e46 330 Convertibles.......... Talk to me!

AsaTDi

AsaTDi

AsaTDi

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Joined
25 Oct 2007
Posts
198
Location
South Yorkshire
Going to be purchasing one around April time and need to know the ins and outs of these motors.

I will have a budget of £8k tops, so looking at a 02/03/04 plate?

Ideally i would like a manual but most seem auto's? What's the auto box like?

I'm also looking for a black/black leather combo or the grey/black leather combo (Anyone know the proper name of the grey?)

So, yeah... what's peoples opinions and past experiences?

No hairdresser jokes please lol...
 
i run an E46 330 coupe - it's not a cab, but mechanically the same stuff applies

the cooling system is fragile. expect to replace bits around every 60-70k miles (radiator, stat, fan, waterpump), and DO NOT mess around if you think you have a cooling problem

control arm bushes need doing at similar mileages too.

Cant comment on the autobox since mine is a manual, and i will say buy on condition and service history before age/mileage. a good 02 will cost you less in the long run than a baggy 04.

Facelift on these came in with approximately the 53 plate.
 
Facelift CABs were 03 plate onwards, mine is one.

Bushes are a big problem, mine been replaced twice 2nd time i used powerflex ones, cooling system is again fragile.

pop the hood and check for any rattles coming from the engine, usually the vanos unit (front of engine) will go around 60-70k causing performance issues at low rpm and the idle control valve can cause issues, if there is a distinct rattle coming from it, its only a matter of time before something breaks off and ruins the engine.

Oil consumption can be an issue as well, mine would go through a litre of oil every 700-1500 miles.
 
[TW]Fox;18084974 said:
8 year old BMW's break loads and cost money to fix. This gets a bit boring after a while.
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As do most 8 year old other cars.... so thanks for your input on the specifics of common problems with the e46 330...... LOL! :rolleyes:
 
AsaTDi said:
As do most 8 year old other cars.... so thanks for your input on the specifics of common problems with the e46 330...... LOL! :rolleyes:
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Fox has given lots of mechanical information on x30's on this forum, a quick search and you will see pretty much all you need :)
 
AsaTDi said:
As do most 8 year old other cars.... so thanks for your input on the specifics of common problems with the e46 330...... LOL! :rolleyes:
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Actually, they probably break more than a lot of 8 year old cars and cost more to fix, so maybe your naivety should be placed on the back burner.
 
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AsaTDi said:
Going to be purchasing one around April time and need to know the ins and outs of these motors.

I will have a budget of £8k tops, so looking at a 02/03/04 plate?

Ideally i would like a manual but most seem auto's? What's the auto box like?

I'm also looking for a black/black leather combo or the grey/black leather combo (Anyone know the proper name of the grey?)

So, yeah... what's peoples opinions and past experiences?

No hairdresser jokes please lol...
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Loved mine but if im honest i dont miss it that much. Fantastic in the summer [well the 2 days of summer we get] but quite noisy when the roof is up, if you can get one with a hardtop then i would recommend that as they go for about £600 on ebay.

Dont expect good fuel economy, dont think i ever averaged more than 22 and that was on a 80 mile a day commute.
 
Janesy B said:
Gotta love the chrome spell checker, I was only one letter out and it changes it completely :D
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Almost as bad as my phone, that has some epic changes when i hit 'c' instead of the space bar. No idea where some of the words come from as they are very odd!
 
That chrome spelling thing dosent work when im drunk either, stupid thing.
 
mjt said:
Good to hear I'm not the only one with these figures.

God knows how Fox manages such good MPG.
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driving-miss-daisy.jpg






:D
 
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