Considering a BMW 318i E46 (1999-2000) Any advice?

Danbo! · 06-04-2008 10:18pm #1

Hi,

i am considering getting the above car soon (1999-2000, between 7 & 9k to spend excl. insurance & tax). It will be my second car as im selling the reliable box (94 corolla saloon) i learnt to drive in. I've never bought a car before (current car bought from family member), so does anyone here own a 318i, similar age, and could give me advice on any aspects to look out for when viewing/test driving the car?

Also i was told not to go near BMWs with more than 100k on the clock (very general statement, I know). What sort of truth does statement hold, if any? Id be more interested in seeing a car with a decent service history, and worry about the mileage after.

Searching carzone for '99 318s, price ranges are from 6k to 14k, but there is a mix of e36's (mainly convertibles-no thanks) and e46's. The E36's seem to be the 14k to 10 k, with the 4 door E46's ranging from 6k to 10k. I suppose my main concern is €7,000 to €9,000 being a big enough budget? the cars are available at that price, but am I being a bit stingy, wanting a decent car with that budget?

Heres examples of what im looking at anyway...
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=479934
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=899144
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=867191
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=943479

thanks
Stee

astraboy · 06-04-2008 10:32pm

7-9K should be a fine budget, however make sure to get an insurance quote before you buy, you don't want any nasty surprizes after you buy your new pride and joy! I'm not sure of what issues effect the 318 E46 of that age, I'm sure one of the other posters will fill you in. Make sure there is a certain amount of serivce history(unlikely to be full on a 9 year old car) and reciepts for any work done. Also, carzone prices can be haggled a bit, I got 800 off the price in the ad when I bought my car a few months back, though that amount is the exception.

Obviously check tyres, brakes, disks and pads, coolant temp when driving and in traffic. Check oil and coolant levels and check under the oil cap for a milky mayo white substance, a sign of this is water mixing with the oil and the head gasket is about to go(expensive job). Ensure the timing belt was done at the correct intervals and have a good look at the electrics and interiour, generally a sign if the owner cared for the car or not.

kings mistake · 06-04-2008 10:41pm

one of my mates is sellin his 323i, bit more expensive but have a look anyway -

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/323/i/869396/

milltown · 06-04-2008 10:52pm

First one looks the pick of the bunch to me, although wave a grand less than the advertised price at one of the private sellers and they might be happy enough. Some people on here have had some bad dealings with that dealer but I know a few who have found them good. Some of their cars are imports so make sure the radio works on Irish frequencies and that there's a spare key.

I'd expect most 8 or 9 year old cars to be approaching the 100k mark, and beemers wear their miles well, so do all you can to verify the mileage. Bring it to a dealer or a specialist and have him read and verify the mileage.

As for the cars in general: I had a '00 318 auto and loved it. Be sure of why you're buying it though. It's not a sports car. You'll be paying 1.9l tax and getting adequate performance and poorish economy. I rarely saw over 30mpg from mine, even on a long run. You could probably add 5mpg for a manual gearbox but if you do much driving in town expect mid 20s. It's a lovely car to drive, feels very solid and well put together and very quiet inside. Some of the anti BMW crowd here will have their say but I haven't been in any car that hides it's years better. There shouldn't be a rattle, creak or squeak out of a good one. The steering feels very responsive and direct. It's rear wheel drive but unless you're acting the maggot in the wet or ice you shouldn't even be aware you have traction control with 118bhp.

At this price there could be reasons people decide to sell now. Is it due a service? Minor service is about €200, major one could be €500. Has it an NCT? Suspension bushes are a common wear part that will show on NCT and could be another €400. Does it need tyres? Anything less than €150 a corner and you're codding yourself. Make sure the electric windows work smoothly and don't rattle or squeak while driving with them up. It could be worn regulators at about €280 each (fitted by dealer). Don't be scared though, out of the above I only had a regulator go on me. That and a €350 service bill were the only non fuel costs I had for 2 years of very enjoyable motoring.

Best of luck!

JHMEG · 06-04-2008 10:54pm

Have you driven a 318? I had a '00 for a weekend and found it awfully slow.

DublinDilbert · 06-04-2008 11:50pm

I would only advise considering buying an E46 if you plan on working on it yourself, otherwise it will cost you a fortune...

Some of the weak points on these which you'll probably have to deal with are:-
Rear Trailing arm bushings
Front lower controller arm bushings
Front ball joints (need to replace complete lower control arm)
Front brake disc's
Cooling system push fit hoses + O-rings
Cooling system expansion tank
Oil non return valve in behind oil filter ( a bitch to get at )
PCV valve + Hose

Also in most of the cars around '99 they'll have a tape player, consider up-grading to a CD player ( get on off ebay ) or stick in an ipod interface in the boot.

mondeo · 06-04-2008 11:54pm

I'd get a 320d and forget about the 318i, makes sense to me

Danbo! · 07-04-2008 12:18pm

thanks for the great replies, good info to have in hand

JHMEG wrote: »

Have you driven a 318? I had a '00 for a weekend and found it awfully slow.

milltown wrote: »

Be sure of why you're buying it though. It's not a sports car.

I understand this, im not looking for a sports car. I havent driven it yet, hopefully get a spin this weekend in a few of them and get a feel for them.

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Some of the weak points on these which you'll probably have to deal with are:.........

Would you recommend taking it to a specialist to have a look at these, or could a decent mechanic give his opinion on these parts where the car is? (ie on a drive or on a forecourt)

S.I.R · 07-04-2008 1:03pm

get a e30 with the evoII kit on it , much cooler , cheaper and will get you more credit then any cheaply made e46 ever will !! ( unless the e46 won a fight vs chuck norris but i doubt would happen )

just my 2c

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 4:58pm

well that budget will only get you high-miler's, in any case. I notice all the above are 4-door ones - is that what you're looking for ?

I know of a minter 00 318 Coupe with tiptronic, full leather, Harmann & Kardon sound etc, but even with 100k+ miles, it's still asking more than your budget.

And they're right of course - they ain't sports cars.......

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 5:05pm

galwaytt wrote: »

I know of a minter 00 318 Coupe with tiptronic,

I'd question the wisdom behind that.

DublinDilbert made a few valid points too. You're coming from a Corolla. Your BMW experience won't be as trouble free. The '00 I was driving needed a whole pile of things to be fixed, from the display on the stereo (factory) only half working to suspension bushes to...

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 6:58pm

JHMEG wrote: »

I'd question the wisdom behind that....

wisdom

......Enlighten me, please...

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 7:06pm

galwaytt wrote: »

wisdom ......Enlighten me, please...

Would you pay to put tiptronic in a 1.4 Corolla? Same idea.

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 7:28pm

it's nothing like the same idea.

prestige cars, built down to a price, just to get the badge, are manual. The wisdom to be questioned is just who in their right mind would do that, not the other way around.......Just look at the value of used Mercedes with cloth and manual boxes, compared to auto ones to see for yourself.

An auto on a brand like a Bee Emm usually indicates a higher spec when new, and quite often, an easier life. Auto's, by their nature, are more cruise oriented, and you're not going to find them hooning around roudabouts or on track days. So you may well get better value for money too.

And I practice what I preach - I've just bought a 968 Tiptronic.

Danbo! · 07-04-2008 7:46pm

galwaytt wrote: »

I notice all the above are 4-door ones - is that what you're looking for ?

yes, either the 3 door wasnt available (E46) until later or else they're hard to come by that year, and id prefer the 4 door tbh

JHMEG wrote: »

You're coming from a Corolla. Your BMW experience won't be as trouble free.

Valid point alright, but im changing from a corolla to something else anyway, so no matter what my new car experience wont be as trouble free. (to a certain extent)

thanks for all the other input since my last post too

DublinDilbert · 07-04-2008 8:05pm

noblestee wrote: »

yes, either the 3 door wasnt available (E46) until later or else they're hard to come by that year, and id prefer the 4 door tbh

Yea the E46 coupe did not come out till 2000, where the 4 door E46 was around since 1998. You'll see plenty of 1999 E36 coupes knocking around...

milltown · 07-04-2008 8:08pm

galwaytt wrote: »

it's nothing like the same idea.

prestige cars, built down to a price, just to get the badge, are manual. The wisdom to be questioned is just who in their right mind would do that, not the other way around.......Just look at the value of used Mercedes with cloth and manual boxes, compared to auto ones to see for yourself.

An auto on a brand like a Bee Emm usually indicates a higher spec when new, and quite often, an easier life. Auto's, by their nature, are more cruise oriented, and you're not going to find them hooning around roudabouts or on track days. So you may well get better value for money too.

And I practice what I preach - I've just bought a 968 Tiptronic.

Agreed. My 318 was tiptronic and never felt lacking in day to day driving. In fact it was a joy around town. The auto box was the reason I ended up in a BMW in the first place. I wanted an auto saloon that I wouldn't need to put a match to in two years time to get some of my money back. As Galwaytt said, outside of BMW, MB and Audi, possibly Jag, anything else ticking my boxes would depreciate like said match had already been applied.

Rule of thumb: Take any post by JHMEG on a BMW topic to be Honda fanboy opinion, not fact.

DD: The list you provided could pretty fairly be applied to any car of the age and mileage the OP will be looking at, though I will say if that's been your own shopping list you can rightly feel aggrieved. I think you bought a dog. Fair point on the cooling system items though, BMW do have a reputation, deserved or not, for expensive water pump failures. It's worth keeping on top of just to avoid the long line of people who will queue around the block to say "I told you so" if you do end up needing a head gasket and a skim.

DublinDilbert · 07-04-2008 8:30pm

noblestee wrote: »

Would you recommend taking it to a specialist to have a look at these, or could a decent mechanic give his opinion on these parts where the car is? (ie on a drive or on a forecourt)

A good independent should be able to look at these for you, all the issues i mentioned were fairly common on the E36 also, so anyone who as worked on an E36 will know what to look out for. Actually the M43 engine is pretty much the engine that was in the E36 316i/318i from 1995->1999, so its fairly tried and tested at this stage.

bazz26 · 07-04-2008 9:23pm

E46 Coupe was launched in mid 1999 so you can find a few 99 examples of them.

OP just be aware that the 1.9 litre engine in the 318i up to early 2001 was pre valvetronic and only had 118bhp afaik. This means you will be taxing, insuring and filling up a 1.9 litre car with the performance of an average 1.6 litre. While I know your not after a sports car you might find that 1.9 litre is underpowered all the same.

I reckon a late 1998/1999 318is E36 coupe with 140bhp would be a better purchase though the Euro NCAP rating of the E36 is pretty poor by today's standards.

If you are set on getting one I reckon a trip across the Irish Sea would be better as they are cheaper, better equipped and generally better looked after than over here.

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 9:47pm

galwaytt wrote: »

it's nothing like the same idea.

I'm not inviting a flame war here. A 318 with a tip box is wishful thinking imho. Someone said to me on here before, I think it was E92, that auto on *bigger* BMWs adds value. The 318 is the 2nd from the bottom.

milltown wrote:

Rule of thumb: Take any post by JHMEG on a BMW topic to be Honda fanboy opinion, not fact.

I take exception to that, milltown. In addition, I have 1st hand experience of the exact car the OP is talking about, meaning my opinion is 100% valid. Your experience is not of a manual 318, milltown? And finally milltown, who was the first person to bring up Honda on this thread? Was it me or you?

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 9:59pm

JHMEG wrote: »

I'm not inviting a flame war here.

fair enough.

A 318 with a tip box is wishful thinking imho. Someone said to me on here before, I think it was E92, that auto on *bigger* BMWs adds value. The 318 is the 2nd from the bottom.

I still don't get the 'wishful thinking' thing........the fact is, there is a market for high-spec, but not necessarily large engined or top dog motors. The proof of this is the success of the likes of the Mini brand. Everyone wants quality (or perceived thereof..........:rolleyes:), but have zero interest in running 2/3/4 litre cars -and the mfrs have been remiss for too long in giving people what they want. I love my 968's, and after being in a 993 yesterday (which felt cool, but.........old), I was glad to get into my Tip and tootle home at .........60. If they had the cop-on to make a 1.8t or 2.0t, I'd have a new one in a heartbeat..........but

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 10:10pm

galwaytt wrote: »

I still don't get the 'wishful thinking' thing....

Tiptronic is for the performance models, and auto for the more sedate models, no? 318 is quite a slow car, and I see nothing wrong with an auto, but a tiptronic? Hence the wishful thinking thing.

Tiptronic belongs in the likes of 968s, or F430s etc.

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 10:17pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Tiptronic, is for the performance models, and auto for the more sedate models, no? I see nothing wrong with a 318 auto.

I see nothing wrong with a tiptronic 968, or an F430 etc.

Aaah, now I see where the problem lies: Tiptronic is Auto. No difference. Nothing to do with performance. E.g my manual 968 has 6 gears, yet the Tip has 4. Doesn't seem to bother the motor having 2 too many, or 2 too few........

Tiptronic is a normal auto box - torque convertor, no clutch, brake bands and epicyclic gears within - but with the ability to shift "manually" - but the box is a standard auto.

The likes fitted to F430, Selespeed, MM-T (Toyota), CambioCorsa DSG, S-tronic, etc are in fact, manual gearboxes, but with electronic changing. They still have clutches, but cogs are swopped by hyrdualics or electronics, not by hand. Now they do have performance connotations.

Damn, I forget - where are we again ?:D

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 10:22pm

galwaytt wrote: »

Now they do have performance connotations.

So in the case of a 318 are we talking actual tiptronic or just auto?

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 10:31pm

JHMEG wrote: »

Not what I mean. Tiptronic is an auto box where the driver can change gears via a + and - on the gear selector, be it a gear stick or paddles. An Auto box has P, R, 2, 3, 4, D etc, and no + and -. (The clutch or lock up torque converter is not of concern to the user.)

But no matter, you get the gist of what I'm saying with the "performance connotations." What does a 318 tiptronic have? Does it have + and -?

Yes, it does have + / - for manual use.

fwiw, I drive my Tip as auto for accelerating, and coming, say, to a roundabout, 'tip' it back to 3rd/2nd (before the 'box would normally do so.....), and then once on exit a squirt of right foot, and back to D. Most satisfying.

I agree the 318 is no rocket ship, but the in-law's one, is nice (washed/waxed weekly, no kids -ever) so kept well, and if you have no interest in big engines, but want all the other pluses of a prestige brand, it's a nice yoke.

Not that I'd buy one, mind !!

damn - who put that in my sig??

E92 · 07-04-2008 10:34pm

All tiptronic is is an Auto that you can put into "manual mode". Nothing more, nothing less. It's called Steptronic in BMW speak btw.

I don't think a manual 318i is going to be any less desirable than an Auto, I would have thought that the manual is probably more desirable at this end of the scale.

I meant a larger engined 3 series/BMW in general, like MarkN's 335i, that is definately more desirable with an Automatic. Most 5 series would more desirable with the slush box too

This may all change when we start taxing cars on emissions of course. Most cars with an Auto are in a higher VRT band than their manual sisters, so it remains to be seen what happens there.

The 318i's performance figures suggest to me that it won't be fast, well certainly not fast enough to be an "Ultimate Driving Machine" anyway(and the Auto is even slower). The 320i with it's straight 6 engine is a much better choice if you can live with higher fuel consumption and marginally higher road tax. The superior sound is reason enough(as well as a lot more power) IMO.

Apart from the usual pitfalls with BMWs i.e. overheating and electrical niggles, and that shape 3 series has an appetite for suspension bits too(nothing too expensive) they're unlikely to be trouble once they're looked after, but naturally they will cost more than most when they do go wrong. BMW parts are not cheap.

galwaytt · 07-04-2008 10:39pm

E92 wrote: »

All this may all change when we start taxing cars on emissions of course. Most cars with an Auto are in a higher VRT band than their manual sisters, so it remains to be seen what happens there..

well it won't affect the exisiting fleet, only post Jan 1 08 reg'd auto's. I think it's safe to say that that won't be in the OP's quote price range for some years yet.

mmm, thought: will 'old tax' autos hold their value better, given the new ones will be more exp to tax?? Wouldn't that be ironic ?!

JHMEG · 07-04-2008 10:40pm

So, in conclusion can we say that a 318 won't set the world on fire and a "tiptronic" definitely won't set the world on fire? [I found it disappointingly slow for a 1.9]

I think tho E92 is right.. at the bottom end of the scale a manual is more desireable. [Tho personally I like driving and will never get anything other than a manual again]