E46 automatic anyone?

Lads I'm thinking of picking up an e46 with the m54 2.2 I think and it's an auto with 150k miles, are these reliable at this mileage and what should I be looking out for on a test drive? Thanks, Nigel

I think e46s autos have a not-so-good GM gearbox rather than the ZFs in e92s, maybe certain years had better gearboxes than others, so will let someone more knowledgeable chime in.

Cheers peter It's a 2003 if that matters

i would worry more about engine and car in general ,gearboxes from 200e could be found , so smallest thing to worry

The cooling system will probably need a refresh, check for oil leaks from the oil filter housing, rocker cover, the ccv. Also check the level of oil consumption as it can be high....

I am not a BMW specialist but from what I know the 2.2 engines aren't the best choice. Not enough power and high fuel consumption. I haven't heard anything bad about the automatic transmissions though ;)

I had a e39 2.2 manual for 6 months and it never missed a beat.was ok on power too.sold it to someone and 2 days later he had it on adverts wi h a bust radiator and it looked well thrashed,I reckon it's how they are treated.thrash anything and it will break eventually..


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I'd worry about every car at 150k miles - unless its got a seriously epic maintanence record

Cheers lads yeah preference is a manual 2.5 but there is literally none for sale for my meagre budget. I havnt spoke to the seller but there is no mention of service history in the ad, I will hopefully go take a look at it next week if it's still available and see what it's like