e46 325ci opinions ?

homer90

Hi,
Another BMW Thread........... sorry
But looking to get opnions on the above. Have been given first refusal on a '99 325ci with 88 k on the clock ( The car was taken in as a trade and is on northern plates). To be honest I know nothing about these, so... Apart form checking the history / hpi etc is there anything else obvious that needs to be checked ?

As mentioned the car needs to be vrt'd so whats the deal after july 1st ?

biggus

It's worth a lot less than a 318ci so be very careful.

legs11

is a 323Ci E46 worth less also.? I am thinking of getting one perhaps a 01/02.

whats the story with reliability and will the vrt be cheaper now or july..?!

I like the look and would get one with sport seats mmmm

MarkN

biggus wrote: »

It's worth a lot less than a 318ci so be very careful.

Better for the buyer so?

Who the hell wants another 4pot BMW to say they have a blue and white badge on their car? :rolleyes:

Sweet engine, lovely sound, not the worst on economy either.

I wouldn't touch a 318.

milltown

I thought in '99 it was a choice of 323 or 328, no?

MarkN

You can get a 99 E46 - I'm not sure on the engine line up that was available then however.

Eitherway, surely a car with a nicer engine that costs less to buy than a 318 cause muppets can't afford to insure/run them is a good thing?!

RobAMerc

biggus wrote: »

It's worth a lot less than a 318ci so be very careful.

yea - buy the flashiest car you can afford to buy but with the smallest engine - so you look rich to your mates without having to pay for a big engine ( I mean whats that all about ) :rolleyes:

The e46 coupe would still leave many cars in its wake for style, comfort, and driver appeal.

bonham23

it is more than likely a 323ci. I have the saloon version myself. The 6 pot engine in these is pretty much rock solid along with the drive train. Make sure it has a full history though. As the service interval on these cars is relatively high you will need to be sure fully synthetic oil has been used. Most common probelm on the E46 from this generation is supension wear. The front control arms and bushes normally need replacing at around 60k. If you notice much play in the steering and sliding in corners they will need replacing. it is not a huge job but factor it into the price you pay. Another common issue is the electric window regulators. Again not a huge issue but can be costly to put right as the door cards need to be removed. Other than that if the car is in good shape i would say go for it. A 318ci from the same year is a completely different car. The 4 cyl engines cant really handle the abuse 9 years of motoring will give it.

bazz26

I'd imagine the VRT rate on a 1999 325Ci will be rising from 1st July so if your buying one now is the time to do it.

As you said just make sure the car is HPI'd, checked by a mechanic and haggle hard on the price. It's a buyer's market for these cars at the moment.

cianclarke

VRT will increase after 1st of July.
One thing you really need to check is service history, if it doesn't have a verifiable service history I would honestly walk away.
In terms of the car, I'm not sure of a 325ci - I'd imagine it's probably a 323ci with a 2.5litre 6pot engine? If so, incredible car - miles ahead of a 318ci, go for it if you can afford it.

Ferris

homer90 wrote: »

Hi,
Another BMW Thread........... sorry
But looking to get opnions on the above. Have been given first refusal on a '99 325ci with 88 k on the clock ( The car was taken in as a trade and is on northern plates). To be honest I know nothing about these, so... Apart form checking the history / hpi etc is there anything else obvious that needs to be checked ?

As mentioned the car needs to be vrt'd so whats the deal after july 1st ?

323ci was available from '99 with 170hp from a 2.5L.

325ci was available from '00 with 192hp from a 2.5L due to having double vanos

320ci from '00 with 170hp from a 2.2L 6-pot.

All do 31mpg combined.