looking for e46 ci

[LOP82]

hi i'm new in this forum. i'm not very familiar with bmw because this gonna be my first bmw that i'm gonna purchase so i need some advise between 325ci and 330ci. in fuel consumption, maintenance and performance.. much appreciated for the help..

 

[acidburn]

Hi LOP82

Some info on your dream car

Model: Engine: Power: Topspeed: Year:
318Ci M44 4 cylinder 118 HP 206 km/h 1999 - 2001
318Ci N42 4 cylinder 143 HP 218 km/h 2001 - present
320Ci M52 6 cylinder 150 HP 218 km/h 1999 - 2000
320Ci M54 6 cylinder 170 HP 226 km/h 2000 - present
323Ci M52 6 cylinder 170 HP 230 km/h 1999 - 2000
325Ci M54 6 cylinder 192 HP 240 km/h 2000 - present
328Ci M52 6 cylinder 193 HP 242 km/h 1999 - 2000
330Ci M54 6 cylinder 231 HP 250 km/h 2000 - present
320Cd M47 4 cylinder 150 HP 221 km/h 2003 - present
330Cd M57 6 cylinder 204 HP 242 km/h 2003 - present

 

[tombstone]

318ci ?? m44? isnt it a m43 1.9 for the first batch...

 

[Riezal-R]

PM me if you are interested in a 330ci. Facelift model.

 

[bmwcar]

hi i'm new in this forum. i'm not very familiar with bmw because this gonna be my first bmw that i'm gonna purchase so i need some advise between 325ci and 330ci. in fuel consumption, maintenance and performance.. much appreciated for the help..

Fuel consumption - hardly any difference - about 1 cent per km max.....

Maintenance - no diff except that the 330 comes with bigger discs so brakes could be more expensive...not sure by how much but recon it could be a couple of hundreds extra per change - approx 45,000 km...

Roadtax - diff of about RM1,200 per year

Performance - 330ci is a different league to the 325.....that extra 30 bhp feels like a lot more...

my take - if you can afford the extra RM2,000 per annum running costs, go for the 330....

 

[emaveric]

Why Ci is much more expensive than sedan?

 

[bmwcar]

Why Ci is much more expensive than sedan?

Ci's cost about 10% more than the sedan overseas...however, in malaysia, the ci's are all imported and used to cost about RM60,000 min or 30% above the comparative locally assembled sedan model when new.....and on the second hand market the gap has maintained though the price differential has dropped to about RM20,000 for the 00/01 models and this differential will continue dropping but will still remain......

 

[emaveric]

For 328 ci, manufactured only in year 2000? There's one 328 ci selling where the dealer claimed its from year 2002

 

[BlackCat]

318ci ?? m44? isnt it a m43 1.9 for the first batch...

Yes you are right, its an M43 engine... [and I must say that its one of the best 4 pot engines for the E46 series - least problematic of all, and that means good maintenance cost i.e. $$ savings. IMHO]


BlackCat

 

[bmwcar]

For 328 ci, manufactured only in year 2000? There's one 328 ci selling where the dealer claimed its from year 2002

328ci manufactured till Q3 2000. Then replaced by the 330ci.......there is no 328ci manufactured in 2002...it may due to the fact that AP's are only for cars up to 5 years old and hence this car could have been declared as a 2002 model... run the vin number through realoem.com and check.....

seen that car in the classified...think asking for RM15xK.....

 

[emaveric]

328ci manufactured till Q3 2000. Then replaced by the 330ci.......there is no 328ci manufactured in 2002...it may due to the fact that AP's are only for cars up to 5 years old and hence this car could have been declared as a 2002 model... run the vin number through realoem.com and check.....

seen that car in the classified...think asking for RM15xK.....

The one i saw in motortrader comes with wide b/k. My guess is probably around 180k? a little pricey dont you think?

 

[Zul_84]

performance... maintenance?

hi i'm new in this forum. i'm not very familiar with bmw because this gonna be my first bmw that i'm gonna purchase so i need some advise between 325ci and 330ci. in fuel consumption, maintenance and performance.. much appreciated for the help..

bro, go for 330ci, you will appreciated the performance... :rock:

 

[bmwcar]

The one i saw in motortrader comes with wide b/k. My guess is probably around 180k? a little pricey dont you think?

quite pricey actually...for a 2000 model as the 328ci production was stopped in that year.....just get the vin number and run it through realoem.com....

i think the price for a 2000 328ci should be about RM115K to RM130K depending on condition, mileage and options....add about RM10k max for a tastefully and well installed widebody and you should be looking in the region of about RM125K to RM140K max......

 

[emaveric]

quite pricey actually...for a 2000 model as the 328ci production was stopped in that year.....just get the vin number and run it through realoem.com....

i think the price for a 2000 328ci should be about RM115K to RM130K depending on condition, mileage and options....add about RM10k max for a tastefully and well installed widebody and you should be looking in the region of about RM125K to RM140K max......

Noted, any known issue with 328 engine? I will try to avoid 318i with all the complaints here...scary

 

[QD250]

seconder

Yes you are right, its an M43 engine... [and I must say that its one of the best 4 pot engines for the E46 series - least problematic of all, and that means good maintenance cost i.e. $$ savings. IMHO]


BlackCat

I can second bro blackcat on the m43 engine......

heheheheh...........

 

[bmwcar]

Noted, any known issue with 328 engine? I will try to avoid 318i with all the complaints here...scary

328 engines are quite bulletproof....if getting a 328ci, its the rear subframe which is quite prone to tearing on the 99 and early 00 models......

google bmw subframe and e46 subframe on google and read the comments....seems it only affected a small number of the 99/00/01 e46's but the most common car affected was the e46 328ci......

 

[emaveric]

Yes i did some quick research & found that it not just affecting 328ci but other models as well. So far happened on 323ci, 330ci & even 325 sedan?

Anyone experience similar failure? How much does it cost to get it fix? Any noticeable symptoms?

Bmwcar, many thanks again! You are very very helpful

 

[emaveric]

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=195602

try this link for more info on subframe failure

 

[bmwcar]

Yes i did some quick research & found that it not just affecting 328ci but other models as well. So far happened on 323ci, 330ci & even 325 sedan?

Anyone experience similar failure? How much does it cost to get it fix? Any noticeable symptoms?

Bmwcar, many thanks again! You are very very helpful

based on the posts i have read over various forums over the last 18 months:-

symptoms :
1- banging noise when changing gear
2- uneven tire wear
3 - clunking noises when going over bumps
4 - tear noticed when inspecting car

however, some of these noises could be attributed to other factors, eg - for 1, it could also be the diff bush mount, for 2 - alignment or worn rear suspension bushes, 3 - worn bushes or absorber mounts....normally 4 is the most common way of comfirming it....thats why at each service, i rush under the car and examine the 6 points of both suspension arms especially the left side where it normally occurs...


Cost:-
about 40 hours of welding labour, then some guys mount a turner motorsport re-in-enforcement kit and put foam into the subframe mounts.....in UK, that amounted to about 4,000 pounds...but reckon in Malaysia - it would probably cost about RM2,000 to rectify....thanks to our cheaper labour costs

It affect the bulk of the 99/00 cars as these were the first cars out in the market and also had the highest mileage so far. There was a first modification done in Feb 00 to the subframe (some reports say Feb 00, some say Feb 01) but there still are problems posted on 01/02 cars also.....but the numbers are lower......

Based on the stats, think it would affect less than 1% of all cars produced but its something worth checking before buying the car......

I would be more worried about a transmission failure than a subframe failure... in my view the worse in this order is
1) transmission failure
2) subframe failure
3) ECU failure
4) a/c compressor failure
5) alternator failure

 

[emaveric]

This what i gather from hours of surfing:
Transmission failure ( change gearbox) = RM8000
Subframe failure ( your estimation ) =Rm2000
ECU failure = no idea
A/c compressor failure = 2700 ( approx plus filter)
Alternator failure = Rm1700
Power steering rack = 2700

This is database from bmwCM & UDMowners forum