Planning on buying a used BMW E46

[Harwin]

Hi guys ,I've been planning on buying a used BMW e46. The main reason I'm planning on buying this car is to travel to work which is around 15 minutes away from my house and maybe once a month travel with my buddies far distance.So I wont be using the car a lot and wont be stepping on the gas most of the time.So can I know:

1.Whats the maintenance?
2.How much to restore the car so that it doesn't give any major problems(If windows all not working I dont mind only the major problems)


Thanks guys really appreciate it

and if its too expensive how about a e36 then?

 

[gendong]

Good luck on ur journey bro. For starters, you might want to refer to this thread http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/index.php?threads/e46-part-and-service-cost-ii.9306/page-50 for further information on maintenance.

The e46 sub-forum has an abundance of wealth on e46-related information.

When it comes to restoration..... very much dependent on how extensive u wanna go, or how deep is ur pocket. Best advise is to buy from direct owner, who has all the documentation and receipts.

 

[Harwin]

Thank you for replying gendong,
Well I actually just got into the scene and my actual plan is to buy a E46 from a direct owner and use around 3-5k to repair the car for any major problems(breaking down,fuel leak and etc) because I only plan on using it for casual use(go to work,buy food and etc).Do you think that would be enough?. So that's about it.

Thanks.

 

[gendong]

Take ur time in finding the right one bro. Some would suggest to opt for the inline 6, as thats what BMWs r all abt. Base is the 2.2 up to 3.0 variants of the M54 engine. If ur a casual driver, perhaps the 4cyl variant (2.0 or 1.9) wld suffice. U'll b hearing lots of negativity on the N42/46 engine ('new' engine/tech those days, hence some gremlins) . Needs a strong heart (and thick wallet) to handle that. Otherwise, its an excellent drive, when there's no issues.

Assuming u got hold of an excellent specimen, yeah the amount wld suffice. Prices of parts hv came down a bit. Watch out for engine oil leaks, likely fm old gaskets or rubber seals. these gaskets n seals are cheap, but workmanship cost a fair bit.

 

[Over_Boost]

Good morning, I would agree with what gendong has said in his post. I've owned mine since 1999 and have driven it for donkey years, things you would have to take note of are those wear and tear components within your car. Throughout the years, I've replaced:
Engine Mountings
Gearbox Mountings
Rear Axel Mountings
Radiator System Piping (Cracks due to our weather)
Engine Gaskets
and much more..
The amount that you have to spend depends on the mileage that the car has gone through. If you found one that is not a particularly good specimen then I would advise against it.

 

[tenno]

Good morning, I would agree with what gendong has said in his post. I've owned mine since 1999 and have driven it for donkey years, things you would have to take note of are those wear and tear components within your car. Throughout the years, I've replaced:
Engine Mountings
Gearbox Mountings
Rear Axel Mountings
Radiator System Piping (Cracks due to our weather)
Engine Gaskets
and much more..
The amount that you have to spend depends on the mileage that the car has gone through. If you found one that is not a particularly good specimen then I would advise against it.

when you replace all those mounting? based on number of year usage or milage?

 

[Harwin]

Thanks guys I really appreciate your replies

 

[Nuvo abrid]

How's the car holding up? Might be buying a 330ci next month. Just wanna know what to expect. Im Im also thinking of spending around 5k to fix worn out parts. Dont know if enough.

 

[lan8217]

How's the car holding up? Might be buying a 330ci next month. Just wanna know what to expect. Im Im also thinking of spending around 5k to fix worn out parts. Dont know if enough.

I suggest that you send the car for a full pre-purchase inspection done at a reputable BMW specialist workshop. It's about RM150 if I'm not mistaken. They will check and list down the entire mechanical bits of the car, and you can also ask for an estimate for getting the issues that have been found to be fixed.

I would suggest the following to be checked and rectified on an immediate basis:

1) Cooling system (Get a pressure test done. It'll help to find out components of the cooling system that needs immediate replacement, e.g. waterpump, thermostat, hoses, belts, pulleys, fan clutch, etc.)
2) Full fluids replacement (brake, Automatic transmission, rear differential, power steering, coolant)
3) Full brakes checking (disc rotors, pads, master pump, etc)
4) Diagnostic checking via the car's OBD2 port.
5) Suspension components (checking of the control arms and bushings, shocks and struts, steering coupling, etc.)

Also, I suggest you watch Shoplifetv and The50skid' Youtube videos; whereby they have videos on what to check before purchasing an E46, and their videos on the most common items to fail on E46.

All the best in your new acquisition.

 

[unstopables_7]

bro , to be honest e46 is not a car that you need to worry much on repairing. Plenty of parts just by logging into Facebook you can get basically everything. My personal advice is not to worry so much and buy from those who appreciates the car , go for a test drive (its an old car during test drive you will know how well the car is being taken care) if car feels good then just get it scan by your mech if possible.

Lastly .. DO NOT buy the price , if your going for the cheapest & price is your concern then hold on a bit more till you have a higher budget then go again.

Enjoy bro.. get a 325/330 m54 and enjoy the straight six ROAR!