Rukster

Sorry, I am not planning to sell them. Good luck with your search !

Hi I own 2 E46 cars and both petrols (318i and 320i). Both are manufactured in 1999 and to-date are maintained at Milroys. I never had any issues with parts on maintenance of both cars and have kept them factory fresh with all TLC on time. Find a good specimen with detailed history and records, and where no corners have been cut during maintenance. They will definitely have better value and would command a bit more than the average market value - but will still be worth it as you will not be spending x number of hours in garages. If you are looking for a diesel get a facelift car from the 2002 and after. Petrols are much more reliable to run and cheaper to maintain than the diesels. I am sure there are more experienced enthusiasts who will share their experience as well. Good luck !

There are about 6-8 pre-facelift 6 pot e46 cars in SL. Two are in fact 328i's. Two 325 convertibles. 3 are 320i's of which I have one. There are some good 318i out there too, but its a long wait to find a good one come into the market... Most owners are not willing to part with them.

I dont think there is any specific reason... just the market forces and changes in demand I guess... there are lots of options in the market and cars of this vintage are getting afforable to many in terms of purchase price ... but for maintenace for most it will cost and arm and leg.... As many enthusiasts have suggested, always look for a well maintained specked out car that has a documented history on repairs, servcing and maintenance.. the pre facelift 320d E46 cars can run into many repairs concering their age and due to problems relating to diesel pumps, turbos, gear box and engines... if you are looking for a car from 1998-2002 look for a petrol M series engined car (M43 & M52) and from the facelift gen look for a commonrail diesel than a "n" series petrol engine... Remember, if a BMW is cheap - walk away, unless you are willing to take a deep dive and get your hands dirty while making a hole in a your bank A/C Good luck !!!

Guys budgetwise you would be able to get a decent E30. Not a E36 nor a E34, unless they need a lot of work and attention. If its a E34 go for a 6 pot engine, not a 4. The 4 pots are under-powered and not good on fuel since its a larger car. Good luck on the search !

Aquaman... no one in their right mind who would want a BMW for what it is not meant for... It would be hard to sell this one if it ever hits the market. Without the BMW engine.. its not a BMW, and without the engine.... its like a heartless creature... lots of components in this car will be of no use... and there would be so many errors, warnings to by-pass... why do you have to ruin something that is engineered to perfection...

Hey Aquaman... how about an update of the E46 conversion? Would be good to see how it looks and hear how it runs

Looking at your asessing criteria below, if you are worried of each of them, then a BMW is not your cup of tea. Actually if you are buying a BMW and concerned of the criteria below, you may not be happy as none of them would be right choices in comparison to a Vezel. 1. Fuel Consumption - Vezel is a Hybrid, so definitely a fuel sipper 2. Maintenance Cost/ KMs (Service, Oil, etc.) - fairly new and less complicated in comaprison to German engineering (Euro brands have a longer service intervals than Japs) 3. Repair Cost (Parts) - will cost you an arm and leg depending on what needs replacing 4. Current Value - a used E90 is about the same as a brand new / reconditioned Vezel 5. Resale Price in next 3-4 years - A vehicle is not an appreciating asset, unless its one of a kind or a collectors/enthusiat choice. Given the number of Vezels on the roads now, they may be more affordable to the masses, whereas the BMWs not given the maintenance and repairs after the first 4-5 years Therefore, given all of this I am sure you know what your choice should be, unless you want a bit of adventure !

Aquaman, where are the pics of the E46 conversion?

Aquaman: Please post some pics. Since the current conversion you know of is on a E46 would be nice to see some pics of a 2C in the flesh. Having owned E46 cars, I assure that Euros dont age as fast as the Jap or Korean makes and do not require an engine transplant unless it has not been maintained properly by previous owners as the engines are generally good for ~500,000kms. Even the technology they had some 10-20 years ago is still on par with, or exceeds the technology in the latest Allions/Premios we have on our roads today. Also, the electronics department have been taken to town from the e46 onwards, and I am not sure how a 2C engine will fit in that car with all the complex programming required for some of the options. If you think its possible to run the car with a 2C engine and a different wire harness, all features and functions that came with the car wil be lost. Im really not sure of the point of even holding on/driving such a car... unless its something you can live with...

Aquaman: do us all a favor, just buy a Jap and run it as you please. You will save the rest of us the trouble of having to listen to this nonsense... Leave the Euros to ppl who actually value them and enjoy them and would take measures to maintain them as required, even if it costs an arm or leg sometimes... Besides, ppl who are loyal to EU brands will not buy a EU brand with a Japanese engine... they also are brought for their engines and driving dynamics.. not for looks.. if you want a car with less headaches and maintenance, go for diesel Jap, no one is stopping you, besides it will hold value and retain demand. Stay away from EU makes

Sorry to say this, but its folks like you that damage or give a great brand a bad name... your perspective of running a European car is equal to "only f**ts and no sh** ! "

Agree. The Indicvidual cars have exclusive colours and options too... for example I had a BMW E36 - 318 individual few years back, it was a ruby black, had a grey interior, with anthracite headliner and OBC as standard... sadly its in a sad state now... You can have a completely bespoke individual car with lots of added goodies that are normally not offered with cars that are sold at dealerships/agents

1) There were issues concerning the AC. You can check about it with the agents. 2) Yes, ride is rough and not as refined as the cars and the bigger jeeps (X3 & X5) 3) Majority were permit imports. Few petrol variants exist, but finding one is hard... 4) Not sure if we got the x drive version. Permit ones didnt have the iDrive function. No manuals were imported by the company

Nope. there is a black which a friend owned.. 6 fwrd manual individual spec 320d...

I dont own a diesel. I have two e46 petrols - an m-sport and a 6 cylinder 2.2 ltr 320i Both are preface lifts. The 320 is a individual spec

Try Deep Frxxzx in Kotte. However, get it disgnosed by the expert or agents, always good before having things done the wrong way. There is also a guy that the expert does all the AC work with called Nishantha from Kadawatha area.

The facelift diesels are rare compared to the prefacelift diesels. However, petrols are rarer in both variants. Yeah I know one car that was a 6 forward, think it was a individual spec as well.. use to be a friend's. Unless I am wrong, I believe most were 5 speed manuals.

Fuel consumption is the least of your worries in these cars. Trust me I know, have owned few engine variants of the E36, and if you are looking for some economy and power, the best of both worlds would be the 318...

Hey I replied to your previous post. Please do not open multiple posts

Hi Not neccessarily. The best would be a 318. The 316 is under powered and can consume more. If possible get a post 94 car with the m43 engine. They have better torque and have much of the niggles ironed out from 92 onwards. As always have a buffer to do some work as necessary when you get one to be on the safe side... A well maintained one with records would be the ideal one to look out for and always get it checked from an expert before starting the adventure... Good luck !!!

All of them are good, as long as they have been maintained to the point. Been associated with the brand for 15+ years and had so many variants (7 cars, with two currently) never had any headaches or instances that I had to break a bank. All they need is preventive maintenance and you should be good to go. One thing to note, diesels although cheap to run daily are heavy on maintenance. Petrols are better, but I heard that the new ones have some inherent problems. So best is to pick one carefully with a detailed maintenance history on record. This applies to every model in the BMW line up, old and new, if purchasing second hand.

Pre facelift (1998-2002): The only options available in SL were the petrol 1.9 four pot, 2.0 ltr 6 pot and diesel 2 ltr 4 pot. The best pick would be a 6 pot if a good one can be found... 1.9 is good if you are worried about fuel consumption, but no considerable difference. The Diesels engines were made with another partner (either Rover or Peugeot) not sure. The more loaded the cars were, given their age now, there are things that can go wrong with the electronics. Petrol engines: bullet proof as long as servicing and maintenance is done on time. a bit expensive to run in terms of fuel, but no headaches in terms of maintenance, repairs. Diesels: Cheaper to run on a daily basis Lots of repairs related to the engine, turbo, gearbox, diesel pump, etc and is expensive. Facelift (2002-2005): Again same options lists, but updated engines for petrols and diesels. Petrol engines are available in 2 ltr 4 pots and 2.2 ltr 6 pots, diesels were 2ltr 4 pots, in SL. Cosmetic updates were done to the lights, front fenders, bonnet and kidney grill. Petrol engines: Better pulling power than the pre-facelift 1.9. However, expensive on maintenance due to a mechnical problem with the engine that results in a repair costing more 150k. Its common in all 318i facelift models. 2.2 ltr petrol is very rare in SL. Diesels: Had a diesel commonrail engine thats better than the prefacelift engine. Lesser engine repairs from what I have heard. Better grunt and more power.

2.8 to 3mn depending on the options, mileage, condition, etc for a petrol pre facelift. Facelifts still go between 3 - 3.5mn.

Go for petrols.... they are less headaches to maintain and wonderful to drive depending on the engine capacity and options lists.... You should get just over 9-10 in the city and 15+ outstation... I am telling you through the experience of driving a 1.9ltr, 4 pot and 2.0ltr 6 cylinder... both e46 cars. Most diesels end up being trouble after they hit a certain age with engine repairs, turbo failures and pump replacements which costs $$$ However, if you are worried about consumption.. that is the least of your worries. As years pass maintenance on these cars are not easy and even the agents don't stock parts (unless they are the usual service parts) My advice, don't buy these cars for fuel efficiency numbers, buy it to enjoy driving them !