Sold No bucket wrong'un: the stoner cast off E46 318CI

[320touring]

E36 it is then!

*COUGH*

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Add 2 years and E60/61 will face same fate, which are known to be better built. Drove an E60 525i manual with 60k km on the clock today and it felt like new.

Anything other than a 520d (they make strong money here) is getting cheap; loads of them between 1-2k if they've a petrol engine or even a 525d or 530d, loads with black windows, getting the arse ragged off them by those that used to drive e46s

 

There's a clean 530d for sale locally, SE spec with leather, black with test until next summer for €1950 locally; it's up for sale a couple of months

 

Even €1494 a year tax puts some of them off

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Good grief a worse one! I'm having to tread carefully with this and spend tactically. The drop link is essential. The temperature sensor wise- but what about the radiator fan? Over 100 on that isn't making sense to me or it's 30 for a tested used part.

 

I occasionally start thinking about putting a better interior in but that doesn't make sense either. But it's tempting.

 

 

I've got a good used fan from a late 2001 325i. Probably the same.

 

Oh, and don't spend a bean more on it that is absolutely necessary. Every expense spared etc.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Dont you have to drop the tank on a E36 as well for that job?

 

 

Sort of. If you want to be OEM anal then yes. If not, drop the tank one side at a time and route the copper pipes in an approximate fashion.

 

E46's aren't bad cars as such but they don't last any longer than a Ford or Vauxhall. Like the E39, the 'quality' was a veneer. The early M43TU 1.9 versions were probably the best. Unless you're lucky, they're just one of those cars that is very needy where there is always something wrong with it. They're nowhere near as good as the E36 - but E36's are all old shit now as well because they're 20 odd years old and weren't meant to last that long.

[stormee]

Anything other than a 520d (they make strong money here) is getting cheap; loads of them between 1-2k if they've a petrol engine or even a 525d or 530d, loads with black windows, getting the arse ragged off them by those that used to drive e46s

 

There's a clean 530d for sale locally, SE spec with leather, black with test until next summer for €1950 locally; it's up for sale a couple of months

 

Even €1494 a year tax puts some of them off

There's a certain sort of people in Germany for 'cheap' BMWs, many of them share a car with their 5 brothers who take turns posing. I'd never buy a BMW out of 3rd hand or from an owner with some Ys and Üs in their name. However, a wealthy pensioner or family owned low milage BMW is an optimal daily to just use and enjoy easyness at driving.

[sofarsogood]

Its not very autoshite but company cars aside I have bangernomiced all my life. I was/am considering buying myself a performance/drivers car and was seriously considering spunking 10k on a e46 M3 in the not too distant future. Reading the above is making me have a re think are they really that terrible? Sorry if this is a bit of a thread hijack. It just seemed to have collected all the people with e46 woes on this thread.

[stormee]

Its not very autoshite but company cars aside I have bangernomiced all my life. I was/am considering buying myself a performance/drivers car and was seriously considering spunking 10k on a e46 M3 in the not too distant future. Reading the above is making me have a re think are they really that terrible? Sorry if this is a bit of a thread hijack. It just seemed to have collected all the people with e46 woes on this thread.

You best consult an E46 forum for M3 questions.

[sofarsogood]

You best consult an E46 forum for M3 questions.

I have been lurking on m cutters. But people on there seem to only speak highly of their cars.

[mk2_craig]

M3 unless its a very tired one I think you could probably get away with throwing money at it if you had to, as they've probably not a lot further to depreciate now.

 

Wish I had adopted that attitude when I briefly owned an early Sapphire Cosworth a few years ago, rather than selling it to my sister's ex.

[stormee]

I have been lurking on m cutters. But people on there seem to only speak highly of their cars.

Of course, they do. They cannot admit to have serious money pits. Joking, the M are another league regardless the series. Biggest problems with M-cars is/are the previous ownership/s.

[Hertz]

I can't keep up with HMC's car buying antics. I see you have shuffled the pack again and have a Golf! 

 

This looks horrible, still if it was cheap enough why not.

[binbag]

An M3 will have the same issues as a normal E46 but just multiply the cost by 10.

Probably best to buy one from a enthusiast but watch out for the cooling system as it's nearly all plastic and if the engine overheats it can warp the head ..... basically what you pay for the car you will spend on maintenance .

[sofarsogood]

M3 unless its a very tired one I think you could probably get away with throwing money at it if you had to, as they've probably not a lot further to depreciate now.

 

Wish I had adopted that attitude when I briefly owned an early Sapphire Cosworth a few years ago, rather than selling it to my sister's ex.

I have a friend who used to own a lovely RS500. Wish I had bought that off him for 12k about 15 years ago!

[Vince70]

Doesn’t the M3 E46 also have problems with the boot floor falling out due to stress fractures along the spot welds.

I suppose though at least it isn’t due to rusty metal for a change.

[Split_Pin]

Thats the subframe which tears away from its mounts. I have read that higher powered regular e46s can suffer too.

[purplebargeken]

It was very, very cheap I imagine.Do the basics to keep it moving and sack it off when it all goes horribly wrong. Doesn't actually look too bad in the pics.

[stuboy]

late 90s pug 306 owners upgraded to these... with tiny engines

[HMC]

Thats the subframe which tears away from its mounts. I have read that higher powered regular e46s can suffer too.

No worries with mine on that front!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 I'd never buy a BMW out of 3rd hand or from an owner with some Ys and Üs in their name. 

 

 

 

Turks!

 

Living in Hamburg, I used to venture into into one of the Turkish areas for food and you'd see some ragbag E34 with E36 wheels fitted (this was 15 years ago) with the wrong offset, badly modded E30's and in both cases the cars would just be scrap.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

No worries with mine on that front!

 

They all do it. 316's included. It's failure of the spot weld that secures the threaded lump (that the subframe bolt screws into) into the rear boot floor/chassis area. It's not that bad a job to fix but the cracks visible from underneath (passenger side rear mount) are the tip of the iceberg. For years owners/garages just welded up there cracks and fitted reinforcing plates. To do it right you need to open up the boot floor above and re-weld the threaded bit to the lower boot floor skin. You can do a good strong repair in 4-5 hours.

[stormee]

Turks!

 

The typical 3-series in all flavours but touring, 5 series E39 MOST popular, saloons preferred. Now trending in these cirles: Abused E60s in the 4000€ range. I'd love an E60 like the car mentioned above for commuting and for travelling but good examples go for 6000€, worth 2000€ within 2 years going by.

[twosmoke300]

What are you selling to make room for this terribleness ? Need a new wbod

[HMC]

I sold a mondeo st220. Are you still interested in one of those volvos that phil_lip mentioned? The callington one dropped to 250ono and then sold pretty fast.

[Kiltox]

TOO SHITE FOR BOLLOX! It exists. That's some effort HMC.

No. Sorry. I just don’t believe such a mythical beast exists.

[mk2_craig]

Its happened before. I can't remember whether it was a Bedford KB missing its windscreen or the Rayton Fissore Magnum that Wuvvum ended up with. Might have been both!!

[HMC]

I've swapped the dash clocks for a set with an identical part number- as the temp gauge was broken. It seem to have been a painless plug in swap but I have read on t'interwebs stories of tamper lights and getting the instruments re coded? What if I do nothing more- it seems fine now just as it is. I've now stripped and cleaned up the handbrake and linkages and it no longer binds.

[binbag]

I think the tamper dot comes on if the mileage has been fiddled with and it wouldn't surprise me if the instrument cluster was coded fog each car.

The handbrake on these cars are shite , I just get mine working for the MOT and then again for the next one .

If anyone else drives the car remember to tell them it's left in gear especially if it's the mrs.

[Supernaut]

late 90s pug 306 owners upgraded to these... with tiny engines

I remember somebody on the 306 forum I used to be on getting rid of his 306 and posting a thread about his E46 318ci.

 

We all thought he was completely insane for doing that.

[flat4alfa]

It always amuses me that e46s vie with the PT Cruiser as the car that's too shit for Autoshite,

 

I've only ever owned one E46, and it was bought off here!

 

Spent nothing on it so far but only had it a month or so.  It does have a list of things to address, which is why I've kept back my Alfa 156 as it seems to be in - ahem - better order at similar age and mileage.  But it was bought for bicycle money

[HMC]

So this now has working brakes, sorted window regulator, sorted dashclocks, starts and drives and works fine. It looks quite smart now it's cleaned up apart from some wheel arch bubbles. All tyres good. MOT to may. Does anyone want to swap it? Not an x box but ideally another low value car.