E46 which model

[maximust]

Hi,I'm a newbies here. Sorry for not making the introduction in the newbies section (unable to find it on the forum).Hopefully the gurus and the sifus can assist.I am going to get my UDM within this month. Have been doing some research for the past 3 months. Options that I have :1. E46 318 2.0L M-Sports full specs facelift 2003/unreg, sunroof - Price RM150k. Plus point: Its systems comes stock standard from BMW. Very2 low mileage. Is the price reasonable?2. E46 318 2.0L Local 2004, full service records, low mileage. Price at RM120k.3. E46 318 Local 2003, full service AB, low mileage, mod bodykit, Price 140k.4. E46 325 2004, mixtures of ABS, SMG ori bodykit, many extras RM145kI'm currently driving a 160hp Putra (mod body & engine). But can compromise a little bit on the power side if it is a UDM. Reading from the misery of some of the unlucky owners of E46, which ones will be the best choice? What are the things to consider before making my final decision.Regards & TY.

 

[manan21]

Welcome!..but do introduce self in the newbies section.. calm n look its there.. i'm not sifu but for me..the best would be 325..the power..the torque..awesome.. just bough 325i few weeks ago after alot of research..! 325i - M54 engine.. 6 cylinder

 

[The Lair]

Get the 6 cylinder. I-6 is silky smooth & powerful. You wont regret it. As for the price, its very subjective.

 

[Hellraiser]

Get the 6 cylinder. I-6 is silky smooth & powerful. You wont regret it. As for the price, its very subjective.

totally agree....for once someone is doing his homework before making a big commitment and not asking our opinion after making the commitment, hehe!

 

[maximust]

Thank you Manan21, TheLair & Hellraiser for your advices.

Test driven the 2.0L, the power is not that lag neither that dissapointing. Try to test driven the 2.5L too, of course I can feel the difference. However, the 2.0L unit that I've test driven, the engine is smoother and the interior is like new, plus xenon lights and sunroof only done 25K. If i were to convert the engine to a 2.5L say in few years to come, what will be the cost then? Anyone can share with me the experience?

Just love the sunroof...

 

[Mouse]

Thank you Manan21, TheLair & Hellraiser for your advices.

Test driven the 2.0L, the power is not that lag neither that dissapointing. Try to test driven the 2.5L too, of course I can feel the difference. However, the 2.0L unit that I've test driven, the engine is smoother and the interior is like new, plus xenon lights and sunroof only done 25K. If i were to convert the engine to a 2.5L say in few years to come, what will be the cost then? Anyone can share with me the experience?

Just love the sunroof...

dun waste money and crack your head to convert it to 2.5L, just like what
The Lair & manan21 say, buy the 325 (your 4th option)

 

[The Lair]

"However, the 2.0L unit that I've test driven, the engine is smoother and the interior is like new, plus xenon lights and sunroof only done 25K"

By design, the I-6 is inherently smoother, some even argue its even smoother than a V6. The one you tested might not be in the best condition and ofcourse, the 2.0 has done only 25K km. But when when you push, the I-6 will give that distinctive engine sound that's like no other.
Be patient my brother, you can have all the 6 cylinder, low mileage & the sunroof. I do. Just be prepared to 'pony up the dough' hehe.

 

[rizalaris]

Thank you Manan21, TheLair & Hellraiser for your advices.

Test driven the 2.0L, the power is not that lag neither that dissapointing. Try to test driven the 2.5L too, of course I can feel the difference. However, the 2.0L unit that I've test driven, the engine is smoother and the interior is like new, plus xenon lights and sunroof only done 25K. If i were to convert the engine to a 2.5L say in few years to come, what will be the cost then? Anyone can share with me the experience?

Just love the sunroof...

I have a few frens changed/upgraded their car to 330/525/530. And most of them from 318/320 owners. The reason I see here coz of 'underpower'.
So don't make the same mistake as we did.
Im driving 325 and im still regret...

 

[taggnas]

Last year this time too, I sold my Putra and got myself a E46 320i 6 cylinder. Don't get me wrong, I love my E46 but I kind of miss my Putra even till today. There are some things that the Putra has that the E46 can't even do (pick up is for one). Putra is a pretty fun car to drive.... nippy, good handling and of course cheaper to maintain when compared to the E46.

My suggestion is that to get the 325i but if you can also try to keep the Putra. Otherwise you'll become like me.... stare at every Putra that you see one and wonder where is my old love now.

Emotional morning!

 

[infinityKL]

325 SMG...

good luck...

 

[MSport]

Go for 6 potter!! 325....

 

[maximust]

Last year this time too, I sold my Putra and got myself a E46 320i 6 cylinder. Don't get me wrong, I love my E46 but I kind of miss my Putra even till today. There are some things that the Putra has that the E46 can't even do (pick up is for one). Putra is a pretty fun car to drive.... nippy, good handling and of course cheaper to maintain when compared to the E46.

My suggestion is that to get the 325i but if you can also try to keep the Putra. Otherwise you'll become like me.... stare at every Putra that you see one and wonder where is my old love now.

Emotional morning!

Hmm.. Its true when the lads says 'bila nak beli keta ni mmg ramai yang meracun'...he he... anyway, thanks for the advices.. still looking for the best package.

Yeah, have to agree with taggnas. I'm going to miss my Putra if I decided to sell it off. Its like letting an old girlfriend go (when she offered the best service..ha ha) to be with preety & high maintenance girlfiend....:stupid:

 

[megatniza]

Last year this time too, I sold my Putra and got myself a E46 320i 6 cylinder. Don't get me wrong, I love my E46 but I kind of miss my Putra even till today. There are some things that the Putra has that the E46 can't even do (pick up is for one). Putra is a pretty fun car to drive.... nippy, good handling and of course cheaper to maintain when compared to the E46.

My suggestion is that to get the 325i but if you can also try to keep the Putra. Otherwise you'll become like me.... stare at every Putra that you see one and wonder where is my old love now.

Emotional morning!

yo bro , i can really relate to that ! used to drive the satria GTI .
fantastic car . still thinking about it every time I saw one .....

 

[JKay]

My Opinion

The 318 due to being only a 4 pot and therefore having a lighter front end, makes it have a much more responsive front end, therefore very good handling.

The 320 is IMO overweight, 6 pot and not enough power, so 318 better.

325 is nice, silky smooth

330, as above but with more power.

If it were me, on a tight budget, would go for the 318, but it would have to be valvetronic. Its an excellent engine and its so much smoother. If I am not mistaken, valvetronics were built from September 2001 onwards

If I had a bigger budget, it woulod be either the 330 or 325, but prob 330 due to the extra power

Out of the choices you lsted, it would be the 325 for me, provided its a good example

 

[maximust]

E46 318 vs e46 320

My Opinion

The 318 due to being only a 4 pot and therefore having a lighter front end, makes it have a much more responsive front end, therefore very good handling.

The 320 is IMO overweight, 6 pot and not enough power, so 318 better.

325 is nice, silky smooth

330, as above but with more power.

If it were me, on a tight budget, would go for the 318, but it would have to be valvetronic. Its an excellent engine and its so much smoother. If I am not mistaken, valvetronics were built from September 2001 onwards

If I had a bigger budget, it woulod be either the 330 or 325, but prob 330 due to the extra power

Out of the choices you lsted, it would be the 325 for me, provided its a good example

Thanks Jkay,

Test driven the 2.2L just now. Well kind of agree with your lighter front end for the 2.0. The driveaway from static for the 2.0 is much better than the 2.2

However after about 30% acc pedal being depressed than you can feel the advantage of the 6-potter. I would say the 2.2 is much better in mid-range to higher-range end power.

Drive my Putra on Kesas just now, suddenly being flashed by a 318 to give way, I give way to him and start to chase. I would say the 318 also is not bad performance on the highway.

I have not yet decided to go for which model to go for (the salesman really had a headache to serve my 'fussy'ness..ha ha). Pening la broo...
Tido pun banyak susah wooo.. ha ha...:105: 2.0 or 2.2L.

Gonna go there again tomorrow and test driven both, before deciding.. Anyone comment on fuel consumption by the owners?

 

[infinityKL]

adui, baru nak pening, tido pun susah??... better not ask about fuel n maintenance...haha nanti pengsan, tak bole tido...lagi teruk..

looking at ur taste and options...i say the 325 will put you to sleep like baby wt no pening and pengsan... go for it and you shall not regret.. it covers all the setbacks of the 318 or 320...

my 2 cents
cheers bro...

 

[The Lair]

2.2 being underpowered? I don't think you guys are being sensible here. When talking about power, no amount of power is going to be enough. That's why you see people tweak the Skyline, for what? Not enough power ma!
To put things into perspective, I was once 'cucuk'ed by a turbo Evo wannabe, with all the hissing blow-off & all. Once the road is clear I tekan the pedal beyond its WOT click position, rocketing forward, leaving the souped-up wira grappling to cacth up & eventually reduced to a speck of dust in the horizon. Once I glanced at the speedo & saw the needle reaching near 240kmh with plenty more revs to cover, I backed down and realized that I had a powerful enough machine infact, more powerful than I dared to handle.
Now, in looking for the UDM of your dream, you must ask yourself, how much power is enough for me? If you commute within the city, a 318 is the best for you. If you are traversing interstate highways or going tracking in the weekends, even a turbocharged M3 is not going to be powerful enough. You just find one that suits your own need and don't bother about what others try to 'poison' about getting more hp. Less hp doesn't necessarily mean you enjoy your ride less. Just my humble 2 cents.

 

[Hellraiser]

at the end of the day, it also depends on what your budget is and being happy with it. 6 months/1 year down the road, the higher cc car you were crazy about is selling for much less and you regret buying your current car. well, you didn't have the money then didja? haha!

 

[infinityKL]

Agree, it all comes down to personal preferences. Its not about less hp or anything likethat... the amount of horses should have a balance to the weight of the car... so when we are talking about an E46, anythin less than a 2.2 or 2.5 is gonna give you the sluggish feeling when take off and overtaking etc... I would love to have a decent torque and accelaration when on the run as well, rather than having to drop gear or pushing ur pedal beyond its limit. the feeling in the cabin is not so nice wt ur car jerking down gear.. and trust me if ur driving in the city, you dont want to strugle wt a 318 in the traffic..a 318 will be way more comfort on a straight hiway at high speeds...low end torque is essential in KL traffic.

but then, you still got a point on the "poison" thiny.....hehe:top:

 

[The Lair]

Dat's why Patience is a Virtue. If you are willing to wait, you can get anything for cheap hehe..