Reliability of e46 320?

[G-ZUS]

Does anyone here have a 02-03 320i? What are some common problems/quirks with them? Are they reliable? My dads friend has one with around 160 k on it, he's willing to sell me it for around 7500. 4 door, 5 speed, fully loaded.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Pretty good as long as its maintained, they like to overheat if you dont flush the coolant, also buttons and sensors like to fail, pretty much any button in the car is susceptible to failure lol.
7500 is a good price, I'd consider it if you like the car, the 320i's are a tad slow and lots are missing features that make the 3 series a desireable car in the first place, so see if you like it.

[scat19]

Thats a very good price, besides you just being a friend... damn!

Like AE92 said, the 320 is missing a lot - you'll be happy, as long as you don't sit in a 330 ;)


As it's a 5spd, you don't have to worry about the tranny, be nice with the clutch and it'll last :)

[JustinGTP]

Originally posted by G-ZUS
4 door, 5 speed, fully loaded.

A fully loaded 320i? Can that even be? They are the base, base model of BMW. It's a good price, but a lot of kms! Depends what your budget is, but you could get a newer car and less kms for the same price. Are you looking for the "I have a BMW" type thing? It's going to be expensive on repairs just to be to all the chicks "I have a base model BMW."

[JDMMAN]

The E46-320i can be fully loaded w/ power moonroof, leather, business stereo (w/ blue tooth) etc. I don't believe there's an HID option. You can also get the sport suspension + sport wheel/tire package (16" alloys on the Eagle RS-A's). My girlfriend had an '04, pretty good on gas and relatively quiet on the highway. 2.2L I6 motor was peppy even with the slushbox.

[scat19]

Originally posted by JDMMAN
The E46-320i can be fully loaded w/ power moonroof, leather, business stereo (w/ blue tooth) etc. I don't believe there's an HID option. You can also get the sport suspension + sport wheel/tire package (16" alloys on the Eagle RS-A's). My girlfriend had an '04, pretty good on gas and relatively quiet on the highway. 2.2L I6 motor was peppy even with the slushbox.

That's not fully loaded. And you cannot get leather on the 320. What your girl has is pleather, vinyl, fake leather, whatever you want to call it.

The 320 never got the "sport package" (The sport wheel is infact a 17" wheel, staggered), nor did it get the sport seats w/memory seats/memory door mirrors, automatic dimmming rear-view mirror, no BI-Xenon HID option (Automatic headlights), no rain sensing wipers, no automatic climate control (only the turn dial buttons), no multifunciton steering wheel.... The "BMW BUSINESS CD" is the standard system. The only small upgrade is a 6CD trunk cd changer. You say bluetooth? That only started coming out in the later of 04, MY05-06, or it was a 800 dollar unlistedoption when you purchased it. I doubt she has BT.

Trust me, I own a 2000 323i, and a fully loaded 04 330CI. There is a shitload of difference, just in standard options. And don't forget, the 323i became the 325i, so it had more options standard. The 320 came in the bottom, and to make the gap, they gave it a lot less.

However, my 323 was decent. I had memory seats, but no memory mirrors. I had the multifunction steering wheel.

[aram1000]

E46's are as reliable as most other cars, so long as its been properly maintained. Just be prepared to shell out cash when maintenance/repairs need to be done. As stated before, while nothing major breaks down, a lot of little things can break (sensors, connectors, buttons, etc), and the cost to fix can add up, especially if you get the work done at a BMW dealer. Overall they are a good car, very good on gas, and fun to drive.

[Bimmer88]

The 320i was jipped.... basically I have a 2001 320i 2.2L Inline 6, and its been a very good car no major failures. Only had to replace the power steering pump at 180,000KM. The compressor is gone on, but AC still works.

Otherwise most common issues for E46's are:
- Oil Level Sensor
- Seat Belt tensioner
- Water Pump
- o2 Sensor
- Thermostat
- Window Regulator
- Maybe subframe issue?
Other things I can't think of off the top of my head...

All adds up to more $$$ but my car haven't has ALL these issues. Only a select few.

Otherwise I love the E46's, and their so much better than the E90's IMO.

And the 320i is missing a few features I find that the 330i has or any of the other vehicles. Though you could fix that too...

Retrofitting in certain things if you like such as a RLS if you don't have it.
Upgrading the stock radio to a 03+ radio to play MP3's.
Upgrading the tuner
Installing OEM alarm if you want
Installing a 330i Torque converter to take off faster, but in the end top speed is the same.
ESS makes a SC kit for this type of vehicle.
etc... tons of things to do to make it better, BUT it will never be the same as a 330i w/ a twin screw SC. So up to you what you want to do with the car, if its a daily driver and your not going to make it fancy or going for performance then fine. But if you want something with power, and goes as you put the petal to the metal then I suggest get something else than a 320i.