This is nice.

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
12/21/2014 at 22:51 • Filed to: None

Manual E46 325i with 120,000 miles for $5,995.

I honestly don't know if that's overpriced or not. Seems about on par or slightly better than what's normal around here.

Black over black...something. I don't know if it's leather or vinyl. My guess is vinyl with the condition it's in though.

Looking closer at it, there seems to be some scrapes and scratches on it, all of which seem like they could be buffed out possibly. And there's a plastic cover thing missing in the back bumper.

Lower mileage and nicer looking than most for the price, which is kinda concerning though because that could mean mechanical issues.

DISCUSSION (19)

Manuél Ferrari > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 22:55

wow it's a 2004 as well. I think the later year E46s are much safer than the early year ones.

My sister had a 2000 or 2001 and it was the biggest piece of shit ever. Everything broke on it. But my 2004 E46 has been solid since I bought it a year and a half ago

jkm7680 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 22:57

I'd say $3,000 is fair. But that's just my two cents.

AM3R shamefully returns > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 22:58

my cousin got one when she got her license, it now has 179k on it and she daily drives it from NoVa to DC everyday. It's been solid so far but she's replacing it soon for a 335d that I convinced her to get.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Manuél Ferrari
12/21/2014 at 22:58

I think I read that somewhere. The later the year the better it will be reliability wise, which is good news for me.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 22:59

Is a manual a must?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > jkm7680
12/21/2014 at 23:00

Any E46 I see on CL around here for $3k has almost 200,000 miles on it and is an earlier model year. That sounds really low.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
12/21/2014 at 23:01

I'm certainly not driving to Fairfield, Connecticut for an E45 BMW.

Manuél Ferrari > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:02

All ze Germans seemed to have some serious issues around 2000-2001. I read the reason once but I forget what it was. Something to do with new part suppliers or something.

In general one thing that's even more true for German cars than American or Japanese cars: you always want the later cars. Merc, BMW, Porsche and Audi tend to go with 7 year product cycles with a mid cycle refresh after 4 years. The best cars are usually made in year 5, 6 or 7. They have the least number of issues as the platform has matured. And they usually have some interior improvements and power bumps

Manuél Ferrari > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
12/21/2014 at 23:04

YES! Never, ever, ever, EVER buy an automatic E46. Their slushboxes grenade themselves all the time.

It was a big controversy. There was a class action lawsuit over it

Manuél Ferrari > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:04

See above reply. Never buy an automatic E46! They were turds. The issue was fixed by E9X. But the automatic E46 cars are super risky

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:06

For a couple hundred bucks they will ship cars anywhere in the country. I've discovered that certain cars are cheaper in certain places (luxury cars are cheaper on the coasts, Subarus and Jeeps in Colorado, pickups in the midwest) to the point where shipping them for $200-$700 bucks actually makes sense in some cases.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Manuél Ferrari
12/21/2014 at 23:07

Didn't know that. Guess I will be learning manual to get an E46.

I think E46s used a GM unit as well :|

Manuél Ferrari > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:11

It's a great car to learn Manuél with! The shifting is super easy. Not a rough clutch or shifter like a Porsche. It's almost as easy as a Civic

Crap you're right:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_5L40-E…

Applications:

3.42:1 M82

2004–2006 Cadillac CTS (RWD)

2005–2006 Cadillac STS (RWD)

3.73:1 M82

2004–2006 Cadillac SRX (RWD)

3.91:1 M82

2006 Pontiac Solstice

2007 Saturn Sky

2.92:1 M82

2004–2006 Holden WL Statesman/Caprice (RWD)

2004–2006 Holden VZ Commodore (RWD)

2005–2009 Chevrolet Omega (RWD)

2006–2009 Holden VE Commodore (RWD)

2008–2009 Pontiac G8 (RWD)

3.42:1 MX5

2004–2006 Cadillac CTS (AWD)

2004–2006 Cadillac STS (AWD)

3.91:1 MX5

2004–2006 Cadillac SRX (AWD)

3.08:1

BMW 3 Series (E46) [1]

BMW 5 Series (E39)

BMW Z3

BMW X5 (E53)

mybeatersabimmer > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:12

It's overpriced. Also, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. I had one of these as my first car and past 100k miles everything just goes to shit on these. The E90s and later cars hold up a lot better.

Birddog > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:14

She looks nice. According to Tavarish reasoning it's a good buy.

As long as you live within your means and "budget for catastrophic failure".

Kat Callahan > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:15

Would buy. But I can get them here in Japan for a lot less because of taxes, registration. So probably around the same.

Dsscats > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:23

Jesus, massive CP

Dsscats > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:25

Don't buy an E46. Reliability is ha-ha bad, even on a better taken care of one, especially at 120k miles.

sellphones2493 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
12/21/2014 at 23:27

My mother traded in her 2003 325xi w/ 70k, more features, but an automatic with frame damage for $7,000 - in 2009.

Granted, that's super low, but I'm sure you can do better price-wise.