spikeysam Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 hey guys, just signed up here as im pretty interested in purchasing a e46 coupe in the coming months, i currently drive a fiesta st which is nice and quite nippy but just doesnt feel that special and a bit fed up of the rattles. So heres my dilemma, im struggling on deciding an engine choice, i recently finished uni and working in a pub atm pretty much full time but will be finding a decent job soon enough, so i don't think i will be doing too many miles (atm 200 - 250 miles a week). my budget if i sell the st would be around £10000 - £10500 and would preferably want one with milage <60,000 I've narrowed them down to a few choices starting with the smallest engine 318ci 2.0 150bhp model - i have heared rumours that the straight 4 engines are not the best engines fitted to the e46 can anybody shed some light on this? the tax seems resonable (same as the st atm) and mpg shouldn't be too bad. How easy are these engines to tune if i decide on more power later? 320cd 2.0 150 model - im coming around to the idea of owning a diesel, good mpg, low tax and low insurance and respond well to tuning, would like to hear some thoughts on these. 320ci 2.2 170bhp model - next tax band up but has an inline 6 <3 insurance is a little bit more too, what mpg is expected from these engines? and again how easily tuned are they if i decide for more power? 330cd 3.0 204?bhp model - this one seems to be my favourite choice due to the low tax (same as st) resonable mpg and insurance and good tuning potential, problem is im struggling to find one within my price range with less than 100,000 miles, i know diesels should last considerably more than petrols although its other parts on the car which would have experienced all those miles i.e the paintwork. so my question is, which one would you choose? i would like something with some oooomph but again can be civilized when needs be. cheers and sorry for the long essay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Depending on insurance dude I would get a 330 petrol coupe as you can get a lot for your budget failing that go for the 330cd oh and avoid the 4pots at all costs, not as reliable from my experiences and also under powered massively welcome to the Zone btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeysam Posted October 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 i see so the four pots are pretty shoddy then? what about the diesel 2.0? i noticed the 330 seem to be awsome for what you get but insurance hike would be a bit too much - quoted around 2k (21 and 3 years no claims) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutz Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 buy this, sell me the seats http://www.e46zone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21545 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frobius Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 I'd pick the 330 diesel everytime. Responds just as well to tuning if not better than the 320d and still returns awesome fuel economy. If you can't quite stretch to a 330, the 320d is still an awesome car. A remap will see it happily to 185 ish bhp and a fat pile of torque. I still get mid to late 40s mpg with mixed driving on mine and the insurance ain't too bad. If you're going private sale and not getting a warranty, I'd budget for getting the swirl flaps removed as one if the fist things you do, assuming it's not been done. It's a failure point that can cost megabucks to repair and although afaik does affect the 330, is more prevalent on the 320. As for petrol's, if it were me I'd stick to the 330i. Can't see the advantage of smaller engined petrols. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 i see so the four pots are pretty shoddy then? what about the diesel 2.0? i noticed the 330 seem to be awsome for what you get but insurance hike would be a bit too much - quoted around 2k (21 and 3 years no claims) yep from my experience, had 2 now they re not gr8, not sure on the diesel dude, where do you live lol i only paid 1100 for my old one i was 22 0 NCB and 1 accident in 2009 that was last year lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge- Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 For such low mileage vs the money you save on tax / fuel, just get a petrol, 325 or 330. You'll enjoy it more, you will hear a decent engine sound, and the money saved buying it will easily cover the additional insurance, fuel, tax. Tax is what, £100 a year more, insurance probably similar if looking at the 330cd, and even looking at amo's slightly over priced one for 8000, thats 2000 less for a car that will be much higher spec than an equilvent diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeysam Posted October 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 cheers for the replies guys, what are swirl flaps and how do you remove them (any topic on this?) trickster, i live near cardiff im paying just under £1000 on my group 13 fiesta. diesels seem to be the options for tuning potential, im struggling to find any tuning companies for the petrols i.e exhaust manifolds, full systems, camshafts etc. edit: think i might go have a little look for 330's then, they seem to be a good buy atm, cheers jorge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 oh and avoid the 4pots at all costs, not as reliable from my experiences and also under powered massively yep from my experience, had 2 now they re not gr8, not sure on the diesel dude, where do you live lol i only paid 1100 for my old one i was 22 0 NCB and 1 accident in 2009 that was last year lol In contrast to that. I've had two 4 pot BMW's and they were both great. Nothing went wrong with either of them. Tax is reasonable, they're great on the motorway, great mpg for the size of the car. They were both the 2litre 318's though. I test drove the 1.8 and 1.9's and they felt underpowered. The 2litre version felt pretty nice though to be fair. It had enough power when you needed it to overtake, but don't expect to be keeping up with any big merc's/bmw's. If I was looking to buy now, it'd either be another 330ci or failing that a 330cd. My brain would be telling me to get the 330cd. With a remap it'll be faster than petrol, and get much better mpg figures. But my heart would be telling me to not trade the sound of a straight six petrol engine for mpg. Put your foot down in the petrol going through a tunnel and you'll have the biggest grin on your face. Do the same in a diesel and you'll be looking around you for a tractor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 In contrast to that. I've had two 4 pot BMW's and they were both great. Nothing went wrong with either of them. Tax is reasonable, they're great on the motorway, great mpg for the size of the car. They were both the 2litre 318's though. I test drove the 1.8 and 1.9's and they felt underpowered. The 2litre version felt pretty nice though to be fair. It had enough power when you needed it to overtake, but don't expect to be keeping up with any big merc's/bmw's. If I was looking to buy now, it'd either be another 330ci or failing that a 330cd. My brain would be telling me to get the 330cd. With a remap it'll be faster than petrol, and get much better mpg figures. But my heart would be telling me to not trade the sound of a straight six petrol engine for mpg. Put your foot down in the petrol going through a tunnel and you'll have the biggest grin on your face. Do the same in a diesel and you'll be looking around you for a tractor HAHA @Tractor lol both my 4pots were the 1.9 not the later 2L version so this might be why dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge- Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 When you think of BMW, you don't think of 4 pot though, its always the straight 6s. Anything else isn't a true BMW (unless of course its more than 6) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 HAHA @Tractor lol both my 4pots were the 1.9 not the later 2L version so this might be why dude Could be. The 1.8 and 1.9 engines are M43 IIRC and the 2litres are N42. Do agree with Jorge that you think big engine when you hear BMW, but if you are worried about fuel and tax then don't discount the 318's (as long as it's the later engines). They're a very competent car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amowolves Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 get a quote with elephant or admiral i found them to be the best when i was in your position....then if all's well come see me ;-) my cars the one in the thread posted above! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Could be. The 1.8 and 1.9 engines are M43 IIRC and the 2litres are N42. Do agree with Jorge that you think big engine when you hear BMW, but if you are worried about fuel and tax then don't discount the 318's (as long as it's the later engines). They're a very competent car. Gaz you are indeed correct and IMO the M43 is too old now needs to be M52 IIRC (3L 6pot) agree with Jorge too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 6 pot all day long 330ci if you can get one for a decent price then stick the remainder towards your insurance premiums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Sithee Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 I'd pick the 330 diesel everytime. Responds just as well to tuning if not better than the 320d and still returns awesome fuel economy. If you can't quite stretch to a 330, the 320d is still an awesome car. A remap will see it happily to 185 ish bhp and a fat pile of torque. I still get mid to late 40s mpg with mixed driving on mine and the insurance ain't too bad. If you're going private sale and not getting a warranty, I'd budget for getting the swirl flaps removed as one if the fist things you do, assuming it's not been done. It's a failure point that can cost megabucks to repair and although afaik does affect the 330, is more prevalent on the 320. As for petrol's, if it were me I'd stick to the 330i. Can't see the advantage of smaller engined petrols. Info on swirl flaps and affected engines : http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f3/bmw...rl-flaps-t5537/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 As above the 330ci is the logical choice, you'd get a lot more for your money than a 330cd, which according to my mate at work aren't that economical anyway ( he said he gets mid 30's driving sensibly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutz Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 you could always go for a real car; http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-BMW-740I-BLACK-...#ht_2098wt_1141 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Sithee Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 330cd 3.0 204?bhp model - this one seems to be my favourite choice due to the low tax (same as st) resonable mpg and insurance and good tuning potential, problem is im struggling to find one within my price range with less than 100,000 miles, i know diesels should last considerably more than petrols although its other parts on the car which would have experienced all those miles i.e the paintwork. So long as it's been serviced at the right intervals then there's nowt to worry about with the low or high milers. Don't automatically assume that a low mileage car will be in better condition than a high mileage one either. From my experience of hunting for a 330cd I found it to be the exact opposite. The low mileage ones I looked at had dings all over them and one 60k miler didn't even have any coolant in it and was making some horrible knocking noises despite having a fully stamped book. At the other end of the scale I went to see one with 132k on it and it was immaculate except for a handful of stone chips on the front end but they'd all been touched up. If it had been priced more sensibly I would have bought it. You'll probably find it hard work adjusting to the different power curve on the diesels if you're coming from a Fiesta ST though. You'll be used to screaming the bollox off it to get it go anywhere which is what you don't do in a diesel. 330cds hold their value much better than the other models. An equivalent age, spec and mileage 330ci will be £1500-2000 cheaper than a 330cd. You should be able to pick up a 330cd with under 100k for your budget, but you won't have much - if anything - left over, and you'll probably need to travel some distance for it as they're not too common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Syxx Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 I'd definitely look into the 330, they are a well rounded car and are great drive for what they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted October 11, 2010 Report Share Posted October 11, 2010 Another thing in favour of the 330 petrol, the MPG really aren't that much worse than a 325 or 328 from what I've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikeysam Posted October 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 some interesting views, it seems pretty much all of you are thumbs up for the 330 :-D did some quotes on the whole range on real cars ranging from 2003 - 2005 318ci - £1241 320cd - £1210 320ci - £1685 325ci - £1613 330ci - £1798 330cd - £1862 looks like the 330d is the most expensive after all, so not sure if thats what im after now; do these quotes seem realistic in your opinions and would any of you pay this much? I think it narrows down to two options, grab a 320cd remap it, save a few bob and enjoy the tractor soundtrack or grab a 330ci for a little less, but pay a bit more for running costs etc and have some inline 6 fun :-D guna have a think and some saving to do lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge- Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 Insurance figures look about right, news article today on the BBC saying that insurance premiums have risen 40% this year for 17-22 year old males. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 Another thing in favour of the 330 petrol, the MPG really aren't that much worse than a 325 or 328 from what I've heard. tbh i didnt find petrol too much worse than the old 1.9 318s lol cause u gotta drive a 318 hard to get anywhere and with the 330 you dont Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted October 12, 2010 Report Share Posted October 12, 2010 How many years no claims have you got? How old are you? I'm assuming about 23 if you've just finished uni? I'm 21 with a 330Ci and pay just over £1000 a year. I think it was £1058 there or there abouts. As Jorge says though, insurance has gone up a lot this last year. I would give Admiral a shot. They've given me the cheapest quote each year for the last 3 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
