What E46 is best option to buy

[Blomhj]

Looking to buy an E46 for my wife must be a 6 cylinder either the

320d
325i
328i

have R90000 cash but of the above what do you guys think is the best option to go for I love the 320d but maintenace wise its a bit expensive
pro's and con's of these models are?????????

 

[Sankekur]

Would be hard to find a 328i, and all of them that I looked at had more than 200 000k's on the clock (not that I am saying this is a problem, there is just a higher potential for problems).
Personally I would advise against buying second hand diesels, but this is just my opinion.
I would go for the 325, there are still some desent ones around and basically the same engine as the 328i

 

[Sash_X]

I agree. Second hand diezel is asking for trouble.I'd go for the 325i also

 

[gazza]

how about a 323i
also a 6 cylinder motor. i got 2 of them, they run pretty well!

 

[msm]

If u look hard enough you may even find a standard pre-facelift 330i for around R100k.

 

[XMAX]

second hand 320Ds are alright if you can find one in excellent condition. but they are very well known for turbo problems.

328i - I wouldnt even look for one. no offence to those who own them, but these are only available in pre facelift e46 (1999 to 2001), which would be a little old for your R90 000.

rather go for the 325i, but make sure its a facelift. I personally like the auto / steptronic, but others have said that the manual is nice also. get one with low mileage, and definitely put a warranty on it. Ive just had some good experiences with SA Warranties. Believe me, you dont want to spend R90k and then have a problem after a little while. protect yourself.

sorry if ive strayed.

final note: buy a facelift 325i (Auto might be better for the wife as clutches are expensive), and add a warranty (usually R7500 for 2 years unlimited kms, or monthly at roughly R350 / month).

 

[Blomhj]

so thats why you can pick up a 320d with 100k on the clock for R75k there is a nice 330i for R85000 on autotrader. But if I get the 330i i will drive with it and my wife can take the Opel.
Maintenance wise less or more expensive than the old E36 M3 that was my last BM I owned and it killed me with maintenance

 

[Darren12]

325i is a good choice, definitely with a warranty. I bought a 330i with 170k on the clock and within 3 weeks my power steering unit packed in, when I took it to my mechanic he told me what the mileage was before I told him, he said it seems to be a regular problem with e46's at around 165k. I don't know if anyone else has had the same problem but it has made me weary of cars with higher mileage, that unit from BMW is R 7800-00. A bit irritating when you just got the car!

 

[XMAX]

not sure bout the maintenance, but once again, I advise you add a warranty on the car.

if the car is a fairly newish model, with some fairly average mileage, then you should get some decent cover on the vehicle.

it may not cover the cost of some of the components completely, but it will definitely help in a fix.

Also, the e46's are generally not troublesome cars, though bad owners have problems. always phone bmw and get commentary on the car (its free, theyll even email you the commentary report). Its also a good idea to send the car for a AA full Technical Examination. it may set you back R1200, but its definitely worth it as you will know where every problem is with the car.

330i is a great and fast car. R85000 sounds almost too good to be true. not saying that its a bad deal, just be sceptical. there are plenty of 330i's for sale. do some research, see the trends. get the average price vs mileage vs age. if this car falls good, then all cool by the pool.

sometimes there are genuine lucks, but not often. so research, research, research.

 

[Blomhj]

the warranty you can get for R7500 is that paid upfront or monhly or yearly how does that work

 

[XMAX]

the warranty you can get for R7500 is that paid upfront or monhly or yearly how does that work

you have the option to buy it off. as in a once off payment, or you can choose to pay monthly.

There are parts to the plan. there is the Standard Plan (R195 per month) and the Prestige Plan (R250 per month).

Then there is the Step Up plan which adds a few thousand rands to the values covered (R90 rand extra added to any of the above plans).

now the values of the components covers varies, depending on the age and mileage of the vehicle. e.g.

Prestige Plan A - Vehicles less than 5 years with less than 120 000km
Prestige Plan B - Vehicles less than 8 years with less than 160 000km
Prestige plan C- All other vehicles

e.g. Plan A covers engine up to - R20 000
Plan B covers engine up to - R12 500
Plan C covers engine up to - R10 500

The step up policy add on adds a further R6500 to the max on any plan.

Remember that there is also the Standard plan, but the values are much lower. (i wouldnt go for it, owning a BMW, rather spend a few extra bucks for the piece of mind)

Other components are also covered, and there are also plenty of other benefits but you would have to contact SA Warranties on 011 417 0330. they will call you back on request.

There are also many other warranty people like Motorite, MBI, Auto Sure - (only if youre buying from a car sales), Warranty Solutions. Also, if you have insurance, youll find that many of the insurers also have warranties which they will add to your monthly premium.

Im insured with Miway, and their warranty is crap, but the insurance is cheap.

 

[Stiffler_PE]

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread a bit...

@ AMAX... i bought my beemer from a private seller, do warranties exist that allow me to, now, buy a warranty plan for the beemer, 8 months after i purchased her ?
Any advice appreciated.. or a website you could point me to for research.

Cheers!
:thumbsup:

 

[XMAX]

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread a bit...

@ AMAX... i bought my beemer from a private seller, do warranties exist that allow me to, now, buy a warranty plan for the beemer, 8 months after i purchased her ?
Any advice appreciated.. or a website you could point me to for research.

Cheers!
:thumbsup:

Dude, is X.. Max. , dont worry, my name doesnt include a Max, but ive been using Xmax ever since i joined the Xbox360 Forum (a slight bit of insight into my username).

anyways, Yes you can purchase a warranty even if the car was bought privately. My beemer was bought privately also.

the main thing is that you have a good service history for the vehicle. make sure that the services were kept to (they usually allow a 1000km allowance before and after service due). If you have this, then you can definitely add the warranty onto your car.

Im no expert on warranties, therefore if someone else sees that ive said someting incorrect, please feel free to correct me.

 

[Stiffler_PE]

LOL... Sorry bud. Typing quicker than i should, and see what happens :slap:

I do indeed have FSH on the car. I am the second owner and the servicing was done bang on the numbers and recorded in the book.

I am looking for some ass covering lol... just bought some property, so dont need any nasty surprises anytime soon :mmm:

Anyone in particular you would recomend ?

Cheers X MAX

 

[XMAX]

LOL... Sorry bud. Typing quicker than i should, and see what happens :slap:

I do indeed have FSH on the car. I am the second owner and the servicing was done bang on the numbers and recorded in the book.

I am looking for some ass covering lol... just bought some property, so dont need any nasty surprises anytime soon :mmm:

Anyone in particular you would recomend ?

Cheers X MAX

No problem bro.

I am currently with SA Warranties. the number is in a post above. I havent had any issues with them. in fact, they were quite quick on getting my claim authorised. took the car in at 07:30, claim was authorised by 11:30. quick turnaround.

 

[Blomhj]

Hey im also on the Xbox forum. They dont give warranties to Opel's they brake alot ask me I know. Im going to look at a 325 in Santon this afternoon for 95k she's got FSH and 138k on the clock just hope its isnt " Bo blink onder stink "

 

[Stiffler_PE]

Cheers Xmax... have mailed them with a query.

Good luck with the beemer blomhj :thumbsup:
Price sounds ok for mileage... but squeeze anyway imp: R85k cash... its better than a dealer will offer them and less than you will pay off a second hand car lot.