Tell me about 3 series coupes e46? 2001ish reg

russ9898

russ9898

russ9898

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Hi,

Been looking at the 3 series coupes for a while. Now i know there a lot of bmw experts on the forum and wondering if you could give me some further info on them please? I have about £7.5 to play with, could this realistically get me something worth while? Im only really interested in the coupes, whilst i understand they command a premium i just love the look of them.

Thanks, Russ
 
A 2001 for £7.5k is pushing it unless you settle for a 318Ci or perhaps a 320Ci, neither of which are really worth having. I would focus on an older 328Ci - you have more chance of getting a mint example for the money.

You do not want a non mint 3 Series, becuase it will be a big pit of money sucking nastyness.
 
that's fair enough, i dont mind an older car. sorry i should have said, i was just using the 2001 ish year as a reference to the model i like, as i can never remember the bmw model numbers.
 
Nothing much to say other than FBMWSH is a must.

It's the best car world to own and drive, whether its down to the supermarket or across continents. Nothing else beats it as an all round proposition. a lot better than an old man's old shape 5 series barge. Avoid chav cars and chav sellers. Unless you're buying from a dealer, look for a respectable private seller who looks like he's the sort of person who spend money on the car. History of invoices would be useful as well as service stamps would be useful.
 
Alex UK said:
Something like this perhaps?
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stunning, pretty much what im looking for. only thing id like different would be to have the multi spoke alloys.

shame its miles away from me, im going to test drive a few 3 series over the weekend to get a feel for them. the old man had 5 series bmws for the last 10 years and said theyre the best cars hes driven, far better than his current audi a5 even though that goes like stink lol:eek:
 
russ9898 said:
stunning, pretty much what im looking for. only thing id like different would be to have the multi spoke alloys.
Click to expand...

You are in luck then - the 328Ci, at least the 2000 models, had 17" Style 32 multispokes as standard :)

the old man had 5 series bmws for the last 10 years and said theyre the best cars hes driven, far better than his current audi a5 even though that goes like stink lol:eek:
Click to expand...

He is right, they are absolutely excellent :) Just watch the running costs - they are not cheap.
 
just been speaking to the gf, were going to test drive a few over the weekend. so the 328 is the one to go for then? i have heard before, possibly from posts ive read that fox has written that the 323 etc just arent worth bothering with due to the running costs being similar to the higher spec models but lacking the performance

Also having a 4 cylinder bmw....never right. couldnt do that lol
 
russ9898 said:
just been speaking to the gf, were going to test drive a few over the weekend. so the 328 is the one to go for then? i have heard before, possibly from posts ive read that fox has written that the 323 etc just arent worth bothering with due to the running costs being similar to the higher spec models but lacking the performance
Click to expand...

Yes get the 328 or you will get a a car that will be more at home on the local council estate. The lower spec are too popular with chavs.
 
In my opinion yes, the 328i is the one to go for if you buy a July 2000 or older model, the 330i if you buy one newer than that. The 320i, 323i and 325i offer no real reduction in running costs but you do get a reduction in performance. They are otherwise mechanically pretty much identical (Infact even the engine block looks the same) so repair costs, servicing costs are the same. The fuel economy difference on the combined cycle between a 320i and a 330i is something like 1.6mpg.

The only noticeable difference you will find is insurance - so check before you decide.

Obviously though the exception to this is if you spot a 320, 323 or 325 at a bargain price - then they are worth going for. But don't seek one out especially as there is little point and you'll soon tire of paying 330 running costs for a 320.

FWIW 3 Series Coupe power outputs:

320Ci - 2000-2006 2.2 litre M54 - 170bhp
323Ci - 1999-2000 2.5 litre M52Tu - 170bhp
325Ci - 2000-2006 2.5 litre M54 - 192bhp
328Ci - 1999-2000 2.8 litre M52Tu - 193bhp
330Ci - 2000-2006 3.0 litre M54 - 231bhp.

Note that the virtually identical power figure between some of those doesnt tell the whole story. The 320Ci develops the same power as the 323Ci but is down on torque and thus not as quick. The same is true of the 328Ci which is faster than the 325Ci despite the similar power output.

A word about trim levels. Prior to the introduction of the revised engine range in 2000, there was no Sport model in the Coupe range - there was one trim level only, which didnt have a name. This changed later on when the range moved to two trim levels, SE and Sport. The Sport added Sport seats, M-Tech branded sills, 18 inch MV wheels, anthracite headlining and an M3 'inspired' (Unlike the 5 Series the Sport bodykit is not the same as the M car) bodykit as well as a few other bits like the Sport wheel and M-Tech suspension.

Prior to the sport model things like Sports seats were an optional extra - so do try and find one with the Sport seats as they are excellent.
 
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on the subject of insurance im going to contact my insurance co, although im hoping that if anything it will be the same, or hopefully a little cheaper on insurance than my st170.

As for the council estate comment, im an electrician for a local council so spend a lot of time on council estates...at least ill blend in lol
 
ahhh well no point speculating ill give them a bell tommorow, answers the question with no ifs, buts, or maybes then.

iirc the 328 is a group 16 insurance? every car ive had greenligh quote me on so far thats either 15 or 16 they always come back with the same price of £957 lol
 
Group 16, yea.

Some rough costs for you.

Tyres: £500 a set
Servicing: Oil Service £140ish
Inspection 1: £220ish
Inspection 2: £330ish

Thats if nothing goes wrong - common failiures are things like radiators (£300ish inc thermostat), wheel bearings, suspension components (upper and lower control arms are common - 200ish a side to get changed at an Indy) and so on and so forth.

Will need servicing every 12k or so if you spend most of your time in town.
 
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