E46 330Ci Questions

"McChiken116 - Patrick H." (mcchiken116) 02/27/2015 at 19:27 • Filed to: None

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I say questions, but I really mean that I just want to know if anyone has had any experience with them. My dad's M3 is one thing, but the baby brother model is looking like it might be my next ride. Found a nice Silver one with the 6 Speed, and the Sport Package. So, Are the issues the same, or different than the M model?

Storz > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:33

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Absolutely fantastic cars, I drive a 330i ZHP and out of the 25 vehicles I've had its top 3 for handling, performance and it just has the feel that is hard to quantify that BMWs have. HUGE fan of the E46 chassis, its absolutely an amazing drivers car

Arben72 > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:36

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It's a different engine and I think tranny plus a whole lot of other things. That being said water pumps are an issue, plus window regulators and the general e46 things. Great cars and such a timeless design, for the right price I wouldn't say no.

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:41

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Do it SOON

It's getting harder and harder to find clean E46 330Ci 6 speeds that aren't beat up or super high mileage

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:49

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AFAIK, no it doesn't. I believe the 330 does suffer from having plastic impellers on on its water pump which can break but there are metal impeller pumps available. All E46s can experience rear subframe failure its just more common in the higher torque models (330d and M3).

marshknute > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:50

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I owned an 01' 330xi. My biggest complaint was how uninspiring the engine sounded. Sure it was smooth, but it was too quiet at normal rpms and didnt sound aggressive enough at high rpms. If you want a fun car, definitely go with an e36 M3 instead.

Oh, and literally everything that could have broken on my 330xi did break. Front CABs, brakes, suspension, heater, window motors, windshield washer jets, etc. Most unreliable car I've ever heard about, let alone owned.

The trouble with used e46's is that they are either hopeless money pits or perfect little gems. No middle of the spectrum. Based on those odds, I can't in good conscious recommend one.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 19:53

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Well, the mileage I don't mind. That Inline 6 is one of the most reliable engines of all time. But the little other bits are my worry, like the water pump and such.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Arben72 02/27/2015 at 19:54

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The past two cars I have owned have both had window regulator issues, so I just kinda expect that now.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 02/27/2015 at 19:55

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I didn't know the torque thing. Weird. I do find it interesting that it has a tad less horsepower than my S2000 did, but it will have far more torque. Thank you based Inline 6.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > marshknute 02/27/2015 at 19:56

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See, I have the same rant about the B5 A4, but I have known several people that have perfect ones. So I think as long as I do a pre purchase inspection, I will be okay

I Like Corollas > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 19:56

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I have one. I'ts a 2000, so 5-speed and pre-facelift. I really love it. The engine is no S54, but runs and sounds pretty sweet. I got mine a little bit more than 3 years ago, and so far no big mechanical issues. Just the coolant reservoir that was cracked and a power steering fluid line that snapped once. It all happened during the first 6 months of ownership so I started to regret my decission (that's where my user name comes from), but it has been great since. I would say do it if you don't mind the typical BMW maintenance costs, and if you do, get a PPI.

Storz > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:02

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I wonder if the ZHP has a different intake than the stock M54 because my car sounds incredible inside, quite a few friends have commented on the intake growl.

Storz > Storz 02/27/2015 at 20:04

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Bone stock

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:15

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I agree. Mileage itself isn't an issue by itself. It's just adds more risk because there are more potential miles of the car being driven very hard and/or not being maintained properly.

Also the E46 interior used some stupidly soft plastics that scratch if you look at them funny. So any owner who isn't very careful scratches up the interior. Harder to find a high mileage car that has a nice interior. If you buy a lower mileage car that does have a nice interior then you can baby it and keep it nice.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > I Like Corollas 02/27/2015 at 20:24

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I've owned an Old German before, and My dad's M3 is an E46, so I know some of the pitfalls of it. Like the coolant reservoir.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Storz 02/27/2015 at 20:25

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I assume it must.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 20:28

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So, this will probably be a stop gap car for me, while I am inbetween work, and not really able to ride the scooter anymore.

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:28

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Not a bad stop gap car!

Not bad at all

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 20:33

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It will probably be this, then a Fiesta ST or something

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:40

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330Ci seems like a good call cause it's so much cheaper than the Fiesta ST. Even if some stuff breaks you'll still spend less total than an ST since the ST hasn't been out long enough to get usd as cheap as a 330Ci

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 20:45

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Oh right. And I would be leasing the ST, so no out of pocket maintenance or anything. Or who knows, I will fall in love with this 330, and keep it

Arben72 > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:50

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That's... That's just sad.

P.s. (It's ok, I just kind of expect my subaru's engines to blow up now.)

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 20:51

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What is the monthly payment and money down required for the FiST lease?

If you bought a 330Ci 6MT and kept it for a couple years you'd probably have $2000 max of depreciation. If you had $4000 of maintenance and repairs that would put you at $6000 for 2 years, or $250 per month if averaged out over 24 months

I like this one:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/ctd/491043…

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 20:53

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So, the 330ci I am looking at is a super daily beater, buying it from a local private seller, so It is nowhere near 6 grand

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 21:00

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Yeah I was using extreme examples. A top of the line car would be about $12K so you might see $2000 of depreciation over a couple years. And $4000 of repairs/maintenance is extreme too.

You could definitely buy a beater for cheap and not have to spend much keeping it running if you have some luck. It's possible to average $100/month over 24 months. No FiST lease is going to be that low.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 02/27/2015 at 21:54

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the subframe issues were mostly addressed in the post-facelift cars, and since this has a 6-speed, it's one of those(then can still happen, but they are very rare). and if the water pump hasn't been replaced by now, that needs to be job 1, along with the radiator. the water pump part has been superseded 3 times now, the current one is a composite impeller that has a pretty good reputation. The metal impeller that replace the initial plastic impeller actually had its own issues.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Storz 02/27/2015 at 21:58

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Same intake, different exhaust. The ZHP package changed the cams, exhaust, transmission(1s year manuals only), diff, redline, oil pump nut, wheels, front control arms, springs, shocks, internal trim, steering wheel, and shift knob.

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > Manuél Ferrari 02/27/2015 at 22:14

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True. I'll look at everything

Ferrero1911 > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 22:47

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The coolant expansion tanks have a habit of cracking and puking coolant. I would recommend replacing it before that happens if it hasn't already. There are reliable replacements available.

Manuél Ferrari > McChiken116 - Patrick H. 02/27/2015 at 23:36

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good luck!

I hope you join the E46 club

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 02/28/2015 at 16:22

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There isn't any evidence to suggest the post facelift cars don't suffer from subframe failure (as frequently). Subframe failure happens for a number of reasons but BMW never addressed the failure apart from making a structural foam injection, and of the few cars that had the foam injection several had subframe failure anyways.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 02/28/2015 at 16:31

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there has never, to my knowledge, been a formal study, but over at e46fanatics(and many other BMW-specific fourms), most of the reports for failed subframes seem to be for pre-facelift cars. Not saying the post-facelift cars are immune, just less likely.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 02/28/2015 at 18:00

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I think a large part of that is because early subframes were failing people took care of it better than the early owners.