Need some e46 advise here lads!

Hey Lads!

Most of you have seen my e46 325ci coupe at coffee and cars or the meet on Thursdays in Blanch but I need some advice. My dad also has a 05 e46 325ci Cabrio and is trying to sell it atm with no success so he has offered it to me in exchange for my 325ci.

He bought the car new, it's in great condition, full M Sport, HK sound system, OEM BT kit, MV2s, tyre pressure sensor, 50,000km less mileage than my own. full service history, never abused, never crashed, black leather interior, wind deflector. BUT it has an auto gear box with the sport/tiptronic, vanos recently done with a few other bits.

On the other hand I have my own which I have put a lot into over the past 14 months. M3 interior, xenons, Souhans exhaust, new rear lights, sound system, new KPH clocks, the list goes on. Down side to my car is that is it burning oil atm (which i will be sorting if I keep it) it will eventually need a paint job and wheel refurb.

His car was the reason I bought my e46 and have always wanted to get my hands on it!

So my question is can anyone give me any other advice regarding pros and cons for the e46 cabrio. The biggest downfall is the gear box but if I'm missing anything let me know!

Thanks lads!

Firstly I have to say that both colours look amazing in the flesh :)

How much oil is the car burning? I suppose it also depends on what price your dad will let it go for too..if it's an additional 2-3k over your own car then i would say keep the coupe!

How long do you plan on keeping a 325 anyway? Do you see it as a stepping stone towards M ownership?

That said, that conv with a hardtop and new wheels would look:cool:

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Originally Posted by 318 iS Cosmos

Firstly I have to say that both colours look amazing in the flesh :)

How much oil is the car burning? I suppose it also depends on what price your dad will let it go for too..if it's an additional 2-3k over your own car then i would say keep the coupe!

How long do you plan on keeping a 325 anyway? Do you see it as a stepping stone towards M ownership?

That said, that conv with a hardtop and new wheels would look:cool:

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Thanks man! Yeah both colours do look great!

My own 325 is burning a stupid amount a service 6 weeks back and I have had to top it up again.

I had planned to keep the 325ci for a long time although I would eventually like an M3 I just couldn't justify it just yet.

I have gotten to the point now that my own 325ci is nearly exactly how I want it so I'd be starting nearly from scratch again ... it would give me something new to do I suppose!

That vert is gorgeous man, if the auto box isn't enough of a deterrent then go for it! Facelift, vert, couple of years younger, less mileage etc

Just re: the oil burning - my understanding is that if you use the oil that BMW recommend (when the engine is new) it is likely it will burn some oil, you have to go for a slightly thicker oil for 100k+ engines. Get a 2nd opinion though but hopefully with a thicker oil you will have little to no oil burning.

I put a thicker oil in the car on the last service and it still burnt through it so it needs to be sorted anyway.

You can see why I'm so torn between the 2 cars both are lovely looking machines but the auto is making it difficult.

It's stupid thinking about it but I sold my Pathfinder after putting a lot of work into it. Don't want to make the same mistake again.

Buy the convertible, swap bits over from the red car, job done:happy:

Re oil usage, have you replaced the ccv yet? It's usually the first step then could be valve stem seals or piston rings...

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Originally Posted by Jimmy325ci

I put a thicker oil in the car on the last service and it still burnt through it so it needs to be sorted anyway.

You can see why I'm so torn between the 2 cars both are lovely looking machines but the auto is making it difficult.

It's stupid thinking about it but I sold my Pathfinder after putting a lot of work into it. Don't want to make the same mistake again.

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... I can see your dilemma :/ good dilemma to have though - choosing between 2 lovely BMWs :D

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Originally Posted by Peter-E36

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Originally Posted by Jimmy325ci

I put a thicker oil in the car on the last service and it still burnt through it so it needs to be sorted anyway.

You can see why I'm so torn between the 2 cars both are lovely looking machines but the auto is making it difficult.

It's stupid thinking about it but I sold my Pathfinder after putting a lot of work into it. Don't want to make the same mistake again.

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... I can see your dilemma :/ good dilemma to have though - choosing between 2 lovely BMWs :D

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Yeah ! feel like a bit of an eejit because besides the roof and gearbox they're pretty much the same car. But as I have said I made a HUGE mistake selling my Pathfinder I'm not going to make the same mistake again!

As you siad yourself the only thing that would hold me back personally is the box if it were a manual it would be a no brainer the autos are nice in bmw very nice in fact but i dont think i could live with one all the time

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Originally Posted by Gar

As you siad yourself the only thing that would hold me back personally is the box if it were a manual it would be a no brainer the autos are nice in bmw very nice in fact but i dont think i could live with one all the time

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Couldn't agree more ... I'm going to take it for a couple of days and see how things go with it.

The box would be a no, plus the added weight of the convertible with the auto box = heavier MPG.
Also they are both lovley cars but it would be a bit too much like for like swap for me mate?
Just my 2c? I like both...

There is a plus side! If I did buy it I wouldn't have to change my username lol

The manual is way more fun

Do the swap for 6 months and then decide. Verts are lovely, hard top it and change the wheels. So much could be done to it [emoji12][emoji12][emoji12]

EDIT : Stop messing around and EJ20t the forester will you [FACE SAVOURING DELICIOUS FOOD]


Super4 BMW
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U ARE A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE! !

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Originally Posted by Jimmy325ci

U ARE A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE! !

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Pop into me in the vert I have lots of ideas [emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]


Super4 BMW
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This is a bad Road to go down lol need to stop into u and sort the CDV delete this week if that's cool? May have the very from Friday to Monday so I'll pop by

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Originally Posted by Jimmy325ci

This is a bad Road to go down lol need to stop into u and sort the CDV delete this week if that's cool? May have the very from Friday to Monday so I'll pop by

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Do people still recommend the cdv delete? I did it on the last e46 and didn't notice it to be honest

I hoping it's going to stop the clutch burning whenever I want to be A HOOOOOOOOOOOOLIGAN!

All depends who's sitting in the passenger seat and what she's wearing ;)

Jimmy, Goodbob makes a lot of sense. It's an overused phrase but you only live once, enjoy it! I bet one car will win out. Take the vert for a while and see how it compares to the coupe


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Gotta say all the blood sweat and tears I've put into the coupe ... It's going to win hands down but sure we'll see

What are the terms of the exchange if you don't mind me asking? As in what sort of cash are you parting with?

Ive had about 6 or 7 automatic E46's and about 10 manuals, both petrol and diesel. The automatic box in the E46 is a beautiful piece of engineering. Ok if you want to act the bollocks the auto box wont suit you but if you just want to sit in and drive the auto is great.

For me it all rests on how much you would need to part with to change, from a re-sale point of view the 'vert will always have far few buyers over the coupe so that de-values it somewhat. HK audio and Bluetooth are nice options to have mind you.....

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Originally Posted by michael320

What are the terms of the exchange if you don't mind me asking? As in what sort of cash are you parting with?

Ive had about 6 or 7 automatic E46's and about 10 manuals, both petrol and diesel. The automatic box in the E46 is a beautiful piece of engineering. Ok if you want to act the b******* the auto box wont suit you but if you just want to sit in and drive the auto is great.

For me it all rests on how much you would need to part with to change, from a re-sale point of view the 'vert will always have far few buyers over the coupe so that de-values it somewhat. HK audio and Bluetooth are nice options to have mind you.....

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It would simply be an exchange and a couple of grand as well.

I do enjoy acting the b******* :) I'm starting the think I'd miss the Manual far too much. I'm taking it tomorrow of a couple of days and see how we go anyway.

I thought it was a straight swap , keep your 325ci ;-)

The more I think about it I'd miss my car far too much :)

Keep the coupe

Yea if it's not a straight swap, just keep your car. You already put work into it and manual is hard to beat :D

Take the Vert!

I thought we had this conversation already :P

We did but I ignored it lol