It looks taken care of on the inside and the outside. It's pretty low mileage for an E46 and it has a lot to go. Maintenance records would be nice. If you are a DIY type of person, go for it! If you're gonna pay a mechanic to do any work, your pockets will empty out pretty quickly.

 

find out if cooling system has been refreshed, front control arms replaced, fuel pump replaced, etc. Good maintenance is what makes a car a good deal. Easy to spend a couple grand to bring a car up to good trustworthy running condition, if no maintenance records. Read the sticky thread , before you by, and watch the videos on how to look over a car. Buyers guide thread http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1007722

 

find out if cooling system has been refreshed, front control arms replaced, fuel pump replaced, etc. Good maintenance is what makes a car a good deal. Easy to spend a couple grand to bring a car up to good trustworthy running condition, if no maintenance records.

it’s not gonna need a fuel pump at 100K. but sure, the more things already replaced with records the better

Cooling system is the main thing. Make sure all the window work n the sunroof. Make sure it's not a M56 motor oil cap in the front of the motor. M54 has oil cap in the middle. M56 if your fuel pump ever goes out your replacing the hole fuel tank.

good advice. but pretty sure the 325 SULEV M56 wasn’t out in 2002, first came out as a 2003 model year. so this car is prior to that.

 

That's a sweet looking ride. Where is car located? My '02 325i with 107K runs/rides like a dream. However, I am in Texas (i.e. it's hot!) and lots of old rubber has been replaced e.g. vacuum hoses (plus vacuum caps and some orings), front control arms+, engine mounts, OFHG, oil pan gasket, cooling system (exp. tank, hoses, radiator), plus trans and differential service, etc. Probably $2-3k on parts for repairs and preventative maintenance around 100k miles. But very happy with outcome. Are service records available? Don't know fair market valve but seems good price if well maintained and/or doing your own work. Though definitely do PPI on any used car

 

Where is car located?

Car is located in Sacramento, CA.

 

Thanks Guys, excellent info so far, greatly appreciated.

 

Cooling system is the main thing. Make sure all the window work n the sunroof. Make sure it's not a M56 motor oil cap in the front of the motor. M54 has oil cap in the middle. M56 if your fuel pump ever goes out your replacing the hole fuel tank. As more emission things. 4000 sound reasonable. Talk him down. I got my 325i for 3200 in Pleasanton,CA.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

Looks good to me! I'd want to see under the hood, naturally, but it looks clean from the photos. The color combo will bore some on here, but I like it. Classy.

The lack of a manual would be a dealbreaker for me, but YMMV.

 

If it's truly a private seller, they'll come down in price some if you have cash in hand and are prepared to buy it on the spot. Tell them how much you like the car and that it's probably worth it but that you know you'll have to put at least a $1000 in it once you buy it and offer $3000 on the spot.

Make sure it's not a salvage title.

Like they said above, plan on spending some cash after purchase.

 

i wouldn’t say the car is a great deal. it’s not a bad deal either. it will need some inspection to assess further. value is likely between ~$3200-$4100.

Things that are good:
clean exterior
clean interior
Premium Packaage (ZPP)
Cold Weather Package (ZCW)

Things not so good:
325 (vs 330)
automatic
grey interior not so popular
no Sport Package (ZSP)
Halogen not Xenon Headlights

Now nothing against a 325, but ppl with 325 often want to swap up to a 330. used, price isn’t too far off and you get more as a base. if you define yourself as wanting a sportier car, you’ll wish it had Sports Package. And OEM Xenons is another thing you’ll want. trying to get any of these will cost you vs having bought car with them. just something to consider

 

Car will be for my 16 year old daughter, so all I want is clean.
325 with less power than a 330 and no Sports Package may be a good thing for a starting driver.

 

I am aware of what the Sports Package consists of, thank you very much.

But let's please not get ahead of ourselves here. My initial question was what you guys thought about the car and the asking price, not which option/package everyone prefers or thinks the car should have.

There will obviously ALWAYS be many opinions about preferences, otherwise each vehicle would be identical in color as well as options. Some find the grey leather boring, some others don't.
In Northern CA, the best looking Black on Black cars (IMHO) are a no go, as it is too bloody hot.
Not sure where you guys shop, but here in the Sacramento area, I have been looking for a few weeks and one will not find anything in the 3k range with less than 150K miles and mostly beat up.

What attracts me to this car is how clean it is and that it only has barely ovrr 100K miles. And most importantly of all, by daughter likes it and I think it will make a great daily driver for her, rather with an automatic transmission than a stick shift.
Kids nowadays are already distracted enough as it is, so a manual transmission does not need to add to this.
In my days starting our driving, nobody had to worry about texting and driving.

So overall, I believe most of you guys think this to be a good looking car, so I will see it in person today.

 

It would have been helpful if you had stated in your original post that this was for your daughter. I think it would be a great first car.

Kids nowadays are already distracted enough as it is, so a manual transmission does not need to add to this.
In my days starting our driving, nobody had to worry about texting and driving

You could make the counterargument that having a stickshift will discourage texting while driving and encourage her to focus on the road and the act of controlling the car.

My son is nearly 14 and he knows his first car will have 3 pedals and he's looking forward to it. He'll learn basic car control in the minivan, however.

 

Looks pretty clean, I actually just bought the same color combo 330xi for my 17yr old son, he is enjoying it but I think I like it a bit more since it is so nimble and fits in so many small places quickly that I tend to swap with him sometimes. Wanna say I did pay a bit more for the condition etc plus being a 330 and AWD, old school nav etc prices were a bit higher due to the demand of Xi's in winter. Go for it your daughter will love it great car and very safe for teenagers.

 

Looked at the car, but did not get the warm and cozy, so I did not buy it.

- Car was filthy, not cleaned at all.
- A lot more body scratches then I had expected.
- Front and rear bumper would need to be painted to pass my standards.
- And further more it did not pass some of the items on the Buying Checklist, such as dried coolant as well as leaks around the head gasket area.

I was going to buy it for a lower price, but the seller would not come down at all.

So, I passed and the search shall continue until i find the right one.

I thank you all for your input and hope you will be available again once I post my next target.

 

Sorry to hear!

Yes; we'll be here! We never leave, really...

 

Your post says it all - keep looking.

 

Thanks Guys.

 

I agree and disagree with you.

I've been turning wrenches as a tech to shop owner and everything between for a long time.

Own BMW bikes and cars, even raced/instructed for a decade and a half.
Japanese products are great for longevity against reliability. Heck my utility vehicle is a 08 Tundra with 180K.

They've come a long way and are much better and quickly closing the gap. However they lack the soul that a BMW has.

If it weren't for the last bit, I'd be working on something else.

 

^ are you aware this is a 2.5 year old thread? 🤔

 

LOL no!!! Always get bit by these necros.