Been offered one of these from a friend , silver , manual, full leather 100k miles and full mot, for much cheapness.And after just getting hitched and coming back from honeymoon not looking to spend a lot on a motor at the moment. I know theyre not that quick 170bhp, but just looking for a motorway cruiser , Just wondering if anyone has any first had experience with this spec of car, what to look for and good, bad points. Cheers Rob
Had two. Great cars, I loved them. Easy worked on. Few niggles but nothing major, also surprisingly easy run. Manual is far better suited to the E46 too. If it's not too rusty and running well then go for it, just check out the buyers guides to make sure she's a good'un.
Wasn't the same one. @thefoolmccool bought my old one and has had it for a lot longer than I did. I've had a few E46's over the years and the best was definately the 323ci.
Don't be gay, now the wedding is done and dusted get yourself an M3! What's she gonna do, divorce you? Only messing, get the 323 before that weld fails on the Saab and kills you!
How cheap is cheap, early SE coupes are for buttons these days? Suspension and rust are the only real things. Cracking cars though
Pete's hit the nail on the head Suspension bushes, balljoints & rear springs are the only worry, and early E46's seem to be starting to rust on the front wings and rear arches As Pab's said, check the rear subframe, can only really be done on a ramp where the subframe mounts to the boot floor
Will just have to see what it goes through mot like, as the price is dependant on what it needs for mot, and won't be going through for a bit, as he has been getting his cosworth sorted first. But cheers for the advice folks.
As mentioned check sub frame mounts - see http://www.reallymeansounds.com/forum/threads/e46-subframe-mount-torn-from-floor.113294/ Also check rad for bulging at bottom, rust round arches and erratic idling or hesitation ariound 2k that can point towards VANOS. Thirsty buggers unless you are on motorway - but good bang for your buck