2002-04 E46 Motorsport - tips when purchasing?

[F6Typhoon 1]

Hey all, I'm going to be buying my first BMW and I am set on the E46 ('02-'04) Facelift M-Sport Sedan.

Any tips on what to look out for? - I've tried doing a thread search but no luck.

It will be tiptronic and most likely the 318i, which I understand is actually a 2 litre engine.

I am after one optioned with the Zenon headlights and and the basic suede interior (I prefer this to the leather anyway). Steering wheel controls aren't critical as I understand they're easy to retrofit. I would like the electric seats but could live without them.

A delear has told me that an 'M-Sport' and an 'Motorsport' are two completely different cars, with the Motorsport being the better of the two and some dealers try to pass off M-Sports as Motorsports - is there any truth to this?

What are the common faults to look out for on this model?

Appreciate any advice you might have

[matt45 1]

yup 318i is a 2L engine but it is 4 cylinder rather than 6 like all the others.

If you are looking at the 318 for ecomonical reasons, i would surgest not rulling out a 320i, the E46 is not a overly light car you may find the 318 actually has to work hard so ends up using more fuel than a bigger engine.

Xenon lights are nice, just be sure they are factory Xenons and not some aftermarket crap.

You would probably find it hard to get a e46 02-04 without electric seats.

Other nice options to look out for are the TV/Nav (note Japanese import Nav is around $1500 to get working in NZ), rain sensing wipers and automatic headlights.

M-Sport Motorsport are just different ways of writing it (means the same thing). There are 4 general levels of the sport/non sport spec (although there are lots of options inside each category)

Standard or Individual

Standard/Individual with some Msport bits optioned eg. steering wheel

Full Motorsport Pack This will have all the Motorsport bits inc Steering Wheel, Rims, back/front bumpers, side-skirts, clear indicators, sports seats, black roof-lining etc

M3 (this is the most expensive performance 3 series the E46 ones are 40k+)

The Most important thing to do is once you have found a car you would like to buy take it to a BMW specializing Workshop, Eg. BMWorkshop (grey lyn and botany) Botany Motorworx (botany) i am listing Auckland locations as you have not specified your location.

And if you are buying from a dealer a warranty is a good idea as long as its from one of the main companys eg. autosure.

[F6Typhoon 1]

yup 318i is a 2L engine but it is 4 cylinder rather than 6 like all the others.

If you are looking at the 318 for ecomonical reasons, i would surgest not rulling out a 320i, the E46 is not a overly light car you may find the 318 actually has to work hard so ends up using more fuel than a bigger engine.

Xenon lights are nice, just be sure they are factory Xenons and not some aftermarket crap.

You would probably find it hard to get a e46 02-04 without electric seats.

Other nice options to look out for are the TV/Nav (note Japanese import Nav is around $1500 to get working in NZ), rain sensing wipers and automatic headlights.

M-Sport Motorsport are just different ways of writing it (means the same thing). There are 4 general levels of the sport/non sport spec (although there are lots of options inside each category)

Standard or Individual

Standard/Individual with some Msport bits optioned eg. steering wheel

Full Motorsport Pack This will have all the Motorsport bits inc Steering Wheel, Rims, back/front bumpers, side-skirts, clear indicators, sports seats, black roof-lining etc

M3 (this is the most expensive performance 3 series the E46 ones are 40k+)

The Most important thing to do is once you have found a car you would like to buy take it to a BMW specializing Workshop, Eg. BMWorkshop (grey lyn and botany) Botany Motorworx (botany) i am listing Auckland locations as you have not specified your location.

And if you are buying from a dealer a warranty is a good idea as long as its from one of the main companys eg. autosure.

Thanks for the reply Matt. Deffintely not after the 318 for fuel economy, I am just as much open to the 320i. I would take the straight 6 over the 4 cylinder - and happiy pay more for fuel!

I'm after the full Motorsport pack, I think the dealer was telling me to look out for E46's with M options being passed off as Motorsports.

I live in Grey Lynn so I will probably head to the BMWorkshop up the road.

Was the rear subframe cracking issue dealt with by the time the facelift rolled around? - I guess the BMWorkshop will know all about that. Thanks again.

[Smac01 12]

Hey mate - I just got an E39 Motorsport off a guy who imports cars through IBC (the Japanese car auction site).

If you want his details, flick me a PM. He could probably import you a car to your specs.

Mine is in great condition, and I picked it up for a sharp price.

Definitely trust BMWorkshop Grey Lynn for an inspection - they know what they are doing.

(I also live in Grey Lynn).

Good luck on the hunt!

[matt45 1]

Thanks for the reply Matt. Deffintely not after the 318 for fuel economy, I am just as much open to the 320i. I would take the straight 6 over the 4 cylinder - and happiy pay more for fuel!

I'm after the full Motorsport pack, I think the dealer was telling me to look out for E46's with M options being passed off as Motorsports.

I live in Grey Lynn so I will probably head to the BMWorkshop up the road.

Was the rear subframe cracking issue dealt with by the time the facelift rolled around? - I guess the BMWorkshop will know all about that. Thanks again.

defiantly test drive a few different engine types before you decide.

The Sub frame thing I'm 99% sure didn't effect anything post 2000.