2004 E46 BMW 320 Individual (Q & A)

[//M_POWER]

Hi Fanatics

Came across an 04' 320i individual (Manual), car has 106 000km on clock, midnight blue. Checked through Cois, all good, called BMW all services done till 75 000km, only last one out of plan @ 92 000, but still at BMW Auto Monti. Checked CIA report, only services done + ignition packed up + 1 suspension component. No comments..i'm literally about to buy this vehicle..

I know these cars aren't the most powerful, but 125kw is enough as wife will be using it the most:

1) is fuel consumption good on these vehicles?
2) are these motors one of bmw best/worse built?
3) normal issues after 100 000km??
4) Is this a friendly car for a lady driver who just recently got her licence?

Any feedback would be welcome..

 

[Fordkoppie]

I dont think you can get any better for said lady.

 

[NavZ]

I have a 2002 E46 BMW 320 Individual, 96k on the clock. Amazing car, your wife will love it but I fear the gears/clutch may be too stiff. This depends on how it was driven though but mine are still quite stiff and seeing as your kms are very similar, yours may be the same. In which case it may annoy her, especially in traffic. I may be mistaken but I'm pretty sure the individual came with m sports clutch which is probably why it is so stiff.
My mother hates driving my car, she prefers her double cab Nissan (proof?) just because of the gears/clutch. She claims it 'stresses her out' hehe.

Fuel consumption varies depending on the car, driver etc.

 

[ASH]

Yeah, I would say that as a manual might be a bit tricky for a 1st time driver.
Maybe an auto would be a more safer bet for your lady, especially in traffic.
The clutch is a bit meaty so for a lady driver might be stressful and tiring to drive. It is an awesome car though.

1) is fuel consumption good on these vehicles?
Depends on driving style, that 6cyclinder does have an awesome tone, and one would be tempted to boot it now and then to hear that roar.

2) are these motors one of bmw best/worse built?
This is the same block as the E46 330i, so pretty bullet proof, if serviced properly. This is a 2.2L, if memory serves me correct.

3) normal issues after 100 000km??
I had an auto, only major thing I remember replacing under motorplan was the diff and power steering pump. I guess, the diff going could have had something to do with how the car was driven, which was very hard.

4) Is this a friendly car for a lady driver who just recently got her licence?
Clutch might be a tad heavy for a lady.

 

[Jandre]

I had a 2003 320i sportpack back in the day.

Fuel consumption on the open road was very decent. In town, I got 9 km/l.

The car loves to rev, mine used no oil in the time that I drove it. (27 000km till 75 000km).

To me the clutch feel was not bad at all.

My ex drove the car fairly often as well, and she never complained.

Personally I feel it is a very "balanced" car.

I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

[SP33DYV]

My wife drives my 325i M often and loves the car, but it is still my car. She has never complained about the clutch on the 325. It is now standing very close to 190k Km. She drove my 330i once and immediately complained that the clutch is hard and she stalled the car twice. So it differs from car to car. To me there is little difference in the two. The 330i only has 80 000Km on the clock.

 

[NavZ]

My wife drives my 325i M often and loves the car, but it is still my car. She has never complained about the clutch on the 325. It is now standing very close to 190k Km. She drove my 330i once and immediately complained that the clutch is hard and she stalled the car twice. So it differs from car to car. To me there is little difference in the two. The 330i only has 80 000Km on the clock.

A 190k km clutch is pretty worn when compared to 80/100k which is probably why the 330i is hard and the 325 is fine. His car is 100k km so I'm guessing the clutch will still be firm unless the previous owner really abused the clutch.

As I mentioned before, it may also be due to the sports clutch, or example your 330i may be a Motorsport while the 325i isn't.

Bottom line //M_POWER, your wife should try out the clutch. I wouldn't recommend the car for a female driver because of the stiff clutch, especially not for a new driver but if she doesn't mind then go for it, it's truly a spectacular car.

 

[SP33DYV]

The 325i is an Individual and the 330i a motorsport. There isn't a sport clutch in either of them. They have exactly the same clutch as the other models, unless it was changed for a non BMW clutch. In my opinion, the clutch gets harder as the car gets older. The 325 had a new clutch fitted a year ago. It was a lot softer after the new clutch was installed.
My 2 cents.


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[Fordkoppie]

The 325i is an Individual and the 330i a motorsport. There isn't a sport clutch in either of them. They have exactly the same clutch as the other models, unless it was changed for a non BMW clutch. In my opinion, the clutch gets harder as the car gets older. The 325 had a new clutch fitted a year ago. It was a lot softer after the new clutch was installed.
My 2 cents.


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+1
Most of the time clutches get harder the older they get and there is no such thing as a motorsport or individual clutch.

 

[ASH]

Also remember the maintenance aspect of replacing the clutch. New driver may burn out clutch from lack of driving experiance.

 

[NavZ]

The 325i is an Individual and the 330i a motorsport. There isn't a sport clutch in either of them. They have exactly the same clutch as the other models, unless it was changed for a non BMW clutch. In my opinion, the clutch gets harder as the car gets older. The 325 had a new clutch fitted a year ago. It was a lot softer after the new clutch was installed.
My 2 cents.


Sent on the run from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My bad, I was under the impression that the Msport came with a sports clutch :flyfun: I've driven sport & non-sports cars and I noticed that the sportspack had a stiffer clutch as well as the stiffer suspension. :bangdesk: