Need some e46 advise here lads!

[Jimmy325ci]

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!

[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

[Jimmy325ci]

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

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!

[Peter-E36]

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.

[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.

[Peter-E36]

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.

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

[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.

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

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!

[318 iS Cosmos]

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...

[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

[Jimmy325ci]

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

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