morning all, going to look at this tomorrow with a mate for him, not me.

it looks pretty tidy

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...2000?logcode=p

i know FA about BMW's, so any info greatly appreciated on what to look for.
any common issues to check etc etc

Thanking y'all

 

just look for typical e46 problems:
rusty/bubbling arches - need replacing if going
handbrake efficiency, tend to rust up - replacing means new discs, pads and shoes on rear
rare, but subframes cracking, more an m3 thing to be fair - not easy to tell really
check window mechs for creeks or twangs - replace with new £100 a side approx
check heater blows smoothly, if it oscillates it'll need a new final stage resistor - around £50 and a pain to change.
wobble in steering - new knuckle needed, bmw only part, easy to change from under, but not cheap.
reversing sensors, a long beep when you put it in reverse and then silence means it's not functioning well, just annoying and have to rely on mirrors lol!
tool kit is missing warning triangle, haggle that one out
bonnet secondary catch tend to get rusty and stop working, needs removing and de rusting, blag the need to replace i guess.

they're pretty good cars, the 6 pots are the better engine, but none are known to be unreliable, boxes are pretty good too

 

Cheers mate. i guess his biggest worry would be the auto box. but thats nice little list of things to check.

 

Don't the E46 rear diff mounts have a tendency for rusting and ripping themselves out of the floor pan?

 

Check the indicators too

 

Be aware these are painfully slow..... I borrowed my friends once and took it back to him looking rather sheepish as I actually thought I had broken it, but apparently it was fine. I was severely disappointed with it

 

Look for the petrol gauge moving quicker than the speedo; because the 320i, in my experience, manages to be both a thirsty and slowwwww old boat.


Cheers,
Grant

 

More power. The 320 is dismol !! So under powered it's untrue. Known fact they have a 325 thirst too.

 

Well, he bought it lol

Both front wings have bubbles along the arch edge and the very bottom, and the bottom of the diff looked a bit a wet. We took it for a quick drive and it seemed fine...

So he bought it. Id have gone in for 1800 but he started at 2k.. Its up to him i guess but matey got him up to £2100 lol.

To be fair its a nice car. I dont think he is worried about speed so much, he has ms so i doubt he will be doing any racing, hence wanting an auto. Also if he goes the long way to work its 3 miles, usually 1 miles! So again, mpg wont be much of an issues i dont think.

On the way home tho we stopped just as i was about to turn off. He said when cruising it made a kind of grumbling noise when the revs were low???

God knows! He is not in work now till monday so ill ask him then its still doing it. Didnt do on the test drive tho.

And yes its slow, my impreza pissed all over it pmsl

 

If it's a 320 what do you expect lol

If you want speed you'd get a 2.8/3.0/M3

Much rather own a slower 320 BMW than a slightly quicker 2.0 focus etc.

Good cars/engine, just not a rocket ship

 

As said that is not what he was after so im sure it will suit him fine.

I was trying to sell him my impreza tho lol

 

they are slow, heavy car low power engine, does the job though.
even my 330 remapped feels fair slow, but not getting into the m3 thing right now as i'm skint again lol!

 

I kind of may have inadvertently sold my impreza. If it goes in 2 weeks ill be looking at an 07 plate ish 320D lol

Dad has an 09 and likes it. Only thing is for my price range they have about 130k miles...
I like the idea of 45mpg. Only fill it up once a month lol. No idea how much to tax but insurance is good for me now being 33 lol.

Again not fast. But at the end of the day i do 10 miles to work each way and take my boy swimming on a momday night... Thats about it lol

I was considering the audi s4 for sale on here... 430bhp and lambo brakes... But massive bills if it goes wrong!

 

The wifes cousin took his 12 reg 330d back to the dealer again yesterday. He said since he has owned it its had over 4 grands worth of warranty work on it. He reckons that without the labour too.

 

What exactly went wrong glenn??

Ill be looking at 07ish reg non dpf estates. In my price range they have about 130k miles on so fingers crossed any issues would be ironed out

 

I know this time round he took it cause the rear diff was leaking.