E46 3 Series, any thoughts?

[Uncle Jimmy]

Been offered a 2001 BMW 320 estate, fsh and cared for by a fairly obsessive friend of mine; 150k mls. Recent cam belt change and newish tyres. £400 is his asking price.

Anyone have much experience if these? As my VW diseaseal as ancienne the BMW could be me uber practical (not) London village works van...

[sierraman]

Could be good if it's had an owner with money to run it. Problem with a lot of old beemers is they get driven by people who like the idea of running a BMW but cannot afford one. If he's looked after it you could be onto a good thing, if he's a bit of a wide boy then it'll be a bag of shit.

[Supernaut]

Could be good if it's had an owner with money to run it. Problem with a lot of old beemers is they get driven by people who like the idea of running a BMW but cannot afford one. If he's looked after it you could be onto a good thing, if he's a bit of a wide boy then it'll be a bag of shit.

Can confirm. My brother has an E46 320 touring, and it's a bag of shit because he's a fucking miser and he only actually starts the thing (let alone drives it) once a month, tops.

[sierraman]

It's not so much the miser but the 'yo drift' cunt or the people with 'lemonade money but Champagne aspirations'. Shame really as they're nice cars.

[Ghosty]

£400 sounds cheap.

[srad34]

Been offered a 2001 BMW 320 estate, fsh and cared for by a fairly obsessive friend of mine; 150k mls. Recent cam belt change and newish tyres. £400 is his asking price.

Anyone have much experience if these? As my VW diseaseal as ancienne the BMW could be me uber practical (not) London village works van...

These run a cam-chain, non?

[dugong]

Nice chassis. Ride on the firm side of decent, a bit crashy if the (many) bushes are worn, massive wheels are fitted and/or M-Sport/ M-Technic suspension specified.

 

Quickly go to shit if neglected and will NOT run indefinitely despite what all the German car foamers reckon (see also: Mercedes-Benz).

 

Small for serious load carrying.

 

2.0-litre six is okay in an E36 but not overburdened with urgency in a '46.

[Laseraligningfoofooflanges]

Rust..

[Lord Sterling]

Basically what Sierraman says, go for a drive, any rattles could mean issues. I thought these had cam chain rather than belts? I'm almost certain mine is chain driven though mine is a 1.8.

 

Jever used to tgink much of the e46 until I owned one, but I always did have a shamedly sneaking admiration for them. They are honestly very well built, free of trim rattles and very sure footed on handling. Ask me how how I know. Ride is a bit more firm than I'd like, but beggers etc...

 

As said, they are pretty well built little tanks but they are not without thier problems. Gears should change solidly and easily, check it's been recently serviced, and correct oil used (0w 40 I think) should be nice a golden, not black and sludgy.

 

Bodywise they can rust around the front and rear arches and rear door shuts.

[twosmoke300]

Was gonna say but aren't these all cam chain ? Never know when I see that in an advert if the seller is trying it on or a garage has ripped them off

[billyboy406v6]

Get it bought. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tamworthbay]

I bought one almost exactly a year ago, you will hear all sorts of reasons not to buy one but take them with a pinch of salt. Mine has been the best car I have ever owned with the possible exception of the 944 turbo. Ride is gorgeous and not harsh in any way, but it is running in 15s which does help. Fuel consumption is ok, I get 45mpg easily on a run, round town is less good but mine is an auto. They are very well put together and easy to work on. As said above, check it over but at £400 it's a bargain, mine is high spec and lower mileage than that but I paid a lot more.

[EssDeeWon]

Who claims to have changed the cambelt on it? 

[mrbenn]

My brother has had an E46 325 auto saloon for some time, taken it from 70k miles to just over 130k miles.

 

As noted, these are chain driven. Perhaps the previous owner has had the drive belt (alternator/water pump belt) changed and got confused with the terminology?

 

The only things that have gone wrong with my brother's are: fuel pump (easy to swap, reached under rear seat), water pump/thermostat/radiator expansion tank - standard issues for these and worth swapping these bits are a maintenance issue. A coil went down so we swapped the lot. Plus some suspension bushes and brake pipes. There is a brake pipe(s) that run over the fuel tank which can be a pain to swap so make sure these are in good nick on either side and protect with some grease if necessary.

 

Some say to change the autobox oil if it is below 100k miles, if above then concensus seems to be leave it alone. Ours hasn't been done, still shifts fine *touch wood*.

 

This one shows an average of 24mpg which, to say it only does 7 miles each way to work and back everyday, is pretty good for a 6 cylinder auto. Long motorway runs will show 35mpg+ without trying.

 

Its been a solid car and still drives extremely well. The 6 cylinder engines are so lovely and smooth, and sound great. Get a good one and it will look after you.

[Uncle Jimmy]

These run a cam-chain, non?

Yes! It's had the timing chain done recently.

[dome]

I have a facelift 330d-awesome engine and the estate is perfect for my needs. However underneath they are not up to the quality of older BMWs. You'll not go far wrong at £400 though.

[SiC]

DO NOT buy any six cylinder petrol BMW on the grounds of fuel economy.

 

Running a 320 touring auto around London will get you a mpg figure in the low 20s.

Is it just me, or does that sound quite respectable fuel economy?

 

I'd had been expecting mid-to-high teens in stop, start traffic.

[Tamworthbay]

Is it just me, or does that sound quite respectable fuel economy?

I'd had been expecting mid-to-high teens in stop, start traffic.

It's not terrible that's for sure, that's about what mine gets around town in heavy traffic 22-25mpg but as said above I can get 45mpg on a run which I think is good for a biggish petrol car.

[Cavcraft]

4 cylinder ones seem prone to oil leaks, and don't these rust their handbrake plate mounting 'things'? Anyhow, Reverand Blue Jeans is your man when it comes to these. I'd love a two door 6 pot one like Tayne's, fabulous looking cars them.

[dome]

don't these rust their handbrake plate mounting 'things'?

Yes, yes they do. I need to fix another one, it'll be the 3rd one I've done on mine

[320touring]

also rear caliper bracket bolts are a total bastard

[Station]

Is it diesel or petrol?

I have a '04 320d e46, there's no squeaks or rattles and everything feels solid, I'm getting average 65mpg. (!) I can't really fault it, it feels like my Mini tbh. Don't really understand the 'drivers car' claim thing yet.

 

Is there a diagnosis for squirmy floatiness at speed when changing lanes, I had this today at about 85mph.

Btw, you can get good speed out of these without even realising, and they're very confidence inducing, which explains why they're always driven a bit un-sensibly on motorways.

[nisfan]

I thought these were prone to the rear subframe breaking off the chassis? And front wing rust

[Tamworthbay]

also rear caliper bracket bolts are a total bastard

In what way? Dropped mine off today and no issues, just a breaker bar as usual. Was I lucky? I gave them a squirt of plusgas as always with this sort of thing.

[Tamworthbay]

Is it diesel or petrol?

I have a '04 320d e46, there's no squeaks or rattles and everything feels solid, I'm getting average 65mpg. (!) I can't really fault it, it feels like my Mini tbh. Don't really understand the 'drivers car' claim thing yet.

Is there a diagnosis for squirmy floatiness at speed when changing lanes, I had this today at about 85mph.

Btw, you can get good speed out of these without even realising, and they're very confidence inducing, which explains why they're always driven a bit un-sensibly on motorways.

The rear of mine was a vague when I bought it. I suspected bushes but a new pair of rear tyres completely sorted it and it is now completely planted. Old tyres weren't worn out but obviously weren't suited to it.

[spike60]

I thought these were prone to the rear subframe breaking off the chassis? And front wing rust

I think it's usually the higher powered ones, M3, 328 etc crack the diff mounting. Dunno if estates are affected.

[320touring]

In what way? Dropped mine off today and no issues, just a breaker bar as usual. Was I lucky? I gave them a squirt of plusgas as always with this sort of thing.

Us Scotoshiters usually have to restort to irwins..

 

both Dome and latterly my bro have had trouble

[dome]

Us Scotoshiters usually have to restort to irwins..

 

both Dome and latterly my bro have had trouble

Aye, the fronts are just as bad. That reminds me, my 15mm socket should still be hammered onto one of the 16mm front calipers bolts still on the car...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Petrol or diesel?

 

320i is a 2.2 petrol and a lovely engine. Can use loads of oil (solution: put oil in), oil leaks from cam cover and shagged CCV valve and pipes are common and cause high oil consumption.

 

318i 2.0 from late 2001 is often mistaken called a 320i. It's not. They're fucking horrible with an engine designed by a maniac. They suffer from timing chains*, vanos units, oil leaks, crank sensors, shagged Valvetronic parts, oil leaks, and shagged rings. And oil leaks. Rover had a hand in designing it. When working its okay and for £400, you cannot go wrong. But when it does go wrong, have the bridge on speed dial.

 

320d. Great engine spoiled by ancillaries - turbo, swirl flaps (remove immediately) and vac pipes (replace them all). Far better than the 318i 2.0.

 

Usual E46 bollocks - shitty cable driven window regs, tailgate hinges seize and snap (WD40 and exercise), rust, cracked boot floors around the passenger rear mount that is actually an easier fix that is often thought, dying batteries in the post 2000 key, broken lock barrel in drivers door. Shite cooling system - less of an issue on diesels as they run cooler. Lots of stupid design mean they can be an utter cow to work on.

 

It's a £400 shitter so not a life partner - if it runs and drives nice and looks tidy, you can't go wrong. They break well!

[Tamworthbay]

Us Scotoshiters usually have to restort to irwins..

both Dome and latterly my bro have had trouble

Mine does seem to have lead a sheltered life so perhaps I just got lucky.