It depends really. It's like having steptronic, makes life easier but takes something away at the same time.
E46 models to avoid
- Thread starter monkey_boy
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It depends really. It's like having steptronic, makes life easier but takes something away at the same time.
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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.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
328i is fine but the 323i is again largely pointless. All the disadvantages of a 328i (Running costs) without the performance. It's like paying for a large coke and getting a medium instead. The 328i is not 'crud' and were it not for the 328i neither would the 323i be.
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A 330d is, on balance, likely to cost you more in non-fuel expenses than a 330i. It is a more complex car and has more to go wrong than the 330i.
This is true, and while I appreciate there is no inference, Gav won't be looking at M52 (323i & 328i) engines anyway. For Gav's benefit, the oil consumption is worthy of note, but this affects all M54 engines (320i, 325i & 330i) but @ £15 for a litre of oil, even going to the extremes of the BMW tolerances of every 1000 miles, (I tend to go through a litre every 3-5k) then £15 for 1000 miles pales into insignificance against the fact that it'll cost you £200 in petrol to do the same amount of miles. Other costs I've had have been tyres at £560 a set for F1's, (or £400 for Falkens), and £350 for a warranty...
To be honest if an M54 really is using a litre of oil every 1000 miles there is something rather wrong with it despite what BMW may say. 2000 miles is about right, some as little as once every 4-5k.
But yes, it's M54 specific and doesn't affect the M52's.
But yes, it's M54 specific and doesn't affect the M52's.
One to make YOUR kitten cry...
Plenty in the budget for a new turbo/cooling system/odometer to keep SWMBO happy...
Trouble is, diesel is for gayers tbh...
[TW]Fox;14655095 said:I'm loving the huge dent in the sill on that. And it's done 65,000 miles WITHOUT a service!
Shock at yet another abused E39 at a random trader
I missed the dent in the sill, but if that hadn't been there I reckon it'd be worth a call to see if the missing service was just an advert omission...
[TW]Fox;14655095 said:I'm loving the huge dent in the sill on that. And it's done 65,000 miles WITHOUT a service!
Shock at yet another abused E39 at a random trader
In North-West London as well...
I missed the dent in the sill, but if that hadn't been there I reckon it'd be worth a call to see if the missing service was just an advert omission...
It's not an omission, look at the dates.
I wouldn't touch that thing with a really really long bargepole.
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LOL at the image of a kid rolling round in the back of a non ISOfix car with you poking your soft plastics...
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!
If it isn't an omission then neither would I, but I read the advert as a well specced E39, that's been marching up and down motorways for 6 and a half years, serviced at BMW even at 170k.
I missed the dent, and subsequently wouldn't bother calling having noticed it, but I saw a possiblity that a service just wasn't included in the advert, and that if so, with a bit of haggling, a nav / xenon equipped E39 touring with FBMWSH, full tax and ticket + a service was doable for £5k.
That's worth a phone call in my book.
Lucky you. Every time I view a cheaper BMW on autotrader there is at least something questionable about it. Most of these cars are owned by or sold by idiots or people who just don't care. Buying for sub £5k is an absolute nightmare, buying for £5-7k is a bit easier but still far from plain sailing, £7-10k starts to get better and above £10k and you are fine.
Once they get to a certain age they descend into a world of forgetting to service it, fitting Linglong tyres, being filled with Tesco value oil, having Kenwood stickers fitted to the back window, picking up dents/wear and getting fake MV2 wheels fitted.
Such a shame.
Is this right?
Assumptions:-
10K a year
330d - 40mpg
330i - 30 mpg
Fuel cost £1.00 Diesel/Petrol (for comparison only!)
4.55 litres per gallon (UK)
at 40mpg 250 gallons will be used to cover 10k
at 30mpg 333.33 gallons will be used to cover 10k
330d costs = £1,137.50
330i costs = £1,516.65
A difference of £379.15 a year - assuming the above isn't a load of tosh.
I would assume a 330d costs less to tax. A 330i has less to go wrong - having a had a sniff round BMW forums the technical problems forums talk much of 320d or 330d but not many problems with 330i.
Assumptions:-
10K a year
330d - 40mpg
330i - 30 mpg
Fuel cost £1.00 Diesel/Petrol (for comparison only!)
4.55 litres per gallon (UK)
at 40mpg 250 gallons will be used to cover 10k
at 30mpg 333.33 gallons will be used to cover 10k
330d costs = £1,137.50
330i costs = £1,516.65
A difference of £379.15 a year - assuming the above isn't a load of tosh.
I would assume a 330d costs less to tax. A 330i has less to go wrong - having a had a sniff round BMW forums the technical problems forums talk much of 320d or 330d but not many problems with 330i.
[TW]Fox;14655385 said:
It happens to most marques. At some point in a particular make of cars life it goes through the idiot phase. Pretty much all 3 series have done since the E30. Now though a nice E30 is well regarded, so too a nice well kept E36. the same will happen to E46.
A mother at my daughters school drives an E46 SE. Its got lexarse lights, blacked out windows and the most appalling alloys since people used to pretend 3 spokes were a good idea. Their last car was an old vectra with a 3", 4 tail pipe exhaust. She has this air of superiority when I turn up in my rusty MK3 Driver (that smells a bit according to my daugther) and I can't help but smile.
This phase happened to the 205 & Golf and mint ones are now worth a good penny. Lets not speak of scoob ownership right now.