Depends condition, mileage and maintenance

 

Give me some examples with price you'd pay. That's kinda what I'm asking.

Thanks

 

I happen to think there is a big difference in E46's from a dry state than one from a salty state....
The prices are about the same so go buy one from a dry state, even if you have to fly, trailer, ship to do it.

I buy rebuildables...cars that have overheated or otherwise need an engine or a head gasket.

I pay $1,000 to $2,000 for those...

For a solid runner from a dry state, in decent shape, I would say you would pay $4-$6k ...more for an 5- or 6-speed, and more for a garage queen.

325i's are generally less than a 330i, which is almost always less than a ZHP.
Wagons are very popular and prices are generally higher.

 

I happen to think there is a big difference in E46's from a dry state than one from a salty state....
The prices are about the same go buy one from a dry state.

I buy rebuildables...cars that have overheated or otherwise need an engine or a head gasket.

I pay $1,000 to $2,000 for those...

For a solid runner from a dry state, in decent shape, I would say you would pay $4-$6k ...more for an 5- or 6-speed, and more for a garage queen.

325i's are generally less than a 330i, which is almost less than a ZHP.
Wagons are very popular and prices are generally higher.

What @Effduration said.

I do the same as him and buy the 500 to 1,000 dollar fixer uppers.

For me it's piece of mind that I've not payed to much and fixed it all myself.

Fixer uppers are starting to be in the 2,000 range now though. :/

 

I paid $6500 for a 2002 325i Wagon 5-speed with 212k miles, sport package, beige interior, silicon valley car. Needed some work but it was mostly in good condition. I thought it was a fair price.

 

Landon - might want to mention date purchased. In 2003 that would have been a great deal, for instance...

 

I purchased in January 2022.

 

I think it was....a manual rwd wagon from CA...hot hot hot

 

A 330 will usually command more than a 325. Same with manual transmission. Some prefer x drive, some rwd. A 6 speed manual 330 x-drive is desireable. A coworker just sold one with just under 100k miles for $11k. ZHP 330s are red hot, right now. So are manual trans wagons (tourings.) Clean lower mileage examples with good maintenance history are trading close to 5 figures for tourings, and well into 5 figure territory for ZHP cars. Ragged cars are still out there in the $1500 range, but I think your honestly looking at a minimum $5k buy in for a nice example.

 

Are you saying my clean 325xit I got for $1500 is actually a piggy bank? I guess my concern comes from the huge disparity in pricing. Anything from 1k - 9k for cars that have a lot of issues. Also coming from Chicago so it's even harder to find a car without rot.

Currently looking for a car that's manual, of any body style, with darker interior (black, black/brown)

 

In 2021 I bought my 2004 325iT Alpine White over Beige Sport Package 5-Speed Manual 164k miles with good service records for $11k. 🤡

 

In 2018 I purchased my 2003 330Cic Jet Black II over Beige Sport Package 5 - Speed Automatic 128K miles, one owner (female) with (supposedly) every single service record ever done to the car in a 2 inch binder (and 95% + were all done at her local BMW dealership) for $4200.00... the one caveat was that the power mechanism for the top no longer worked; hence the reason for selling the vehicle (turned out to be broken wires in the headliner - but BMW quoted her almost 4 grand to diagnose and fix it so she sold it instead)...

 

Good for you. What a great car and a great deal!

 

I bought clean 190k mile 330 auto facelift sedan for 3 this year. We fixed its coolant leaks, sold for 5 after fixing everything else that was wrong with it, two months later.

I bought my facelift 5spd wagon in '19 for 5.5k, 96k miles. If I had left it stock, comparable examples were selling for 9-12k. It's been swapped with a refreshed b30, 6spd trans, LSD.... It would take close to 30k for me to sell, maybe more.

There's simply a shortage of nice used cars for enthusiasts at the moment.

 

Bought my barely running 2001 RWD AT Touring clunker with 11 codes for $700 in May of 2021.

 

Happy Anniversary

 

Condition, condition, condition and maybe some service records. Expect to be north of 5k on anything that does not need tons of work. Labor costs are huge if you are not doing the maintenance.

 

I bought my 93,000 mile 2002 325xit 5mt October 2020 for $5,250. Vermont car it’s whole life, but garaged and well maintained, so not a rot box.

I felt I got a decent deal at the time, I think today it would’ve been more. As others have said, there are so many factors that go into pricing on e46s. Some of it is dumb luck and constantly being on the lookout, some of it is ponying up to buy nice low mileage examples.

 

I really appreciate the responses everyone. Serious food for thought.

 

Bought mine 2001 330ci convertible 5spd with 166k miles November 2021 for $2700. It was a very neglected and beat up example, top not working, needed almost all the basics done. It was sitting at this shady dealer for months with no takers. Price at first was 6995 hahaha trash but with good bones! Saw potential, even though it was my first bmw and I didn't really know wtf I was doing

 

I bought my 2002 325i touring w/ 5spd manual in Oct 2018 for 5k. It spent most of its life in southern states so it has no rust. I though it was an awesome deal back then and even more so now after learning how low manual trans touring production numbers are.

The market seems to be up now for tourings, but there have also been some really clean low mileage sedans sell on BAT and C&B into the 10k+ range and even into the teens. Those are obviously exceptions to the normal market, but in general I think E46's probably bottomed out as a whole a few years ago and are on the way back up.

 

I bought my 2002 325i touring w/ 5spd manual in Oct 2018 for 5k. It spent most of its life in southern states so it has no rust. I though it was an awesome deal back then and even more so now after learning how low manual trans touring production numbers are.

The market seems to be up now for tourings, but there have also been some really clean low mileage sedans sell on BAT and C&B into the 10k+ range and even into the teens. Those are obviously exceptions to the normal market, but in general I think E46's probably bottomed out as a whole a few years ago and are on the way back up.

It is a side effect of the pandemic... ALL cars are selling for stupid money including cars that are trash, or trashed and have rebuilt titles. Not just BMW, ALL cars.

 

I bought my 06 330 convertible with 70K on the odometer in September 2020 for $5500. I did have the wheels refinished so I dropped an immediate $500 into it. I've seen similar cars with twice the mileage in my area now going for $8000 or more.

 

I bought 4 in the last few years. Here goes.

Fall 2018 2005 325i manual RWD sedan in decent running order but rough body and 175k for $2,100
March 2019 2003 325 manual RWD sport pkg wagon with 143k very clean California car for $5,100
Aug 2020 2005 325 Auto RWD sedan with natural brown interior and 130k clean but needed some maintenance for $3,100
Oct 2020 2005 ZHP manual RWD sedan with natural brown interior 168k tired paint, but original and good mechanically for $4,400

 

I bought 4 in the last few years. Here goes.

Fall 2018 2005 325i manual RWD sedan in decent running order but rough body and 175k for $2,100
March 2019 2003 325 manual RWD sport pkg wagon with 143k very clean California car for $5,100
Aug 2020 2005 325 Auto with natural brown interior and 130k clean but needed some maintenance for $3,100
Oct 2020 2005 ZHP manual with natural brown interior 168k tired paint, but original and good mechanically for $4,400

This is what I expect the prices to be like, but again, crack rocks are readily available to most people on facebook marketplace.

Did you travel far for these?

 

This is nothing out of the ordinary, such is the lifecycle of most European cars, after about 10 years from date of production they sell for 1/4 of the original MSRP, then about 12-15 years later they start to go up in value.
I doubt we will see E46's jump up to E30 values anytime soon but considering how popular the E46 generation was the nostalgia bug will bite some former owners and there will be a little market buzz (in some cases already is such now).

 

Bought my 2005 330xi steel blue with beige interior automatic 2 months ago for $3,500. Seller said it “needed a wheel bearing.”

Turns out it needed…a lot more than that!

In hindsight I probably should’ve paid no more than $2,500 for it, but I’ve been having a blast watching lots of DIY videos and working on the car. I‘ve put about $4,000 into it so far, all done by me except mounting tires, alignment, and state inspection.

 

Would I have seen this car on CL in New England this spring? Looks too clean though… Maybe that’s from its new owner 😃

 

Bought a ‘04 330ci 6 speed alpine white / black ZSP with 176K in 2020 for 7500 here in Nor Cal. It was clean, no accidents. Oh, and the kid loves it.

Ended up needed cats, but other than that just the regular baseline items.

 

2002 steel blue sedan. 5spd. 111k. Original owner couple. Had it Euro-delivered back in the day. They took care of it but it needed all the usual things. Suspension, brakes, oil leaks. $6k. Drove it 10 hours no issues, but it wasn’t ‘fresh’ when I got it.

A few k later it’s a pretty entertaining machine that looks fresher than I’ve seen anywhere on the road since I’ve bought it.

 

For comparison: a UK 330Ci 170K miles, bought 6 years ago for £2500, spent easily £5000 on it so far, mostly fixed everything, now at 230K miles.

 

Big difference between facelift and pre especially for 330ci.

Before all the madness e46s were under £3.5kgbp, I saw an M3 for £6000 a few years ago too.

Now pleased to say a facelift 330ci is ranging between £4k and £7.5k, M3 £10k -£15k plus

 

Wow.. reading these comments makes me feel blessed.. last week I bought a 2005 330i sedan with 130k miles for $3700 and been driving it for a week no problem. From Los Angeles area so no rust at all..

 

Auto trans I presume? Still a decent deal assuming interior/exterior / mechanical are in decent shape..

 

Bought my '05 325Ci Black/Beige w/32K miles in 2017 for $11K. Garaged in pristine condition. Dealer installed new tires, I had it detailed, replaced brakes, alternator/battery, hoses, water pump, and that's it. 5yrs later it has 44K miles and is valued at $15K. Everything is going up, including BMW 325's in pristine condition. About Time!

 

In 2015, I bought my 2000 323i, manual tranny for $2500. First BMW. 144K miles, came with a binder with every service record since she was new, from the original owner. I have done all the maintenance and replaced nearly everything I needed to up to this point. Car runs like a dream. Looks beautiful still and the interior is immaculate. A guy offered me $10K for it recently, and I just laughed. I'm a big DIY'er but I recently took her in to the local indy shop for some suspension work. The mechanic wanted to meet me to see who was 'giving all that love to that car'!

I don't think I will ever sell this car. She just rolled over 200K miles and is a blast to drive, still. I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought it but I'm a huge e46 fan now.