Post a picture of your vehicle here Part 5 (don't quote pictures, 24h ban!)

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

That’s quite tidy! Must have been the very last of the pre facelift models too! I think that makes the coupes even more dseriable.

Beware of vanos!!

Top Dog

Hunky Monster wrote: »

That’s quite tidy! Must have been the very last of the pre facelift models too! I think that makes the coupes even more dseriable.

Beware of vanos!!

Cheers. Already had a buddy warn me about the vanos alright. Will be taking it to him for a going over in a couple of weeks as he knows his way around them (has an E46 M3 and another E46 for drifting) so hopefully all will be well.

James Bond Junior

Top Dog wrote: »

New (to me) motor I picked up yesterday. :cool:

Only a 2.0 petrol, but as its my first rear wheel drive after all these years, it'll do grand. With a 120km daily work commute it'll be interesting to see how it does on fuel - could turn out to be my wife's new car :pac: Used about a third of a tank yesterday for the 190 mile spin home.

For now I'm enjoying the almost silence when started after a string of diesel motors.

I have a 2.5 E36 and it would surprise you on a run especially sticking to 90/100km/h. The needle sits around the 35/40mpg mark when cruising.

Top Dog

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I have a 2.5 E36 and it would surprise you on a run especially sticking to 90/100km/h. The needle sits around the 35/40mpg mark when cruising.

Fair play to you for the self discipline. I could never manage that on a motorway run

James Bond Junior

Top Dog wrote: »

Fair play to you for the self discipline. I could never manage that on a motorway run

That is N road driving when I am heading down to Kerry from Limerick. I more than make up for it on the twisties! More an observation than a rule.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

James Bond Junior wrote: »

I have a 2.5 E36 and it would surprise you on a run especially sticking to 90/100km/h. The needle sits around the 35/40mpg mark when cruising.

That's better than the 330d... but I've absolutely no discipline!

James Bond Junior

Hunky Monster wrote: »

That's better than the 330d... but I've absolutely no discipline!

That's me tipping along not really in a rush to be fair.

Leonard Hofstadter

I recently did 35.2 mpg on a tank in my 2.5 E46, it did over 460 miles without needing a top up in fuel. That included over 120 miles of driving at 120 km/h plus 20 miles across Dublin city centre by the way, the rest was main roads doing 100 km/h.

You'd be amazed how economical they are (relatively speaking) when they're kept out of town.

Also, welcome to the E46 club! They really do live up to the 'ultimate driving machine' marketing slogan with their beautifully weighted controls, slick manual gearbox (especially when the clutch delay valve is removed - that should be job number one, it will make it much nicer pulling away and going from first to second), excellent handling but what's really special about them is the steering, it's so obviously hydraulic and provides the driver with so much feedback compared to the vast majority of ordinary cars.

ba_barabus

Top Dog wrote: »

This could become a common thing for me :pac:



My most recent bangernomic, purchased yesterday. 318CI M-sport. My first rear wheel drive and first BMW.

I'm very jealous. I really need another E46.

This is near me but I'm not keen onthe interior or the fact it's a saloon.


https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-324i-loaded/22416776

Leonard Hofstadter

Hunky Monster wrote: »

That’s quite tidy! Must have been the very last of the pre facelift models too! I think that makes the coupes even more dseriable.

Beware of vanos!!

VANOS isn't an issue with those engines (to be fair, it's only really an issue with some naturally aspirated ///M engines), I'd be much more bothered about the Valvetronic unit giving trouble.

Leonard Hofstadter

ba_barabus wrote: »

I'm very jealous. I really need another E46.

This is near me but I'm not keen onthe interior or the fact it's a saloon.


https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-324i-loaded/22416776

I'd be much more bothered by the fact it's an automatic, the manual is an absolute joy to use, unlike some of the modern diesel BMWs with their horrible notchy and imprecise manual gearboxes, these have the precision of a rifle bolt and are very slick. They're much faster, use less fuel and the box itself is nigh on indestructible. The clutch delay valve is the only real 'problem' with them, they're not the easiest of cars to pull away smoothly but once it's removed you can pull away smoothly like you would in a normal car.

With keep fit windows at the rear it's not even SE spec so it's definitely not 'loaded', they look so much better (and are much more desirable) in Sport spec, but it's a nice tidy car and is nice and cheap, hopefully someone will buy it. The 2.5 engine is an absolute gem and I think strikes the best balance between power and Irish car tax rates, so that's a big reason to buy it, too. It's an original Irish car so it should be less likely to suffer from chassis rust or around the arches like the English cars most likely will have at this age.

ba_barabus

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

I'd be much more bothered by the fact it's an automatic, the manual is an absolute joy to use, unlike some of the modern diesel BMWs with their horrible notchy and imprecise manual gearboxes, these have the precision of a rifle bolt and are very slick. They're much faster, use less fuel and the box itself is nigh on indestructible. The clutch delay valve is the only real 'problem' with them, they're not the easiest of cars to pull away smoothly but once it's removed you can pull away smoothly like you would in a normal car.

With keep fit windows at the rear it's not even SE spec so it's definitely not 'loaded', they look so much better (and are much more desirable) in Sport spec, but it's a nice tidy car and is nice and cheap, hopefully someone will buy it. The 2.5 engine is an absolute gem and I think strikes the best balance between power and Irish car tax rates, so that's a big reason to buy it, too. It's an original Irish car so it should be less likely to suffer from chassis rust or around the arches like the English cars most likely will have at this age.

Curiosity got the better of me and I went for a nosey as I knew where it was parked. It's 950 now. I think I'd prefer hold out for a coupe tbh

Leonard Hofstadter

ba_barabus wrote: »

Curiosity got the better of me and I went for a nosey as I knew where it was parked. It's 950 now. I think I'd prefer hold out for a coupe tbh

Yeah the Coupés are more desirable to be fair, they still look the part in Sport spec. I wouldn't buy one unless it was a Sport. A manual is also a must.

ba_barabus

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

Yeah the Coupés are more desirable to be fair, they still look the part in Sport spec. I wouldn't buy one unless it was a Sport. A manual is also a must.

I could live with or without either. I had a 318Ci SE manual a few years back. It wasn't the qquickest but I still liked it for what it was.

vintagevrs

So I bought this car last July, and 22k miles later it's still ticking almost every box for me. It's practical as I need, last week 5 adults plus luggage covered a few hundred miles in it with no issue. The trip computer did register the weight though with mpg dropping to mid 30s, although we were flying it. In eco pro mode it is very lazy and comfortable, but if you want to press on it'll easily put you into triple digits with minimal room needed for overtaking.

Interior wise, I like the driving position and general lay out. I don't feel it has aged too badly considering it is now a 7 year old design. I really like the sound system as it can handle a decent bit of volume and the Spotify integration works ok for me, not as good as car play etc but does the job.
The xdrive is a great job, as from a standstill full throttle has no real drama, it just goes. Good to know it's there if we get a lump of snow or ice too.
As for downsides, it did let water into the rear lights. Common problem on the f30s, but as out of warranty also meant out of pocket. I decided to use it as an opportunity to freshen up the rear though and bought the LCI rear lights from the face lift.
EGR recall check was needed which was a pain in the hole as it was a day sitting in a dealer for me, but at least it got checked.
Service wise in my ownership it's had 3 oil changes, air/fuel/pollen filters, 4 new disks with pads, control arm bushings, 2nd set of tyres last week.

No plans to change, would love if it made a decent noise like a 340i but really couldn't justify all that additional expense for the exhaust sound.

Hopefully next 12 months is good too.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Very very very nice!!

330d??

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

ba_barabus wrote: »

I'm very jealous. I really need another E46.

This is near me but I'm not keen onthe interior or the fact it's a saloon.


https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-324i-loaded/22416776

Sorry... I'm always looking myself! ...and if I can squeeze another person into an old BMW I'll try :pac:

If you're after a 325i why not consider:

E39 525d Msport Auto with all of the neccesary work done to see it complete many more miles hassle free...




Or... get a proper petrol one, 330i manual e46, low miles 118k, auto, msport and fresh test (no price but I don't think it would be mental, it's been on donedeal a fair while)



Or...if you really wanted a 325i manual why not an e90? They're the same price and a superior drive imo. Here's one I know that's well minded, almost got it myself before I found a touring.

It's only SE spec but best of luck trying to find another manual e90 325i...at least the insurance will be cheaper.



You've plenty of choice, don't forget nobody wants to tax these cars given they're all over 2 litres and many more don't want them because they happen to be auto, bargains can be had, these cars sit on donedeal for months and months before being picked up. Meh, I say buy the right car and worry about the tax later, the cars are cheap because the tax is high.

Mickiemcfist

I've got an 01 Black Msport 325ci in Manual with cream memory leather seats which I'm thinking of selling in the next while. Just over 100k miles. Not in A1 condition, but an honest c+. Small 10c sized rust patch below the boot BMW badge is the worst of it.

Gimme a PM if you're looking, based in Dublin however.

ba_barabus

Cheers guys. I'm not at the going out buying stage just yet. Currently working on a project for the summer and want to see that through first. Any e46 I'm buying won't be hitting the road straight away either so will be locked up for a little while. The 01 325 might suit in that respect.

Could you PM me about it.

bazz26

Make sure the rear subframe has been addressed on any E46 you go look at, most of them crack at some stage and need replacing.

ba_barabus

bazz26 wrote: »

Make sure the rear subframe has been addressed on any E46 you go look at, most of them crack at some stage and need replacing.

Out of interest does that affect all models or some more than others?

bazz26

I think it's across all models afaik.

Edit: Better info from here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=72&t=1418703

Leonard Hofstadter

ba_barabus wrote: »

Out of interest does that affect all models or some more than others?

Big engined models, and really only the very earliest cars. Now I'm not going to bet the house on it, but at the same time I think it's totally overblown and unless you're talking about something that's been ragged or the M3, you're very unlikely to have the problem.

They strengthened the subframe on facelifted cars. I believe there was some other change from 2001 as well, when the M54 engines were introduced. The later E46s are a better buy anyway because the M54 has more power and uses less fuel than the M52, plus the earliest models have a reputation for feel free steering, an issue you certainly won't have with the newer cars.

If you're especially worried about it, get a Compact, they use a different subframe to the rest of the range and do not suffer from this problem no matter what engine is under the bonnet.

ba_barabus

Think I need to do some research.

Mickiemcfist

ba_barabus wrote: »

Cheers guys. I'm not at the going out buying stage just yet. Currently working on a project for the summer and want to see that through first. Any e46 I'm buying won't be hitting the road straight away either so will be locked up for a little while. The 01 325 might suit in that respect.

Could you PM me about it.

Done - yea after the summer suits me too so that could be ideal.

Gavman84

Picked this up yesterday to replace the Focus! Keeping it in the ST family anyway! Great craic been admiring these for awhile finally did it :P

job seeker

Wasn't your Focus red with grey alloys too?

The best of luck with it anyways! It's very nice!

Gavman84

job seeker wrote: »

Wasn't your Focus red with grey alloys too?

The best of luck with it anyways! It's very nice!

Cheers. It was! This is Molten Orange its a cool colour really love it can look different in pics then in person.

job seeker

Gavman84 wrote: »

Cheers. It was! This is Molten Orange its a cool colour really love it can look different in pics then in person.

No problem! Ah yes, now that you mention it, i can see it.. I am currently waiting for my new glasses so that is obviously a huge contributing factor to my vision. Or lack of.. :pac:

26000 Elephants

Ive seen racing red come out that colour on some cameras. Very hard to judge it sometimes.

Those fiesta ST's are a blast. Enjoy.