Should i swap out e46 that's given by parents to e39???

[anthonyhor]

Hi everyone, i'm now a uni student, and going to graduate end of this year, and start working next year...

After my mum upgraded from an e46 to an e60, she passed down her e46 318i (pre-facelift) to me...And im supposed to be driving the car to work for the next few years at least, but i got a thought about should i request to swap my current car to an e39??

Reasons not to swap:
1) less hassle (no need to hunt for another car, procedures and stuff) :smokin:
2) less maintenance for e46 compared to e39?? (if i were to change to an e39, it will be either 2000-2500cc range models: 520i, 523i, 525i) :stupid:

Reasons to swap:
1) e39 is one heck sweet ride :rock:
2) I'm very tall (over 6 feet ), and whenever i'm driving in my comfortable position, the passenger seat behind me will be useless as i'll need to adjust the seat all the way back for my leg to extend properly in an e46, thus need to cramp myself into a weird and uncomfortable position when fetching people around. :argh:
3) I already have the planning to get an e39 after i'm able to buy a first car by myself
4) it seems like kind of no point for me to be spending money on my current ride as i really dont plan to keep it really long, and these are the few issues in my current ride that's pending to be fixed: aircond coil clogged, low air flow and not aircond not cooling enough(need remove dashboard and sort it out,compressor seems to be still working), alarm system change (previous owner die die installed a china alarm system that doesnt work well with e46, delayed lock and everything), minor gear jerking for 3-5 minutes after more than one day didnt drive the car or when weather is cold (any idea what might be the prob, or is it normal??), some plastics in interior breaking (which i'd rather spend the money replacing interior on a car that i will be and want to keep long)

That's all i can think of right now, and hoping sifus here can help me look at this situation in ways that i left out that i should consider... :stupid:

Thanks in advance...

 

[Tom328]

This is a completely personal choice. Replying to your points:-

1) The E39 is definitely 1 sweet ride, my dad has an E39 523i. Definitely much more stable and quiet on the highway. Not very powerful given the size and weight of the thing. If you're the kind that appreciates a nice big saloon with a good amount of power to pull it around, hunt for a 528i or 530i. Or if your pockets are deep enough to run the car and pay for roadtax, heck even a 535i or 540i (some nice V8 pull. hehehe...)

2) I'm 6 feet too and daily drive a manual E36. Yes, there is no room at the back of the driver but how often do you ferry an extra passenger at the back?

3) Seems like you've made up your mind!

4) Such niggles are bound to come up on a car of such age, both E39 and E46 are from the same era and age so both will have issues which need sorting out. Even if you get an E39, there will be issues to sort out, unless you go on a long patient hunt for a really good condition low mileage one (rare though). Sounds like you have a clogged air cond filter, check that first before tearing everything apart. Not too sure about the jerky gear change, get your mechanic to check it out (a good mechanic not only will solve your problems, but will save your wallet).

The plastic interior bits are a common problem. In that era, car manufacturers went into a "parts must be recyclable" mindset and made really crappy interiors. E36, E39, E46, E38. All suffered from fragile easily broken plastic interior trims. Mercedes went through the same period with the Mercedes S-class W140, my dad's rear view mirror literally disintegrated to pieces. If you'd observe the era of the E30, E28, E34, interior built quality is on a whole different level, less squeaks and rattles.

The way I see it, it's really a personal choice. If you're the kind that likes a smaller zippy car around town, nicer to throw through corners, economical 4 cylinder engine, the E46 318i you're having suits you. If you're looking for highway cruising stability, room for 4 adults to sit comfortably, swap to an E39. As a 6 footer, the E39's size feels much better for me. But the size and weight requires a bigger engine to comfortably pull it. Good luck!

p/s : if you're feeling a little bit low on power with the 318i, do try out a 325i or 330i to feel the difference :69:

 

[anthonyhor]

This is a completely personal choice. Replying to your points:-

1) The E39 is definitely 1 sweet ride, my dad has an E39 523i. Definitely much more stable and quiet on the highway. Not very powerful given the size and weight of the thing. If you're the kind that appreciates a nice big saloon with a good amount of power to pull it around, hunt for a 528i or 530i. Or if your pockets are deep enough to run the car and pay for roadtax, heck even a 535i or 540i (some nice V8 pull. hehehe...)

2) I'm 6 feet too and daily drive a manual E36. Yes, there is no room at the back of the driver but how often do you ferry an extra passenger at the back?

3) Seems like you've made up your mind!

4) Such niggles are bound to come up on a car of such age, both E39 and E46 are from the same era and age so both will have issues which need sorting out. Even if you get an E39, there will be issues to sort out, unless you go on a long patient hunt for a really good condition low mileage one (rare though). Sounds like you have a clogged air cond filter, check that first before tearing everything apart. Not too sure about the jerky gear change, get your mechanic to check it out (a good mechanic not only will solve your problems, but will save your wallet).

The plastic interior bits are a common problem. In that era, car manufacturers went into a "parts must be recyclable" mindset and made really crappy interiors. E36, E39, E46, E38. All suffered from fragile easily broken plastic interior trims. Mercedes went through the same period with the Mercedes S-class W140, my dad's rear view mirror literally disintegrated to pieces. If you'd observe the era of the E30, E28, E34, interior built quality is on a whole different level, less squeaks and rattles.

The way I see it, it's really a personal choice. If you're the kind that likes a smaller zippy car around town, nicer to throw through corners, economical 4 cylinder engine, the E46 318i you're having suits you. If you're looking for highway cruising stability, room for 4 adults to sit comfortably, swap to an E39. As a 6 footer, the E39's size feels much better for me. But the size and weight requires a bigger engine to comfortably pull it. Good luck!

p/s : if you're feeling a little bit low on power with the 318i, do try out a 325i or 330i to feel the difference :69:

how about maintenance cost comparing these 2 models? For me it's kinda like: hmmm if i'm driving this car to work, then i'll need to fix it, but i already have plan to get rid of if to get an e39 as soon as i can afford one, then all the money i dump into the e46 will be kind of a wastage, isnt it?

 

[Tom328]

Maintenance cost will be slightly higher for the E39 as it is the E46's bigger brother anyway. However, mechanical parts such as the engine and drivetrain would be the same as they share the M52 and M54 engines anyway. Long term, you shouldn't feel the pinch.

If you're set to get rid of the E46 to get an E39 as soon as you can afford one, then by all means don't even touch the E46 anymore (unless you wanna touch up a few things to get it sold for a decent price). Otherwise, sell and move on to your target!