thought was around a E92 N52, i have read a lot on these, but there seem to be very few examples around for sale.

do these suffer the same rust issues?

thanks all

[chungasarnies]

LBW2020 said:

Yikes now i am scared lol but huge thanks for the thoughts.

So my other thought was around a E92 N52, i have read a lot on these, but there seem to be very few examples around for sale.

do these suffer the same rust issues?

thanks all

No rust issues as far as I am aware. N52 is a great engine, had one in my 130i and loved it. The 130 was very reliable but I think its fair to say any 10+ year old BMW could bite you in the arse with a big bill out the blue

[anonymous-user]

chungasarnies said:

LBW2020 said:

Yikes now i am scared lol but huge thanks for the thoughts.

So my other thought was around a E92 N52, i have read a lot on these, but there seem to be very few examples around for sale.

do these suffer the same rust issues?

thanks all

No rust issues as far as I am aware. N52 is a great engine, had one in my 130i and loved it. The 130 was very reliable but I think its fair to say any 10+ year old BMW could bite you in the arse with a big bill out the blue

yea true but that can be said for a lot cars out there i have to come to the conclusion if you like the car you dont mind paying for it, (a much) unless it gets nuts then you start hating it. right now i hate my car and it needs 2k worth of work so its a double whammy !

Thanks

[d_a_n1979]

LBW2020 said:

Yikes now i am scared lol but huge thanks for the thoughts.

So my other thought was around a E92 N52, i have read a lot on these, but there seem to be very few examples around for sale.

do these suffer the same rust issues?

thanks all

Don't be as there are E46s out there, like E39s, that have been cared for and maintained properly and with little to no rust

It's the st heap ones; ones that have been run on a shoestring budget that you need to avoid

IMO they're not high maintenance if, as said above, previously looked after. If they look unloved, they probably are, so walk away and keep looking

[Mr Tidy]

LBW2020 said:

Yikes now i am scared lol but huge thanks for the thoughts.

So my other thought was around a E92 N52, i have read a lot on these, but there seem to be very few examples around for sale.

do these suffer the same rust issues?

thanks all

They do rust for fun so clean ones can be hard to find.

Would a 325ti Compact work? I had one for 3 years and it didn't seem to be rusting anywhere, other than on the brakes & suspension - but then it began it's life in the Norht of Scotland. I only asked because it felt much sharper to drive than the 328Ci I tried before I bought the Compact. And the Compacts all have the Sport suspesnion and seats, unlike the other body shapes where you have to find a Sport model.

But a few month after I bought it on 80K miles the radiator started leaking. So I had a full cooling system refresh with expansion tank (they often split) thermostat, temperature sensor and of course radiator - it was bowed like a banana at the bottom!

There was a facelift in 2003. The main adantage was the 330i, 325ti Compact and all diesels got a 6-speed gearbox.

As others have said you might as well look for the biggest engine because running costs are the same anyway!

And when I was looking at needing new brakes all round I fancied a change so I replaced it with an E91 325i Touring. Much more refined, but not very exciting. No rust though.

Anyway I put up with it for a year then replaced it with an E90 330i Saloon which definitely performs much better! I've had that for nearly 2 years and am really pleased with it. Hence my suggestion to look for the largest engine!

Both of mine are early models with the N52 engine as I've read of some issues with the later N53 Direct Injection engines. The only common issues with N52s seem to be oil leaks from the cam-cover gasket and oil filter housing and electric water pumps dying. New Pierburg pumps cost around £250 (or £500 from BMW). My E91 needed a new pump at 135K miles.

All of mine had manual gearboxes BTW. By the time the E9* Series went on sale in 2005 most cars sold were diesel so finding 3 litre manual petrol models isn't easy, although Saloons seem to be the easiest to find. That's part of the reason I ended up with a 325i Touring.

Anyway don't be put off - if you find a good E46 or E9* petrol 6 I'm sure you'd be pleased with it.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks guys for the help.

Makes me feel a little more comfortable.

i will have 10k when the time comes so i think i will go for the biggest engine, youngest, least mileage i can get.

Though i just love the look of the E46 but i think a few test drives will do me the world of good.

cheers