to buy or not to buy

[E46Fanatic]

From a technical point of view there is a definite difference between facelift and prefacelift in terms of steering input and feel. I've driven both, and to be honest I prefer the feel of the facelift in terms of steering input. I was never satisfied with the stock E46 pre-facelift steering feel (too vague for my taste) and hence the M sports suspension and 18" staggered BMW wheel setup. Improved the handling significantly and its perfect for my driving style. Even the pre-facelift M sports suspension differs compared with the facelifted M sports suspension of the latter harsher and more sporty while prefacelift softer, more supple but rolls harder.

I have absolutely no complaints in terms of high speed runs >150Kmh on the E46 and in fact I find it to be a strength of the BMW vs. say Jap cars or Proton cars. The car is well rested, you dont feel the speed, and it inspires confidence. I've also driven the E39, and to be honest, the E39 is significantly better in terms of high speed stability compared to the E46, but nowhere as nimble when chucking the car in street driving mode.

 

[meetoo]

I understand your feelings eddiefiola, but maybe you're being too harsh to the E46. Maybe it is just not designed for the kind of driving that you like, which is very high speed on the highways. Maybe BMW wanted to move towards more luxurious feeling with the E46. I think that's the direction the 3 series is taking, isn't it? Compare E90 with E30...

I think the E46 is okay for me and many others because I never go above 140kmh anyway. So long as it has BMW feel around corners, good enough for me la. The rest of me wants the BMW looks and prestige.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

I think the E46 is okay for me and many others because I never go above 140kmh anyway. So long as it has BMW feel around corners, good enough for me la. The rest of me wants the BMW looks and prestige.

You never go above 140km/hr? Why? You must be joking. One of the reasons I bought a bimmer was because I am allergic to speeds below 180km/hr. The highway is a dangerous place, so I drive fast in order to to minimize the risk by spending less time on the road.

 

[meetoo]

You never go above 140km/hr? Why?

Always conscious 2 little ones depend on me la

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Always conscious 2 little ones depend on me la

You are a good man. You will always be happy about yourself.

 

[meetoo]

You are a good man. You will always be happy about yourself.

Thank you funfer_fahrer. Maybe I'm just not so daring as you only...

Anyway I'm still driving Alfa. designed more for twisty Italian roads, not high speed autobahn cruising. Wait until I get into a Bimmer first.

 

[syahril]

hi ppl

hi ppl.. how's everybody doing ?? how's life..
this thread is still on.. just came back from pasir gudang and the thread is getting alive back... now ppl start to talk about technical stuff back... and as usual eddie the nutcase doctor (someone told me that) will always give a good comments.. maybe u should be a car doctor instead..

so anyway.. i'm sorting my loan.. should be ready by this thursday.. looking great so far.. hopefully will be driving the E36 by Saturday.. just in time for saturday nite out.. eheheheheh....

i tried the E36 and it really suit my driving style.. meaning spontenuous power, good handling, not to big for cilok cilok, the steering wheel is ok... better than my honda (definately)... now going to damansara gonna be more fun..

and meetoo u actually never goes up more that 140 ??? hemm.. u should try it sometimes.. my 92 honda also i drive 160 to 170 all the way to kl.. nice u know... but always have to make way to BMW and merc laa... damn i think they were doing more than 200 laa...

as for E39.. love it... very very comfortable.. but too big and the body role is that good... good for high speed on the highway.. not for cilok ciloking... good for long distance with family and all...

eddie, betol ke E90 takde tire spare ??? ape kejadah org german nie.. buat2 bocor tepi ladang kelape sawit malam2 bute... jahanam rim...

anyway... have fun driving no matter what car u're using... as per addie wrote, waja and neo is not that bad at all... driven both also.. good if u want to save up money and all... but some parts on it are more expansive than a beemer ok... FYI..

ok ppl... take care.. drive safely.. be alert and be in control..

cheers..

 

[meetoo]

Not to say I've never gone above 140, Syahril. Remember I've been driving only Alfas for 14 years! I've touched 200+ before on N-S highway. But I have to admit that I slowed down a lot when the babies came into my life. Not hot-blooded bachelor like you anymore mah

Anyway, good to hear that you'll be getting your E36 soon. I'll join you soon too in E46. Looking now.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

eddie, betol ke E90 takde tire spare ??? ape kejadah org german nie.. buat2 bocor tepi ladang kelape sawit malam2 bute... jahanam rim...
cheers..

E90 dengan 1 series tak de tayar spare. Cuma run-flat tyres. E60 ada tayar spare tapi bukan full size, cuma 125 series, kurus sikit supaya ringan. Therefore, boleh pakai normal tyres kalau tak mau pakai run-flat tyres. Run-flat tyres ni untuk keselamatan. Kawan saya baru meninggal eksiden sebab tak de run-flat tayar. Bawa Imprezza at 120km/hr, tayar burst, lepas tu pegi langgar divider kat highway sebab lost control. Girlfriend tak mati. Cedera aje. Run-flat tyres ni mahal sikit je dari tayar biasa tetapi bagus. Extra RM200 dari tayar biasa. Bila tayar bocor, boleh lari 100km/hr untuk 300 km. Rim tak jahanam sebab teknologi dia canggih. Kat Malaya ni belum ada orang pandai repair run-flat tyres yang dah bocor, tapi kat Australia dengan Europe dah ada.

 

[meetoo]

Sorry about your friend, funfer_fahrer. That why I not interested in straightline speeding on highways. It's not exciting, it's only dangerous. Tire bursts happen easily in our country because of all the crap on the roads. Our accident rates one of the highest in the world!

 

[initialM]

Good car without good maintenance oso no point. That's why I dun use 2nd hand tyre and fill it wt nitrogen. Good for high speed. Driving 140kmh in UDM on highway is like 110kmh, feels like goin to sleep. In average I drive 160 to 180kmh and sometimes touch 200kmh if less traffic. One problem I faced wt my UDM, cannot drive less than 140kmh on highway. 140 pun kena saman gak baik tekan terus sampai 180kmh

 

[mwtang]

guys,

my first thread....here is my story. I am planning to get a 3 series, trading in my civic. After reading through the whole thread, am still convince to get one. I am new to BMW.

The 2nd hand car dealer is hunting out for me for a e46, 318 most probably japanese specs. Budget 120k. (is this reasonable " )May I know what must i look out for when I go check the car eg, mileage(heard some might be tweak, how to verify the actual mileage), engine condition and etc etc. IS there anythin' i should be cautious of ?

I really appreciate all your comments.

 

[eddiefiola]

funfer, run flat tire (rft) is not the only solution for safety at high speed. my car has tire-pressure monitoring system (tpms). u must have that in order to avoid tire bursting.

i'm not using oem bmw tire-pressure monitoring system, but am using the after market ones which is much better than oem. so, no point using nitrogen gas ka, helium gas ka, kentut gas ka, as long as u have tpms, pam tire pakai normal oksigen kat petrol station sudah cukup.

but some ppl komplen run-flat tire too stiff thus affect comfortability. well, that is subjective. lain org lain opinion.

the best solution for safety for tire is using run-flat tire with tpms n with a car which has space for spare tire. having said that, rft is expensive n at the moment, not many choices are available.

syahril, sape kata e39 takleh cilok-cilok? blom cuba blom tau........

"eddie, betol ke E90 takde tire spare ??? ape kejadah org german nie.. buat2 bocor tepi ladang kelape sawit malam2 bute... jahanam rim..."
--syahril, jahanam rim takpe. yg membosankan is senario seperti driving ke jb to kb pd waktu mlm, sampai kat mersing tire termasuk paku/skru, sampai kuantan tire rft pun jadi flat. yg bosannye, kereta e90 mahal-mahal, tire pancit pon tersadai tepi jln. buat malu aje.......... tak pasal-pasal kena tow balik ke jb/kl/etc.....

waja(campro enjin) n neo memang certain parts mahal drp bmw. tapi waja engin mitsubishi parts murah. but kau kena compare bmw series yg mana satu lah.......kalau dgn e60 n e90, sure e60/e90 lagi mahal......

"Bila tayar bocor, boleh lari 100km/hr untuk 300 km. " ..... funfer, itu teori aje. but in real life, ntah-ntah 50 km pun tak sampai........ sama juga teori auto bavaria/bmw suggesting change engine oil every 25,000km. sape yg buat? org yg tongong yg tak tau pasal kereta aje yg buat.........

fahmi/initialm, 2nd hand tire takde masalah. check dulu sebelum buy. dude, kau kena baca in detail the process of tire bursting. or in medical term, physiology of tire bursting. then u can appreciate tpms....... apa, kau ingat tire 1st hand takleh burst ke. kau gi kat website ni: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=13

baca dan pahamkan........

syahril, kau amik e36 berapa cc. at least, try to get m52b25 cars.......

meetoo n mwtang, if u still wanna get the e46, get the ones with m54 engine....

 

[mwtang]

how 2 check for a m54 engine. sorry 4 my ignorance .

 

[eddiefiola]

mwtang, easiest way is to look at the accelerator pedal.

m54 using drive-by-wire. if u press with ur foot, it is lighter, like japanese cars.
m52 using the cable (bowden cable). usually, 9 out of 10, the accelerator pedal is heavy. not light like japanese cars.

m54 accelerator pedal: see the link: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/w/s/92.png

m52 accelerator pedal: see the link: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/m/f/203.png

mwtang, since u are getting the 318i, m54 is not available in 318i.....

 

[mwtang]

i am planning to get a e46 japan specs, 318. what are my chances of getting a m54.

 

[eddiefiola]

mwtang, no chance at all.

m54 engines come in 2.2 (320i), 2.5(325i) and 3.0(330i) liters.......

318i comes with either m44 or n42 engines.
m44 (1998-2001), 118hp
n42 (2001-2004), 143hp

 

[mwtang]

thanks for the info mate. any setback on the n42 or m44. guess with my budget of 120k i doubt it i get a m54

 

[meetoo]

eddiefiola, how does the TPMS protect you from a tire burst? BTW a non-campro Waja has a Renault engine, not Mitsubishi.

 

[eddiefiola]

mwtang, no worries mate. any setback n good things about e46? don't ask me about e46. i don't want to start again talking about e46. my answer is, i hate the car very very much. i wouldn't buy the car even if it's 10 ringgit.

as for you, go find a good condition 318i. just don't get too obsessed with the mileage. make sure engine bay n all other pipes/hoses got no leaking, it's good enough. 1st hand or second hand, sama sahaja. the difference is warranty. my previous e46 was bought new, also got problems.........my other pilot friend bought 2nd hand e46.....so far no problems..... depends on your luck lah......

just spare some money just in case got some minor problems after u bought the car.

n test drive the car b4 u buy it. n don't membabi buta buy the car without testing it just coz it's bmw..........