After help/advice - E46 BMW - What do you guys think this is worth?

[kratosnz 0]

Hi guys, I am looking at getting an E46 BMW, really like the shape. Ideally would be after an Estoril Blue one, similar to the one Skoty had listed (sold now) http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=42884

Currently looking at this one in Christchurch (I am based in Tauranga, but am quite sold on the color although would consider other colors):

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=428496675

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have never owned a Bimmer before. Skoty said I should make sure to ask about the water-pump, and get the pipes checked etc, as cooling can be a problem.

What do you guys think this is worth? I would get the wheels changed, probably to something like:

http://www.hyper.co.nz/drive/product/detai...sociated=165367

What would be a reasonable price to pay, as is. Or else with the mags included.

Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Edited January 21, 2013 by -Mat-

[Smac01 12]

If you want wheels, PM 'zenetti'.

He will get you bimmersport discounts at Mag & Tyre direct Penrose.

(It's managed by Brendan now)

[jeffbebe 1559]

Not sure I'd pay 13 grand for a 318 with 122,000 kms on it. I've never owned one but a lot of the feedback on these forums I've read is that the 318s are fairly gutless. For similar (or less) money I think you can find one with similar kms, similar condition, leather interior and a bigger engine.

e.g. this for less money, fewer kms and 2.8L engine so it will go like the clappers:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-553293327.htm

You can even get a mint 330 with fewer kms for just a few grand more:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-554532648.htm

[MrDevine 14]

Yep, get the 330i

[qube 3568]

i think he wants a e46 facelift, especially in estoril blue, unfortunately this combination is quite rare, expecially in a 330i facelift.. (ive only seen one, a few years ago at a car dealer in parnell auckland which i test drove but was around 200+kms)

nevertheless,

there are some goodies:

pre facelift 2001 330i motorsport silver

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-553510658.htm

facelift 2002 330i motorsport silver

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-555110699.htm

facelift 2001 330i motorsport blue

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-554155472.htm

(this is the car i wanted to view/buy before i bought mine)

i can see why you would want the estoril blue 318i you linked, but sooner or later you are going to want more..

the 318i isnt priced cheap enough to buy and resell shortly after without a big loss, so might aswell get it right first time..

edit:

another thought, if you are determined for a estoril blue e46 thats not a "gutless" 318, then you may be waiting a while..

there are quite a lot of decent bmws listed on trademe from what ive seen, lots of nice e39's motorsport 530i.

also, you should also consider a e46 320i that is facelift with the 2.2L motor, a friend had one which i drove and it was actually pretty nice to drive!

Edited January 22, 2013 by QUBE

[jeffbebe 1559]

I don't think the colour of your car will make you nearly as happy as a 3L engine.

EDIT: and if it does... get a 318 but don't spend $13K on it!

Edited January 22, 2013 by jeffbebe

[kratosnz 0]

Hey guys

Cheers for your help! At this stage im only looking at 4 door. I've had 2 door cars in the past and I just prefer the practicality of 4 doors.

Yea color is not a deal-breaker, i definitely prefer the facelift model though.

Is there a big diff between the 320i and 318i ? I am just looking on wikipedia and it says

318i - 105kW - 141bhp - 0-100 in 9.3 seconds

320i - 125kW - 168bhp - 0-100 in 8.2 seconds

Found it interesting, the energywise.govt.nz site actually showed you would get more fuel economy on the 320i (marginally). Although it would only let you put in 2004 for the 318i and 2005 for the 320i

Are the 330s quite alot hungrier than the 318/320s?

Seems very hard to find manuals

[qube 3568]

It sounds like you're going through what I recently went through!

I had 2 doors but found 4 doors more convenient and I actually prefer the sedan facelift more than coupe facelift.

I think they are great cars and I love mine..

On paper I doubt there is much difference between a 318 and a 320. But some 318s are 2L and some 320s are 2.2L.

When I drove the 2.2L, it was really good to drive. Had enough power for daily driving. The 318 felt it had to work extra harder which I guess means more fuel consumption..

I do think 330 is "hungrier" but at the end of the day, I'd rather have power at my disposal when I need it. And drive normally when I don't. This should keep fuel consumption low. I fill up $130 using 98 at BP and I get anywhere between 450-700. 450 is with a lot of city driving, motorway traffic. 700 was on the open road. So it's actually not too bad.

I think you should look out for any 320/330 that has a modest mileage and other things you may want.

It took me a long time to find one in black with fabric seats and sunroof. I had to settle for non-multifunction steering but otherwise I'm happy. So find one with nice options, low kms, hopefully nz new (mine isn't but one owner since import 8 yrs ago) and a decent price. I think around $10,000 should get you something really decent.

Sorry for the long post

[Smac01 12]

Here's my experience with the 330i vs 318i fuel consumption.

Everyone has a different driving style, and it depends heavily on the car too.

Town driving

330i ~7km/l

318i ~10km/l

Open road

330i ~9km/l

318i ~11km/l

[qube 3568]

@brunch

I saw how you said ur biased towards 318, can you explain?

I can see you have 2 currently and you had 325,330...

What makes you biased towards 318?

I ask because I really want a e46 touring but all of them are 318 or 320 nothing like a 330 touring.

[Smac01 12]

For city driving, the extra power doesn't outweight the huge difference in fuel consumption.

If it was my weekend car, I'd happily have a 330i again.

But when I drive my car every day to work in the city, the 318i handles and looks like a 330i, but without the fuel bill. Whilst it doesn't have the power of a 330i, I don't find it gutless.

Perfect combination for me, but it all comes down to personal needs etc.

Sorry Mat - back on topic now.

One thing everyone will agree on, make sure you get one with service history, and find one that has been well looked after.

[kratosnz 0]

@brunch

I saw how you said ur biased towards 318, can you explain?

I can see you have 2 currently and you had 325,330...

What makes you biased towards 318?

I ask because I really want a e46 touring but all of them are 318 or 320 nothing like a 330 touring.

He wants me to buy his 318i hence the bias.

Don't apologise for the long post man, thats exactly the kind of info I'm after, the more opinions/experience I can get the better, as I really am completely new to bimmers.

$130 for 450-700 still seems reasonable.

My driving will probably be town driving most weeks, with trips to hamilton maybe every second weekend

[Smac01 12]

No I'm actually being completely honest here - hence why I've got the 318i wagon which Kyu mentioned.

As I said - it's a very personal choice which noone can answer for you!

[OneSeventy 1]

I have a 318i and I get the gutless comments even though I don't fully agree. It's not a fast car, that's for sure, but it certainly isn't gutless - and mine is a pre-facelift with the weaker, smaller engine. I still love it and I try to care for it as much as anyone else on here would care for their more expensive BMWs.

I suggest that you just go look at a 318i you like the sound of (even if you wouldn't necessarily be looking to buy that exact one) and test drive it. See what you think of the engine and make your own decision. If you haven't really had powerful cars before, I don't see why you wouldn't like the 318i. I can understand that some might have issues if they were coming from a far more powerful car.

[qube 3568]

I'm just concerned that a 318 wagon is just a wagon by looks and not going to adequately perform to the point of having one. I'm not going to tow 2 ton boats. Just tailer with a decent amount of load from time to time.

Also I feel that having an underpowered car means having to over work it in order to merge at 100kms on the motorway or what not.

I'm not saying 318 is gutless. It's just a common perception. I was happily driving my 318ti e36 few months ago.

Anyways I may need to go test drive a 318 wagon before I make any more judgement calls!!

One of my main reasons for choosing a 330 over anything else was that I really believe it makes it easier to react to situations. For example when you are driving and you see someone about to merge or hit u because ur in their blindspot or whatever, it's far easier to get instant acceleration to avoid collision when it's not safe to just slam on the brakes.

Another observation is that the 318i facelifts seem to come with lots of nice options and heaps in Motorsport compared to stock 328/330 non ms with faded fabric seats ugly steering wheels body kit etc..

[kratosnz 0]

Yea I will definitely take some 318is for a drive and see how they feel to me. The 318i seem to be easier to find nicely optioned ones. I have been looking at Brunch's one which looks immaculate, and very nice!

I have had a few cars in the past including a 2 litre turbo, but I am currently driving a modest Toyota corolla wagon 1.6litre, so anything will be an upgrade. (The car was great for Uni, but I have had a professional job for a few years now, and am more than ready to upgrade).

I do quite like the look of this 330i that Qube linked above:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-554155472.htm

Is the KMs being that high (145,000)an issue though?

[Eagle 1527]

Unless you really want to go for the poser look i dont see the point of going for a 318i over your corolla. A 325-330i is a proper upgrade with a proper BMW engine.

KM dont really matter its more the service history and getting the car inspected before you buy.

Whats brings up an alarm bell for me on that auction is "4 new tyres, (Acceleras on the front, and Bridgestone RE002's on the rear) "

[kratosnz 0]

I like the look of these two, what do you guys reckon?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=551824340

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=554234925

[qube 3568]

First one doesn't look like genuine Motorsport. And has ugly mods.

Second one looks good but I dislike tan leather so...

140ish kms is not an issue. We are looking at 10+ yr old cars..

[OneSeventy 1]

First one also says 2001... the facelifts came in 2002 right? Could have been modded to facelift?

EDIT: Brake lights agree with me.

Edited January 22, 2013 by OneSeventy

[kratosnz 0]

I seem to have a knack for picking cars I like in the South Island :s

[qube 3568]

Buy mine

[kratosnz 0]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=554234925

So you guys think this looks OK, provided it has service history, and I get it checked out at a BMW specialist ?

[BMWTouring 20]

that car looks great, but definitely get it checked out!

[kratosnz 0]

Hey guys

Talked to the guy. With the black 330i above. ( http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=554234925 )

He has receipts for all work done since he bought the car a year ago, but not full service history.

He didn't know where the car was imported from, but I looked up the plate and its a Japan import.

Would you say to stay clear cos of the lack of service history? Or if i get it checked out at a BMW specialist will it be ok?

Edited January 23, 2013 by -Mat-