BMW Coupe

SteffenFreund

SteffenFreund

SteffenFreund

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Joined
27 Oct 2002
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343
Location
St Albans
Hi,
I am thinking about buying a BMW 3 Series (E46) 320ci Sport or 325ci Sport. Does anyone own / has owned one? I'm intrested in any opinions anyone may have on them? The performance, fuel and insurance specs look very simular between the 320 and 325 and am wondering if it is worth going for the 325 over the 320? Budget for the car is up to £15k and am looking at trying to find a 2003 model.

To give you an idea....

11_3.JPG


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Thanks

Tim
 
325 is a 2.3 litre unit, late 320 is a 2.2.

Get the 2.5 if you can!Awesome cars and you will not regret it!
 
SteffenFreund said:
According to the brochure from BMW the 325 is 2.5l.
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Sorry thats what i meant..........2.3 :rolleyes: and i know my E46s! Its the 328 thats a 2.5! Sorry!

Still 325 > 320 although you may get a higher spec 320 for the same budget, thats all...i.e. a 320 sport Ci as opposed to a 325 SE Ci
 
Hi mate,

The e46 coupe was facelifted in 2003. The one you have posted is pre-facelift Sport. This is the facelift model:

74675-1.jpg

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The difference lies in the different headlamps and indicators, a wider grille on the facelift, MV2 style alloys (as opposed to MV1 - both are 18"), and LED rear light clusters.

Have you considered the 330ci? You *might* just be able to get a 2003 pre-facelift for the 15k, but you will have to be prepared to accept high mileage (80k plus).

The 320ci will do 0-60 in 7.9s
The 330ci will do 0-60 in 5.9s
The 325ci, I assume, lies somewhere in between!

All are 6 cylinder in-line petrol engines.

Go for the biggest engine you can afford I guess. The facelifts will be the newer 2003 ones, and will hold a premium, if you can forego the facelift look you will leave yourself open to a much bigger selection of cars.

Also, the two models above are Sport models. The SE versions are cheaper, but much more bland looking (different bumpers & wheels, non-sport seats/steering wheel/gearknob).
 
correct me if Im wrong, but I think the 325 will hold its value better. There seems to be loads of 320s around and thus, are priced more competitively.
 
D4VE said:
correct me if Im wrong, but I think the 325 will hold its value better. There seems to be loads of 320s around and thus, are priced more competitively.
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Possibly, but if it was a 320i facelift v 325i pre-facelift, I would imagine there would be very little in it.
 
The 318 has a 1.9 or 2.0 litre four cylinder engine (depending on age)

The 320 has a 2.2 litre six cylinder engine, the 325 has a 2.5 litre 6 cylinder engine, the 328 has a 2.8 litre six cylinder engine and the 330 has a 3.0 litre 6 cylinder engine. There is a 323 which also has a 2.5 litre engine but with a lower power output than the 325

The 320 does 0-60 in 7.9 sec, the 325 in 7.1 seconds

Both are 6 cylinder engines and both are quick. I'd personally see which is most affordable for you in terms of insurance, fuel, etc and pick that one
 
Oracle said:
Sorry thats what i meant..........2.3 :rolleyes: Its the 328 thats a 2.5! Sorry!
Click to expand...

No, it isn't.

The only 6 cylinder E46's where the engine size doesn't correspond to the model number are:

320i = 2.2 170bhp
323i = 2.5 170bhp

The rest are all straightforward, the 325i is a 192bhp 2.5 the 328i is a 193bhp 2.8 and the 330i is a 231bhp 3.0.

Oracle said:
and i know my E46s!
Click to expand...

8whxf6.jpg
 
NickXX said:
Haha! :D

How's it going with your decision mate? Do you think you're going to go for the e46 too?
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I am still 50:50 at the moment. In an ideal world I would take it with no doubt, but work are threatening to send me away to singapore in september so I am waiting to hear the outcome on that. Insurance is only an extra £150 too :cool:
 
Does it have to be a 2003 model? As with 15K you might as well go for a 330ci if you are after a pre-facelift car like the pic you posted.

Yeah and great cars btw. ;)
 
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