The earlier cars are cheaper not just because of the subframe issues, but also because they're less powerful than the later E46s and have fewer bells and whistles.

My general rule of thumb is to look for 2002 and newer. YMMV.

 

well BMWNA did do a voluntary inspection and fix several years ago. part of its settlement. so it's hard to say how many were repaired. mine got a whole new floor and warranty. I'm sure if its still on the road it's floor is fine. many of the early '99-'00 years were replaced. and E46s that showed signs of cracking were also repaired. after the inspection ended, people were left on their own.

 

I'm sure if its still on the road its floor is fine.

What of the reports of owners of early E46s still having to do subframe repairs, even nowadays? :dunno:

 

Mine is 99, and I'm thankful every time I look under it to see everything looking perfectly fine. No rust, chips, or cracks. Over 200k miles.

I would fix mine as I can do it myself, I've invested time and money into my car, and I can't afford to replace it. Swapping bodies and parts would be a strong consideration though. If the car was on it's way out mechanically, let it go.

 

2001+ cars received a thicker subframe floor even thought it doesn't make it 100% foolproof. I read somewhere that the first revision of the subframe floor was in February '00 and that automatic cars don't experience this issue, at least not as much as manual vehicles

 

Mine is '00 323ci...Automatic. Finally Tore the subframe about a year ago. Now the car is just sitting in my car port... Great condition mechanically otherwise. I bought an M4 last year...but now, Not sure what to do about it since the car aint worth **** these days.

 

I hear that BMW still reviews RACP failures on a case-by-case basis. Some have reported being quoted a floor replacement or repair and BMW absorbing half the cost. It's still expensive at $2,500 - $3,500 (owner's cost) and they don't do all the other things an indie or private party would do like replacing / upgrading bushings, corroded parts, etc.

I agree that the two-pedal cars see the failure less frequently than manual trans cars.

I guess it comes down to a personal decision. Do you like the car enough to fix it despite a repair cost that may exceed the value of the car.

As for inspections for failure. I think it best to use a bore-scope and go in from the trunk. There are two rubber plugs on each side just above the rear mounting lugs that would provide good access to the welds at the top of the mounting lugs. I think this is were failure occurs first (on the left side), and then the RACP begins to crack and ultimately fail.

It sounds safe to say that I well looked after '04 or '05 330i ZSP or ZHP would be a good bet as an ultimate replacement for me in a couple of years.

 

I've been posting photos here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1115152&highlight=

 

Ok, i think thats much worse than mine.

 

At some point, you do not make decisions based on the asset value, but on replacement value.
Want a new BMW that drives worse? Get $50,000 ready.
Want a non-trashed ricered hot mess?
Get ready to look for a few months and spend $6k, maybe.
And then another $2k to sort it out since if it was perfect, seller wouldn't sell, at this stage of the game.

Who gives a crap what the car is worth.
What's it worth to you?
$1500 repair sure beats dropping $8k or $17k or $27k or $55k on a replacement.

 

Who gives a crap what the car is worth.
What's it worth to you?
$1500 repair sure beats dropping $8k or $17k or $27k or $55k on a replacement.

A full repair plus extra PM on a high mileage car is more like $2,500 but the question is: can I find an old school maintained car in a color I like and in similar condition for the cost of the repair? In my mind - no. So yes, it's worth it to me.

I think that heavily optioned and well maintained e46s (328i / 330i) with ZSP or ZHP will hold their value. I recently saw a prime example ZHP at EAG with an asking price of nearly $30k. Nice examples of 330 and 328 cars with ZSP are tough to find for less than $7k or so.

 

I bought my 2000 328ci manual car from a friend that had given up on it do to the subframe failure. Only has 132k on it so I bought it from him for what the junkyard was going to give him which was $360. Bought the reddish kit and welded it back together. Did the general maintenance and its a good car again. I've seen shops in my area fixing them for around $1000 so if its a good car still I think it'll be worth fixing them. No regrets buying and fixing mine.

 

Wow! That's amazing - $360 for a 328ci!? We bought a Miata for $750, rebuilt it, and still drive it seven years on so we can relate. $1,000 for the Redish installation is a deal. It's probably 20 hours total to do it and at $100 an hour for shop time that's $2,000. Indies up here in the rust belt charge $75 - $90 an hour. The side issue here in the land of the tin worm is just that, rust. Once corrosion sets in that becomes another matter and affects the overall planning horizon for the car as well as replacement of corroded components you find when removing all the bits in the way of the welding work. I had $750 in new bushings, handbrake cables, corroded brake lines, corroded springs, and some extra sheet metal to fix the hole in the body at the left rear diff mount prior to the Redish installation.

 

Is it better to use Redish over Turner? Im about to buy Turner kit on ECStuning.com

 

Yea it was time consuming for me to re-weld everything but worth it for sure. Definitely happy that its a west coast car! I couldn't imagine dealing with all that rust.

 

The Redish kit is far better in my opinion just because it covers so much more surface area for more support. Just my opinion though.

 

It took eight weeks for a small indie shop to process my car. There were two subcontractor involved and they did really commendable work. The total cost was $3,500 which included all new brake lines from the engine compartment rearwards. I also had OEM RTABs done and PowerFlex diff bushings. My indie friend took the time to fog the cavity under the trunk floor with a wax like undercoating to prevent corrosion. I replaced the rear springs with used OEM ones from California. The ones in the car had severely corroded "pigtails" which are prone to fail. My tech says that for me to replicate the car in the condition it's in would be at least $8k. I've had it five years and this is the first major repair I've had. I intend to keep it another five years. So for me it's made sense to go through this overhaul.

I compare this to my son's P-car 944 and we had to replace the engine after just eighteen months. The pre '86 944 2.5 liter engines had a weak oiling system design and if autocrossed without an overfilled sump, the #2 rod bearing could be compromised. We spun the bearing, seized the engine, and then I bought a recycled engine out of an '87 944 and overhauled it. Total replacement cost was $4k, and I did most of the overhaul work. It's easy when the donor engine is on a stand in a full service shop. Most of the cost was in the cost of the donor engine, head work, and the engine swap.

The moral of my stories: Keep what you know and like, and you'll usually have reliable long term transportation that's fun to drive, and you appreciate. As John Muir (noted VW idiot book author) quoted: Be kind to your ass for it bears you.