Bmw 381/320I For 2.5-.3.0 Mil

[k119]

Hi Guys,

while I seacrh for car with 2.5-3.0 million budget. I found facinated by the looks and features of BMW 318/320I (1999,2000 and may be 2001) cars. Please share your views of these models.

1. Economical perspective- Fuelage, spare parts avaiability and price, any other maintenance cost

2. Reliability

3. Feel of the ride

4. 2nd hand market

5. Overall. whether it is good option to go for this type of car compare with new Japanese models

Please share your experience.

[Rukster]

Hi K119

The cars (E46) in fact are good rides and good value for money. A decent well looked after specimen will fetch in excess of 3Mn eyes closed. Petrols are rare and can fetch higher prices than diesels in the SL market due to the repairs, replacements(turbos) and maintenance being high. Also, brand new petrol cars are a handful as some came as recons from UK / Japan. I have only seen a few fully loaded petrol cars, other than the diesels that were brought down by the agents for permits. All in all good cars!

Answers to your questions are below.

1. Fuelage, spare parts availability and price, any other maintenance cost — Fuel economy is good, you should get in excess of 8+ within the city if its well cared for and serviced. Spare parts are widely available at the agents and specialists. Spares depending on the nature can be expensive.

2. Economical perspective- Decent fuel economy for a car of that size.

3. Reliability - Reliable when serviced on time and even the small problems have been addressed soon.

4. Feel of the ride - Very good feel, although rear seating can feel a bit cramp.

5. 2nd hand market - Good market, if car is in good condition.

6. Its much more car for moneys worth and is full of quality.

However, if you are looking to get the economy of a Japanese, looking for a good easy second hand market and a cheaper to run option (in comparison, maintenance, running repairs, etc.) think twice before you make the decision.

Cheers

R

Hi Guys,

while I seacrh for car with 2.5-3.0 million budget. I found facinated by the looks and features of BMW 318/320I (1999,2000 and may be 2001) cars. Please share your views of these models.

1. Fuelage, spare parts availability and price, any other maintenance cost

2. Economical perspective

3. Reliability

4. Feel of the ride

5. 2nd hand market

6. Overall. whether it is good option to go for this type of car compare with new Japanese models

Please share your experience.

[The Stig]

Hi Guys,

while I seacrh for car with 2.5-3.0 million budget. I found facinated by the looks and features of BMW 318/320I (1999,2000 and may be 2001) cars. Please share your views of these models.

1. Economical perspective- Fuelage, spare parts avaiability and price, any other maintenance cost

2. Reliability

3. Feel of the ride

4. 2nd hand market

5. Overall. whether it is good option to go for this type of car compare with new Japanese models

Please share your experience.

Im assuming you are talking about the e46 pre facelift

1) I drive a 320d ( the diesel version) and i get around 12-13kmpl in the city ad mind you my driving pattern isnt exactly fuel efficient but if you get a 318/320i most people a\i know get around 8-9kmpl in the city which is not that bad considering the size and weight of these cars. Spare parts are not a huge issue if you know where to look and there are both original and replica parts in the market just like for japs so no issue, but i would advice you to use original parts. The maintainance cost will be a little high compared to jap cars and will be unbearable if done through agents so my advice is to go a third party like milroy.

2) Reliability depends, most of the e46's around came under permits and have been abused a lot so when you are going to buy one pay close attention to the details of the engine. If properly maintained they will not let you down

3) Well the feel of the ride will be nothing like you have ever experienced from a jap car, the only make that can come close to the feel would be Honda's. These things will be planted even when you take a corner at 100kmph (tried, personal experience )

But the suspension is a little bit rougher than the jap cars so they dont bounce around but the overall feel is good and is very comfy in our broken roads compared to jap cars.

4) 2nd hand market is pretty decent compared to other Euro makes, IMO the only euro cars that hold a good resale value are Mercs and Bimmers. Other euros dont have much of a 2nd hand market. But dont expect to buy the car for 3mil and sell it at 3.5mil like a jap econo-boxes.

5) Yes absolutely ! but you should first know some facts. These cars are pretty old and they have a lot of electronics and gadgets to make the overall feel good, therefore more gadgets means more things can go wrong if not properly maintained.

Fact is you cant just throw away your car everyday to the garage without regular maintenance like your average jap car. Like i said more things can go wrong so regular services is a must but the end result will be more than satisfactory

[rangerover]

I drive facelift 320d.

1. As mentioned previously its all about the condition of the car. You see a lot of pre-facelift diesels that are in terrible condition. And then you find this rare gem, the owner wouldn't sell. There were quite a few prefacelifts going for 2.7, but believe me, the lesser the price, the more woes it might entail. A well used petrol car can fetch around 3.3. A well used diesel prefacelift can fetch around 3.6 (i know of one which was sold for 3.7 recently). Either way, the facelift versions of both the petrol and diesels fetch about 1 million more than the prefacelift. This is because facelifts are not merely cosmetic changes, but changes in engine types as well. But both versions are fantastic. If your going for a diesel, i will advise you to go for a facelift common rail. Its above your budget, but are quite reliable!

2. Reliability - Do your services on time, and get to know your car. Know what can go wrong and what you can do about it. Believe me it has helped me alot. I have used mine for close upon a year and it has been very faithful. These are cars with way better built quality than most japanese or korean cars. But are hacked in this country by the owners. Mainly because vehicles imported under permits are most of the time driven by someone who doesnt deserve them

3. Given the wishbone suspension set up, ride is a bit rough than soft suspensioned japs. but it more than covers it up with handling

4. Cars in good condition, sell fast. But will take about a month. That said, i know one that was sold (prefacelift 320d) within 3 hours of advertising on autolanka. But then again that car was loved by the owner more than he loved his better half.

5. If the car is in good condition, and you are willing to iron out any niggles before start using,and do regular maintanance it will outlast most japs. But then agian it all depends on the condition of the car.

As a rule of thumb try to avoid buying bimmers off car sales. Also there are so many websites and dealers you can import your parts from. Sometimes at 20% of the cost of what the agents quote. Import it, and get the agents to do the repairs.

Owning a bmw is not just owning a car, its a hobby. So be ready to accept the good and the bad that come with it

[k119]

Guys,

Thanks for the info, thoughts and sharing the experience. Very helpfull