E46 models to avoid

[monkey_boy]

I was wondering which models are the ones to avoid and why, for both petrol and diesel.

I know that there's a lot of talk about a bmw not being worth it unless its a 6-pot, but is that just down to performance or is it related to reliability?

Also, what is the target price for the following jobs from a BMW dealer: Oil Check, Inspection 1, Inspection 2, Brake Discs, Brake Pads and other common problems that can be pre-empted(sp?) (like Fox has said about the e39 cooling system.)

What sort of premium is added to those costs for the 6-cyl models?

 

[monkey_boy]

E46's which are pointless:

316i
318i
320i
325i
318d

It's purely performance, really. Why buy a slow BMW? Why buy a 320i with 330i running costs but without the 330i performance?

Oil service: £140ish
Inspection 1: £200-£250
Inspection 2: £250-£350
Discs and pads all round not much change from £400-£600

I'm glad you're online. I was hoping to pick your brains directly.

There seems to be a significant jump in insurance costs between the 318i and the 320i but then no real jump from the 320i to the 330i. That seems to be the only sensible reason to not have a 330i to me. There doesn't seem to be any benefit to the 316i at all though.

I think I've heard about problems with the 320d, or am I mistaken?

Are the ES models that have 'sport pack upgrades' really what they say they are or they just had one or two bits bolted on from ebay or whatever?

What are the usual suspects for repairs/maintenence within two years of an 04 100k mile 330i sport? What sort of budget should be allowed to run it for 2 years excluding petrol and insurance?

I know that the majority of these have been answered before but it would be handy to have all in one place for reference.

Thanks,

Gav

 

[monkey_boy]

What is that £2k likely to be used on other than tyres and servicing? Or is that an amount that would cover all but the most unlucky owner?

 

[monkey_boy]

Thanks for all the replies. Brilliant to have all of the questions answered in under half an hour!

Thanks again,

Gav

 

[monkey_boy]

Fox, when you say 330 running costs for an inferior 320 car, does that include the fuel? Do you mean to say there's small difference, but economy between the 320 and the 330 are more or less the same?

The mpg figures on parkers are the same for the 320i and the 330i

 

[monkey_boy]

Don't be an idiot, they hardly 'suck'. They are barely any different to any other bimmer that age. Very good car for the money. I would suggest the OP drove a couple of different models to see what he thinks rather than limiting himself to purely a 330i. I would much rather have a tidy 325 than not so tidy 330 (not sure if the OP is after facelift or not, but assuming he does), unless you want to drive the length of the country and spend a year finding the perfect car like Fox does.

I've seen a fair few times on here, Fox and Kingy included, that its better to look for newer, 1-2(3?) owner cars in good condition than older, low mileage examples, so that's what I'm focusing my search on at the moment.

The running costs for me personally work out acceptably similar for either the 330d or the 318i. I think the routine costs of the 330i are more than I want to have for now. The obvious choice is the 330d, but when I've been looking recently I don't recall having seen a 330d Sport worth bothering with. I know the 318i will makes Fox's kitten cry, but unfortunatly I'm one of those people who doesn't bother about performance enough to make it the deciding factor. The priorities for me are (in order) condition of the car itself, the interior, running costs, Isofix and then performance. My total budget is £7500 but I want one for less to account for the contigency that is reccommended on here time after time.

 

[monkey_boy]

LOL at the image of a kid rolling round in the back of a non ISOfix car with you poking your soft plastics...

It's only right and proper! . The point is more that I wouldn't just plump for a 1.1 suzuki alto ust because it's an 07 plate and has Isofix yo.

What routine costs are there for the 330i over the 330d? Are we talking specifically fuel costs? I hear what you're saying regarding performance not being a priority, but the whole point of the 330i is that you might as well get the quicker car, if you value the refinement and power delivery of the 6 cylinder engine over the 4.

You must have had the Ibiza for the best part of a year, and still haven't ticked up to 5 figures on the odometer yet... With projected annual mileage of 5, 8, or even a whopping 10k, are the extra routine costs (read extra fuel?) of the 330i over the 330d so off-putting, as to be worth gambling on the life of the turbo / injectors?

Besides, if the running costs of the 330i (and subsequently all 6 cylinder examples) are too great, and a decent 330d can't be found, then that only leaves the 318i, and just how the hell are you going to sleep at night knowing that the edges of the fins on your kidney grills aren't chrome? Dammit these things matter!

The difference in fuel cost between the 318i and the 330i is about £200 per year based on 8000 miles. I assumed (i don't know why, I thought it was a bitch to tax) that the tax for the 330i was around £320 per year and the 318i/330d were both about £200. The tax, as fox says is within about £30 of even the 318i. Add to that that the tyres on the 330i are wider than the 318i and had assumed (a lot of assumptions i know) that the tyres on the 330d weren't as wide as the 330i. So, I was thinking that it would cost around an extra £230 a year on routine costs, plus an extra £210 in insurance. Truth be told I'd rather spend £35 per month here than on the extra ~80bhp. Unless the car's a steal and it's in good condition. Then it'll be considered alongside the other options.

Why would you want to own a shabby BMW? Whats the point? Surely if you are going to spend thousands of pounds on a car you want an excellent example not one thats rough around the edges, on its 4th owner and has a curious mix of Wan Li and Nangkang tyres on it and comprehensive history from Bobs Mota's?

Surely you'd need to be desperate for that BMW badge if you'd rather own a shabby BMW than a mint Seat or something for the same money?

Plenty of people here obsess to the nth degree about how many miles a perpsective purchase has on it, whats the point in this if when it comes down to it you don't really care what sort of condition the car is in anyway?

Of course you think finding a used BMW is easy Kingy, you've demonstrated yourself you are able to find shiney cars on Autotrader and identify them as worthy candidates when in reality they are cars with a crushed sill and no service for 65k. Maybe I just spot the crap ones easier than you?

My standards are not that it should be indiscernable from new after 6 years, that would be slightly OTT, but just that it should be a well kept example from an owner who has obviously cared about and been careful with the car. I don't think this is too much to ask.

When buying a used BMW surely you wish to avoid ones with:

a) A shabby interior
b) Patchy service history
c) Indications of cost cutting ie 3 different brands of crap tyre
d) Fake ebay rimz
e) Fake AC Schnitzer tat
f) A powerflow exhuast
g) Dents and scrapes
h) 8 owners
i) Adverts which go on about THE AMAZING POWAH
j) Cars being sold from areas that seem a bit iffy. Don't flame me but would you rather buy a car from the back of a warehouse or from a station carpark or would you rather buy one from a nice chap in a detatched house whose wife makes you a cup of tea when you come to view it? What gives you the most confidence that it might be a good place for your money?

etc etc?

I agree with you fully Fox. What Kingy is saying though, is that there is a middle ground. The ad he posted wasn't that middle ground, but there is one. I don't intend to jump at the first one I see because I'm not desperate for the car, but equally I won't be wasting endless weekends looking for the needle in the haystack. I will only be choosing from the top of the pile within my budget though. If my budget won't allow that, I'll have something different.

I think unless you buy an approved used car or are willing to pay a comfortable market rate, rather than trying to get the best at the bottom end of the price range, you will always find car buying arduous whether you buy a Ford, a BMW or a Porsche.

 

[monkey_boy]

The 320i has an M54B22, the 330i has an M54B30. .....
There is a design flaw on the 320d whereby the swirl flaps on the manifold break down over time, are injested into the engine, which destroys the engine.

Does the principle of the 320d being the same engine design as the 330 carry over to the diesels? If so, does that mean that a 330d is likely to have turbo/swirl-flap problems too?