e46 325 - accident!!

[Torneo]

hi folksI'm absolutely into this 325 e46! Brought it to a reputable mechanic for a medical check up and found out a few things. 1. Engine in great condition. Leaks all fixed. 2. Gearbox in excellent condition. Striped and rebuilt in Feb 09. One of the smoothest I've driven so far.(about 10 units)3. Computerized diagnostic came out with a gearbox concern. Mechanic couldn't tell what's wrong but he said it's very smooth. No further diagnostic done. 4. Accident history - Yes! Hoist up the car and saw welding marks inner than radiator. But it doesn't seem to have affected the engine based on the welding marks. Rear - small accident, can see uneven repair marks from the tyre compartment facing the bumper. I assume it's a small bump. 5. Driving experience - drives perfectly, no shake, powerful, stable at high speed (150 tested driven by owner). I'm very pleased with the condition of the car but knowing it has accident history which could be pretty bad, I'm just not sure if I should go for this unit. Of course there are alot of other units but I like this the most. Accident is claimed to have been done by previous owner. Yes, this is the 2nd owner. Is this car worth buying? I don't know and I'm hoping some can share some experience. Mechanic told me not to get this car due to it's accident history but my question is, how is this accident history going to affect my driving pleasure? This car is priced at market value with a few simple modification here and there. SMG kit, ICE, etc. Can the accessories make up for the accident history? Please share your opinions with me!! :106:

 

[elixir]

bro torneo,
If the accident is not serious, then it's not much of a problem. Otherwise, you should'nt. Engine problem, gearbox problem..etc, can always change or get it fixed. But if it is body/chassis problem, it could be a nightmare. Moreover, u never know how's the repair being done.

 

[Torneo]

Thanks elixir!

I'm not sure if the chassis is affected but it's possible. In any case, if the chassis is affected, does that contribute to bad driving experience? Driving the car doesn't feel bad to me. Does that mean the car is in good condition whether chassis is affected or not? But i'm sure the chassis is not as rigid as non accident units.

Sigh, really couldn't decide. Maybe i should start a poll to see what others would do? Hehehe

BMW owners/lovers, please provide some opinion.

1. Buy or don't buy?
2. Buy - why?
3. Don't buy - why?

Regards,
Contemplating fool

 

[Mouse]

Thanks elixir!

I'm not sure if the chassis is affected but it's possible. In any case, if the chassis is affected, does that contribute to bad driving experience? Driving the car doesn't feel bad to me. Does that mean the car is in good condition whether chassis is affected or not? But i'm sure the chassis is not as rigid as non accident units.

Sigh, really couldn't decide. Maybe i should start a poll to see what others would do? Hehehe

BMW owners/lovers, please provide some opinion.

1. Buy or don't buy?
2. Buy - why?
3. Don't buy - why?

Regards,
Contemplating fool

can you get your hand on the insurance claim on the accident? if yes, then u should roughly know how bad was the accident from the payout. or if u know someone in traffic, u can try to get the report and picture to determine if its worth buying

 

[Strider]

It seem that you really like this machine out of 10 that you had evaluate.

If you don't buy it, you will feel uncomfortable cause this is the best feel among 10

If you buy it, you afraid it had a bad chassis and you regret

Buy it with a condition. Get some discount to compensate with the accident (so that you'll have a good sleep). After all BMW is better than other make (is it true? That what i normally heard) For sure a small accident would not effect the chassis. Or else bring it to AB for chassis health check (or, can Puspakom do this check?)

Just my half cent

 

[Strider]

hi folks

I'm absolutely into this 325 e46! Brought it to a reputable mechanic for a medical check up and found out a few things.

1. Engine in great condition. Leaks all fixed.
2. Gearbox in excellent condition. Striped and rebuilt in Feb 09. One of the smoothest I've driven so far.(about 10 units)
3. Computerized diagnostic came out with a gearbox concern. Mechanic couldn't tell what's wrong but he said it's very smooth. No further diagnostic done.
4. Accident history - Yes! Hoist up the car and saw welding marks inner than radiator. But it doesn't seem to have affected the engine based on the welding marks. Rear - small accident, can see uneven repair marks from the tyre compartment facing the bumper. I assume it's a small bump.
5. Driving experience - drives perfectly, no shake, powerful, stable at high speed (150 tested driven by owner).

I'm very pleased with the condition of the car but knowing it has accident history which could be pretty bad, I'm just not sure if I should go for this unit. Of course there are alot of other units but I like this the most. Accident is claimed to have been done by previous owner. Yes, this is the 2nd owner.

Is this car worth buying? I don't know and I'm hoping some can share some experience. Mechanic told me not to get this car due to it's accident history but my question is, how is this accident history going to affect my driving pleasure?

This car is priced at market value with a few simple modification here and there. SMG kit, ICE, etc. Can the accessories make up for the accident history?

Please share your opinions with me!! :106:

Ops, one more thing. I don't think this is part of the chassis. Correct me if i'm wrong sifus.

 

[Torneo]

Mouse - great advice. I'll look into this tomorrow.

Strider - i did ask him for a discount but the offer he gave wasn't exactly ideal. he could not give me a price i'd settle for. i'm not too sure if it's the chassis or not.. probably not but since it's connected to the actual chassis, i'm thinking it might have affected it. Again these are assumptions..

I'm going to KIV this car for the time being. Will continue to scout for another good deal. Thanks for your input so far! Much appreciated!

Muchos gracias

 

[alxy]

Stable at high speed at 150km/h? That doesn't tell you anything!

150km/h is like normal cruising speed for a bimmer, especially a 325 at that. 200km/h is more appropriate if you want to test "stable at high speed"

 

[astroboy]

I normally walk away from accident cars.. because rust will come and grow like cancel. Unstoppable...

 

[bmwky]

I will skip the car, at market price there are many choices available. it's a buyer market now. The car drives smoothly doesn't mean it's going to be so in a few months (or years time if you are lucky) time. on the other hand a car that doesn't drives well can be restored to flawless driving condition given the right amount of TLC (and money of course). Make sure you got the good platform to start in the first place.

 

[thule]

when you don't feel good about having the car, there's no point buying it... remember, there are a lot of nice E46 out there... you just have to make more effort to search for your ideal ride
As for me, I go for accident free car...

 

[chetz]

same experienced.. just bough an e46.. saw quite a few.. total up 8 cars before i bough one.. everythings seems perfect.. but last week after quite rough driving.. im having the gearbox problem.. checked with auto bava.. and the results came.. gear monitoring problem.. guess whut?? they ask me to change the whole gearbox.. che sin~!! i ask around and some continental sifu's.. they said.. i could be just the cam sensor or dirty oil.. i guess previous owner never changed gearbox oil before.. luckly my 325 still can start and move.. gonna send for gearbox service tommorow.. and hopefully it'll solve the problem..

any members experience the same gearbox problem here?? mine still can move.. but the gearbox indicator turns on.. pls advice regarding this issue.. thank you...

 

[adriangzh]

Buy the car. Or you will not have a nice sleep keep thinking of the car.
The only way you can do is, ask the previous owner to have a full check-up by a car doctor and make sure no internal damage. At least this way, you can feel more relief and gain some confident towards the car.

 

[Torneo]

adriangzh, yes i kept thinking about it. it's like a battle between conciousness and heart. and i thought only girls had that problem! at this stage i'm not sure if a car doctor can really tell me what's going to happen to the car in 5 years time..i'm only going to be driving this for 2-3 years max.

for all respondent - i appreciate all your feedback!! at the end of the day nobody want a problematic machine..i wish puspakom inspection could be more stringent and thorough and not let owners sell their mid-major accident cars. insurance company should be responsible for those cars afterall we ARE paying for it. no one wants to buy those cars and JPJ and puspakom should have come up with a protocol to protect buyers. it's their prerogative - shouldnt be buyer's. and if the car passes road worthy test then it could open up a lot of buyers mind to accept those cars.

thanks for all your opinions mate..everyone can keep this going on as i trust this thread might benefit any potential BMW owner.

in the mean time - anyone here know anybody selling an awesome conditioned 325 e46? Hehe!

 

[erica34]

i would suggest looking for another. u mentioned planning to drive this for 2-3 years max. i'd imagine you'd want to avoid potential difficulties selling the car later on...

 

[elwine30]

chetz, yours is facelift or pre-facelift?