new guy..."new" e46 330d on the cards maybe?

[Tjoppies]

hi Guys,

new guy here...

currently driving a hOPELess coupe.
bought cheap and thought it would become a project car....pfff...turns out not to be the case as i am playing catchup with 12yr old performance car which hasnt been taken care of at the best of times.

anyway, as it turns out im up for a promotion at work which will require more travelling and a more reliable - also have a 2yr old so a 4 door will just be so much more convenient.

anyway - current boss's mother (high 70's tannie) is maybe looking to sell her 330d - FSH by dealers up untill motorplan expiry, and maintained by the family mechanic since....priced around R65 000
i dont have maintenance or car details yet but will get em over the weekend


so i obviously started doing some research on the forum by 99% of the topics are 3yrs old or more so would like some fresh perspective, so il will be asking some questions once i receive more details on the car / maintenance history etc.

 

[Budleigh]

Manual or auto?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Maljan]

If it was a petrol, I would have told you to look for invoices for radiators, thermostats and water pumps. Might still be a good idea, but I don't know much about the diesel cooling system. The petrol one, I am an expert on (don't ask). An invoice for a new or rebuilt turbo would mean one less thing to worry about.

What you should look out for is the window regulator mechanisms. On the E46, they all break. The replacements eventually break as well. That's just the way it is.

Another thing to look out for is the front suspension bushes. If they are worn, there will be a wobble that appears at about 90 and then goes away as you go faster.

If it has a sunroof, check that it opens and shuts without weird noises. The blind has some fragile plastic bits holding it in place. Easy to replace, but the stealers charge a pretty penny for them.

Check all the electric toys work, especially the CD changer. Also check both keys. If the tannie only used one key all the time, the battery in the other one might be dead by now. A bit of a hassle to get fixed, but not a deal breaker. Regarding keys, there should also be a grey service key and a little black emergency key. It came with the car, so ask for them.

 

[AdiS]

Common E46 problems that are engine-agnostic:

-Front Lower control arm bushes (but the entire suspension should by extension be considered as usually by this age you need to do shocks and other bushes).

-Window regulators

-Automatic gearboxes fail and require an expensive rebuild or manual conversion (R25k)

330d Specific:
-SWIRL FLAPS! The are little plastic intake adjuster flaps, there are 6 of them and they have a habit of becoming brittle with age and breaking off. If this happens it can destroy your engine. The good news is that it is relatively easy to remove them and replace with blank plates (buy off ebay) to remove this as a risk area. This wont have been done if the car is dealer maintained.

-Vibration Damper pulley (quite expensive)

-Turbo at some point

-Vacuum lines can cause multiple vacuum and boost leaks

Otherwise its a fantastic engine that delivers nice torque and excellent fuel economy.

As Maljan has pointed out, the cooling system is a known weak point on the petrol E46, and usually the practise is to replace at the very least, the plastic expansion tank, but best practice is to replace the waterpump, thermostat, and upper and lower intake hoses. The radiator would need to be done at some point too, but you can usually spot a leak and then replace as necessary.

General

Then there are just normal wear and tear items like brakes, tires, clutch, suspension which will depend on the current condition of the car and how recently those items were done by the previous owner.

 

[Tjoppies]

it's a 2002, manual - just got the dealer service history.
so assuming it is the 135kw motor
had motorplan extended until 115 000, then again to 155 000

Claims are as follow:

clutch done at 142 000km
fuel injector leaking 129 000
rubber mounts - rear axle 105 000
alternator belt at 105 000
aircon drive belt at 105 000
front discs at 104 000
engine mount at 98 000
window mechanism at 89 000
brake pads 75 000

and the rest is just oil services and inspections


if i go ahead and buy it i will ask for all maintenance done on the car after motorplan expired.


i just cant afford another money pit like the Astra - and my budget is around the R80 000 mark.
so if i buy at 65k i still have some change left to do maintenance...?

 

[AdiS]

i just cant afford another money pit like the Astra - and my budget is around the R80 000 mark.
so if i buy at 65k i still have some change left to do maintenance...?

It sounds like it has been well maintained, but it is unrealistic to expect a 14 year old car not to require regular work (read: cost money often).

 

[Maljan]

As far as buying an E46 goes, the one described is the best one. A one owner E46 is hen's teeth these days.

A first owner is covered by plan as far as upkeep goes. The second owner usually has a bit of plan left and then keeps up with the maintenance because the car was not cheap. After that things get hazy.

Most of the E46s around are now with the third or fourth owner. They do not always maintain them as well as they should. Guys want the badge and spend all of their hard earned getting it. Maintenance and repairs sometimes gets deferred or skipped because of other priorities.

This one sounds like a real find. If the OP doesn't take it, I am sure that the tannie will have a fanatic or two knocking on her door.
:=):

 

[sash]

Thought BMW only allowed my extension to 140k km and 7 years. What is the current mileage.

 

[Mc Member.]

Ai Tjopper, are you here too now?


Sorry to hear about the Opel dude.


http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=78927