BMW 320i (E46)

PrettyBoy

Has anyone had any experience with these? Any things I should look out for before buying?

What are the running costs like?

I'm only interested in the facelifted model (2002-2003). There doesn't seem to be too many on Carzone though

bazz26

The reason there are not alot of them about is because it is a 2.2 litre petrol, something the Irish shy away from. The coupes with these engines are alot more common than saloons and are easier to sell on.

PrettyBoy

bazz26 wrote: »

The reason there are not alot of them about is because it is a 2.2 litre petrol, something the Irish shy away from. The coupes with these engines are alot more common than saloons and are easier to sell on.

Yeah, there are plenty of 316's and 318's, though there are more 330's and M3's than 320's!

I forgot to mention that I want a coupe, not looking at saloons. Any idea how much the tax would be for the year on the 320?

homer90

€823 on 2.2 ...bargin !

PrettyBoy

homer90 wrote: »

€823 on 2.2 ...bargin !

I guess it could be worse

bazz26

If you are not too put out by the annual motor tax then maybe a 325Ci is worth considering. I cannot imagine the running costs being a whole lot different.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201002196510950

Tax is €935 per year but this one is paid up for 6 months already.

PrettyBoy

bazz26 wrote:

If you are not too put out by the annual motor tax then maybe a 325Ci is worth considering. I cannot imagine the running costs being a whole lot different.

Yeah, I was thinking that too but I'm only 21 so the insurance is the only thing that's really in the way. Anyway, I'm still a few months away from buying one, I'll be 22 when the time comes, but I'm just doing my homework on them for the moment.

bazz26 wrote:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201002196510950

Tax is €935 per year but this one is paid up for 6 months already.

That is an absolutely stunning example. If I were in the market now I would jump at this one - great colour, very nicely optioned, relatively low miles and very reasonably priced. The only thing that would stop me is the tiptronic gearbox. I'm looking for a manual :P

milltown

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Yeah, there are plenty of 316's and 318's, though there are more 330's and M3's than 320's!

I forgot to mention that I want a coupe, not looking at saloons. Any idea how much the tax would be for the year on the 320?

I doubt you'll find an '02 facelifted coupé. If they were out in '02 then it was very, very late. Mine was built in Oct. '02 and registered here in Nov. and is pre-facelift. Ironically, I was looking for a 318 with a few options, auto, leather, wood trim etc. and couldn't find a good one so I ended up with the 320 with all my boxes ticked and one or two more.

Running costs are marginally more than the 318 but worth it for the sound IMO. They can be heavy enough on petrol around town and tend to use a bit of oil between services (and it's the expensive stuff). I don't know of any issues specific to the manuals, or the 2.2s for that matter. I've heard the cooling system can be a weak point and some owners tend to replace the water pump as a precaution once the miles are racking up but I haven't had any trouble with either of my E46s in that regard. You can expect to put a few bob into suspension bushes if they haven't been done yet. Front control arm bushes and rear trailing arm bushes are the most common to wear out. Parts for the front are €120 and easy enough to do yourself if you're any way handy, maybe three hours work on the driveway. Rear bushes about €17 each but need either a special tool or a fair bit of gunthering. Mine are due to be done but I might let a garage do them. Another common enough NCT fail is corroded rear brake lines which can cost a bit in labour because the fuel tank has to be dropped to replace them.

That's what could happen. In three years of ownership I've had a general module go, replaced under warranty, two services, the front bushes and a set of tyres and brake pads. Only other expenses of note are road tax and petrol.

I'd recommend one fully. Look for a service history. On an 02/03 I wouldn't really expect it to be official BMW all the way but you definitely want to know where and when it was done. Try get any potential purchases to a BMW dealer, they'll have a key reader at the service desk that can verify the mileage for you. Especially important if it's an import. If you find one you like, get a mechanic to throw an eye over it. Don't be too worried if there's signs the front has seen a bit of paint, the fronts seem to be very prone to chipping in my experience, but do have a good look around the engine bay to make sure the paint was only cosmetic.

That's all I can think of for now.

Edit: Just had a look at the one in the link and it reminded me. If you're taller than 5'10"/5'11" you might want to steer clear of cars with sunroofs. For all the use it gets it robs 2" or more of headroom. Depends on your preferred driving position I suppose but with the seat as low as it will go my head still brushes the headcloth.

Pdfile

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Has anyone had any experience with these? Any things I should look out for before buying?

What are the running costs like?

I'm only interested in the facelifted model (2002-2003). There doesn't seem to be too many on Carzone though

save up and get an m3 ?

milltown

PrettyBoy wrote: »

Yeah, I was thinking that too but I'm only 21 so the insurance is the only thing that's really in the way. Anyway, I'm still a few months away from buying one, I'll be 22 when the time comes, but I'm just doing my homework on them for the moment.

Pdfile wrote: »

save up and get an m3 ?

Then save up for another year or two for insurance?