Which E46 better?

[Areteam]

Hi Guys,I am new here so really appreciate your precious advice.I am planning to buy used E46 and my budget is 90k and below and I have been reading all of your threads few months already and made few surveys. There are lots of comments and reviews on all 318, 320 and 325. And now I am a bit confuse on which one to choose.Really appreciate your advice which E46 is better in terms of less problem on maintenance wise for a used car or perhaps you guys can recommend which model and year suit my budget best that would give me less headache maintaining the car. My main concern is maintaining the car since it is a used car. The rest I can tolerate.Thanks so much!:rock:

 

[alive88]

please introduce yourself in the newbie section first as it is the forum rules and reg, .here's the link..http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forum...php?30-Newbies..

go to classified section and look at one excellent 330ci.. that would be on top of my list..

 

[B33mEr]

It won't be much of a headache if you can spare around 10k for parts replacement ... I'd choose the 325i simply because for the bmw legendary straight six engine and power.

 

[Areteam]

please introduce yourself in the newbie section first as it is the forum rules and reg, .here's the link..http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forum...php?30-Newbies..

go to classified section and look at one excellent 330ci.. that would be on top of my list..

Sorry,

Been here for few months never found newbies area until you told me... hehehehe..

hmm... i am more interested in 4 doors model...

 

[Areteam]

Hi B33mer,

I was thinking the same model too and I dont mind spending 10k at the beginning but if every month koyak la... few reviews said it might have problem with gearbox and few others.. how frequent is the gearbox problem??

 

[alive88]

10k at the beginning would most probably last you for 3 to 4 years and maybe more from major headache.. other than that would just be normal wear and tear. gb problem wont be that frequent.. dun really have much experience on e46, but with some TLC, 6 years or more wont be a problem

 

[B33mEr]

Hi B33mer,

I was thinking the same model too and I dont mind spending 10k at the beginning but if every month koyak la... few reviews said it might have problem with gearbox and few others.. how frequent is the gearbox problem??

As mentioned parts that are replaced can last a good few years ... Make sure to buy ori bmw or OEM parts for longevity. Just give particular attention to the cooling system check if it's need replacing but for peace of mind change it anyways ... Gearbox however it's a bit tricky and it depends whether the owner have change the gb oil or not. In short better keep 5-8k for gb rebuild just in case. Then there's the interior the cloth lining on the headliner and on the pillars are known to peel off so keep a watch out on them too

Maintaining a BMW is an ongoing affair and can be mentally and financially draining but the driving pleasures it gives is totally worth it ...

 

[Areteam]

So bottom line is everything should be ok if:

1. save 5-8k in case need to rebuild the car?
2. Inspect the car on Gearbox, Maintenance Records, Cooling systems

Btw, what is the difference between typical 325i with the M-sport?

 

[Areteam]

If 318i 2.0 also good because cheaper road tax and I heard better FC.. Any comments??

 

[B33mEr]

So bottom line is everything should be ok if:

1. save 5-8k in case need to rebuild the car?
2. Inspect the car on Gearbox, Maintenance Records, Cooling systems

Btw, what is the difference between typical 325i with the M-sport?

In reference to your point above
1) 10k for the wear and tear items ... Save or stash another 5-8k just in case the GB gone kaput in the future.
2) Yes plus also the car's undercarriage like control arms, bushings, suspensions and etc For parts reference check out www.realoem.com and http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog

M-Sport have thicker anti roll bar, stiffer suspension, m-tech seats, shadowline trim, m-tech front and rear bumpers, ///M front control arms and few other bits and pieces.

If 318i 2.0 also good because cheaper road tax and I heard better FC.. Any comments??

i had a friend that have a 318 and he regretted for not getting the 325 because he had to rev the car constantly for power that the FC suffered considerably ... If you like driving then go for the 325 m-sport variant if you're the type that likes to cruise and relax driving then go for the 318i ...

 

[Areteam]

In reference to your point above
1) 10k for the wear and tear items ... Save or stash another 5-8k just in case the GB gone kaput in the future.
2) Yes plus also the car's undercarriage like control arms, bushings, suspensions and etc For parts reference check out www.realoem.com and http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog

M-Sport have thicker anti roll bar, stiffer suspension, m-tech seats, shadowline trim, m-tech front and rear bumpers, ///M front control arms and few other bits and pieces.



i had a friend that have a 318 and he regretted for not getting the 325 because he had to rev the car constantly for power that the FC suffered considerably ... If you like driving then go for the 325 m-sport variant if you're the type that likes to cruise and relax driving then go for the 318i ...

Thanks a lot B33mer for the useful info,

Is there any difference in year model or basically all year same?? Any particular mfg year give advantage to the other??

 

[Petrus]

I am driving a 320i 2200cc with 6 inline cylinder. Trust me bro, better geth the 325. If only i knew earlier, would have gone for at least 325 or 328

Check the contol arms and bushing as well apart from cooling system and gb. Quite well known problem for e46 if previous owner never changed it.

 

[Areteam]

I am driving a 320i 2200cc with 6 inline cylinder. Trust me bro, better geth the 325. If only i knew earlier, would have gone for at least 325 or 328

Check the contol arms and bushing as well apart from cooling system and gb. Quite well known problem for e46 if previous owner never changed it.

what is the common problem for GB? Is it the mounting? and also i saw the common problem of the cooling system is leaking?

What is the difference between SMG gearbox and tiptronic?

 

[polaris78]

Test drive 325, 328 & 330 then u should able to choose which 1 suit for u. At first I was looking for 325 but eventually bought 330. Surprisingly fuel comsumption better than 4 cylinder. :rock:

 

[sthiva]

Hi

I also in the same dilemma as you. You raised the question just earlier than me..Thus, i will "tumpang" this thread to get my answer as well.
Thank you Areteam

Hi Guys,

I am new here so really appreciate your precious advice.

I am planning to buy used E46 and my budget is 90k and below and I have been reading all of your threads few months already and made few surveys. There are lots of comments and reviews on all 318, 320 and 325. And now I am a bit confuse on which one to choose.

Really appreciate your advice which E46 is better in terms of less problem on maintenance wise for a used car or perhaps you guys can recommend which model and year suit my budget best that would give me less headache maintaining the car.

My main concern is maintaining the car since it is a used car. The rest I can tolerate.

Thanks so much!:rock:

 

[gendong]

Depends on how you drive bro. Some might say 318 is sufficient for daily drive, but some would love the inline 6 of a 325 or higher for that weekend spirited drive/cruise out of the city. Forget about FC, you need to enjoy the ride. Like myself, my ride is a 2.0 and it gives me what I want as a daily commute. But there are times I wished for that extra oomph of a 2.5 or above......with your stated budget, I believe a 325 is worth considering bro.

As many other second hand rides out there (not confined to BMWs only) would actually depend on your luck. The first few days/weeks/months might be a joy but time would come when you would be thinking twice about the ride as then you'd realize that there are a lot to be done (as how I found out). Lots of wear and tear changed, tweaked and retweaked until the mamak at my workshop actually asked me "now apa pulak problem bang?". Dont get me wrong, but i'm the kind of guy who enjoy driving a lot and am very very fussy about the car. Little things would bug me and I'd head straight to the workshop to sort things out. I prefer preventive maintenance rather than waiting for things to fail. Now, the car is as good as new.....and I have peace of mind. Yes it helps to have some spare cash for the upkeep of the car.

Bottom line is, I love my ride. And so would you bro......all the best on your search bro

 

[mizhan]

The best E46 is the M3. 2nd best are those fitted with M54B30.

 

[B33mEr]

Thanks a lot B33mer for the useful info,

Is there any difference in year model or basically all year same?? Any particular mfg year give advantage to the other??

Significant year would be year 2002 that's when BMW introduce the facelifted version for the E46 sedan ... Other than that there is no significant difference that I know off formfg year. The only advantage that i can think off is the the later model '04 & '05 would be desirable because one would think that BMW have ironed out all the issues & bugs.

 

[perryyip73]

Seriously, bro you need just standby the 10k as what those people said. Doesnt mean will have to repair gearbox. Well depends on the car condition. If u decide to choose 325, go search around and bring along mechanic to inspect the car condition. Spend more time on searching the best condition. Will definitely save ur wallet alot in future.

 

[Joshua Spidey]

Bro, I started my love affair with BMW with an E46 318i 1.9L year 2000 which I bought in 2005. Spent about RM5K the first 2 years then about RM10K in 2009 as most of the rubber bushes and tubes had to be replaced. I have been servicing the gearbox every 50,000km and so far no issues with the gearbox or engine and have done about 260,000 kms. It is still a sweet ride and am now planning to do her up cosmetically as have handed this over to the wife. In the last 7 years have sepnt approximately RM50K on maintenance and repair. I have now upgraded to an E90 325i M-Sport. The need for more power and speed grew the more I drove my BMW. No regrets bro. Good Luck in your hunt.