BMW 330CI E46 Convertiable

killaloe

Hi guy's !

I really need some help here...

I have bought cars before, but have always bought through a dealer.

Over the last few years I have been saving up money so I didnt have to borrow any money the next time I was going to buy a car, hoping to put myself in a position where I could do a cash buy.

Now I have saved 10K and are ready to buy my next car.
I have found a BMW 330CI E46 Convertiable from 2001, very clean and has been through NCT 2 weeks ago. Spoke to the owners mechanic and he can vote for it. It has a service history.

But this is where I need some afvice.
I have decided I really would like this car, but have NO idea how realiable this type of car is, does anyone know???

Dont want to waste my money with a car that is going to cost my loads of money due to that type of car might be unrealiable. Im a tiny bit scared buying through a private seller ( He is a investment broker and his wife is a GP, they are moving back to UK )since I am a hard working woman as we all are in this time of ressession. I have checked if it is clean for finance and it is.

Please help me, thanks.

Killaloe

DublinDilbert

You'll need to get a mechanic to check this out before deciding to purchase. Like with all cars it will require maintenance, they key will be finding a good independent garage that knows BMW's and isn't going to rip you off, just cause its a BMW.

Keep in mind with an engine of that size, its going to be very hard to shift this on when your ready for another car. If you don't need the performance from this car, i can't see why you would get one with such a large engine, there's lots of 323i's out there, probably a lot cheaper too.

Tea 1000

No real known problems with the 330Ci. The convertible isn't one I'd choose with that engine though, you loose too much enjoyment with the roof removed to make full value of the 3 litre, that's costing around €1,200 to tax per year. I'd probably opt for a 323 or 325i in the convertible, and 330Ci in the coupe.

bazz26

As with any second hand car, especially when buying private, make sure to have a mechanic check the car over. With a car like that I would have a mechanic who is familiar with BMWs check it.

RobAMerc

Can I just say - if your biggest worry is about this cars reliability then this is not the right car for you.

The 330 is a quick car with a powerful engine and is at the higher end of the spec for the e46 - ie it is a more specialised car than your 318 or 320.

I think you'll find it expensive to run and if your not getting full advantage of its performance will become a major issue for you.

If your not that into performance why not look at a well spec'd 318 or even 320 ( perhaps 320cd if possible ) few will know or care its not the range topper - none of the BMW range would be unreliable - but they can be costly to run and the 330 would be heavy on petrol, tyres, oil, servicing, road tax and insurance defo more than a 318 or 320 might be.

btw - I had one - superb car and by far the best 4 seat convertible imo for the money, I am just not sure the 330 is the one for you.

(Hope that doesn't sound patronising )

Idbatterim

are you sure you want a convertable? that car will lose a heap of value! you can get a nice 03 coupe for that money, with the 2L or 2.2L engine... you can even get an 03 m sport for that money! Atleast that will hold its value alot better and run alot cheaper than the convertable, and you will atleast be able to sell it! For the very few sunny days a year we get here is it worth it? In my opinion, the coupes look great year round, convertables are good for a few days and look crap for the rest of the year! thats my 2 cents! If your the kind of guy like most of us that has to save 10k to get a car, im imagining running costs and depreciation and potential repairs, which wont be cheap especially on the 330 are serious issues! Bear in mind fuel will probably go up 5c a litre in the budget and is only going to go one way! By the way I am currently doing the same as you, saving for my next car already, Im not prepared to take the huge hit, by part exchanging with a dealer, or paying back the banks interest! I bought an 00 coupe in May 2008, it is now worth about half what I paid for it! Can you really afford to buy a 10k car and afford to sell it privately in two or three years, if you can even sell it, for about 5-6k at best?!!! Can i draw attention to the below car as an example? is anyone here going to tell me that its not far more impressive looking that the cabriolet?
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/sport,-f/200948195984628/advert?channel=CARS as a buyer you are in no rush and prices are only going one way! The E46 2L after 01 with 143 bhp is more than acceptable! If you want to go up to the 2.2L 6 cylinder, the amount of cars available is tiny compared to the 318's!

Shires

RobAMerc wrote: »

Can I just say - if your biggest worry is about this cars reliability then this is not the right car for you.

The 330 is a quick car with a powerful engine and is at the higher end of the spec for the e46 - ie it is a more specialised car than your 318 or 320.

I think you'll find it expensive to run and if your not getting full advantage of its performance will become a major issue for you.

If your not that into performance why not look at a well spec'd 318 or even 320 ( perhaps 320cd if possible ) few will know or care its not the range topper - none of the BMW range would be unreliable - but they can be costly to run and the 330 would be heavy on petrol, tyres, oil, servicing, road tax and insurance defo more than a 318 or 320 might be.

btw - I had one - superb car and by far the best 4 seat convertible imo for the money, I am just not sure the 330 is the one for you.

(Hope that doesn't sound patronising )

Fuel consumption and anything to do with fluids will be no less with a 320. Exact same engine, but with smaller piston bore/stroke.

dragon_lordMTB

I have one (2003) and generally services are not that much more expensive than average BMW service. I use AC Cars off NCR and they are top notch. I generally get around 22 mpg on my daily commute in heavy traffic but on longer runs get around 32~35mpg. The car is quick and with, DSC off, a lot of sideways fun. The sound off that sweet six engine through the port tunnel at night with the top down is soooo nice. Love the car but if you are doing a lot of miles, it's going to cost on petrol.

I'm the third owner and so far I've had the alternator go but that's it.

Is this it?
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/330i-Cab/200947195912138/advert?channel=CARS

RobAMerc

Shires wrote: »

Fuel consumption and anything to do with fluids will be no less with a 320. Exact same engine, but with smaller piston bore/stroke.

Oil - yes same sump, sorry I was just thinking on the fly, but fuel is defo heavier in the 325 and 330 than the 320.

It will also be dearer to Tax / insure and depreciation in Ireland will also be significant.

RobAMerc

Idbatterim wrote: »

03 m sport for that money! Atleast that will hold its value alot better and run alot cheaper than the convertable, and you will atleast be able to sell it! For the very few sunny days a year we get here is it worth it? In my opinion, the coupes look great year round, convertables are good for a few days and look crap for the rest of the year!

A: Ireland probably has the highest number of Verts per number of cars sold in Europe - so it wont loose value any worse than the coupe.
B: There are no more expensive to run than a coupe
C: There is little downside to them over a coupe ( if the roof is good like in the e46 ) other than maybe wind noise and security if parked in dodgy spots.
Who cares what you think about looks of Vert vs Coupe thats subjective.

VolvoMan

I had a look at one once before and it was a beautiful car. The engine was an absolute peach.

RobAMerc

VolvoMan wrote: »

I had a look at one once before and it was a beautiful car. The engine was an absolute peach.

I couldn't agree more particularly in a convertible, and I have to say, it's probably why the fuel economy was so poor in mine as you'd always hold on as long as possible to change.

But my point to the op is - if you have to ask what a 6 cylinder is buy a 318i
( I'm not suggesting the op doesn't know, I was trying to find out )
If she does, then the 330 as I said before is a cracker.

Eoin

I had a spin in my mate's 330ci convertible and even going full pelt on the motorway with the roof down, it was surprisingly calm in the cabin - especially if you get one of the wind deflector thingies. Nice sound off the engine too.

Idbatterim wrote:

For the very few sunny days a year we get here is it worth it?

I think this is a widely held belief that is totally untrue. We do have the climate for convertibles. They are not actually that nice to drive in really hot weather as you can burn the head off yourself - we have plenty of muggy and humid days that make them a very nice car to drive.

Owen

If you pick up a second hand hardtop, you get the best of both worlds, a coupé for the really dismal months, and a convertible for the better weather.

VolvoMan

PaintDoctor wrote: »

If you pick up a second hand hardtop, you get the best of both worlds, a coupé for the really dismal months, and a convertible for the better weather.

....and an overall much heavier and bloated car.

O7Pat

If it is the one in the link above then fab car, problem is it is very hard to find an equally well speced car once you go to 320 even if you don't need the power of a 330. Am a BM fan but is €10k alot to be spending on a 01 car? There is alot of well speced English cars out there.

Also if it is the once in the link it has the older 4:3 screen rather than the new widescreen version and appears to have a tape player with it. Check does it have a seperate cd player.
You can upgrade to a widescreen but will prob need a mark 4 dvd player as well if you are upgrading. Shouldn't be too bad as wiring already installed etc but either parts are a couple of hundred euro each (minimum) on ebay. (prob get specalist advise on this issue on av forums, e46 fanactics or irish bmw-driver.net
Some people reckon that the 18inch alloys can be a hard on Irish roads or more importantly are not suited to our backroads as there is not enough of a tyre wall with 18's. Again it is a personal choice.

Loads of good indy BMW specalists around, also the main dealers now have something like "value servicing" and are quite ok for stuff like break pads and disks (supply and fit). Both they (and indeed the bmw indys (IMHO) ) can still be a touch expensive for the servicing, or rather for what you actually get. If you haven't had a bm before the recomended is oil service, inspection 1 service, inspection 11 service in that order - with prescribed issues done on each and the inspection 11 the big check over (and by far the most expensive) . But when a car gets a bit older I prefer to get everything checked out each time (and feel the oil service isn't enough even though the price is low) which is what a good generaly indy does for me. Again this is just a personal preference.

In terms of a reliability I have never had any huge issues with a 320 e46.

Hope this helps and that I wasn't too long winded.

They are a fab car -enjoy!

Ps - Well done on saving. Over on askaboutmoney.com you will get good advice about use of money and on whether to put your own money into buying a car or save your own and get a loan/partial loan. Hope this isn't over stepping the mark.