Looking at purchasing an E46 330Ci - advice needed.

Transform_IT

Transform_IT

Transform_IT

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18 Oct 2012
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Hi guys,

So as the title suggests, I really want a 330Ci. I am swayed more towards the clubsports and have fallen in love with them, especially in Estoril blue! However, there are various drivetrain versions, all which have positive/negative press, dependant on the user.

I am open to a nice 330Ci but I am just so confused as to which spec is the best in terms of drivetrain and standard/optional refinements and extras. I know a full-service history is a must with these cars. But what else should I be looking for/staying away from and can anybody share any advice? Surely there have been several owners in this forum and no doubt some stories to be told.

All feedback welcome, positive and negative.

Thanks,

T_IT
 
What you need to look out for is the boot floor tearing apart around the subframe mounts. It happens to all E46's and unless it's an M3 it's not really economically viable to repair.
 
Clarkey said:
What you need to look out for is the boot floor tearing apart around the subframe mounts. It happens to all E46's and unless it's an M3 it's not really economically viable to repair.
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Many thanks, I will make sure to look out for this.

Does anyone have any information on the gearboxes. I've read some places the flappy paddles and semi-autos are terrible, yet other forums and sites compliment them on their design.
 
The semi auto is terrible and should be avoided at all costs. Most of the spec is fairly irrelevant these days given how old the cars are so the only option I would insist on is Xenon headlights.
 
Be mindful that a lot of these are now very leggy, or at least old, and will require a fair degree of titivation if you want them to drive as intended. :)
 
I’ve had my 330ci convertible for over 4 years now. Used to be my daily but now it has become my weekend/project car.

I have an auto (I used to commute to work at the time) and it’s not so bad but if I would get a manual if I was going to buy one now.

Service history is a must. Check arches for rust, check if cooling system has been overhauled, bushes, subframe cracks.

Too many tatty ones about at the moment so take a pick carefully. Took me 4 months to find mine at the time! You can tell a tatty one from a mile away. The seat bolsters usually give this away.

If you plan to buy one to run as a daily I wouldn’t bother as these cars require you to get your hands dirty quite often.
 
E46 Clubsport in Estoril Blue owner here ;)

I went for the manual though so can't comment on the other gearbox options...

Check for rust on the arches, mine have started bubbling so need sorting at some point.

Coolant system is a big one on the E46's, the header tanks crack, radiators sag, but theyre all fairly easy and cheap enough to replace, one thing I would say it get the BMW Thermostat, I went with two copies and neither sealed properly, the header tank and radiator were pattern parts and have had no issue with them though.

Suspension will probably need a refresh depending on mileage, Mine is a facelift 120k and one of my rear shocks was gone, again though pretty easy to replace and not massively expensive.

Even the facelifts are now getting on for 15 years old so expect to have to replace some parts but apart from that they are great cars :D
 
Aside from the usual servicing and evidence of such, I'd want one with a replaced cooling system (the radiators tend to bow and crack, and the expansion tanks have a tendency to do anything from leak slowly to suddenly blow out dumping all your coolant). If this hasn't been done budget for it.

Water pumps wear with age, if it's high mileage then consider replacing. Similar with the power steering pumps, there was 2 different ones. The LF30 was a revised design that was more durable but also ran at a lot higher pressure making the steering lighter. I believe BMW used it for a couple of years before going back to a revised LF20 pump.

Boot floor, as mentioned above.

Oil leaks, it tends to be the rocker cover and the oil filter housing gaskets that fail, quite easy to replace mind. If you're having the rocker gasket done, then it may be worth servicing the Vanos piston seals (they're made of a rubber that doesn't like constantly being heat cycled, in an engine... Yes I know...) with an aftermarket kit that uses a more durable rubber. The car will still drive fine, but replacing them will give more low down power and better fuel economy.

Most of these are minor, the key ones are cooling systems and boot floors.
 
Thank you for all the help and support guys, much appreciated. That link above for the SMG box is a car near me and it has extensive history and has been very well looked after. It's just the SMG box that is concerning me, some people love it, others hate it.
 
I think SMG you have to drive it yourself, it really is a marmite gearbox. In effect, it's just an automatically controlled manual i.e. the same gearbox to the 6 speed manual, but with an electronic system controlling the clutch and gear engagement. As such, it tends to be a little brash with jerky changes and some people don't like it.

I do believe it's possible to flash the SMG ECU with the updated software, but this isn't something I can process any actual knowledge about.
 
One thing to be very careful of is rust. Make sure you give it a very careful look under the arches and below the sills. The rust kills these cars and it is very difficult to stop especially on the rear arches. Stick your hand under the arches and see if you can feel mud / dirt collected in there, where the roll is. If there is, it probably hasn't been cleaned like it should be and the problem may already have begun.

Oh forgot to say. From 1st of Jan 2004, BMW's started giving 12 year corrosion guarantee instead of 6 years, so it is more likely that any rust got fixed on those cars...
 
330Ci Clubsport with SMG & FSH

This one is very close to me and the owner is very detailed in his description. I have just got off the phone to him and asked him lots of questions regarding maintenance and servicing. All which matches and gives me faith it has been a well looked after car. I have it on my watch list to go and view. The SMG boxes, the people that say they are crap and avoid, don't back the reasons why with evidence. Obviously if they go wrong they will cost, however, the arguments for the box are detailed and full of helpful information. I'm a bit confused...
 
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Go in with your head and not your heart, on every single angle of the car.

Hate to be cynical but the prices for these are a bit silly nowadays, to the point where I'd just not bother. I've had two E46's and an E39, and they're well into the annoyingly unreliable stage now. You've got to really want one to buy one, I'd say - almost to the point where I'd honestly consider an E92 first.

I had a big problem with tyres and tramlining which after many £'s spent on tyres, alignment, and suspension components, I was never able to rectify.

Don't get me wrong, they're a timeless design, and if left in stock form, look fantastic too. But as an ownership proposition? I'm less inclined.

Good luck on your search.
 
I've had my 330ci Clubsport (in the superior Velvet Blue :p) for about 7/8 years now.

Unless you really really want one, I'd probably get something else. As others have said, there's lots to crack on with sorting at this sort of age if they don't already have them done. They're not particularly quick, and they do break a lot.
 
I think we need to understand what you want from it.

If you're looking to buy a £1000 car - get something sensible like a focus (not my area of expertise...)
If you're looking to buy a £1000 car to thrash around and just have fun with until it dies - go ahead
If you're looking to buy a £5000 car to keep and look after - it will be a lot of hassle and you can probably buy much better cars than an e46 these days.

They are old cars now and have been cheap enough to have been bought by morons for quite a while (just check out the Facebook owners group: mismatched wheels, RGB headlights "what's the cheapest way I can slam my gangsta 320d?"). They're unreliable, getting rusty, not that fast, certainly not economical.

To answer your spec question... If not a club sport, spec wise you want an m-sport for the nice bodykit. Otherwise fairly standard for the era "Optional refinement / extras", Leather heated seats, 6x CD player, auto wipers etc. Nothing essential to keep an eye out for, and it's likely some of the fancier electronics may well be broken (e.g. dipping mirrors) and I'm fairly sure the auto wipers were always crap. There is definitely no point in getting the GPS / screen infotainment these days. To some extent it's irrelevant as I'd buy on condition much more than the kit it has. My 330ci is fairly "top spec" but today that isn't going to help its resale value I don't think.

Common problems (based on the facebook user group help! posts)

VANOS rattles and death
CCV Oil consumption
Handbrakes
Central Locking fails
MAF sensor
All of the cooling system
Rusty wings, rear subframe, sills.
Valve cover gasket leaks (smoking oil on exhaust manifold)

I really, honestly get the appeal though.
 
almoststew1990 said:
I think we need to understand what you want from it.

If you're looking to buy a £1000 car - get something sensible like a focus (not my area of expertise...)
If you're looking to buy a £1000 car to thrash around and just have fun with until it dies - go ahead
If you're looking to buy a £5000 car to keep and look after - it will be a lot of hassle and you can probably buy much better cars than an e46 these days.

They are old cars now and have been cheap enough to have been bought by morons for quite a while (just check out the Facebook owners group: mismatched wheels, RGB headlights "what's the cheapest way I can slam my gangsta 320d?"). They're unreliable, getting rusty, not that fast, certainly not economical.

To answer your spec question... If not a club sport, spec wise you want an m-sport for the nice bodykit. Otherwise fairly standard for the era "Optional refinement / extras", Leather heated seats, 6x CD player, auto wipers etc. Nothing essential to keep an eye out for, and it's likely some of the fancier electronics may well be broken (e.g. dipping mirrors) and I'm fairly sure the auto wipers were always crap. There is definitely no point in getting the GPS / screen infotainment these days. To some extent it's irrelevant as I'd buy on condition much more than the kit it has. My 330ci is fairly "top spec" but today that isn't going to help its resale value I don't think.

Common problems (based on the facebook user group help! posts)

VANOS rattles and death
CCV Oil consumption
Handbrakes
Central Locking fails
MAF sensor
All of the cooling system
Rusty wings, rear subframe, sills.
Valve cover gasket leaks (smoking oil on exhaust manifold)

I really, honestly get the appeal though.
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From my understanding and friends who have owned E46's in the past, mainly the 325i's and 330's - they are just as reliable and unreliable as any car. After reading and being helped through recommendation, I have been informed of the issues to look out for and what to expect. It is also my understanding that the better the history, generally, the better the car (not always the case). Sadly, I can see many youngsters have bought them when they dipped in price a few years back, and sadly the market is flooded with poor examples. That being said, I don't think I ever described my situation in terms of motoring and what my needs are...

I currently work shifts and intend on doing so for the foreseeable. I drive to work a maximum of 3 times a week (16-mile round trip) and do this approximately 14 times every 6 weeks (due to long breaks in my shift pattern and whatnot). So what that means is, I do less than 1000 miles per annum. Also, I have another car which is garaged and is more of a toy - its a Volvo 850 T-5R estate. However, this can always be driven as a backup, failing that, my wife also has a vehicle I can use and is only 2 years old. This is more practical for family days out and longer journeys and would be the vehicle we would use for such events.

I like my older cars and only want to spend about £4500 (absolute max - must be excellent). I have never had German and love the E30's but unfortunately, they are way out of my price range. I have explored the E36 route, but they are few and far between. Then I moved onto the E46's and fell in love with the clubsport and 330ci's. My friend had one a few years back and I remember it standing out and always held a special place in my heart. It just seems, most people tend to tell you to shy away from them. But, general maintenance and the cost of the odd repair isn't something that would put me off.

Hope this helps and if all of the above is taken into consideration, and you experienced E46/330ci/Clubsport owners still feel its a poor choice, then consider me told!
 
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