Can I Own A Bmw 320D E46 2002 ?

SamG · June 5, 2015

Hello guys, I currently own a Mazda Demio DE3FS 2007. I have no prior experience with a euro car. But always wanted to own one.

This idea of owning a BMW 320D E46 suddenly came because the owner of my rented how is going to sell his beamer. I know the car for 2 years now and this is how it is.

* Car was bought directly from Germany when he was the Sri Lankan ambassador to Germany

* Car has only 60,000 kms on the clock

* He drives his car only about 100kms for a month during last two years

* He asks 2.8 mil for the car

These are my requirements with the car.

* Reliability is a top priority. I drive long distances in the night. Therefore, I don't want to be in trouble in the middle of the night.

* Affordability - I can set aside Rs. 240,000/= a year for the car (insurance + service + maintenance). I drive about 15,000-16,000 kms per year.

Opinion from the experts are highly appreciated.

SamG · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 3:19 PM, tiv said:
What I mean't was, if you can push your monthly budget a bit more, (or omit insurance from the monthly allocation and consider it a yearly add-on/ bottom line increase monthly budget a tad bit) things will be financially feasible, which you already have, So I'm sure with your 'adjusted' budget you can own the above vehicle given that its particulars are true as well. It seems like you like this car, go for it mate and also try to negotiate the price so that you have some cash for some starter work like premium tyres, new battery probably etc if needed of course.
btw i'm no expert on BMWs, but I do know a thing or two about the e46.

Thanks again tiv. I'm not sure if I can get it down to 2.6 mil because he has already received an offer of 2.7 mil and he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to sell the car. But I'll try to get it down as much as I can (if I go ahead with it)

tiv · June 6, 2015

On 6/5/2015 at 5:30 PM, Sameera Gunasinghe said:
Hello guys, I currently own a Mazda Demio DE3FS 2007. I have no prior experience with a euro car. But always wanted to own one.
This idea of owning a BMW 320D E46 suddenly came because the owner of my rented how is going to sell his beamer. I know the car for 2 years now and this is how it is.

* Car was bought directly from Germany when he was the Sri Lankan ambassador to Germany

* Car has only 60,000 kms on the clock

* He drives his car only about 100kms for a month during last two years

* He asks 2.8 mil for the car

These are my requirements with the car.

* Reliability is a top priority. I drive long distances in the night. Therefore, I don't want to be in trouble in the middle of the night.

* Affordability - I can set aside Rs. 240,000/= a year for the car (insurance + service + maintenance). I drive about 15,000-16,000 kms per year.

Opinion from the experts are highly appreciated.

As per your description, the car seems to be in great nick. (Mileage bit unrealistic; but still)

As long as you maintain the car with the right people / agents reliability won't be an issue. I have a friend who used to do (120Kmx4) per day in a 320d e46.

A price of 2.6 would be ideal

AS for your yearly allocation, this might not suffice, yet again based on the condition of the car and components prone to fail (especially the turbo and fuel pump). If you arrange insurance with a bit more funds, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off.

End of the day what matters is do you really want the car, if you do, you'll be willing to push that extra 10-20K a month. Goodluck, and pics please when you do buy her.

SamG · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 2:15 AM, tiv said:
As per your description, the car seems to be in great nick. (Mileage bit unrealistic; but still)
As long as you maintain the car with the right people / agents reliability won't be an issue. I have a friend who used to do (120Kmx4) per day in a 320d e46.

A price of 2.6 would be ideal

AS for your yearly allocation, this might not suffice, yet again based on the condition of the car and components prone to fail (especially the turbo and fuel pump). If you arrange insurance with a bit more funds, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off.

End of the day what matters is do you really want the car, if you do, you'll be willing to push that extra 10-20K a month. Goodluck, and pics please when you do buy her.

Thanks for the reply tiv.

The mileage of the car is genuine. He is very reluctant to drive. Out of the very little mileage he does, majority is done with his other car, a Montero Sport.

I had no idea to buy something like this at this point. I started saving some money for a Lancer EX after following recent threads in the forum . But gave it a thought because this is something you won't find often. But I'm worried whether I'm prepared for this. Pushing the allocation to something like Rs. 300,000/= is the absolute maximum I can do presently.

What do you mean by "If you arrange insurance with a bit more funds, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off."?

And that 10-20k you mentioned, is it for every month? As I said, 300k for a year is the absolute maximum I can afford presently.

As per the photos, I might be able to get some even before I buy it . Let me see if I can do it.

luckey007 · June 6, 2015

If you love it..... go for it

tiv · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 2:35 PM, Sameera Gunasinghe said:
Thanks for the reply tiv.
The mileage of the car is genuine. He is very reluctant to drive. Out of the very little mileage he does, majority is done with his other car, a Montero Sport.

I had no idea to buy something like this at this point. I started saving some money for a Lancer EX after following recent threads in the forum . But gave it a thought because this is something you won't find often. But I'm worried whether I'm prepared for this. Pushing the allocation to something like Rs. 300,000/= is the absolute maximum I can do presently.

What do you mean by "If you arrange insurance with a bit more funds, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off."?

And that 10-20k you mentioned, is it for every month? As I said, 300k for a year is the absolute maximum I can afford presently.

As per the photos, I might be able to get some even before I buy it . Let me see if I can do it.

What I mean't was, if you can push your monthly budget a bit more, (or omit insurance from the monthly allocation and consider it a yearly add-on/ bottom line increase monthly budget a tad bit) things will be financially feasible, which you already have, So I'm sure with your 'adjusted' budget you can own the above vehicle given that its particulars are true as well. It seems like you like this car, go for it mate and also try to negotiate the price so that you have some cash for some starter work like premium tyres, new battery probably etc if needed of course.

btw i'm no expert on BMWs, but I do know a thing or two about the e46.

Edited June 6, 2015 by tiv

Crosswind · June 6, 2015

On 6/5/2015 at 5:30 PM, Sameera Gunasinghe said:
* He drives his car only about 100kms for a month during last two years

Based on this bit of information alone, I would discourage you from buying that car.

SamG · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 5:24 PM, Crosswind said:
Based on this bit of information alone, I would discourage you from buying that car.

That's too bad Crosswind . Please tell me why.

The Don · June 6, 2015

If the car was bought in Germany, is it not left hand drive because it should be?

Is the car registered with Prestige?

Was the car upgraded to suit tropical conditions since it was bought down (as all agent imported cars are)?

SamG · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 5:52 PM, The Don said:
If the car was bought in Germany, is it not left hand drive because it should be?
Is the car registered with Prestige?

Was the car upgraded to suit tropical conditions since it was bought down (as all agent imported cars are)?

I don't know the details of that Don. The car is right hand drive. I believe he must have thought what you have mentioned here before ordering the car. The guy is out of the country now. I'll have to check with him when he is back.

The Don · June 6, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 6:11 PM, Sameera Gunasinghe said:
I don't know the details of that Don. The car is right hand drive. I believe he must have thought what you have mentioned here before ordering the car. The guy is out of the country now. I'll have to check with him when he is back.

Buying hardly used cars is usually not a good thing. Cars which are not used develop more issues than cars which are regularly used. Rubber components perish, connections rust and corrode, and sludge and deposits form in fluids. This is particularly true of Diesels, hence Crosswinds advice.

SamG · June 7, 2015

Thanks Don. I'll stop thinking about it then. This was not something I planned anyway. I've always taken this forum's advice and I currently own a great car thanks to that.

My next focus would be to get my hands on a Lancer EX (or a Mazda 3/Axela ) I'll seek your assistance when I'm ready for that. Thanks again.

tiv · June 7, 2015

On 6/6/2015 at 5:24 PM, Crosswind said:
Based on this bit of information alone, I would discourage you from buying that car.

On 6/6/2015 at 6:17 PM, The Don said:
Buying hardly used cars is usually not a good thing. Cars which are not used develop more issues than cars which are regularly used. Rubber components perish, connections rust and corrode, and sludge and deposits form in fluids. This is particularly true of Diesels, hence Crosswinds advice.

Guys, please do clear this doubt of mine, i'm sure it will help OP as well. Given the fact that the above car is hardly used, definitely as mentioned certain components undergo ageing and perish untimely but doesn't that outweigh the good condition the car is in? given that its a solid german car. As in couldn't a prospective buyer purchase the above vehicle and restore these components within a short period and wouldn't that put him at a bigger advantage than purchasing a used car likely to have done above 200,000km by now given its era which may have niggles of its own. In terms of Lankan roads, wear and tear, cheap maintenance, changing hands etc. Yes I do understand swapping certain components would be expensive but still? Thanks in advance

Edited June 7, 2015 by tiv

chan5 · June 7, 2015

This particular sample is the black one which advertised few months back.I have discussed with them and my mechanic visited them to have the look on the car.and sellers were im hurry to dispose the thing.whithin few days.I noticed something fishy.

Stayed away and amazed by the fact that it is still not sold with the nice stories they tell about the car.

I dont believe the milage beacuse it doesnt tally the regular wear and tare.

The Don · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 3:23 AM, tiv said:
Guys, please do clear this doubt of mine, i'm sure it will help OP as well. Given the fact that the above car is hardly used, definitely as mentioned certain components undergo ageing and perish untimely but doesn't that outweigh the good condition the car is in? given that its a solid german car. As in couldn't a prospective buyer purchase the above vehicle and restore these components within a short period and wouldn't that put him at a bigger advantage than purchasing a used car likely to have done above 200,000km by now given its era which may have niggles of its own. In terms of Lankan roads, wear and tear, cheap maintenance, changing hands etc. Yes I do understand swapping certain components would be expensive but still? Thanks in advance

Tiv, the type of restoration some of these cars need is rather widespread and quite expensive. And usually cars that aren't used regularly are not serviced regularly either. Now I'm not saying this is a bad car, but you need to assess the damage caused by under use.

For example I bought my Mirage in 2004, and it was an under used car belonging to a marine engineer who spent most of his time out at sea. It seemed to have good tyres and apart from the AC most things seemed to work BUT

1. Oil sludge caused the dreaded hydraulic tappet noise issue. Replaced the tappets, issue came back and replaced the engine as at that time it was cheaper than cleaning the original up. Plan to do that someday.

2. All suspension bushes perished and quite badly

3. The radiator was blocked with sludge caused the car to overheat multiple times

4. The ECU circuitry was fried, caused by contact corrosion

5. The climate control system failed, similar reasons

6. The brand new looking tyres gave up. Rubber perished due to under used and cracked

Now the costs of repairing the above in an old Mitsubishi was expensive, but will be a bargain compared to what an E46 will cost.

My car in the UK has run 116,000 miles, serviced on time and always at a main dealer. It runs like the day it rolled off the factory line.

Basically cars need to be run to keep them in good nick. Else you have deterioration caused by various chemical reactions (read about how rubbers used in vehicles are fortified against wear and how the process does not work if the parts don't move and of how engine oils and various other fluids suffer chemical break down due to age which is compounded by the lack of circulation which will stop sludge from settling)

The parts that are worn by use are usually replaced through regular periodic maintenance. But the parts that suffer damage due to damage can be all over the place!!!

tiv · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 11:29 AM, The Don said:
Tiv, the type of restoration some of these cars need is rather widespread and quite expensive. And usually cars that aren't used regularly are not serviced regularly either. Now I'm not saying this is a bad car, but you need to assess the damage caused by under use.
For example I bought my Mirage in 2004, and it was an under used car belonging to a marine engineer who spent most of his time out at sea. It seemed to have good tyres and apart from the AC most things seemed to work BUT

1. Oil sludge caused the dreaded hydraulic tappet noise issue. Replaced the tappets, issue came back and replaced the engine as at that time it was cheaper than cleaning the original up. Plan to do that someday.

2. All suspension bushes perished and quite badly

3. The radiator was blocked with sludge caused the car to overheat multiple times

4. The ECU circuitry was fried, caused by contact corrosion

5. The climate control system failed, similar reasons

6. The brand new looking tyres gave up. Rubber perished due to under used and cracked

Now the costs of repairing the above in an old Mitsubishi was expensive, but will be a bargain compared to what an E46 will cost.

My car in the UK has run 116,000 miles, serviced on time and always at a main dealer. It runs like the day it rolled off the factory line.

Basically cars need to be run to keep them in good nick. Else you have deterioration caused by various chemical reactions (read about how rubbers used in vehicles are fortified against wear and how the process does not work if the parts don't move and of how engine oils and various other fluids suffer chemical break down due to age which is compounded by the lack of circulation which will stop sludge from settling)

The parts that are worn by use are usually replaced through regular periodic maintenance. But the parts that suffer damage due to damage can be all over the place!!!

Thanks for the elaborate reply, there's something to learn everyday

iRage · June 7, 2015

On the positive side of buying a barely used car; I bought the Corolla wagon in Japan (yom 1999) in 2014 with just 15,000km. The single prev owner had religiously changed the oil and the basic service every 2 months even though the car had done only 87km (lowest recorded mileage between services). Still, when I did a complete checkup had to change the valve cover and sparkplug gaskets whilst everything else was like new although i changed some of them. A friend of mine ended up buying a Corolla GT of the same vintage with just 500km (there was a thread i opened when another friend wanted it). With the same check up he didnt have anything wrong eith it.

So it can ho either way.

SamG · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 3:31 AM, chan5 said:
This particular sample is the black one which advertised few months back.I have discussed with them and my mechanic visited them to have the look on the car.and sellers were im hurry to dispose the thing.whithin few days.I noticed something fishy.
Stayed away and amazed by the fact that it is still not sold with the nice stories they tell about the car.

I dont believe the milage beacuse it doesnt tally the regular wear and tare.

Yeah, this is a black car and was advertised on that 'quick' site sometime back. Some of the things I've mentioned in my original post hasn't been verified against papers. But most of it I know in person. I know I can't guarantee a person 100%. But this old man is a very reputed and genuine man in the government/foreign service and same can be said about the 2+ year I know. Changed odo meter of his car is probably the last thing I can think of a person like him. That's why I was seriously after his car.

He was actually in a hurry to sell his car when it was advertised because he was planning a long stay with one of his sons in a foreign country. He expected more for the car at the beginning. 3.5 mil to be exact. He still expect unrealistic price for the car. That can be the reason why it is not sold yet.

I gave up on the idea of the car anyway. The probability of giving trouble is too much for me to take.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Sameera Gunasinghe

SamG · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 11:29 AM, The Don said:
Tiv, the type of restoration some of these cars need is rather widespread and quite expensive. And usually cars that aren't used regularly are not serviced regularly either. Now I'm not saying this is a bad car, but you need to assess the damage caused by under use.
For example I bought my Mirage in 2004, and it was an under used car belonging to a marine engineer who spent most of his time out at sea. It seemed to have good tyres and apart from the AC most things seemed to work BUT

1. Oil sludge caused the dreaded hydraulic tappet noise issue. Replaced the tappets, issue came back and replaced the engine as at that time it was cheaper than cleaning the original up. Plan to do that someday.

2. All suspension bushes perished and quite badly

3. The radiator was blocked with sludge caused the car to overheat multiple times

4. The ECU circuitry was fried, caused by contact corrosion

5. The climate control system failed, similar reasons

6. The brand new looking tyres gave up. Rubber perished due to under used and cracked

Now the costs of repairing the above in an old Mitsubishi was expensive, but will be a bargain compared to what an E46 will cost.

My car in the UK has run 116,000 miles, serviced on time and always at a main dealer. It runs like the day it rolled off the factory line.

Basically cars need to be run to keep them in good nick. Else you have deterioration caused by various chemical reactions (read about how rubbers used in vehicles are fortified against wear and how the process does not work if the parts don't move and of how engine oils and various other fluids suffer chemical break down due to age which is compounded by the lack of circulation which will stop sludge from settling)

The parts that are worn by use are usually replaced through regular periodic maintenance. But the parts that suffer damage due to damage can be all over the place!!!

Thanks for this explanation Don. It's a new learning for me too.

SamG · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 1:49 PM, iRage said:
On the positive side of buying a barely used car; I bought the Corolla wagon in Japan (yom 1999) in 2014 with just 15,000km. The single prev owner had religiously changed the oil and the basic service every 2 months even though the car had done only 87km (lowest recorded mileage between services). Still, when I did a complete checkup had to change the valve cover and sparkplug gaskets whilst everything else was like new although i changed some of them. A friend of mine ended up buying a Corolla GT of the same vintage with just 500km (there was a thread i opened when another friend wanted it). With the same check up he didnt have anything wrong eith it.
So it can ho either way.

Thanks for your explanation too iRage. But this car is not for me machan.

The Don · June 7, 2015

On 6/7/2015 at 1:49 PM, iRage said:
On the positive side of buying a barely used car; I bought the Corolla wagon in Japan (yom 1999) in 2014 with just 15,000km. The single prev owner had religiously changed the oil and the basic service every 2 months even though the car had done only 87km (lowest recorded mileage between services). Still, when I did a complete checkup had to change the valve cover and sparkplug gaskets whilst everything else was like new although i changed some of them. A friend of mine ended up buying a Corolla GT of the same vintage with just 500km (there was a thread i opened when another friend wanted it). With the same check up he didnt have anything wrong eith it.
So it can ho either way.

Indeed, but remember this is a Diesel as well, possibly common rail which bring their own plethora of problems. An inspection at Prestige will reveal all and they are very through.

Also how cars age in SL isn't comparable to Japan as well, and how a Toyota fares can't be compared to a BMW. I've heard stories of mould growing in the sound deadening form under the carpets in non tropicalised cars due to humidity.

The other funny thing is the provenance of the car. Prestige charges around 1 million to register a car not imported through them. Only service history will reveal the true mileage though its not easy to change the mileage on a E46.

john cooper · June 8, 2015

Please correct me if i am wrong

I think this model share the same engine with the TD4 Freelander, as i had a 1 freelander diesel few years back and injectors cost me $5000 including labor, when it was 110,xxxkm but all the service been done through the agents in NZ

E46 had 2 types of auto trans, 1 is just auto gears and 2 is auto with tiptronic both had the trans issues and few recalls to update the software also so some of them ended replacing the valve body to get rid of the issues

for you its a BIG jump from MAZDA to BMW and what you doing is really good before jump something unknown, always get AL expert advise and that put you to correct direction. Cheers

regards

JC

SamG · June 8, 2015

On 6/8/2015 at 4:44 AM, john cooper said:
Please correct me if i am wrong
I think this model share the same engine with the TD4 Freelander, as i had a 1 freelander diesel few years back and injectors cost me $5000 including labor, when it was 110,xxxkm but all the service been done through the agents in NZ

E46 had 2 types of auto trans, 1 is just auto gears and 2 is auto with tiptronic both had the trans issues and few recalls to update the software also so some of them ended replacing the valve body to get rid of the issues

for you its a BIG jump from MAZDA to BMW and what you doing is really good before jump something unknown, always get AL expert advise and that put you to correct direction. Cheers

regards

JC

I'm not sure about the engine. I read few posts in AL and some other places to get to know of the common issues in this model. This face lifted E46 seems to have rectified most of the issues it had in the pre-facelift model. The sample I'm talking about is a manual one. So, nothing much to worry about transmission issues.

I've always respected the opinion of the AL experts. That's why I'm driving a Mazda Demio instead of a Toyota Vitz (no offense to the Vitz owners)

isam · June 8, 2015

I had the same craze for a BMW, after driving one of my colleague's car. It was such a pleasure to drive that car.

But I gave up the idea as he explained to me that the air intake of these models sit very low at the front, and the car was not designed for our road system which turns into rivers after the monsoon downpours (this was before the war ended and road system was improved). I'm not sure whether this is exactly true, as this is something one owner told me. Maybe the AL experts on BMWs could shed some light on this. If you are consistently driving outstation, and have to drive in roads which gets flooded, better think on this aspect too.

Apart from this I realized that BMWs cost more than Japanese cars to maintain. While these are robust machines, we drive them in conditions which are not ideal for any car (in my opinion). And we have to be able to bare the inevitable maintenance costs and treat the car right.

Edited June 8, 2015 by isam

SamG · June 8, 2015

On 6/8/2015 at 7:54 AM, isam said:
I had the same craze for a BMW, after driving one of my colleague's car. It was such a pleasure to drive that car.
But I gave up the idea as he explained to me that the air intake of these models sit very low at the front, and the car was not designed for our road system which turns into rivers after the monsoon downpours (this was before the war ended and road system was improved). I'm not sure whether this is exactly true, as this is something one owner told me. Maybe the AL experts on BMWs could shed some light on this. If you are consistently driving outstation, and have to drive in roads which gets flooded, better think on this aspect too.

Apart from this I realized that BMWs cost more than Japanese cars to maintain. While these are robust machines, we drive them in conditions which are not ideal for any car (in my opinion). And we have to be able to bare the inevitable maintenance costs and treat the car right.

Yeah isam. Same story here. All these BMW craze started after I drove one of my friends' 520D. I told myself "One day Sameera. One day :D". But I don't think I'm financially ready for this yet.

The Don · June 8, 2015

BMW's are very robust machines. The problems with BMWs in SL come from a few sources.

Design/ Manufacturing issues

1. The petrol N series engines always had issues with top end seals, which have to be replaced at some point. The newer petrols also have high pressure fuel injection which is a bit sensitive to quality of fuel

2. The older diesels had issues with timing chains, swirl flaps etc, the newer ones are a bi turbo design so can be quite expensive to fix

3. The suspension is quite complicated and steering components don't seem to be as able to take bad roads as some other brands

But most issues stem from

1. Poor maintenance. The whole reason why Diesels are popular is because a lot of people who bought BMWs are image concious cheak skates. A friend owns a 320D from new for 4 years now and apart from regular maintenance and a few accidents nothing has gone wrong. Its his daily driver and he drives a LOT. This is the primary cause of most issues.

2. Maka basses, one is enough to ruin a perfectly good car. Some of this comes from cheap skatism above

3. UK imports, cars that were never meant to be run in the tropics. These had more options but will also fade faster than the others.

4. Attempts at messing with electronics and mileage damaging electronic components permanently. I know of a few instances that the instrument clusters are now showing funny values which I suspect may have come from trying to alter mileage

5. Extortionate costs of maintenance by the agent and some specialists. The price of parts are hiked up considerably for profit by both parties. This in turn has driven some owners to use other mechanics messing the cars up. Now if parts were available at reasonable prices and a good mixture of original/ genuine, OEM and third party replacements were available, maintenance would be a lot more affordable, and the general quality of the cars will improve.

But of course nobody in the business have such vision. Everybody is after profit and owners get fleeced. I bring a lot of parts for friends when I come down and I know the price differences. I guess some of it is down to crazy taxes we pay but most of it is excessive profiteering.