Looking for another cheap runaround the moment but still something with a bit of class and good looks.

Looking at a few E46 saloons (4 door) or coupes on ebay etc theres a fair few on there from an X reg up to 52 reg for around £1000 - £1500.

In owning nearly 100 cars ive never owned a BMW. Anything to look out for or avoid on when it comes to them?

 

just check the floor around the diff for cracking if its been used for burnouts and donuts! if its not had regular oil changes the oil can turn to sludge and cause the chain to jump other than that they aint too bad tho ive never liked how the e46's drive e39 5 series and e30 3 series in my opinion were the last of the good bmws

 

They also love an airlock and beware of headgasket if not looked after

 

airlocks aint a problem if you have the correct vacuum bleeding kit but yes headgaskets go if the water pumps fail the impellers drop apart, a fault they have had since 1985 which they have not bothered to rectify, caused by plastic impellers but aftermarket water pumps sort this as they are metal

 

I believe headgaskets were more of an issue on the older e36's, not e46?

 

Also another thing that causes all this is the shit plastic thermostat housings that crack gatherin air which cases air locks and head gasket failure, metal ones can be bought for under £20 that will sort his

 

Yes, and 6-pots do not suffer from h/g problems like the older 4-pots. As said, its usually only an overheating problem that will cause h/g failure.

 

i have an e46 convertible, cracking car.
condition is vital for resale as is a fsh if you can get one.
thermostats fail, so heaters are shite.
window regulators fail, listen for twanging on their way out.
sub frames can crack on rear, from abuse usually.
rusty arches, noisy gearboxes, stiff out of fifth is a cheap fix, but more often box off to change the part.
remote batteries fail and costs about £20 for a cheap fix, or dealer territory for new keys.
warped disks tend to pop up a lot, heavy car remember.
just a few things i've come across in the last few months.