E46 318ci buying advice needed!!!!

[Johny14586]

Sold my e36 and now I'm going to get myself an e46. Any tips on what to look for when buying would be great. What are the most common problems with these cars. Budget is €3000

Thanks
Johny

[nige]

Cooling system Johnny (Water pump/thermostat/rad etc). Once this is done they're very good. Think mine had 165k miles on it when I sold it and apart from standard service items and a clutch, it was very reliable.

If you can stretch your budget a bit, I'd try get a nice facelift m-sport model like my old 05, with the 18 inch MV2's. I still think they're a cracking looking car. I'd also try get one with leather and an armrest. Mightn't be as big a deal to you as you're a short ar*e, but I found it very uncomfortable without the arm rest!

[Don B]

Timing chain on the N46 and N42 models

[Peter-E36]

Get a late model (05+) to avoid corrosion issues

Edit: Not sure how much they are / if they'd be in budget, but hopefully you could find one.

[Gar]

01/04 build date has 12yr corrosion warranty