BMW E46...what say you?

I bought a 2001 330ci convert.  I love it, but I know that someday the top mechanism will fail and leave my wallet broken and me sad. 

For under $5k it has a lifetime of dealer service records and 130k miles on the odometer.

Bump from the dead. What's the lifespan of the engine/manual trans on a 330CI? I found one nearby that seems pretty clean, 177k miles but has had the coolant system done and recent fuel pump/filter replacement.  Sunroof doesn't work but windows must. 

I'm looking for a decent, fun daily driver to replace my Expedition and hopefully save me some gas money on my ~70 mile a day commute and this is for sale nearby, asking $3300. Thoughts?

In reply to classicJackets :

Unless your confident in your abilities, I would spend $100 to have a good indie shop do a quick PPI.  It will probably be fine, if it has been loved enough to have had the cooling system redone already.  If it gets a good report card, buy it and drive it another 75,000 miles.

If you drive conservatively, you should get upper 20s out of it.

klodkrawler05 said:

It's worth the extra cost up front to pay for a car that has been well maintained it's whole life vs one that is behind on lots of maintenance.

 

This is good advice on any German car of basically any age. That's why I went out of my way and paid a bit of a premium for my '13 135i with only 26k miles. 

In reply to classicJackets :

The M52 in my E36 was running great and consumed no oil at ~210k when someone tried to park a Tacoma in the trunk. I had planned to refresh the suspension and cooling system and run it to 250k+, but alas it was totaled instead. Not sure what my uncle is at in his E46s, but they're probably both close to, if not over , but 200k by now. If it's been well cared for,  which like Duke said the cooling system bodes well for, I'd have no issues with the mileage. Just plan to keep up on the PM.

z31maniac said:

klodkrawler05 said:

It's worth the extra cost up front to pay for a car that has been well maintained it's whole life vs one that is behind on lots of maintenance.

 

This is good advice on any German car of basically any age. That's why I went out of my way and paid a bit of a premium for my '13 135i with only 26k miles. 

Not to hijack the thread, but how do you like your 135?  I have been considering one for a daily driver.  

classicJackets said:

Bump from the dead. What's the lifespan of the engine/manual trans on a 330CI? I found one nearby that seems pretty clean, 177k miles but has had the coolant system done and recent fuel pump/filter replacement.  Sunroof doesn't work but windows must. 

 

I'm looking for a decent, fun daily driver to replace my Expedition and hopefully save me some gas money on my ~70 mile a day commute and this is for sale nearby, asking $3300. Thoughts?

The M54 is bad for burning oil on cars that haven't been whipped hard and maintained well -- i.e. most owners.  Just plan on a quart per 1k miles...beat the car regularly and that will probably diminish.

The sunroof is a common problem and can be an easy DIY depending on the failure mode.  For a borderline embarrassing sum of $72, you can buy the sun shade clips that break off that are usually the culprit.  I've never paid more for less material, including trips to Jared.  The sunroof comes out of the car with 6 easily accessible torx screws.  Pull the sunshade, replace the clips, lube the tracks, replace the glass and viola!

The engine and transmission are fundamentally solid.  

Vanos repair = verify or do

Intake boots = 2 yr replacement cycle

It will probably be leaking oil from the oil filter housing = easy

It will probably be sweating pentosin from the power steer resevoir = they ALL do this.

It may be leaking oil from the oilpan = a bitch

I guarantee in this price range it will need ALL of the bushings and front control arms = budget $1k

But before you do any of this, get a PPI and insist they drop the rear subframe (partially unscrew 1.5" on the 4 long mounting bolts) and look for metal fatigue.

All that said, it's a ton of car for the money and with a little maintenance they are very reliable.

Tyler H said:

The M54 is bad for burning oil on cars that haven't been whipped hard and maintained well -- i.e. most owners.  Just plan on a quart per 1k miles...beat the car regularly and that will probably diminish.

Not always. My E39 525i was well-flogged on a very regular basis and still developed the oil consumption problem (it's caused by a combination of bad rings and various elements in the CCV). Much experimentation ensued, resulting in a very simple, very effective modification to the CCV system. There's a massive thread in the General Mechanical Help section over on BimmerForums with details and many testimonials from people who have done the mod and seen their consumption drop to zero or close to it.

racerdave600 said:

z31maniac said:

klodkrawler05 said:

It's worth the extra cost up front to pay for a car that has been well maintained it's whole life vs one that is behind on lots of maintenance.

 

This is good advice on any German car of basically any age. That's why I went out of my way and paid a bit of a premium for my '13 135i with only 26k miles. 

Not to hijack the thread, but how do you like your 135?  I have been considering one for a daily driver.  

I'll start a review thread on it later, so we don't hijack the thread, needless to say it's probably the favorite car I've ever owned.

BTW, it's now been just over a year with the 330Ci ZHP convertible and that fuel pump is still the only cost that's been associated with it, other than adding a GROM Bluetooth module to stream music off the phone. It's been to upstate NY, and down to TN last year, and is going up to NY next weekend and down to TN the week after that. It gets used quite a bit (it's my wife's daily driver) and is just perfect as a driver. Just turned 100k miles on it, too.

I really like the way the E46's drive, but the whole subframe tearing thing scared me off so I bought an E90.  Then an E91, then another E91.  

Overall, if you're looking at E46s, also look at E90s.  No, they don't feel as nimble as an E46, but they're somewhere between an E46 and an E39 in size and "flickability" and the prices are really similar.  They're a little quicker though, get better gas mileage, and the subframes don't tear.  The sport seats are also more comfortable in the E90s than the E46s, though that's a subjective assessment.