E46 330i info needed

[1lum1nat1]

Hello guys!

What would you consider to be too high mileage for a six cylinder? the 330i to be exact?

Do the Tip Tronic boxes give any troubles?

I'm interested in a Silver 2002 E46 330i T-Tronic with 134k on the clock for +-R105k.

If the car is in a good condition, will go look @ it later today or tomorrow, I'll take it. To get some piece of mind, I'll be replacing all the troublesome components before they become a headache.

 

[SirSparky]

make sure the car has a full service reckord paying attention to major things done on the car.that mileage for a bmw is not much.i got the e39 m5 with 150 000 kms on the clock...if well looked after it will last u many many years

and remember the recession is not only against us but for us....so you can barter the price down....ur not the one that is hard up for the sale(even though you really want this car)....the other guy is,remember this...

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where u gonna look for this car?in bfn?if so what place dude?

 

[1lum1nat1]

Thanks SS.

When is the mayor services for the Bimmer?

Not really sure whether the BMW uses a cambelt or camchain? When should this be replaced & what should be replaced @ the mayor services?

 

[Hellas]

330's usually have been driven harder simply because they can. If the car has been 'abused' (eg driven really hard), then maybe you might have to do a gearbox swop in the future. Otherwise they are good till way over 250k.

 

[1lum1nat1]

What would that cost me? Another thing, should I rather look @ a manual instead?

 

[SirSparky]

dude...ur gonna sikkel to get a manual in bfn....dont be in a hurry and look wider,go later than 2002 then you will be able to go for 6spd manual instead of 5 speed manual.

@hellas,if taken care properly those bmw engine will last much longer than that,bmw engine are kan nie dood engines

 

[1lum1nat1]

So is the manual better than the T-tronic? Won't I have the best of both worlds then?

If I go for a newer model the price increases substantially. I'm not obliged to take the car, I'll take it for a test drive & then decide whether or not it's worth it. I spoke to him now & they said their best cash price will be R100k. Then I've got more than enough left to replace all the components that might have been a problem in the near future & now the car is in tip top shape.

I can see on the photo that the bonnet is a shade darker than the rest of the car (not due to lighting) so it means it was resprayed. This could either have been because of small chips or the car must've been in an accident. If it was in anccident then the rest of the front body panels would be the same color, right? How would I know whether or not the car was in an accident?

Whne should the cambelt/camchain (haven't had an answer for this yet) be replaced?

The car had all it's services, which is the most important part for me.

 

[Nic_s]

Look through the service history to see if the Timing chain/belt has been replaced. I'm not sure what the E46 uses though. I think I'm right in saying that it should have been replaced already, usually before 100 000km.

Also, a manual gearbox is cheaper to repair or replace than the "Fancy Auto" boxes. Drive the car in T-tronic mode and you'll see why I call it a "Fancy Auto".

 

[Hellas]

The seller should not have a problem if you want to run the VIN through BMW to check for the validity of the services and of course the accident damage. But if the car was NOT repaired by BMW, they would not know about it, so try to get the seller to be honest and come clean, either have it inspected by a third party or simply walk away.

 

[SirSparky]

it will use the timing chain....my e46 320 also had a chain

 

[1lum1nat1]

Well, I've went to see another 330i. A 2004 330i A/T with sunroof & all the nice goodies with 106k on the clock, they want R139k for it. The car is in a superb condition, no scratches/dents anything to distract from the eye.

This thing sounds brutal :clap::excited:

I will see the 330i A/T from my first post tomorrow sometime during the day. They want R100k for it. If this one is in a good condition I might just take it.


Are these Auto boxes prone to problems?

 

[Hellas]

@hellas,if taken care properly those bmw engine will last much longer than that,bmw engine are kan nie dood engines

I were referring to the engine killing the autobox.

 

[Arbee]

I just bought a 2004 330i with 85k on the clock. Individual with sunroof. R145k, FSH and Mplan till 120 or end of next yr. Its the 6 speed manual one...

Its frikken amazing!!! I love it!!!

 

[1lum1nat1]

HAHA, I'm glad you like it, the sound of that car is absolutely amazing :clap:

I'm going to do alot of town driving so I think the A/T might just suite me better, unless someone can answer (change my opinion) me regarding the autobox & known issues regarding this.

 

[Gizmo]

Auto gear boxes pack up alot on BMWs with large displacement motors, its the torque that kills it. These are weakpoints that will cost you alot of money when they decide to bomb-out. You could also buy a E90 6spd gearbox and swap it onto the 330i, I did so on mine when my 5spd started giving issues. Cost me R4500 for the box and R600 for the propshaft. Get the E90 Clutch plate with the box because the input shaft is different.

 

[1lum1nat1]

Well, I've spoken to my folks & they all agree that the 2004 330i A/T is the better buy between the two. The car is really spotless.

I'm going for a test drive tomorrow morning.

Gizmo, I saw clucthplate is in the process of changing his 540i A/T to a manual, will this also be such a big job on the 330i A/T? (only if the auto box becomes a problem) I also read that the most issues were with the 2000-2002 models.

 

[SpeedTec]

I've heard the autobox is not good on fuel consumption. I have the 6 speed manual and consumption is at 10.8l/100km, which i think is very reasonable for town driving.

 

[///Marksman]

imho, if you have any doubts, dont take it... there is always a good deal out there, you just have to search a bit.
i bought my old 330 with 180km+-... and the car was in a superb condition, no mechanical issues, no electrical issues, no chassis/suspension issues besides the LCAB's. As Spark said, make sure the history is in good order and u'll be fine. oil services every 7.5k and she will be happy:thumbsup:
Oh yeah... take the manual

 

[1lum1nat1]

The only reason why I have doubts is because of the price, this is alot of money for a car for someone my age, not because of the car. The car is truly in a showroom condition. I'm not really worried about the fuel consumption, because the distance I'll be travelling will barely make a difference between the fuel consumption whether it's a manual or auto.

I got the full service history of the vehicle form BMW Sovereign yesterday. The waterpump & left control arm bushings were replaced 14k ago. It had all it's services.

I'll call BMW again this morning for some general info.

What would you guys say is a good price for this 2004 330i with 106k on the clock? The interior looks sublime, no scuff marks on the leather seats, dash etc. The car really is in a good condition. They wanted R149900, but since I'm paying cash it's down to R139900. You guys think I should try get that down some more? The car was taken back by bank from the previous owners, so I guess they paid very little for it.

 

[freerider]

139k is pretty reasonable already, but tell them you can give them 135k, I'm pretty sure they would bite.

If you look at the bigger pic here, you are spending a little more than you would have before, but you are getting a newer car with a lot less kms and it will be easier to resell come the time.