Help with possible E46 325i Purchase

[Retro DJSA]

Hi All, Need help to decide if should buy an E46 2003 325i. Seen on YouTube mixed views (haters & lovers). Is this a good/bad car? Is fuel consumption ok? Are parts expensive....Thanks in advance !!!

 

[evnmopwr]

you will need find 1 first then check its maintenance History. That will determine if its a Good or bad car to get.
Fuel consumption is dependent on If you going Manual or Auto
Parts are relatively cheap for the E46s. ( Can get expensive if you have allot of preventative maintenance to do on the car you find )

I found the E46 330i to get better fuel consumption than the 325i ( had both )
Averaged around 12l/100km on my 325i and on the 330i, Im currently on 10.8l/100km. Mixed Driving

Overall, im biased to the E46 so im of the opinion its the most affordable "luxury" car currently

 

[Coisman]

I have a 2003 325i exclusive, bought it in 2007 with 32,000km on the clock. Car hit 200,000kms last week, standing on 200,600kms now.

All I am spending money on now is general maintenance and the odd old part that is breaking, like a coolant hose here, a vent breather pipe there, leaky radiator...stuff that go with old age.

Services are cheap, and can be done yourself with a few tools. Brakes and that as well, easy enough to do yourself.

Mine has a full decat, 57mm twin freeflow exhaust, and I drive my car hard, being a spietkop you know, I am always chasing suspects. I average 11.7-12.2L/100km and only drive town.
On the highway i get 7.8L/100, but in 2019 went down to ATKV Natalia from Pretoria, used the cruise control on 125km/h most of the time, and did 6.2L/100km.

Look, I've had my baby for 15 years now and love my car, won't get rid of it very soon. Yes, she is not the fastest, yes she is not the newest, but she is mine, and a all rounder, and a BMW.

 

[Gordvisr]

Hallo , most of the six cylinder engines built by BMW are good engines, some parts might be expensive some not, what too look out for is service and maintenance history, if was done in time and properly, you should not have any major problems. i would just stay away from the auto boxes, they have a tendency of having issues.

 

[AdiS]

Hi All, Need help to decide if should buy an E46 2003 325i. Seen on YouTube mixed views (haters & lovers). Is this a good/bad car? Is fuel consumption ok? Are parts expensive....Thanks in advance !!!

As mentioned above, the answer to whether a 325i is a maintenance headache or not depends ENTIRELY on which specific example you choose to buy.

With the age of these cars, many of them have a huge maintenance backlog that has accumulated and been deferred. But, If you find one that’s had a loving and proactive owner, then it’s very manageable.

You’ll want to research common failure items on the e46 platform such as cooling system, oil leaks and front lower control arm bushes.

A well looked after e46 is a lovely car. I would recommend driving one first to see if the overall driving experience and performance are sufficient for you (only you can decide this).

Fuel consumption is likely to be on the heavier side in town, and pretty good on the highway.

I agree with circa 12L/100km in town, and somewhere in the 7s on the highway.

Good luck.


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[Retro DJSA]

you will need find 1 first then check its maintenance History. That will determine if its a Good or bad car to get.
Fuel consumption is dependent on If you going Manual or Auto
Parts are relatively cheap for the E46s. ( Can get expensive if you have allot of preventative maintenance to do on the car you find )

I found the E46 330i to get better fuel consumption than the 325i ( had both )
Averaged around 12l/100km on my 325i and on the 330i, Im currently on 10.8l/100km. Mixed Driving

Overall, im biased to the E46 so im of the opinion its the most affordable "luxury" car currently

Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I seen on YouTube as well more people prefer the E46 to E90. Will take into consideration your advice. Much Appreciated...Take Care

 

[Retro DJSA]

I have a 2003 325i exclusive, bought it in 2007 with 32,000km on the clock. Car hit 200,000kms last week, standing on 200,600kms now.

All I am spending money on now is general maintenance and the odd old part that is breaking, like a coolant hose here, a vent breather pipe there, leaky radiator...stuff that go with old age.

Services are cheap, and can be done yourself with a few tools. Brakes and that as well, easy enough to do yourself.

Mine has a full decat, 57mm twin freeflow exhaust, and I drive my car hard, being a spietkop you know, I am always chasing suspects. I average 11.7-12.2L/100km and only drive town.
On the highway i get 7.8L/100, but in 2019 went down to ATKV Natalia from Pretoria, used the cruise control on 125km/h most of the time, and did 6.2L/100km.

Look, I've had my baby for 15 years now and love my car, won't get rid of it very soon. Yes, she is not the fastest, yes she is not the newest, but she is mine, and a all rounder, and a BMW.

thanks soo much for your reply..Noted thanks !!!

 

[Retro DJSA]

As mentioned above, the answer to whether a 325i is a maintenance headache or not depends ENTIRELY on which specific example you choose to buy.

With the age of these cars, many of them have a huge maintenance backlog that has accumulated and been deferred. But, If you find one that’s had a loving and proactive owner, then it’s very manageable.

You’ll want to research common failure items on the e46 platform such as cooling system, oil leaks and front lower control arm bushes.

A well looked after e46 is a lovely car. I would recommend driving one first to see if the overall driving experience and performance are sufficient for you (only you can decide this).

Fuel consumption is likely to be on the heavier side in town, and pretty good on the highway.

I agree with circa 12L/100km in town, and somewhere in the 7s on the highway.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks soo much for your reply..Noted thanks !!!

 

[Retro DJSA]

As mentioned above, the answer to whether a 325i is a maintenance headache or not depends ENTIRELY on which specific example you choose to buy.

With the age of these cars, many of them have a huge maintenance backlog that has accumulated and been deferred. But, If you find one that’s had a loving and proactive owner, then it’s very manageable.

You’ll want to research common failure items on the e46 platform such as cooling system, oil leaks and front lower control arm bushes.

A well looked after e46 is a lovely car. I would recommend driving one first to see if the overall driving experience and performance are sufficient for you (only you can decide this).

Fuel consumption is likely to be on the heavier side in town, and pretty good on the highway.

I agree with circa 12L/100km in town, and somewhere in the 7s on the highway.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks soo much for your reply..Noted thanks !!!

 

[Coisman]

As mentioned above, the answer to whether a 325i is a maintenance headache or not depends ENTIRELY on which specific example you choose to buy.

With the age of these cars, many of them have a huge maintenance backlog that has accumulated and been deferred. But, If you find one that’s had a loving and proactive owner, then it’s very manageable.

You’ll want to research common failure items on the e46 platform such as cooling system, oil leaks and front lower control arm bushes.

A well looked after e46 is a lovely car. I would recommend driving one first to see if the overall driving experience and performance are sufficient for you (only you can decide this).

Fuel consumption is likely to be on the heavier side in town, and pretty good on the highway.

I agree with circa 12L/100km in town, and somewhere in the 7s on the highway.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea, agree. Normal issues with these cars, lucky not too expensive to replace if you replace it with proper quality parts: In the past 14 years:
Control arm bushes - replaced mine 5 times, speed bumps everywhere in my area.
Expansion tank - replaced mine 3 times
Disa valve - replaced 2 times
Coolant hoses - replaces 1 time
Radiator - replaced 2 times, most recent a month ago (casing separates from aluminum and leaks)
Crank case vent valve and pipes - replaced 2 times
Thermostat - replaced 1 time
Fuel filter - 1 time
plugs - 2 times (they last 80,000km)
Other than that brakes and other wear and tear parts

 

[Regal]

I bought a well taken care of 2004 325i wagon in Feb 2021. Consumption is a touch over 12 l/100km in traffic. I've done a Cape Town to Tzaneen (Limpopo), covered about 6000 km that week, consumption was just below 10 l/100km with cruise on 160 and flat out pulls every chance I got. The car is yet to skip a beat. Touch wood. Do expect to deal with issues of a 17+ year old car. I had to do engine mounts not too long ago. The fuel sensor is faulty, the fix involves a new fuel pump, will do it one day, I currently reset the trip counter and fill up every 400 km. Its consuming 185 ml of engine of per 1000 km. Quality motoring at a steal has been my experience. Again touch wood.

 

[Gordvisr]

Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I seen on YouTube as well more people prefer the E46 to E90. Will take into consideration your advice. Much Appreciated...Take Care

Never owned an E46 so cannot say if it is better or not than the E90, but from an owner of an E90, 330i it is a very under rated car, it has one of the most reliable engines BMW had made, has a good punch to it. Go and test drive one, you will understand.

 

[Tinuva]

Never owned an E46 so cannot say if it is better or not than the E90, but from an owner of an E90, 330i it is a very under rated car, it has one of the most reliable engines BMW had made, has a good punch to it. Go and test drive one, you will understand.

I would love the N52B30 engine. Its the rest of the E90 I am not a fan off

 

[Retro DJSA]

Thanks guys for all youe advice & input..much Appreciated !!

 

[DonovanPorter]

i am looking at a possible purchase of a 2003 e46 325i Touring and this has come to be a very handy thread , shot guys

 

[VinceM]

I’m an E46 Fan having owned a few models (F10, F25, F30, E70, E90).

I’m onto my 4th E46 and it’s a great platform.

I have the 325ci MTech II. The handling is superb. They are slow cars vs new offerings but that is an advantage, you can drive them fast!

Easy cars to live with. Maintenance easy, insurance low, fuel a bit high but your savings on acquisition cost and insurance should offset fuel costs.

The power difference between a 325 and 330 is noticeable, and option if you have an opportunity to get a 330.

All the best!


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