BMW 3 series

antijoke

antijoke

antijoke

Caporegime
Joined
28 Jan 2003
Posts
40,053
Location
England
Thinking of a BMW 3 series (E46), would it be advisable to buy one with 130K or even 150k on the clock as long as they have FBMWSH?
 
I have no issues owning a car of that mileage but would only wish to buy a car of that mileage if I could be reasonably sure it had led an easy life doing long trips in the hands of a single owner (perhaps two). You can go some way towards verifying this by checking its condition - a looked after BMW that hasn't spent its life crashing around town shouldnt really have any interior wear, it should look pretty immaculate inside. Second way is to check the service book - upwards of 15k between services = long trips, less than 15k = average trips, less than 12k = life in town.
 
Thanks fox. Just the kind of info I was after.

Which engine should I watch out for/go for? am thinking of maybe a 323 or 328, not sure I would want a 1.8.
 
Oh you are looking at older ones? Hmm, the older they get the more difficult it is to find genuine long distance cars. I mean the earliest E46 328i's are now 10 years old - 150k is only 15k a year, so hardly more than average.

When I bought mine it was 4 years old but with 140k - so there was little doubt how the mileage was accumulated and the condition reflected that.

Frankly I'd judge each car on its merits. Just dont accept a shabby one and look for evidence of repair work - a 10 year old 150k E46 is either well overdue or will already have had some significant expenditure on the suspension.
 
anticonscience, what's your budget? The reason I'm asking is because your budget isn't a lot if it's based off your previous new car thread. These cars aren't cheap runabouts, they cost more than your average car to run. I'm sure Fox will provide some more useful information regarding running costs.
 
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Yes, there are. Whether they are good buy or not depends on your attitude to these problems. If you see them as a justified expenditure for owning and enjoying a car like this, great. If you consider it hassle or money you'd rather not spend, buy something else.

BMW's are never cheap cars to own - even when the screen price becomes tempting they remain expensive to keep going.
 
Oh. Maybe I shall think again.

I wouldn't if I have to keep getting it fixed, however running costs for petrol I would not mind overly, but spending lots on fixing it would be a no no.
 
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Apart from servicing, the running of my 323 E46 has been OK. It hasn't done quite the mileage that some of the ones you've mentioned (it has done 96k / 99 T plate) but is still 9, nearly 10 years old now.

The faults/things needed changing since owning it (18 months ish) are:
- New battery. It was on the original so grabbed a new one - about £90.
- Replacement hose. Got it looked at by the BMW/Merc Indy, on the paper work it says "replace tube elbow from inlet manifold". 1.5 hours (diag + labour) plus new hose came to about £80.
- New bulb on rear brake light.
- New front pads.

Inspection I service plus change of brake fluid, engine coolant, microfilter and temp sensor was £350 inc VAT.

I've spent a lot more on retro fitting the Satnav, Eibach sports springs & and bunging on some refurbed 17" BMW alloys :)
 
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god I really want one. But don't wanna end up spending ridiculous amounts on fixing it. Costs listed above are reasonable.

Just don't want a car that is always going to break, thought BMW's would be good to run.

Still none the wiser really. :confused:
 
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