E46 320/325/330

[craigs74]

Hi all looking for some advice. Am looking for a new daily drive. Am looking at 320/325/330 E46 ci sport. Anything i should be looking out for on these? Will be looking 03/53 cars. Am sure this will open a can of worms but whats the better engien? Also there seems to be a lot of Auto cars out there ive herd the manual is better is this the case? Any help would be great.

Cheers
C

[stevesuk]

I've got a 320 Ci Auto. Mine's a 2003 52'reg, but if you're looking at a later 2003 model, it should be a facelift (which was covered in another thread updated today).

People will tell you that the 320, 325 and 330 all have the same running costs, so the common opinion is you should always go for the 330.

Personally, I think the 320 probably offers slightly better fuel economy than the larger engine cars (mine can manage 40mpg on a run, and I've yet to hear of anyone with a 330 auto beat that). I'm happy with my 320, its 2.2L and has 170HP which is fine for my needs. But the E46 is a heavy car, and I guess a petrol-head wanting something towards real performance, will choose the 330

As for the autoboxes. A lot of them are autos... if you're happy to choose either, then there's a lot more choice available. It just so happened that when I was looking, the best car in my budget in the nicest condition with the most comprehensive (one previous owner) BMW service history was an auto.

I think it depends what you want the car for to be honest. Mine is a motorway car for doing a 200 mile return trip to the office once a week or so. For the fiddly bits at each end of the journey (or for motorway traffic jams) having an auto makes life easier. And on the motorway itself, it sits in 5th anyway.

But, if it was my "fun" car for B road twists and turns, I would want a manual, as the auto does feel a little detached (driving the wife's Mini Cooper reminds me that I actually like changing gear).

Things to look for from my own experience:

Cooling system is supposed to be delicate, and most people recommend you change the water pump and thermostat at around 100k miles (getting mine done soon).

Rear coil springs are known to break (had both mine changed recently due to this)

On a higher milage cars, suspension (bushes) may need replacing.

Looking at a 2003 car, the rear-subframe cracking problem that was an issue on the early E46 should have been sorted. That was one of the reasons I chose a later, but higher milage car, over an earlier lower milage car.

[craigs74]

Thanks for the reply mate. I was thinking about the 330ci as the mpg figures look about the same. I have an S1 Exige for fun so its more to get to work and back about 30 miles a day then drive back to scotland about once a month from the lakes. I will be looking for a low mile full BMWSH car. So no other recalls or anything like that?

Cheers
C

Edited by craigs74 on Tuesday 14th July 23:11

[Heathwood]

The 330ci Sport is most favoured and I agree that people will tend to steer you to one of these as the running costs of six cyl' E46's are really very similar.

However, I reckon it'll probably cost you a couple of grand more for a facelift 330ci over the equivalent 325. I personally wouldn't turn my nose up at a 325 for your purposes, although I'm not sure I would choose a 320 tbh.

[Vee]

I've just sold our cars.
An E46 330 sport saloon for £5.5k and a 330ci sport for £7k.
Both 52 reg with good spec.
These cars are fantastic value for money imo.

The 325 is a very smooth engine, 330 more muscular and not so.

[craigs74]

I will keep my eyes open to see whats about. Thanks for the info. If anyone on here is selling theres let me know.

Cheers
C

[philmots]

I run a facelift 330 CI Sport Auto. Love it.

[craigs74]

Ive found a car i quite like 330ci m sport. The thing is its a 02 plate but is the face lift model mv2 wheels LED light shark fin.... I thought the face lift was from 53 plate am i wrong? 50K miles FSH for 9k?

Cheers
C

[stevesuk]

craigs74 said:

Ive found a car i quite like 330ci m sport. The thing is its a 02 plate but is the face lift model mv2 wheels LED light shark fin.... I thought the face lift was from 53 plate am i wrong? 50K miles FSH for 9k?

Could it be on a private plate, or perhaps a previous owner went to the trouble of upgrading some bits and bobs to facelift spec? (you can buy the facelift rear lights on eBay for example).

[road_rager]

face lift was end of 2001 I think, and there was another face lift later that gave cars LED rear lights and a few other bits

[craigs74]

The car has got a private plate. But the deeler that is selling it states that its an 02 plate. Will call them this morning and see what they say.

Cheers
C

Edited by craigs74 on Thursday 16th July 09:18

[a_bread]

Vee said:

I've just sold our cars.
An E46 330 sport saloon for £5.5k and a 330ci sport for £7k.
Both 52 reg with good spec.
These cars are fantastic value for money imo.

The 325 is a very smooth engine, 330 more muscular and not so.

I think the level of smoothness is very similar (ie both very smooth) but the 325's exhaust is tuned to have a quieter, higher-pitched, more lightweight engine note. The 330 has a louder, deeper and more masculine note.

[LeightonBuzzard]

I personally went for a manual; not a big fan of auto's. As mentioned the 330 is the most favoured but you will have to pay a wee bit more. Common problems are inner rear wishbone bushes, the lower 3/4 rails of the rad likes to sink and eventually will need replacing, gearbox exhaust mount likes to rust and snap. Having not driven them all i can't make a fair judgement, but there is a noticeable difference between the 325 and the 330; both still feel very smooth.

[gmarks1]

I have a 2002 330Ci Sport pre-facelift - I think the facelift for the coupe was in 2003.

You may find some posts criticising the 6 speed manual gearbox - apparently not as smooth between gears as the 5 speed on the pre-facelift. Having said, I've not driven the later car, so can't comment from personal experience. There are a small number of SSG gearboxes around, and there appear to be disproportionate number of reports of problems and faults reported on these, so possibly better to stick with either the auto or standard manual.

Rear springs breaking is a common problem, but not a huge expense. I've owned my car for 7 years from new, and covered over 50,000 miles; I've kept it for so long because anything worth changing for costs 5 times as much (IMHO).

I drove the 325 and 330 before ordering my car; the 325 is beautifully smooth, but has noticably less punch than the 330.

Good Luck with your purchase.

Gary

[craigs74]

Thanks again for the info chaps. Spoken to the deeler today about the car in my last post he says it an 02 plate forsure. He wasnt sure about the face lift. Will see what else is around.

Cheers
C

[LC23]

craigs74 said:

Thanks again for the info chaps. Spoken to the deeler today about the car in my last post he says it an 02 plate forsure. He wasnt sure about the face lift. Will see what else is around.

Cheers
C

The facelift on the coupe was March 2003 so the earliest you will find one is on a 03 plate. For what it's worth I have had both a pre and post facelift manual 330Ci sport coupe and the facelift is the one to go for if your budget will stretch to it. The 6 speed box is better and the facelift just makes it look a little fresher.

[a_bread]

gmarks1 said:

I drove the 325 and 330 before ordering my car; the 325 is beautifully smooth, but has noticably less punch than the 330.

Same here and I tried both at first, being open minded about which to buy.
I remember, after trying a 325, getting into a 330 and driving that. The point when I first realised there was a big difference was coming out of a roundabout in 2nd at about 20mph / 2000 rpm. I quite casually gave a modest prod to the accelerator and immediately felt the distinctive sensation of a large engine shoving you down the road. That sensation is missing from the 325i.

[rich85uk]

i have an 03 plate 330ci facelift and love it, its black with light nappa yellow leather which seems to be quite rare. after seeing a few pre pacelifts on the road the facelift coupe i feel is much better looking

compared to a mates e90 325i company car my e46 330 does feel quicker, granted not by loads but it does feel more grunty and quicker.

i have also heard about the 6speed not being as smooth as the 5speed but to me it feels very solid and smooth, and its handy to have the extra gear for those long trips on the motorway


just set yourself a budget and see whats the best you can get for your money, ideally it would be a facelift 330 but a facelift 325 might be quick enough for you anyway, but then again if a cheap 01/02 plate 330ci pops up....

your gonna be happy with a 325 or 330, but just remember the 320/325/and 330 all have same running costs including petrol just less performance. off the top of my head the 320 is 170bhp, 325 is 200bhp and the 330 is 231bhp

[craigs74]

I have found another car i like 2003 facelift low miles sat nav tv and so on theres just one think that i dont like. It has the wood efect round the dash can it be changed for the carbon?

Cheers
C

[gmarks1]

No problem to change the wood for carbon or aluminium cube - a complete new set of the former can cost over £1k though; second hand sets of alumium or aluminium cube should be pretty easy to get hold of from ebay or breakers.

Gary