[bnester]

So, ive been checking out quiet a few e46 2002 model and comes down to this one.
the car seems like been well taken care off, no panels around the carbeen muck with service book til 90,xxxkm the car is sitting on 130,xxx at the moment. interior is suprisingly clean and neat for its year (comparing to other ones ive checked) how ever heres the catch.

There are some oil leak which was spotted under the engine (cant tell where its coming from) but i have read and mate told me that E46 model are common for gasket issues.
So im here to get some advice and someone maybe could share with me their experiences.
What is the worst scenario? How much does it roughly cost? what impacts that it have on the car?

Edit: the vehicle was advertised for $15,000 after i mentioned that leak i got him at 12,500 but wouldnt bother get me the RWC so i negociate and got it down to 12,000. Its either he's really keen on getting rid of the car, or something not quiet right.


Thank you
-Ben

 

[mrg325i]

What is it. A 325 or 330? Sedan or coupe? I or XI?
A 330 coupe will sell for more than a 325 sedan.

 

[bnester]

sorry its a 320ci e46 coupe auto steptronic

 

[mrg325i]

Sounds like a fair deal. Give it some time and other festers will chime in as well.
Oil leaks can be hard to track down. Did you notice if the oil was coming from the front or the back of the engine? First check would be the valve cover gasket.

 

[bnester]

Im not quiet familiar with the bimmer engine to be honest. Was a Rexy fan before that.bu I did have a look around the engine block which most are covers lol.
The oil I spotted was mainly at the bottom where the under cover is. Around the spark plug(left hand side engine block?) its oil free. on the right hand side of engine from looking toward the front of the car I did see the hose are a bit damped. But that could be when they replace the oil filter? At this stage I cant tell where's it's coming from.

 

[mrg325i]

Have you taken the car for a test drive?
If it is a valve cover gasket, you will be able to smell it. Hot oil on a hot exhaust stinks.
If the leak is lower, you will not be able to smell it.
If they did spill some oil when they changed the oil, it will burn off.
Do you have access to KBB (Kelly Blue Book)? They are online and will provide a pricing guide.

 

[Fast Bob]

1. Read the E46 Wiki

2. Get a solid PPI on any potential purchase

3. I don`t know what the current exchange rate is, but that car would probably sell for somewhere around $9500 USD

This is a predominantly US-based Forum, and we get different models/packages than most of the world. Like there`s no 320 E46s here....is that a 4-cylinder, or 6 ?

 

[bnester]

Nah I haven't yet Aiken for a test drive unfortunately. A bit of rush as it was getting a bit late. But I've organized another inspection sometime this week to have another thorough check and test drive, plus when I saw the oil leak I was kinda put off which is why I didn't really bother test driving. Base on offer 12,000 I also didn't expect he would consider it. No idea what kbb is

 

[stevenj]

12,000.00 aud = 12,649.90 usd

 

[bnester]

1. Read the E46 Wiki

2. Get a solid PPI on any potential purchase

3. I don`t know what the current exchange rate is, but that car would probably sell for somewhere around $9500 USD

This is a predominantly US-based Forum, and we get different models/packages than most of the world. Like there`s no 320 E46s here....is that a 4-cylinder, or 6 ?

I have no idea what PPI is but what I did is search all possible car sales sites, dealers and averge out the price and compare the km and condition/history of the exact same type of car, from there I can get a basic idea of how much they go for.

 

[bnester]

It's a 6 cylinder

 

[Fast Bob]

I have no idea what PPI is but what I did is search all possible car sales sites, dealers and averge out the price and compare the km and condition/history of the exact same type of car, from there I can get a basic idea of how much they go for.

PPI=Pre Purchase Inspection....since you are obviously VERY much a noob to the brand, I would advise you to *not* jump the gun and make a premature purchase which will cause you a lot of grief down the road. Read the Wiki, and read this Forum. There`s a LOT that goes wrong with these cars, and it would behoove you to educate yourself so you at least have some idea of what you`re buying into....

And, you`re talking about paying *absolutely* top-dollar for a 10-year-old car.....caveat emptor !

 

[ProRail]

Im not quiet familiar with the bimmer engine to be honest. Was a Rexy fan before that.bu I did have a look around the engine block which most are covers lol.
The oil I spotted was mainly at the bottom where the under cover is. Around the spark plug(left hand side engine block?) its oil free. on the right hand side of engine from looking toward the front of the car I did see the hose are a bit damped. But that could be when they replace the oil filter? At this stage I cant tell where's it's coming from.

Why is this all "quiet"? Is this a secret transaction?

 

[bnester]

What? Huh?

 

[bnester]

...

 

[bnester]

Just read the e46 wiki, didn't seemed helpful with what I needs to know just bung of history.
Not to be a smart ass,But the reason I'm here is because I'm not blindly jumping into what I don't know. And I don't know what's the market like in the USA but if you wana have a look in the Aus market you'll probably be suprise.
And I'll take sometime to read the forum sticky now. But fastbob, really, thanks for the heads up. Appreciated.

 

[TannerT]

12 grand? Man oh man. Paid just under 9 grand for my 03 330 with 87k.

Sent from my PantechP9060 using Bimmer App

 

[Fast Bob]

12 grand? Man oh man. Paid just under 9 grand for my 03 330 with 87k.

Sent from my PantechP9060 using Bimmer App

OP is located in Australia....the market is probably a little different there....