Daily Driver - BMW E46 330ci

I need to put the truck away for awhile and need something to just get back and forth around town and to the office. I have found a few 05/06 non convertible with decent mileage in the south.

I've always loved that body style and I don't need Nav/XM/Bluetooth. Any current or past owner input is appreciated.

 

The E46 was pretty well sorted out by 2005, but I believe the VANOS (variable valve timing) seals are still a concern. Plenty of DIY info out there.

 

I had an 04 330 with the m package they did for them I regret getting rid of it to this day

 

One of the options is a ZHP which is the last step before an M. I like it a lot.

 

The E46 zhp cars are very cool and if you find a nice one and take care of it you will definitely get your money back out of it.

I always liked the 330 zhp sedan.

 

That’s what it was, the zhp . Couldn’t remember exactly but it was an amazing car

 

A BMW is a great car...for the first owner.

 

I've been a BMW mechanic for almost 12 years now. The E46 is a solid car as long as it's hasn't been neglected.

Lately though I have been seeing either cyl 4 or 5 lose compression and have misfire issues. The piston rings are getting gummed up and stuck in the piston itself and cannot create adequate compression, there are some ways I've heard of working to alleviate this ( Google search, it involves diesel fuel)

Other common things to look for are:
Valve cover gaskets
Oil filter housing gasket
Vanos pressure line leaking
Rear barrel springs broken
Front C/V boots leaking/torn
Front control arm bushings, if rear wheel drive

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Last of the decent BMW's.

 

Fun to drive and still looks great. There are worse cars to get.

 

...if he unasses it before the end of the warranty coverage.

 

I have a 16 3 series Sedan and love it... Wife drives it most of the time but when I get in it its a blast to put it in Sport Mode and buzz around... Handles great and would be my daily driver if I had a choice....

 

The n54 engine 335 was superior in almost every way. I owned both. For the first owner

 

Yeah, except for the constant high-pressure fuel pump failures, the turbo wastegate issues, oil seepage, and BMW's deliberate stonewalling in the face of these problems, it was great.

 

HPFP was relatively common and fixed under warranty. The rest were not common for 1st owners while I owned them, 2007-2010. That stuff came on years later for the most part.

BMW went out of their way for me, installing an oil cooler on their dime based on my track use concerns.

 

You got lucky. We sell them. Should say sold. Try to stay away these days. The market on BMW's tanked when the turbo 6 and 8's came out because they are flaming piles of junk. On the ,plus side the 335 engine is basically the new age supra, the long blocks are taking 800hp all the time without issues....

 

Common, indeed. BMW was forced to recall 590,000 vehicles because of this problem.

 

I wouldnt do convertible, but they are great cars. I heard of issues with subframe cracking on the M3, I dont know if the 330 also has that issue.

 

I've never been a fan of any convertible, but I seem to be finding a ton of them when I do a search. The subframe cracking, at least as I understand it, was due to too much power so the M3 had issues, and other cars that had been modded.

I test drove one a few weeks ago that looked nice, but the owner was not mechanically inclined and couldn't even tell me when he had last changes the belts or shocks, so I opted out.

 

The 330/325 did not have this problem. And it's not the actual sub frame that cracks, it is the mounts in the body that start to pull through.

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