E46 330 CI - a good daily/weekend car?
Discussion
Hi All
Currently looking at a E46 330CI as a temporary car for short drives/shopping and occasional weekend drives - budget is 5-6K.
Having looked at the buying guides for the E46, the list seems quite scary:
Rust
Subframe cracks
Brake lines
Oil leaks
Coolant/Radiator concerns
These are cars are all over 15 years old - is it a false economy looking at these cars?
Are there any alternatives, RWD, 200BHP with good build quality and reasonable cheap maintenance?
Your thoughts are welcome
thank you
Currently looking at a E46 330CI as a temporary car for short drives/shopping and occasional weekend drives - budget is 5-6K.
Having looked at the buying guides for the E46, the list seems quite scary:
Rust
Subframe cracks
Brake lines
Oil leaks
Coolant/Radiator concerns
These are cars are all over 15 years old - is it a false economy looking at these cars?
Are there any alternatives, RWD, 200BHP with good build quality and reasonable cheap maintenance?
Your thoughts are welcome
thank you
I've got one, run it as a daily for five years, having given about £2-2.5k for it.
X-reg 2001 late pre-facelift coupe, Imola red sport with black interior. Plenty of seriously rough ones for £1100 when I was looking!
I have had some times when you feel a bit like throwing in the towel, hunting oil leaks and replacing failed/weeping cooling parts, and at times a run of a few things going at once, and had to do a little leg work to ensure a suitable repair because they are getting to an age where things like dampers need ordering specially as the pattern parts are bangernomincs tatt not reasonable oem ish spec.
However at the same time as it wasn't an 'investment car' and I wasn't sure how long I was keeping, I didn't replace the whole cooling system as a precautionary measure some suggest, and its got me to work and back without any real major drama. It rare it costs more than £500 at the garage and often goes a year between visits, never failed an MOT to date.
Going down your list.
- Rust: basically limited to just the arches. Reasonable front wings are cheap as chips, and the rear can be repaired easily. I paid £600 cash at a local garage (who mainly flip vans for export) to sort all four arches and paint both sides of the car (wings, c-pillar up to roof, doors inc reveal). Imola red, so flat paint, but with clear coat.
- Subframe cracks: they do exist, but its hugely exaggerated on the internet and basically unless you get an early car (328 not 330) you should be fine and it shouldn't be a thing. There are also repair options out there.
- Brake lines: not something which has effected me, all cars have lines which at 15-20 years can rust, but you can replace them with copper without breaking the bank.
- Oil leaks: oil filter housing gasket (between engine and housing) is a thing, and hard to see, but its £12 and not bad on labour. Rocker covers can weep, but its not stupid mad. I took mine to the z-shed had had the vanos done even tho they where not that bad, which included a new gasket.
- Coolant/Radiator concerns: the exposed bottom 2" of the rads do rot, a gsf own brand replacement lasted 18months, but having stuck a hella/bher (plus new header tank and cap) for a few hundred has sorted it and lasted 4years and counting. I Have over the years swapped all the hoses, so probably would in hindsight consider doing that if the car was a keeper as its one of the few things that will ground you. But they arnt mad cash, short little top hose, and two bottom ones, I think. I've also had the bottom o-ring and retaining groove on the cap fall off, undramatic, but took a moment to find the intermittent weep!
I've also put a thermostat (£200inc housing) in it when it failed to reach temp, one used coil pack (coil on plug), one used front arm, and a pair of 'lollipop bushes', a prop shaft bearing, bit of pigging around with the xenon headlights (semi rare on the pre-facelift), set of dampers and springs (Bilston B4+Ebach from TDC automotive). I did swap from the staggered 18" mv1 wheels to the style 44 17" for cheaper and more compliant tyres.
That's spread out over 50k miles over five years, now reading 175k. And the only breakdown I have had in that time is the top hose failing as I keyed off on my drive. Lucky, but fixed that evening for £40.
My real world mpg is around 28 average, but I can get 38 on a long/motorway run without trying too hard, especially if there is good 50mph limit in place!
Any questions ask.
Clubsport is just a nicely spec'ed 330ci sport with the firewall sound proofing removed, optional spoiler and wheels, limited colour options.
Both the sunroof and powered seats rob some of the headroom, so if your over 6ft (im 6ft) avoid having both like I do! But its ok.
Prices are certainly going up not down.
Daniel
X-reg 2001 late pre-facelift coupe, Imola red sport with black interior. Plenty of seriously rough ones for £1100 when I was looking!
I have had some times when you feel a bit like throwing in the towel, hunting oil leaks and replacing failed/weeping cooling parts, and at times a run of a few things going at once, and had to do a little leg work to ensure a suitable repair because they are getting to an age where things like dampers need ordering specially as the pattern parts are bangernomincs tatt not reasonable oem ish spec.
However at the same time as it wasn't an 'investment car' and I wasn't sure how long I was keeping, I didn't replace the whole cooling system as a precautionary measure some suggest, and its got me to work and back without any real major drama. It rare it costs more than £500 at the garage and often goes a year between visits, never failed an MOT to date.
Going down your list.
- Rust: basically limited to just the arches. Reasonable front wings are cheap as chips, and the rear can be repaired easily. I paid £600 cash at a local garage (who mainly flip vans for export) to sort all four arches and paint both sides of the car (wings, c-pillar up to roof, doors inc reveal). Imola red, so flat paint, but with clear coat.
- Subframe cracks: they do exist, but its hugely exaggerated on the internet and basically unless you get an early car (328 not 330) you should be fine and it shouldn't be a thing. There are also repair options out there.
- Brake lines: not something which has effected me, all cars have lines which at 15-20 years can rust, but you can replace them with copper without breaking the bank.
- Oil leaks: oil filter housing gasket (between engine and housing) is a thing, and hard to see, but its £12 and not bad on labour. Rocker covers can weep, but its not stupid mad. I took mine to the z-shed had had the vanos done even tho they where not that bad, which included a new gasket.
- Coolant/Radiator concerns: the exposed bottom 2" of the rads do rot, a gsf own brand replacement lasted 18months, but having stuck a hella/bher (plus new header tank and cap) for a few hundred has sorted it and lasted 4years and counting. I Have over the years swapped all the hoses, so probably would in hindsight consider doing that if the car was a keeper as its one of the few things that will ground you. But they arnt mad cash, short little top hose, and two bottom ones, I think. I've also had the bottom o-ring and retaining groove on the cap fall off, undramatic, but took a moment to find the intermittent weep!
I've also put a thermostat (£200inc housing) in it when it failed to reach temp, one used coil pack (coil on plug), one used front arm, and a pair of 'lollipop bushes', a prop shaft bearing, bit of pigging around with the xenon headlights (semi rare on the pre-facelift), set of dampers and springs (Bilston B4+Ebach from TDC automotive). I did swap from the staggered 18" mv1 wheels to the style 44 17" for cheaper and more compliant tyres.
That's spread out over 50k miles over five years, now reading 175k. And the only breakdown I have had in that time is the top hose failing as I keyed off on my drive. Lucky, but fixed that evening for £40.
My real world mpg is around 28 average, but I can get 38 on a long/motorway run without trying too hard, especially if there is good 50mph limit in place!
Any questions ask.
Clubsport is just a nicely spec'ed 330ci sport with the firewall sound proofing removed, optional spoiler and wheels, limited colour options.
Both the sunroof and powered seats rob some of the headroom, so if your over 6ft (im 6ft) avoid having both like I do! But its ok.
Prices are certainly going up not down.
Daniel
I ran a 2014 330 CI daily for 2 years.
The auto box was too slow and thus making the car pretty sluggish. I only found it to be engaging in sports mode.
Be prepared to get anything between 14-8 mpg for London driving.
I ended up having coolant issues which resulted in a water pump failure and blown head gasket. It didn't help that my mechanic was also a cowboy and his £800 repair pretty much destroyed the engine. The guy that ended up buying the car from me changed the engine as far as I know.
Mine was reasonably looked after as well, most examples these days have been abused pretty badly.
The auto box was too slow and thus making the car pretty sluggish. I only found it to be engaging in sports mode.
Be prepared to get anything between 14-8 mpg for London driving.
I ended up having coolant issues which resulted in a water pump failure and blown head gasket. It didn't help that my mechanic was also a cowboy and his £800 repair pretty much destroyed the engine. The guy that ended up buying the car from me changed the engine as far as I know.
Mine was reasonably looked after as well, most examples these days have been abused pretty badly.
I bought a 330 m-sport coupe off Pistonheads 10 years ago and it's been my daily driver ever since.
I've had very few issues but it's getting a but tatty so is in the process of having a mini restoration.
Had new valve stem seals and the ccv valve replaced last month and I'm currently in the middle of doing the bodywork and giving it a full respray.
I'll then get the wheels refurbed and the drivers seat repaired where it's split.
I was thinking I might sell the car then but I've been looking around and can't see anything that comes close for similar money.....in terms of a 150mph rear wheel drive 2-door that's as well specced and as practical as the Beemer.
I think they're a fabulous car
I've had very few issues but it's getting a but tatty so is in the process of having a mini restoration.
Had new valve stem seals and the ccv valve replaced last month and I'm currently in the middle of doing the bodywork and giving it a full respray.
I'll then get the wheels refurbed and the drivers seat repaired where it's split.
I was thinking I might sell the car then but I've been looking around and can't see anything that comes close for similar money.....in terms of a 150mph rear wheel drive 2-door that's as well specced and as practical as the Beemer.
I think they're a fabulous car
I ran an E46 325ti Compact for 3 years and 23K miles (from 80K to 103K) and had to have a cooling system refresh at 81K and a replacement PAS pipe at 94K. But Compacts don't seem to rust as much as other E46s or suffer from boot floor issues.
I decided I wanted a Touring and found manual petrol 6s hard to find and most E46s were rusty anyway. So I ended up with an E91 325i but despite a claimed 218 PS it just felt a bit gutless after my Compact with 192 PS.
So after a year I talked myself into an E90 (so Saloon) 330i with 258 PS that is way more fun than my E91 and neither had any rust issues.
In your position I'd look for an E92 - I wouldn't want to sink your sort of budget into an E46 (unless it was an M3)!
I decided I wanted a Touring and found manual petrol 6s hard to find and most E46s were rusty anyway. So I ended up with an E91 325i but despite a claimed 218 PS it just felt a bit gutless after my Compact with 192 PS.
So after a year I talked myself into an E90 (so Saloon) 330i with 258 PS that is way more fun than my E91 and neither had any rust issues.
In your position I'd look for an E92 - I wouldn't want to sink your sort of budget into an E46 (unless it was an M3)!
as Mr. Tidy says - the compact is nowhere near as notorious for tin worm as the regular bodystyles. However, they are harder to source as most are being snapped up to be used as drift machines or are rapidly appreciating in price for decent examples.
The M52/M54 engine is pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are definitely things to look out for. The M54 especially needs serious attention paying to the vacuum system. It suffers quite a lot from oil blow-by with the piston rings and the OEM CCV oil separation system is a bit....pants and prone to failure. I've replaced mine with a catch-can which was a manifold off job - but done in an afternoon.
Other mechanical bits to look out for - VANOS seals, DISA valve flaps failing, weeping Valve Cover Gasket, Idle Control Valve can get gunked up, warped radiators, cracked coolant expansion tanks, leaking oil filter housing, VANOS rattle, gearbox and diff will both require a oil refresh.
The M52/M54 engine is pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are definitely things to look out for. The M54 especially needs serious attention paying to the vacuum system. It suffers quite a lot from oil blow-by with the piston rings and the OEM CCV oil separation system is a bit....pants and prone to failure. I've replaced mine with a catch-can which was a manifold off job - but done in an afternoon.
Other mechanical bits to look out for - VANOS seals, DISA valve flaps failing, weeping Valve Cover Gasket, Idle Control Valve can get gunked up, warped radiators, cracked coolant expansion tanks, leaking oil filter housing, VANOS rattle, gearbox and diff will both require a oil refresh.
TypeRTim said:
as Mr. Tidy says - the compact is nowhere near as notorious for tin worm as the regular bodystyles. However, they are harder to source as most are being snapped up to be used as drift machines or are rapidly appreciating in price for decent examples.
The M52/M54 engine is pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are definitely things to look out for. The M54 especially needs serious attention paying to the vacuum system. It suffers quite a lot from oil blow-by with the piston rings and the OEM CCV oil separation system is a bit....pants and prone to failure. I've replaced mine with a catch-can which was a manifold off job - but done in an afternoon.
Other mechanical bits to look out for - VANOS seals, DISA valve flaps failing, weeping Valve Cover Gasket, Idle Control Valve can get gunked up, warped radiators, cracked coolant expansion tanks, leaking oil filter housing, VANOS rattle, gearbox and diff will both require a oil refresh.
Don't forget the cooling system which turns to chocolate with age...The M52/M54 engine is pretty simple and easy to work on, but there are definitely things to look out for. The M54 especially needs serious attention paying to the vacuum system. It suffers quite a lot from oil blow-by with the piston rings and the OEM CCV oil separation system is a bit....pants and prone to failure. I've replaced mine with a catch-can which was a manifold off job - but done in an afternoon.
Other mechanical bits to look out for - VANOS seals, DISA valve flaps failing, weeping Valve Cover Gasket, Idle Control Valve can get gunked up, warped radiators, cracked coolant expansion tanks, leaking oil filter housing, VANOS rattle, gearbox and diff will both require a oil refresh.
Stat, water pump, viscous clutch, rad, hoses etc all need to have been refreshed with paperwork to show otherwise budget £500 for that lot.
An easy enough DIY though
d_a_n1979 said:
Don't forget the cooling system which turns to chocolate with age...
Stat, water pump, viscous clutch, rad, hoses etc all need to have been refreshed with paperwork to show otherwise budget £500 for that lot.
An easy enough DIY though
None of those have gone on mine....yet !Stat, water pump, viscous clutch, rad, hoses etc all need to have been refreshed with paperwork to show otherwise budget £500 for that lot.
An easy enough DIY though
Belt tensioner/pulleys go,oil filter housing is prone to leaking,think that's already been mentioned
this sounds more and more of a money pit, I have seen some nice coupes in excess of £7-8K examples with around 70-80K on the clock -
would it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
would it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
quads said:
this sounds more and more of a money pit, I have seen some nice coupes in excess of £7-8K examples with around 70-80K on the clock -
would it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
Screw spending £8k+ on a E46 with around 70-100k, you will always end up spending money on a 15 year old car. From what I've seen its the lower mileage ones that need far more work them moment you start using them daily where as high miles that are used frequently tend to have less issues!!would it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
It's probably better to spend £3-4 and keep £3-4k back which you'll end up using over a year or two depending how fastidious you are and if you are paying garage rates.
If you don't do work on your own cars, are worried about every possible E46 issue then you are not going to enjoy owning an old car....
quads said:
this sounds more and more of a money pit, I have seen some nice coupes in excess of £7-8K examples with around 70-80K on the clock -
would it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
Mine has done 83,000,for £7,000 I'd deliver it to you lolwould it be better to up the budget and find an example that has had all the common issues fixed? or are these examples a false economy too
I plan to use it a daily car for a year until the new car situation improves due to the chip shortage - so would have limited time to fix all the common problems that come up.
Within reason, I would prioritise recent use as a daily, above millage or other measures of 'condition' if you are looking for reduced running costs.
Basically, if you are after true 'cheapest miles' bangernomincs, you would be better with a 2k fiesta than any BMW let alone a 15-20yo one.
However if you are looking for a cheap 3ltr coupe to cruse around the world in, a £500 bill every 6-12months is cheaper than any finance deal going.
Daniel
Basically, if you are after true 'cheapest miles' bangernomincs, you would be better with a 2k fiesta than any BMW let alone a 15-20yo one.
However if you are looking for a cheap 3ltr coupe to cruse around the world in, a £500 bill every 6-12months is cheaper than any finance deal going.
Daniel
I would say less than 5000 miles a year based on working from home and occasional trips to the office which is a 100 mile round trip.
Find time for fix issues is the main concern, I have owned a few older cars and most have needed some extra attention towards maintenance. So mind a few issues, but did'nt want all my time worrying about things that could go wrong
Find time for fix issues is the main concern, I have owned a few older cars and most have needed some extra attention towards maintenance. So mind a few issues, but did'nt want all my time worrying about things that could go wrong
quads said:
Hi All
Currently looking at a E46 330CI as a temporary car for short drives/shopping and occasional weekend drives - budget is 5-6K.
I've had my E46 330Ci since 2012 and it's a great car – only preparing to sell it because I'm currently running an F30 340i. The E46 coupes (facelift) are very beautiful cars, too. As mentioned, they do require maintenance but that never bothered me as I just spent as much as needed (e.g., buying Michelin PS4 tyres, changing the whole coolant system etc, no expense spared).Currently looking at a E46 330CI as a temporary car for short drives/shopping and occasional weekend drives - budget is 5-6K.
I kept looking for my perfect spec for a long while - manual, facelift, sunroof, electric heated seats, pro satnav, Harman Kardon, xenons. They're out there but very rare nowadays (especially if you're picky like me).
If you have any questions regarding maintenance or anything else throughout my 9yrs of ownership, do ask away!
Oh, it does sound very nice as well (with valves open!)
V8covin said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Don't forget the cooling system which turns to chocolate with age...
Stat, water pump, viscous clutch, rad, hoses etc all need to have been refreshed with paperwork to show otherwise budget £500 for that lot.
An easy enough DIY though
None of those have gone on mine....yet !Stat, water pump, viscous clutch, rad, hoses etc all need to have been refreshed with paperwork to show otherwise budget £500 for that lot.
An easy enough DIY though
Belt tensioner/pulleys go,oil filter housing is prone to leaking,think that's already been mentioned
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff