Bmw E46 Facelift Petrol

[rangerover]

Hi Guys,

Looking to get a BMW E46 facelift (a petrol variant), probably a 2002/03 registered one. I am told the price range is between 4.0 - 4.5 mil. Is there any feedback on this variant and what i should specifically look for in viewing a car? I know i can probably buy a very good japanese car for this price, but something about this car really draws me to it. Also i will drive this car for around 300km per month (4,000 km per year max)

Rgds

[shanX]

That's a good looking car really, hope you would find a good one

[MadMMX]

That's a good looking car really, hope you would find a good one

Go for it. Have been using one for over 3 years now. Diesel before it. recently my brother also bought one and have quite a few friends with the same model. Decent power and economy and overall a pleasure to drive. Maintenance is also not bad at all - even if you service at the "Stealers" (as they seem to be universally called)

All the Best.

MadMMx

[nira74]

Hi Guys,

Looking to get a BMW E46 facelift (a petrol variant), probably a 2002/03 registered one. I am told the price range is between 4.0 - 4.5 mil. Is there any feedback on this variant and what i should specifically look for in viewing a car? I know i can probably buy a very good japanese car for this price, but something about this car really draws me to it. Also i will drive this car for around 300km per month (4,000 km per year max)

Rgds

Way to go....

We got two 318i's in the family, 2003 and 2004 models... Excellent Drives, 8.5 - 9 km/l in colombo.

If you're looking at a 318 Make sure to check under the hood and ensure it's got a N42 or N46 Engine cause some of the ones with newer Reg. nos have been brought down recon and are actually the older M42 variant which has fewer horses is not so good on fuel either.

Edited July 25, 2010 by nira74

[rangerover]

Way to go....

We got two 318i's in the family, 2003 and 2004 models... Excellent Drives, 8.5 - 9 km/l in colombo.

If you're looking at a 318 Make sure to check under the hood and ensure it's got a N42 or N46 Engine cause some of the ones with newer Reg. nos have been brought down recon and are actually the older M42 variant which has fewer horses is not so good on fuel either.

OK, how does it compare against the 320d? most cars that come up for sale are 320d's. Does diesel mean higher repair cost? and what sort of an mileage limit should i be looking at? found a few at the 50k to 60k miles range (diesels)

[Rukster]

OK, how does it compare against the 320d? most cars that come up for sale are 320d's. Does diesel mean higher repair cost? and what sort of an mileage limit should i be looking at? found a few at the 50k to 60k miles range (diesels)

The diesels return excellent fuel economy, but in terms of repairs you may have to set aside all your fuel savings. Most seen repairs are the diesel pump and turbo failure. I have also seen ones with engine failure which are costly repairs. It'll be great if you can get your hands on a E46 petrol, anything petrol (318, 320, 323, 325) as a matter of fact.

Good luck with your purchase !

[Tikiri]

By the way, how much you'll think a very good e46 320 d,

agent import, 2000 registration

one owner, low miles of 24k with all records would be around.

tks

[xXx]

The diesels return excellent fuel economy, but in terms of repairs you may have to set aside all your fuel savings. Most seen repairs are the diesel pump and turbo failure. I have also seen ones with engine failure which are costly repairs. It'll be great if you can get your hands on a E46 petrol, anything petrol (318, 320, 323, 325) as a matter of fact.

Good luck with your purchase !

It's pretty hard to locate a petrol specimen locally isn’t it? specially a brandnew ones.

By the way, how much you'll think a very good e46 320 d,

agent import, 2000 registration

one owner, low miles of 24k with all records would be around.

tks

what the hell was the owner doing with that car? he has barely enjoyed the pleasure of driving.

[Rukster]

It's pretty hard to locate a petrol specimen locally isn’t it? specially a brandnew ones.

Talk about it... Owners of petrols hardly part with them as they have minimal repairs provided the service and all maintenance are done on time. Its very hard to find a good petrol specimen of a facelift, you'll be lucky if you can find a prior face-lift petrol model E46. There was a nice one for sale recently (2001) GM-XXXX sliver-blue with 50k on the ODO— price was ~Rs.6Mn.

what the hell was the owner doing with that car? he has barely enjoyed the pleasure of driving.

A 320d with less miles means trouble. Being a diesel they need to be run quite frequently. I have seen a number of diesels with less than 30,000 miles on the ODO with turbo, pump and engine problems. Not the best unless you are run alot on a weekly basis and willing to incur significant repair and maintenance costs.

Guys check this link out. It gives the goods, bads and things to watch out (tabs) concerning E46 petrols and diesels: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/3-series-e46-1998/

Cheers