High mileage E46's - Advice

[Gad-Westy]

Early next year or maybe sooner, I'm going to be looking for a mile muncher. We currently have a Smart FourTwo and I'm intending on building a Caterham or running something similarly uncompromised next year. We're looking a little short on practicality! So the upshot is I'm looking for a 'normal' car.

I'm unlikely to spend too much, maybe £2-3k. Top priorities are long distance comfort and a decent dose of practicality. Sensible on-going running costs. 30mpg+ at 70mph cruise would be handy. It must also be happy to be left for a week and then start first time, drive 400 miles and then be left for another week. In an ideal world it would also be a good steer on the twistier sections of A-road near me but this is of less importance.

I've thought about various hatches but I think generally, they're a bit compromised in terms of comfort. I thought about a MK3 Mondeo but the seats kill my back after an hour or so. I've thought about lots of other stuff and dismissed most of it. And I've arrived at the E46 3-series (though I am still open to other suggestions). I've had an E36 before, and driven a few E34 and E39 5-series. BMW's seem to click with me. I also had use of an E46 330d for a week once and although I didn't like the steering as much as the E36, I thought that it was a great car overall.

Within my budget, (and I'm really only looking at 6-cylinder cars) it seems all will be high mileage and I have the choice of:

320i - seem quite rare, not sure there is any advantage over the larger engines
323i - Would be happy with one of these and there seems plenty of choice
328i - Same engine as my E36, would be happy to have another.
330i - Insurance is a little more than the others but a good option no doubt. Seemingly rare at my price point.
330d - Perhaps the ideal in terms of economy but I know much less about these engines and most I've seen have starship mileage.

I think my main questions are:

What sort of condition can I expect at this end of the market?
Are Touring's worth more than saloons?
Do saloons have folding rear seats?
Any common rust spots?
How well do the engines cope with high mileage?
Gearboxes and clutches ok?
Any major expenses I need to worry about?

Any help much appreciated.

[paprika]

1. What sort of condition can I expect at this end of the market?
2. Are Touring's worth more than saloons?
3. Do saloons have folding rear seats?
4. Any common rust spots?
5. How well do the engines cope with high mileage?
6. Gearboxes and clutches ok?
7. Any major expenses I need to worry about?

1. Between st and it will do.
2. Depends but generally yes
4. Arches
5. Good but expect usual expenses
6. Diesel torque converter issues if not rebuilt in the past.
7. Injectors, swirl flaps, coolant overhauls, rusting arches, power steering pulley, air con radiator, bushes, rear springs, general suspension.

Gearbox rebuild is around £1500.
Ipod interfaces - dice, intravee.
pads and discs - eurocarparts
specific bmw parts - bmminiparts

forums - e46zone uk, bimmerforums uk, bmwland uk.

Look for as much spec as possible.

[Gad-Westy]

paprika said:

1. What sort of condition can I expect at this end of the market?
2. Are Touring's worth more than saloons?
3. Do saloons have folding rear seats?
4. Any common rust spots?
5. How well do the engines cope with high mileage?
6. Gearboxes and clutches ok?
7. Any major expenses I need to worry about?

1. Between st and it will do.
2. Depends but generally yes
4. Arches
5. Good but expect usual expenses
6. Diesel torque converter issues if not rebuilt in the past.
7. Injectors, swirl flaps, coolant overhauls, rusting arches, power steering pulley, air con radiator, bushes, rear springs, general suspension.

Gearbox rebuild is around £1500.
Ipod interfaces - dice, intravee.
pads and discs - eurocarparts
specific bmw parts - bmminiparts

forums - e46zone uk, bimmerforums uk, bmwland uk.

Look for as much spec as possible.

Cheers, that's great advice. Is rust a near certainty like it is on E36's? I expected bushes to be mentioned, it seems to be a BMW weak point but I'm ok with them. What's the issue with steering pulley? The rest sounds reasonably manageable.

In terms of spec. Touring in an ideal world though would like to hear if saloons ever have folding rear seats, otherwise a roof rack will suffice. Saloons certainly seem more abundant and I think I'd more likely get a better saloon for my money. Ideally it'll have a business head unit, not worried about CD changer as likely to switch to Ipod anyway. I'm looking for Cruise control as a definite. Heated seats would be great but haven't seen them on any car I've looked at. Ideally manual. Not bothered about leather (in fact leather always seems to look worse with age than cloth). Smallest wheel option would suit me. No sport addenda. Colour can be more or less anything. Beyond that, I'm not too concerned. I think I'll probably be buying without intending to have to sell on so more worried about a spec to suit me rather than resale.

[BlueProp]

Rust on pre facelift arches. Not really seen it on any post facelifts.

AFAIK, saloons don't have the options of a folding seat.

[Gad-Westy]

BlueProp said:

Rust on pre facelift arches. Not really seen it on any post facelifts.

AFAIK, saloons don't have the options of a folding seat.

Cheers. That's useful to know. I don't particularly need folding rear seats but it would be handy for my mountain bike. My old E36 coupe had them and they were useful. Maybe I should hold out for a Touring but I fear I'll not have many to choose from.

[Gad-Westy]

Does anybody have any info on the rear diff mount issue? I've read a few bits about it but I'm unclear on which models the issue affects, how to spot it and the cost to cure it.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 13th September 14:31

[LordGrover]

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

[Gad-Westy]

LordGrover said:

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

I've not been to see any yet. Adverts seem to suggest that there are some good cars out there with starship mileages but I won't know until I see them. I'm guessing/hoping a '02 330 Ci Sport commands a substantial premium over say, a '99 328i Saloon SE? If they do all turn out to be pretty ropey I'm going to have to have a rethink. I do have a cheap option on a near mint '97 528i that's been in my family for 10 years but it's a bigger and possibly more complex car than I'd intended.

[paprika]

Gad-Westy said:

Does anybody have any info on the rear diff mount issue? I've read a few bits about it but I'm unclear on which models the issue affects, how to spot it and the cost to cure it.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 13th September 14:31

Pre facelift.

BMW still do the recalls.

[paprika]

Gad-Westy said:

LordGrover said:

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

I've not been to see any yet. Adverts seem to suggest that there are some good cars out there with starship mileages but I won't know until I see them. I'm guessing/hoping a '02 330 Ci Sport commands a substantial premium over say, a '99 328i Saloon SE? If they do all turn out to be pretty ropey I'm going to have to have a rethink. I do have a cheap option on a near mint '97 528i that's been in my family for 10 years but it's a bigger and possibly more complex car than I'd intended.

Won't be any more complex than the E46 equivalent.

[edc]

I started a similar thread a couple of weeks ago. I bought a 318 Ci for 2500 with 12 months MOT; 81k No rust and quite tidy externally. The interior is also ok with scratches on the door handles. I am going to remove the door cards and primer then spray these parts.

[Gad-Westy]

paprika said:

Gad-Westy said:

LordGrover said:

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

I've not been to see any yet. Adverts seem to suggest that there are some good cars out there with starship mileages but I won't know until I see them. I'm guessing/hoping a '02 330 Ci Sport commands a substantial premium over say, a '99 328i Saloon SE? If they do all turn out to be pretty ropey I'm going to have to have a rethink. I do have a cheap option on a near mint '97 528i that's been in my family for 10 years but it's a bigger and possibly more complex car than I'd intended.

Won't be any more complex than the E46 equivalent.

That's good to know thanks. Like I say, it's a bigger car than I ideally wanted (actually a golf/focus would be ideal but doesn't appeal). That particular E39 is a good back up option but I'd still like to explore the E46 idea a little further.

[Gad-Westy]

paprika said:

Gad-Westy said:

Does anybody have any info on the rear diff mount issue? I've read a few bits about it but I'm unclear on which models the issue affects, how to spot it and the cost to cure it.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 13th September 14:31

Pre facelift.

BMW still do the recalls.

That's good news. Thanks.

[Gad-Westy]

edc said:

I started a similar thread a couple of weeks ago. I bought a 318 Ci for 2500 with 12 months MOT; 81k No rust and quite tidy externally. The interior is also ok with scratches on the door handles. I am going to remove the door cards and primer then spray these parts.

Sounds like you've found a goodun. Hopefully there is something similar out there for me.

[wrighty78]

Gad-Westy said:

paprika said:

Gad-Westy said:

LordGrover said:

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

I've not been to see any yet. Adverts seem to suggest that there are some good cars out there with starship mileages but I won't know until I see them. I'm guessing/hoping a '02 330 Ci Sport commands a substantial premium over say, a '99 328i Saloon SE? If they do all turn out to be pretty ropey I'm going to have to have a rethink. I do have a cheap option on a near mint '97 528i that's been in my family for 10 years but it's a bigger and possibly more complex car than I'd intended.

Won't be any more complex than the E46 equivalent.

That's good to know thanks. Like I say, it's a bigger car than I ideally wanted (actually a golf/focus would be ideal but doesn't appeal). That particular E39 is a good back up option but I'd still like to explore the E46 idea a little further.

Fair enough, but at your price-point, I think I'd take the view that its "better the devil you know". There's the potential for a whole world of trouble with a £2.5k e46 - at least with the 528 you know its history, any faults, etc etc.

[edc]

Can't quote properly on phone but I would say 2k is on the low side for a tidy E46 coupe. Most are nearer 3k. Watch the trader though as some seem to stick and they tend to be private ads which to me are overpriced. There seem to be plenty of choice on your price bracket for a 318 or 323. You should get a tidy 99 to 01 for that money. Mine came with the 18" MV1 alloys but no paperwork for previous servicing but dealer stamps on the book. After buying I could also see it's has new front arms and new ish struts. It's had a quick and dirty pad change, cheap Delphi ones with no copper grease. Needs a service but I do that to all cars I buy.

[Shropshiremike]

BlueProp said:

Rust on pre facelift arches. Not really seen it on any post facelifts.

AFAIK, saloons don't have the options of a folding seat.

They do have it as an option - I know because I specced an 03 plate with them

[BlueProp]

Shropshiremike said:

BlueProp said:

Rust on pre facelift arches. Not really seen it on any post facelifts.

AFAIK, saloons don't have the options of a folding seat.

They do have it as an option - I know because I specced an 03 plate with them

I stand corrected!

[Gad-Westy]

wrighty78 said:

Gad-Westy said:

paprika said:

Gad-Westy said:

LordGrover said:

I was offered £3,600 trade-in on my 2002 E46 330Ci sport @ 125k miles so I'd expect at your price point they'll be pretty poor. I'd like to think it's 'worth' > £4,000 private sale.

I've not been to see any yet. Adverts seem to suggest that there are some good cars out there with starship mileages but I won't know until I see them. I'm guessing/hoping a '02 330 Ci Sport commands a substantial premium over say, a '99 328i Saloon SE? If they do all turn out to be pretty ropey I'm going to have to have a rethink. I do have a cheap option on a near mint '97 528i that's been in my family for 10 years but it's a bigger and possibly more complex car than I'd intended.

Won't be any more complex than the E46 equivalent.

That's good to know thanks. Like I say, it's a bigger car than I ideally wanted (actually a golf/focus would be ideal but doesn't appeal). That particular E39 is a good back up option but I'd still like to explore the E46 idea a little further.

Fair enough, but at your price-point, I think I'd take the view that its "better the devil you know". There's the potential for a whole world of trouble with a £2.5k e46 - at least with the 528 you know its history, any faults, etc etc.

Yeah must admit, my head is saying that the E39 is a good buy but it isn't yelling 'buy me' for some reason. It's an auto which isn't my personal preference though it necessarily a show stopper. It's got tiny 15" wheels which wouldn't normally concern me in the slightest but it somehow dates the car a lot compared to other E39's. I could of course change these but spending £500 on wheels and tyres on a £1500 car doesn't compute. On the plus side is has an excellent spec, no rust, and has literally been maintained with no regard for cost. For reasons that I will never understand my Father (the owner) has always had all work carried out at a main dealer, including bodywork despite the car now being 13 years old. He's spent a small fortune on it's upkeep. It is in great condition though. It's tempting certainly but my mind isn't made up.

[Gad-Westy]

edc said:

Can't quote properly on phone but I would say 2k is on the low side for a tidy E46 coupe. Most are nearer 3k. Watch the trader though as some seem to stick and they tend to be private ads which to me are overpriced. There seem to be plenty of choice on your price bracket for a 318 or 323. You should get a tidy 99 to 01 for that money. Mine came with the 18" MV1 alloys but no paperwork for previous servicing but dealer stamps on the book. After buying I could also see it's has new front arms and new ish struts. It's had a quick and dirty pad change, cheap Delphi ones with no copper grease. Needs a service but I do that to all cars I buy.

I'm quite fortunate in some ways here as what I'm looking for is arguably the least desirable in terms of spec. Primarily I've been looking at saloons with standard wheels, no sport kit, cloth seats and relatively little in the way of options. That's the sort of car I'd prefer but is less desirable on the whole so should potentially come in cheaper than say, a high spec Sport coupe. Well I hope so anyway.