20 year old BMW E46... Bit of rust - Asking for trouble?

[sonnenschein3000]

Hello all

I'm looking at buying an E46 which is in mechanically excellent condition and otherwise in very good condition

However, there is some rust coming up in the rear quarter panel... Is this just surface rust or is it indicative of something going on underneath? Am I asking for trouble?

Is it an easy/simple fix or better to not risk it and walk away?

I've not dabbled with older/classic cars before so this is the first time i'm coming across this, so I wanted to get people's thoughts!

Thanks

[Panamax]

Rust is rust - it never gets better, it only gets worse. If you're hoping to find a "brand new condition" E46 in 2027 I think you're being a tad optimistic unless you pay absolutely top whack money for somebody's low mileage garage queen.

[Mr Tidy]

It's not a problem on the front wings as you can buy pattern parts on Ebay as they are only bolted on.

Rears are much more of a problem but that doesn't look as bad as most E46s I've seen, which is one of the reasons I moved on to an E90!

If you really like the car and are getting it for a good price then go for it, although it would be worth getting it sorted before it gets any worse.

[sonnenschein3000]

Mr Tidy said:

It's not a problem on the front wings as you can buy pattern parts on Ebay as they are only bolted on.

Rears are much more of a problem but that doesn't look as bad as most E46s I've seen, which is one of the reasons I moved on to an E90!

If you really like the car and are getting it for a good price then go for it, although it would be worth getting it sorted before it gets any worse.

How did you find your E46 to own?
The one i'm looking at is 70k miles and lovely otherwise