GF wants an older e46 bodystile car, so the newer the better. Any problems with the e46 cars?

6/16/2011 7:29:05 AM

I've heard that it's not a great engine, and if it's an automatic transmission run far, far away.

6/16/2011 8:11:35 AM

It's ok, only if she gets the 'BMWBLOND' license plate

6/16/2011 9:40:35 AM

tell her to get a flippin E9x. They look better, and I'm betting are more reliable

6/16/2011 9:45:46 AM

^^lol
tell her to get a mazda 3. if she takes care of it like she should then she may move to a bmw.

6/16/2011 10:47:52 AM

NEMESIS!!

6/16/2011 12:50:43 PM

^^^
lol really? I think the e46 looks way better than the e92. The newer ones look too much like mazdas.

6/16/2011 1:13:48 PM

Shes only considering autos, are the e46 really that bad?

Right now shes considering the older 3 series, and Mini Coopers, anything else she should be looking at?

6/16/2011 1:18:09 PM

Dude. Cmon... You really don't have a gf. thus this thread is null and void

6/16/2011 3:24:13 PM

Well if she wants a min cooper that isn't an s just get a neon. Same motor

6/16/2011 4:31:46 PM

e46's definitely beat e9x in the looks department, thats for sure.

6/16/2011 4:35:45 PM

something wrong with the use of "definitely" to characterize an opinion

6/16/2011 4:36:26 PM

it's not an opinion.

6/16/2011 4:37:12 PM

:|

6/16/2011 4:38:12 PM

you seriously think this


is not better looking than this?

6/16/2011 6:18:36 PM

They both look pretty nigged out to me. And I have a e46. Love it. '03 model. Auto.

6/16/2011 9:56:28 PM

Those both are ricers, I'd rather be seen in an e30.

As for e9x vs. e46, I like them both, the e46 was a fine car (excluding the 323 POS').

[Edited on June 16, 2011 at 10:02 PM. Reason : .]

6/16/2011 10:02:17 PM

I do agree that an e30 m3 is my favorite m3, and something I would like to own one day. Maybe I should buy it now. The price keeps going up.

6/16/2011 10:47:20 PM

Quote :

"I've heard that it's not a great engine, and if it's an automatic transmission run far, far away."

All E46 engines are very reliable. Only the GM 4-speed auto tranny on early (99-00) E46 323 was problematic. The rest of the line up is stout.

There were few easy to do recalls and if the car has higher miles it was most likely already done by previous owner. Two big items were window regulators and coils. Stay away from lowered cars with big suspension mods because subframe might be cracked.

[Edited on June 17, 2011 at 12:08 AM. Reason : f]

6/17/2011 12:07:32 AM

I don't understand how either of those BMW's are Ricers. But I guess I could have missed the last circle jerk BMW ownership meeting since I don't own one.

6/17/2011 12:59:10 AM

The rims on that E46 is ugly as sin.

Pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhem3RYDxGA&feature=related


[Edited on June 17, 2011 at 1:12 AM. Reason : .]

6/17/2011 1:01:20 AM

If you don't find the rimz on the e46 ghetto, then there's indeed something wrong with you. As for the e90, it's got (fake) competition wheels and a blacked out grill. To each his own sir.

6/17/2011 1:03:04 AM

Those rims are not ghetto at all. what the hell, have you never been to a ghetto before?

6/17/2011 1:13:45 AM

Subjective, I'd pay money to not have those wheels on my car, as they look absolutely retarded. I'm not just saying that, I've bought more than one car and returned it (them) to factory, spending a lot of money along the way. When I said I'd rather be seen in an e30, I wasn't referring to the e30 M3 either. I'd actually rather be in a stock 86 VW GTI than an e46 w/ghetto wheels.

Maybe "ghetto" wasn't the right terminology, but I don't like "nigged out", but I mean c'mon stickers across the hood, side skirts and stupid wheels = I don't want. Could be worse though, at least they didn't spray paint the grilles, get fake angel eyes and a vented hood.

6/17/2011 2:29:46 AM

Quote :

"I'd pay money to not have those wheels on my car"

6/17/2011 6:03:38 AM

The best rims on any BMW are OEM rims. The only exception to that is maybe some BBS LMs and even that on certain model. BBS is anyway on BMW's approved vendor list.

6/18/2011 12:04:28 AM

Quote :

"subframe might be cracked"

lol wtf

and they say japanese/american stuff is crap

6/18/2011 8:34:49 PM

^agreed.

6/18/2011 8:39:26 PM

Quote :

"lol wtf and they say japanese/american stuff is crap"

In comparison to german cars it is utter and complete crap, yes. From build quality to performance. Not sure if it is even a contest...E46 330i has no real competitor on japanese/american market. Lexus IS300? Lincoln LS V6?

If you read a list of common problems or recalls for ANY car manufacturers you will never buy a car. Realistically, these problems are far less common and worth the risk of owning the vehicle. Porsche had IMS problems requiring new engine. I certainly would not call Porsche a crap car.

6/19/2011 4:37:56 AM

it's the
"look at my car; its doors close with a solid thud, interior has soft-touch surfaces, got sound-absorbing crud in the wheel wells, etc thus it's waaay better than your rickety POS" mentality that gets me.

an E46 330i had no competitor because no one else was into that scene back then other than maybe Mercedes. The G35 came out in 2003 during the E46 years and took home award after award.

If you want to talk build quality, there are a countless number of threads here and elsewhere saying to stay away from german cars if reliability is a concern. Build quality => jap traps that go 300k on oil changes and gas fillups alone

I wouldn't say Porsche is crap for those IMS problems. But if they continued to have those problems year after year, then yes, they would be crap. Kind of like how Audi has had electrical gremlins with power windows/locks/etc for 20+ years and it's still an issue now.

6/19/2011 4:47:34 PM

Quote :

"ook at my car; its doors close with a solid thud, interior has soft-touch surfaces, got sound-absorbing crud in the wheel wells, etc thus it's waaay better than your rickety POS" mentality that gets me."

Yeah of course, but you can't generalize that every german car driver is like that. And if they are maybe they have two perspectives to base their opinion.

Quote :

"an E46 330i had no competitor because no one else was into that scene back then other than maybe Mercedes. The G35 came out in 2003 during the E46 years and took home award after award."

Well, you don't have to take E46. Take E36 or better yet E90 335i. Both cars really have no competition in jap/american market. G37 is a great car, but still lagging. US market would be ...impala? I don't even know.

Quote :

"If you want to talk build quality, there are a countless number of threads here and elsewhere saying to stay away from german cars if reliability is a concern. Build quality => jap traps that go 300k on oil changes and gas fillups alone"

Expensive cars require expensive maintenance. Apples to oranges. Most jap cars that go 300k with oil changes are underpowered econo boxes where engines are not designed for any kind performance in mind. Inherent design is made to last. Those cars have low compression ratio and low hp. Even then I can tell you also about hordes of underpowered E28s and E34s that last 300k. Ton of E36s well over 200k, including M3s. E46 M3 (S54 engine) is also extremely solid and reliable considering how strung out it is. S54 actually has higher piston speed and internal stress than new V8 M3.

I'm also willing to bet that german cars get driven harder than your avg civic/accords.

Also, build quality does include solid thud, soft touch surfaces and uniform gap between panels. To me, that's important as well.

[Edited on June 19, 2011 at 5:22 PM. Reason : k]

6/19/2011 5:18:50 PM

Quote :

"The G35 came out in 2003 during the E46 years and took home award after award."

In any comparison comparing the G35 against a BMW you would always hear the complaint that the Infiniti's engine is harsh and not as smooth as the BMW. Something like that is important to a lot of people.

And if you're saying that Porsche doesn't make reliable well made cars than you must be trolling

6/19/2011 7:52:24 PM

I looked long and hard at 996 911s a couple years ago but the RMS failures scared me.

6/19/2011 9:59:53 PM

RMS is not an issue at all, if it were leaking, it takes me about 4 hours to replace... on my back w/out a lift.

Look at them again!

6/19/2011 10:01:18 PM