What to look for when buying E46?

[Tri-plateE2]

Potentially getting myself a e46 beemer (1st time!) therefore need some help. Have been surveying around, seems that there are lots of unregistered yr2000-2005. At a budget about rm120-13+k, what's the recommendation? Between facelifted 318 to the powerful 328, which would you choose? I am looking at daily drive with reasonable maintenance...Hope all bm taiko and sifus can help give a tip or 2..cheers

 

[aramis]

I doubt you can get any unregistered ones with a budget of 120-13x. Probably you might be able to get an Unreg 2000 318i.

But for 2nd ones, you will have lost of choices with that budget. You can even get 9-year loan with AMFinance for 2nd BMW.

 

[830]

Tri-plateE2,

used to own a 328 yr 2000. maintenance is definitely higher than 318. i would suggest you go for the 2nd hand ones. also cars which you 'know' the owners (and where he stays - at least he will be more truthful about the car) ... not someone from the used car.

the unregistered ones sounds good technically. but remember, you are still buying a used car. the danger :-

1. you dont know how many owners there were!
2. you dont know how the car was used (my ex mechanic - M1 bmw specialist have personally taken out an e39 bumper (newly bought) and discovered it was mud covered. it was imported from south africa! another one he encountered was the owner actually checked with bmw uk about another e39 and found out it was used as an airport limo!
3. you will never ever know for sure the mileage is real!
4. parts may not be suited for malaysian wheather - smaller radiators, rubber parts adhesives etc.
5. thats not the end!!

not that there are no good recons around but with those odds against me i'd go for good old ckd used unit.

i know club members are generally kinder to their udms.

patience helps. never rush into it. you are going to be stuck with the car for sometime so buy wisely. no matter how good you think a deal is, another one may just be coming your way. settle with the car if and only if you feel it has passed a majority of your personal criterions.

et the car checked by a specialist. get it jacked up if possible to see tell tale signs of abuse and visual checkpoint for mileage validity. it's not easy. even pros get conned.

one thing i can help u is get you the contact of two bank managers who can help you recommend your loan application with lower interest rates. hong leong and public bank... if ou need that is.

happy hunting

 

[830]

... just to add. about the used car/car dealer thingy, not all are not worth the bet. i tend to think the smaller they are the better it will be in terms of car quality ... needless to explain why. i'll give you a good example of one type of exception. auto technica of ss2, pj

sometimes it's not the used car dealers who are not truthful. they also fall prey!

 

[Mouse]

wah, i also have the same budget like tri-plate and looking for E46 318i year 2001 CKD. 830 advice sounds very logic and i have the same thought like him. I somehow feel safer to go for CKD than recond unit. Anyway for a same year recond is about 10-15K more expensive than ckd. really have to think wheather its worth it. I think we have good recond, but its all about luck when buying a second hand wheather the previous owner take care of their bimmer like a gf or a maid.

 

[Mouse]

Tri-plate, if u can wait. I heard april-may is a good time to buy either a recond or local ckd coz alot of good promotion and price will drop slightly, this is told by my friend who is working as car dealer. not sure about recond E46, but second hand ckd expect to drop arond 3-5k.

 

[pion]

Originally posted by Tri-plateE2@Jan 1 2006, 11:09 PM
Potentially getting myself a e46 beemer (1st time!) therefore need some help. Have been surveying around, seems that there are lots of unregistered yr2000-2005. At a budget about rm120-13+k, what's the recommendation? Between facelifted 318 to the powerful 328, which would you choose? I am looking at daily drive with reasonable maintenance...Hope all bm taiko and sifus can help give a tip or 2..cheers

Ditto.

Patience is a virtue. ....Hahahaha ... Easier said than done.

 

[Tri-plateE2]

wahhh...really lots of insightful thoughts...I think its better to wait and see...if anyone of you knows of a good deal do let me know pls thanks!

 

[guru]

welcome tri plate & mouse..

go for 318 valvetronic(02 up).. facelifted

maybe s/hand oso can (look for naza cars)

pay abit mor, well worth it.. 140k

ask for the m-sport or sports pack... after that no need to modify much.. comes standard lowered and 17" wheels

seats are mor 'keras'.. BMW sports seat.. and oso got 3 spoke multi function steering

last piece of advice..take ur time.... pelan2 kayuh... make urself see 5 cars b4 u decide

 

[Mouse]

thanks for your advice guru, we will not rush into it, no worry, but 140k for year 02 budget sudah lari, maybe can if i eat roti for 1 year, hahahaha

 

[Mouse]

hey tri-plate, look for Star on car ads. today. one dealer in Serdang selling E46 318 year 2001 @ 133K. mile only 46K and interior like brand new (that's what stated in the ads.). Anyway can the odometer be adjusted to lower mileage to increase their value?

 

[830]

no matter what they say about the odometer not tamperable, there are ways around it.

1. change the meter console assembly (or whatever that is called). costs only 1kplus or something. the red light is resetable. my friend broke his meter and changed it at 33k. his mileage shows less that amount.

* of course if the change is done in AB then the change will be noted.

2. i've heard of a computer software to tamper the reading. I was asked if i would be interested to change my meter reading when i wanted to sell my previous e46. Of course i din take it. might end up with a lawsuit or equally worse - jail! i was quoted RM 400. just plug and change.


there is one way to confirm the mileage for sure! get both the master keys to AB and put it through the reader the have on the service advisors desk. so far i think it is the least tamperable one due to technology (notice i used the word 'least')

there are tell tale signs that you can look out for when you buy a low mileage car. they are quite foolproof. unless the owner is all out to cheat you (quite unlikely ... you'll see why ...)

in low mileage cars,

1. steering leather should be still matt in color and firm and not blotted and shining smooth.

2. nice car mats are not a sure sign. they are cheap to change. lift the car mats to look at the carpet at the driver side. where our shoe sole of our right feet rests on the carpet, damage or indentation is the highest. low mileage cars will show minimal of that.

3. don be fooled by the leather, leather can change 1! check drivers side seat for the two 'lekuks' our butt makes. they should be little.

* for car interior, scratches MAY or MAY NOT be tell tell signs of high mileage. it's just shows the usage in the interior of the car.

4. jack the car up. low mileage cars do not show battle scars ... normally ... (caused by kerbs, big rocks, maybe another car hehehe) unless the driver can stay on the road proper. in which case you also may not want the car anyway!

* another bit of advice on the accident cars (non mileage related). check the front engine bay and read boot and body for the ROBOTIC welding. they are little round made when the robotic hand weld the metals together. these are NOT reproduceable by mudguard men after an accident repair.

having said all that, confirming a low mileage good car is still elusive even to pros. but in general, the above are quite foolproof because to bluff you, the owner will have to spend money. why spend when they are selling already? Again i wanna highlight 'in general'

hope this will help some of the forum members as well.

for more info can PM me.

 

[Mouse]

there is one way to confirm the mileage for sure! get both the master keys to AB and put it through the reader the have on the service advisors desk. so far i think it is the least tamperable one due to technology (notice i used the word 'least')

830, how much does it cost to do the above and do we need to make an appointment for that? Thanks for your advice, may i get your hp so next month i bring u along when go to dealer, hahahahaha, i serious lar bro if u have time for that, after that teh tarik and roti kosong on me, kekekeke :yahoo:

 

[830]

no they dont charge. they would love to be of service to you in hopes that you will bring your car to them when you do buy it. bring your grant and they will change their owner information. also tell them to review the service history ... or when dis the 'history' stop

the problem is to be allowed to get the key there. you have got to get creative. maybe you tell the dealer or the owner you need to drive to AB at the test drive. you need creativity here. Chances are if they are adamant not to let you bring the keys there, something is fishy.

can meet in tts if we can both make it. havent been to one yet but would love to

 

[burn]

for 140K tambah sikit++, wit interest rate 2.8%, might as well go for EVO 7 or WRX STI!!!

 

[Mouse]

hmmmmm, true, let me think how to get the key into AB if i really decide to get it next month, thanks, will keep u inform if i need your help, Evo 7 or WRX? cannot lar friend, i am too old for that, hahahaha

 

[tailgate]

hi 830,

"one thing i can help u is get you the contact of two bank managers who can help you recommend your loan application with lower interest rates. hong leong and public bank... if ou need that is."

i may be in the market for an e36 328i. would appreciate your assistance in getting a lower interest loan.

cheers,

tailgate

 

[830]

you can sms/call me and i can send you a business card of both the bank managers. nice chaps.

013 3617361 ck