http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/3579616953.html
What does the collective mind think? I've heard many horror stories here at work about BMW parts prices. For example, a co-worker just sold his E46 because an outside mirror was $600. I was pretty sure there are grassroots ways around that one, but is that the case with most common failures?
How many miles? Did I miss it or didn't it say?
For that price, I'd look for for a 330i ZHP......
or for 5k higher start looking into E46 M's.
There is a way around the expensive oddball parts, its called finding them in salvage yards/internet. Aside from the normal cooling issues, and a few others, they aren't bad cars.
Bravenrace, I don't think it said.....
No mileage listed. 
Whether thats a good price or not depends on the location I think. I'm in cali and unless its really high mileage that car would be more like $12k or more. I know someone who has one, I don't think it has had a huge amount of problems (for sure never been on a tow truck), but it only has like 85k on it. Mostly stuff like coolant leaks, the check engine light coming on often, that type of thing.
That price doesn't look obscene for this area (Texas), especially with the up-to-date maintenance. If it was me, I'd be looking real hard at that one. Hell, if the mileage is under 100K, a good friend of mine might be REAL interested in flying out there to look at it.
I've worked on E46 track cars some, and they're no scarier than E30s, except for some electrical gremlins in the SMG transmission controller.
www.germanautoparts.com has a good price and parts for nearly any German vehicle.
I love my 330i ZHP. As noted above, the price is very dependent on the mileage. Could be a great price with many of the typical issues already addressed.
If you want to scan through a lot of e46s for sale, check out the classified sections here:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=224
My car:
I love mine. 01 E46 330CI. I bought it for 10k @ 110 thousand miles from a good friend. It was well taken care of and modded very tastefully. It has needed and I have done very little. Meanwhile racked up 30k more miles. Its seen multiple track days, 2 years of daily driving and more than a few autocrosses. My only gripe is that they come with an open diff. Otherwise they are great to live with.
I bet it's over well over 100K since he detailed all the service and parts but omitted the mileage... Still looks good w/ all that maintenance done.
I be following w/ interest
We have a 330xi for our son,3 years later it still runs great. Did do the coolant fix at 100k, now around 110
That's funny - the picture was taken in the paddock at a Martin Sports Car Club autox. I was there....
My wife's DD is a 330i/5. I think that it may be one of the best all around cars ever made. Total package of luxury, handling, mileage, and the wonderful M54 engine.
glueguy wrote: That's funny - the picture was taken in the paddock at a Martin Sports Car Club autox. I was there.... .
That is funny - I didn't notice that until you mentioned it.
Seems expensive. No sport package (which means you're missing some of the world's best seats). Curious about the mileage. IMO, the upgrades hurt the value. I've never liked coilovers on street cars. And what's with the xi wheels? If the mileage is where I think it is (130k ish) that's a $7k car around here, tops.
People who whine about BMW part prices are either poorer than I am, or suck at shopping. Eeuroparts, FCP Euro, etc have the market covered pretty well. Very few parts are dealer only.
SlickDizzy wrote: And what's with the xi wheels?
Those are legit premium package 330i wheels. Original tires were 205/50-17.
jstein77 wrote:glueguy wrote: That's funny - the picture was taken in the paddock at a Martin Sports Car Club autox. I was there.... .That is funny - I didn't notice that until you mentioned it.
I know, it's really subtle. I caught it because I remembered the car. It was a late 2012 event at OCCC. Sept/Oct/Nov, somewhere in there. We ran the same heat and I was hectic as a two driver car so I didn't get a good look at it. Just noticed the lowered stance and the original narrow unstaggered radial spoke wheels.
I haven't had to replace anything sizable yet on my xi but the little pieces haven't been bad and by this point the e46 forums have most of the fiddly DIYs well documented if you are trying to trouble shoot something.
And, yes, style 73s are a royal pain to clean.
dyintorace wrote: My car:
dyintorace: What brand/size are your CSLs there? They look great!
I've done a bit of shopping for them and looked at lots of them for sale. The only thing that scares me is the rear subframe issue, which seems to be worse than the E36 cars. If I bought one, I'd spend the few hundred bucks for the reinforcement kit and spend a solid weekend in the garage and do it up right so there's no more worries.
Canoe
[Thanks. Got him - JoeyM]
Nothing to add except that I really like that body style of BMW
dyintorace wrote: My car:
Yours and mine could have been twins. Here's mine, I had it for about a year in 2009-2010:
It was a great car, a ball to drive, pinpoint accurate steering, plenty of power, good mileage when you kept your foot out of it. The interior was just OK and it didn't have that "bank vault" build quality that older German cars seem to have, at least to me, but it was still an awesome ride. I ended up selling it for purely financial reasons.
Having had both, in my opinion an E46 ZHP is an E36 M3 with a healthy dose of refinement.
My experience with my E36 that mechanical parts were very reasonable, especially if you shop around with a few of the key vendors on Bimmerforums. Interior/exterior parts could be very expensive, as many are dealer-only. For example, a new door seal for my 328is was around $285 at Pelican, so I just picked up a used one in perfect shape for $100. Most of the dealer-only parts can be found on a car that's being parted out on a forum, so I wouldn't worry as much about it.
asterisk wrote: I haven't had to replace anything sizable yet on my xi but the little pieces haven't been bad and by this point the e46 forums have most of the fiddly DIYs well documented if you are trying to trouble shoot something. And, yes, style 73s are a royal pain to clean.dyintorace wrote: My car:dyintorace: What brand/size are your CSLs there? They look great!
Thanks! I bought them from ModBargains and they are Sportline CS.16 CSL Style Wheels in 18".
How does the Xi compare to the RWD versions?
I've wanted a BMW for a long and the front mounted inline six / RWD combo is the biggest part of the attraction. But it seems most cars around here that show up on the used market are all wheel drive. I never wanted the added weight and presumed lower track day fun of AWD, but I would like an E46 and may have to take what I find.
What do the experts think?
Tom_Spangler wrote: Yours and mine could have been twins. Here's mine, I had it for about a year in 2009-2010: It was a great car, a ball to drive, pinpoint accurate steering, plenty of power, good mileage when you kept your foot out of it. The interior was just OK and it didn't have that "bank vault" build quality that older German cars seem to have, at least to me, but it was still an awesome ride. I ended up selling it for purely financial reasons. Having had both, in my opinion an E46 ZHP is an E36 M3 with a healthy dose of refinement.
Very close! Looks like yours had the Alcantara interior, while mine has leather. Other than that, pretty identical. Like you, I love it. This is my 2nd e46 and I think they are great cars. I also have owned 2 e36 M3s and agree with your assessment.
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