i need help choosing e46 for my wife!

[Kisho135i]

recently got married and wanna buy my wife a e46
Looking at:

E46 318i automatic
e46 320i automatic
e46 320d automatic

She travels alot so wanna get a something a bit more safe than her peugeot 206. the car i'll buy will have +-100k on the clock.

I'm leaning towards 318i, just worried about power but i heard they got 2lt engines?

Car needs to be extremely reliable
Have enough power to travel with a full load
fuel efficiency
Easy to maintain

I need to buy like this week or next so i need quick response. THANKS!!!

 

[P1000]

325i. Same economy, better everything.

I'd try and avoid 320d's. I see no point in a 318i, and very little in a 320i.

 

[Jandre]

e46 320i facelift is decent. I had one, and can live with the performance.
e46 318i facelift came with a 2l engine. it sucked. (IMO). I had to inform my 318ti the previous day if I was planning on overtaking someone.

Buy the 325 and smile all the way.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
I know here in Pretoria, Gauteng there are allot of these at various dealerships, so good luck with the search.
I would also stay away from the 320d, and like P1000 stated, you might even find a 323/325 in that pricerange.

 

[moranor@axis]

+1
get from 323i up the fuel consumption is the same as the the smaller engines and you get alot more power... also they normally have more extras than the base models...

 

[msm]

Not sure on the others, but I would avoid a 320i in Auto. The reason is that this engine makes most of it's power/torque at the top end - hence this is not an ideal combo for an auto box.

You should be able to pick up a standard 330i Auto for around that price, as most guys want the 330i in manual. Also, fuel consumption would be about the same throughout the range - in fact, I think the 330i would be the lightest 6 cylinder (if driven sedately) as the gearbox changes early due to the additional low down torque. On the "less powerfull" models your gearbox revs a bit more before changing - this is assuming you keep the same driving style - just my R0.02 on this.

 

[Kisho135i]

Are you guys sure? 325i same fuel. Look i wnna pay max 85 as i am paying cash. in that price range, the 323 325 have too much mileage. in a 318 auto i can get 2003 with 103 000km. she is a women how power does she need, she drives a 1.4 at the moment.

 

[moranor@axis]

missed the auto part... get a 330i if you can like msm said

 

[Kisho135i]

msm that makes a ton of sense. a 318 you might have to hammer so more petrol. guys you know my price range please point me in the right direction. it must be a car she can keep for 2-3 years so i dont want it too be under power where she wont enjoy the car.

 

[P1000]

Are you guys sure? 325i same fuel. Look i wnna pay max 85 as i am paying cash. in that price range, the 323 325 have too much mileage. in a 318 auto i can get 2003 with 103 000km. she is a women how power does she need, she drives a 1.4 at the moment.

318 auto will be much slower than a 1.4 polo or the likes. Go test drive one.

 

[Kisho135i]

where will i find a good 330 with low mileage in that price range. are you guys sure 325 328 330 all same consumption with autobox?

 

[andrewbuch]

We have a 2004 E46 318i Auto... Consumption with my mom driving sits at about 14l/100km... when I drive it gets up to 17l/100km as its very underpowered for its size so have to put foot to get it going..

but on the open road to Durbs i got 7l/100 average there & while there about 300km & back...


I would say get a 325i or 330i...

---

the face lift 318i has a bit more power than the preface but if its auto its wasted anyway. My e36 318i (1.8l) manual keeps up with the 2004 318i (2.0l) auto...

in my 2000 318i manual I get chowed by corsa's 1.4 & up.. not to mention a citi golf with a cone filter

 

[Kisho135i]

p1000 i drove a manual 318 and really its dead, it actually kills the enjoyment cause you constantly have to ride hard to get going. so 318 out. 320 is a 6 so consumption will be similar to 325 328 330 because of this and it wont have to work as hard. thank goodness i posted this, thanks for the input guys, i was gonna buy a 318. So now i'm looking a 330 auto 328 auto or 325 auto in that order with +- 120 km on the clock or less lol. i'm paying cash so hopefully this will help ( cash money talks). So where can i find?

 

[msm]

msm that makes a ton of sense. a 318 you might have to hammer so more petrol. guys you know my price range please point me in the right direction. it must be a car she can keep for 2-3 years so i dont want it too be under power where she wont enjoy the car.

If she has a Pug 206 already, then you should wait a while until you find the right car, as she is not stuck for wheels.

The problem with an Automatic is that you really grow to hate the car if it does not have the right engine. Around town, it becomes annoying as the car revs too much and on the highway the box starts hunting (especially with a full load) - in both instances fuel consumption suffers.

 

[Kisho135i]

Citi with a cone lol. havent we all been there

 

[ChrisBrand]

@Kisho Go search Fuel Consumption and you'll get a few threads where there is concrete evidence of 323/325/328/330 with consumption in the range of 7.0l/100km. For R120 000 you could get a clean 325 with about 145 000km on the clock.

 

[Kisho135i]

msm you right i'll just have to wait till i find it.

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Have you looked at E36's? you might find one in a very good condition, with low km's, and in 328/330 engine size.
Just a thought :thumb:

 

[Sankekur]

p1000 i drove a manual 318 and really its dead, it actually kills the enjoyment cause you constantly have to ride hard to get going. so 318 out. 320 is a 6 so consumption will be similar to 325 328 330 because of this and it wont have to work as hard. thank goodness i posted this, thanks for the input guys, i was gonna buy a 318. So now i'm looking a 330 auto 328 auto or 325 auto in that order with +- 120 km on the clock or less lol. i'm paying cash so hopefully this will help ( cash money talks). So where can i find?

You can pretty much rule out the 328i as you will have a hard time finding one with that kind of mileage and most I've seen are in pretty shocking condition.

imp:
Have you looked at E36's? you might find one in a very good condition, with low km's, and in 328/330 engine size.
Just a thought :thumb:

330 e36?
Seeing as the car is for his wife, I assume safety is also a big concern and e36's are not exactly safe (1 or 1.5 star N cap rating or something like that)

 

[P1000]

Good on you. Just keep in mind, the 328 was only pre-facelift, so you might struggle to find a good, low mileage one. Also, make sure the car actually has the number of km's on as indicated, a LOT of used car dealers have no ethics, and these cars are great to clock, because they age so well. The best tell is the steering wheel and seats, but you have to look at a lot of cars to get a feel for this. Good luck with the hunt!