[82DMC12]

Hi everyone,

I'm 29 and currently drive a 2008 Subaru Legacy Limited. It's a great car for my climate because I live in North Dakota where there is snow 5 months out of the year. I've always loved the E46 BMW's so sometimes I check around to see what's available.

I found a 2003 330xi, black with tan leather with these options:

Sport, Premium, Cold weather, HK, Xenons
50K miles, asking $17K. I'm sure I can get them to drop the price to maybe $15,500.

It looks like it's in awesome shape. The BMW dealer sent me the warranty claims report and there are two things that look a little troubling -

in 2005 it says :
E46 E53 E65 E66 E67 E83 E85 Misfiring - ignition coils (Bremi) fail
and also
Hydraulic Tappet clearance compensation unpleasant noises

I'm guessing these problems are fixed by now, but I am wondering if they are common issues?

I know for sure the 2006 E90 330i had problems with valve train noise. Do earlier models have that problem? I'm asking the dealer for more details on what was done to resolve it.

The car is 3 hours away. Can someone point me to a list of things I should be looking at closely, such as common problem areas? I read about half-shafts and CV joints. Not a big deal. I like to work on cars and I'm not an idiot so I can spot when something isn't right or doesn't look original, but I'd like to know what big problems I could be in for. Is the A/C a problematic area?

Thanks for the help - perhaps I will be part of the family soon!

Also I'm totally digging the Dynavin system. I'll be putting that in for sure!

Andy

 

[FastKA24DET]

Too much not worth it try too look for 2004 and up 6 speed much better for gas. I use to have 2003 one coil was bad at 220k milles delership replaced it for free + they washed my car

 

[OneOfaKindTrini]

Get the service history, although I would go for a 04+

 

[Shmo]

Get the service history, although I would go for a 04+

This and PPI..especially if you're gonna be putting that much down for a car.

 

[82DMC12]

So what do you guys think is a more realistic price? KBB shows it around $17-18K.

I know for that much you can get an 05 or 325 but it probably won't have much equipment. I've been looking at E90's but they are in the mid to high 20's, and seem to be less reliable than the E46 (and don't look as good!).

 

[afstud]

you are correct in alot of your statments... personally to me the E90 is not as good looking, more bugs that can conflict because of all the computer systems and you cant DIY as easy on an E90, The E90 in my opinion has a worse resale value as well, thats great for someone looking to purchase but bad for selling again, for example there is a 06 E90 in my area going for 11,900 private party, and its about 100k miles, there are many E46 that go for more than that with higher miles. You can get a 04-05 325xi well equipped but its harder to find BUT personally i favor the 325 because of the leatherette seating, it looks new no matter how many miles on the car, Its more durable and still looks and feels like leather, no one will ever know. My 02 325xi's seats looked brand new even with the 206k miles on it, plus it had the sport, premium and cold weather package and was mint and well maintained, i also had xenons, the only thing was gas mileage was to be desired but o well, i didnt care, it was great in snow, man i flew through a fresh foot of snow 15 miles without it taking a second guess as to what to do, it was a magnificent car and i miss her. i would stay close to E46 if i were you, you wont regret it, plus there easy to mend, and mod, and if you search hard enough youll find a newer one for a much better price than that BMW dealer was going to throw at you. hope this helps and best of luck on your hunt!

 

[Pierce1]

I drove a 03 330xi MT 6sp. They were all 6sp manuals in 03. The only issue I have had with it was the xenon headlight igniter went bad on the passenger side. It was a pricey repair job. Other than that it's been a blast!

 

[82DMC12]

Hi guys,

This particular car has a 'trap door' or some kind of a compartment on the left side of the trunk. I've seen pics of some E46's that don't have this. The car has CD changer prep. That does mean the brackets and everything are there and i should be able to add a BMW cd changer with no hassles?

 

[brandonwish]

Make sure to get full service history, # of previous owners, and PPI. All checks out and the price is right go for it. I absolutely love mine, just got a couple compliments on it over the weekend :craig:

 

[tttomttt]

Bought my 03 330xi last October for $12800 with 72000 mi. You will absolutely love this car. For those mi. @ a dealer $15500 would be worth the price of the car any higher and you'll have to decide how bad you really want it. If you are handy do not worry about maintaining it, everyone here is willing to help. I would suggest doing a thorough search through the forums and you can see what issues people have had and also how it was fixed. I have been driving mine 120 mi a day since July and the car is what makes the drive easier to make and take.

 

[82DMC12]

Cool man, I'll be checking it out next weekend. I'll get an inspection of course somewhere else... It looks super clean. If it looks good I'll probably offer $15K and see what they do about it.