BMW E46 Coupe Advice Please :)

As far as parts go, I've found both new and second hand parts for my old beamer to be cheaper than for my everyday use vectra.

I'm sorry but I cant help you with the model you are looking at, but the 4 to 6 cylinder issue crops up from time to time, and the general opinion seems to be the 4 is almost as good but costs less to own.

I like the 6 cylinder roar with mine, but you dont even get that on the newer models, european noise limits or something similar.

Matt, in my experience BMWs generally cost more to service than fords/vauxhalls etc. For example when I was deciding what car to buy I looked at an st24 mondeo, nissan200sx and a bmw328. The BMW main dealer servicing was by far the most expensive. Major services for the Nissan and Ford were about £200 where as for the BMW my local main dealer quoted me £350+. I don't think the parts themselves are more expensive. Not sure about cambelts as mine doesn't have one. Do any of the newer BMWs have them?

Mechanically BMW's are strong and the engine if looked after should do 200k+ no probs.  

I have a 318CI and I am very happy with the performance and the sound of the engine changes when you get above 4K rpm into a much more meaningful growl.

I have only had 1 service so far (Oil and Safety) which was £117, which was about the same as my last company Mondeo.

I don't think you will be disapointed with either model

If you join the club you also get discounted parts as well, what more can you want!!

One other slight problem I have, BMW exclusitivity, there just doesnt seem to be much of it left anymore  or is this more reserved towards the 3 series 5 door?

Thanks again

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If its good quality, and sensibly priced, its going to be popular I'm afraid !!

stick you hand in you pocket and buy a 328ci. they are getting reasonably cheap these days. i looked at a 328ci 2 weeks ago with the intention of keeping my sport and to run a newer car, but when i did my sums, i could'nt really afford to run 3 cars! not yet anyway ( the kids have dashed my plans again)  just me being greedy i suppose

if you cant afford to run a 328, the 323 (2.5) is a nice compromise.

as for aural delights, a scorpion or miltek exhaust will sort that minor problem out!

Peter Fenwick wrote: Matt, If it doesn't have a cambelt it will have a chain which is better since it doesn't need changing, unless it starts to get noisey. If the engine is looked after the chain should last for a long time. With respect to servicing here are the prices I was quoted for servicing the three cars I looked at: Mondeo ST24  Minor £98   Major £220 Nissan 200sx  Minor £140 Major £200  every second Major £250 BMW328         Oil service £110  Inspection1 £250  Inspection2 £350+ Both the BMW and Ford prices are were discounted because the cars were over 4 years old.

Cheers for the info

a friend of mine used to own a 320ci and he loved it. they have a 2.2ltr 6 pot and they are very sweet. people have said in the past that the 323 (2.5ltr) motor is a lovely free revving thing but i reckon that the 2.2 320 might be even better!

to peter and webdunk, am i right in saying that the latest small 6 pots are called m54's? or are they still coded as m52

insurance is a problem for a lot of people these days, but i think that it is worth looking at the 320 instead of the 4 pot 318. the 318 valvetronic is a highly regarded lump but they just dont have that............sexyness that 6 pots posess!

             the choice is yours 

Not sure about the coding of the new engines. The the 2.2 six pot 320 is quite a new car and it has 170bhp which is the same as the older 323 2.5 engine. The new 318 actually has a 2.0 143bhp four pot and is as you say a highly rated car. Not sure when they started making them but it was probably around 2002.

Matt, have you considered a 320d saloon. They come with 150bhp (or 136 for the older ones) and about 236lbft of torque which is more than a 330petrol. It will be cheaper to run and faster than a 320 petrol, at least in terms of in gear accelleration.

Peter Fenwick wrote: Not sure about the coding of the new engines. The the 2.2 six pot 320 is quite a new car and it has 170bhp which is the same as the older 323 2.5 engine. The new 318 actually has a 2.0 143bhp four pot and is as you say a highly rated car. Not sure when they started making them but it was probably around 2002. Matt, have you considered a 320d saloon. They come with 150bhp (or 136 for the older ones) and about 236lbft of torque which is more than a 330petrol. It will be cheaper to run and faster than a 320 petrol, at least in terms of in gear accelleration.

I didnt really fancy a saloon, but if they do a coupe 320d (will have to check) it may be interesting. I think my only concerns would be reports about issues with the glow plugs? and that it can be costly to sort out, also I only really have experience with petrol engines, but it is certainly worth investigating.

Thanks

Update: Just had a look at the 2004 BMW Brochure and checked the 0-60, 50-70 e.t.c and it certainly does seem much more impressive, 2 second difference between the 318ci and the 320cd and it also faster than the 325ci and better fuel economy.

But what is it like to maintain? (im assuming expensive) due to special diesel things like glow plugs... also what is the life span of these engines in comparison and are they noisy? (chug chug)  

Peter Fenwick wrote: I was in my local BMW dealer this afternoon and they have a 320 deisel coupe sport in. It looks great. Leather, 18inch alloys, body kit, sports seats, sports suspension, electric everything, climate control and so on. The only downside is the basic on the road price is 27k and the one in the showroom has 6K worth of extras on top of that. 33K is a lot for a 2 litre deisel 3 series. They also have a 320 deisel ES which is a much more reasonable 20K and although it is a saloon and the spec is quite low it still has sports suspension. The deisels will be a bit noisier but these days they are a lot quieter than they used to be.

The 320 diesel sport coupe sounds nice

I will have to check what year they were introduced and then go for a test drive

Thanks
Matt