BMW 3 Series Sedan E46 (1998-2005)

great car fast reliable if you keep it serviced upper and lower radiator hoses a issue over flow tank a issue water pump should be replaced with aftermarket pump with metal impeller its fast and fun Show details

Stay away from high mileage E46 – Do NOT Buy a high mileage E46 period!!!! These cars have great engines and styling but that is as far as it goes!!! The interiors fall apart! The leather seats are made of some kind of cheap plastic type leather!! Cooling system components SUCK!!!! Tire wear is horrible as the front suspension has no adjustment. Trim parts interior and exterior… Read more

fail horribly!! Window Motor mechanisms fail repeatedly!!! I tried to like these cars but, they will cost you big $$$$$$$ to keep on the road!!! Stay away at all costs!!!!!

Great car but you certainly do need to do more in care than a reliable Toyota or other Japanese brand! – I have had 7 BMW’s and once you used to their common issues- oil leaks, coolant pipes (being plastic) breaking, window regulators going, you can own and enjoy one without too much heartbreak or wallet destruction ! Like other reviews here, I used click automative for parts, also eBay and local wreckers! Also Facebook market place a wealth of parts… Read more

available! Also YouTube great for learning things. Shoplifetv is brilliant as he does just about everything and anything with bmws! I also have bmw dealership who I go to occasionally for diagnosing and bigger jobs where it’s not worth buying the tools for. My E46 318i is my weekend car and current project I’m getting back on the road! Loving it! Great driving and easy on the eyes! Oh and did I mention it does help a lot when you can do most or all of the preventative maintenance yourself!

BMW won't help with a faulty airbag – After a BMW recall to fix the airbag in 2019 the airbag light has come on yet BMW won't review the fault without getting paid a substantial amount. I have heard on many instances of this occurring. BMW has continued to not take responsibility for faulty airbags which have been well documented as being a manufacturing issue. BMW product backing is… Read more

extremely disappointing and will destroy their resale value if they continue down this path. BMW shame on you.

Put off BMW for life – I bought my 2002 BMW 318i with low km in 2017 because another driver at work liked BMWs. I saw this one on eBay at auction about $2k and went to see it. Having seen it I got soft for maybe the first time in my life and offered the guy what he wanted for the car, $5000. Roof liner drooped, radio wouldn’t turn off. And ‘ohh no, we don’t have… Read more

service record books’.. dead ringer for a problem. Never have I made such a soft hearted and soft headed mistake but at the time all I wanted to do was stop my wife from having to drive me 1/2 hour to work and back every day and $5000 I was willing to pay for that. And I’ve paid for it ever since. First up was windscreen (cracked), and service the guy said he’d pay for .. ~ $400. Aircon didn’t work but regass got it going for a few months. Then the coolant system had problems - leaks. FIxed one myself when it blew up at traffic lights and steam went everywhere. $100. Still problems - Replace entire radiator $900. Had oil leaks; let it go and kept putting in oil till (kept it at safe level ) boss at work complained it smelled too much of it. I then took it to a local mechanic that had a ‘BMW expert guy’. Damn to hell thats where the fun really began. $2300 for partial oil leak repair. Took it out of the mechanic and in less than 2km it started with rough running so bad I thought I’d thrown a conrod. Back next day. Mechanic took for short drive, his around corner from me and voilà ! That’s strange. It works. Took another 1km back towards home. Rough and guts again. Back to mechanic again, angry. ‘We think it could be spark plug coil packs, and by the way - your radiator is leaking‘ ; $450 more. Took it away, no better. Took to radiator guys which said ‘not the stuff we did’ - it’s a part on bottom of the engine, needs a mechanic. Took to a different local mechanic who specialises in European cars and BMW. $500 for coolant leak problem, and now after looking at engine problem; ‘you need timing chain done’ ; $1800. Got it back. Still had rough running but not like conrod thrown, just noisy and like marbles in engine. Took back ‘could be CSV valve ‘ $500. Got it back. No better.

So far this car has cost me nearly $12000.

My kids and wife have given me hard time over it including fights on holiday. Lost any reputation of being professional transport and knowing mechical things through it. It now has more problems than when I took it to the first suspect mechanic. It’s worth next to nothing. It breaks down randomly in middle of busy intersections.

Whatever you do

DON’T BUY ONE !!!!!!!!!

Great car if properly maintained, not suggested for winter – I've had an 03 325i for 4 years with 148km, now with 212km and I can say they are a beauty to drive and fairly easy to work on compared to newer cars in general. Just get a scanner and it'll tell you everything you need to know. There are things that break such as the fuel pump, expansion tank, water pump, wheel bearings, a/c, window regulators… Read more

and oil filter housing gasket. These are all the things I've replaced, all on my own. And this car has never broken down while I was on the road. I find these car to be under powered for an inline six with only 184 HP but then you look at the 330i with 240. This car still gets up to speed faster than some 2019 cars. If you live where it's cold, this car will cause you a lot of sensor problems as it ages and rust will form, that is what I'm dealing with now and it will eventually die or just be too problematic to deal with. I wouldn't suggest this car for an average joe . These are classic cars especially the m3 which can cost 10,000 CAD and up, so parts are pricey along with labour which is why seomeome who is capable of working on these cars would love it.

Where do i start? – Where do i start with this car? A lemon from the get go.. we had to replace two lots of electric windows and put the proper sized battery in. We had a BMW 318I. Car kept just randomly dying after driving it to go out then get back in it to leave and nothing. :/ it did this to me on the bypass on my way to work. Lucky i had enough time to pull… Read more

over. I lost many shifts and my son and i were constantly stuck at home because of this car. Was also stranded out with my son several times. Not happy. Took it to MANY mechanics who couldn't find the problem. Got sick of wasting money and still not fixed.

This car had many electrical issues the back windows never worked plus we had to get the air bag replaced. This car cost us an extra $5000 ontop of our loan and interest AND nearly split my husband and I up. And we bought this car because we thought it would be safe for our family.

Its been on the back of a tow truck more times than i can count.

Finally got rid of it and I've never been happier with my new car. Will never be buying ANYTHING BMW again.

e46 325i Sedan - Understated beast which i love to drive – I have a 2001 325i sedan, 3rd owner, currently has approx 130k kms on the clock. I got it at a steal and luckily it has not been thrashed. Engine clean as a whistle. No oil leaks. Slight transmission leak. This thing has enough power to feel safe and confident overtaking on the open road, it jumps off the line like an eager sprinter. I cant… Read more ·  3

imagine, despite being 17 years old it has lost much power.

The steering is slightly heaver than some might be used to, especially small hatch owners, but i like like this. A much higher feel of security at speed.

I am sure you would know, it guzzles up fuel and filling the 63 litre tank is not cheap. Parts are not too bad, given its age, there are a lot of bits and pieces lying around.

I LOVE THIS CAR!

Negatives:

Interior roof lining has collapsed in (approx $200-400 to fix)

Radio and audio system is very very average - will replace it at some point.

Great Car – Great car to own pleasure to drive. Parts are easy to obtain I deal with Clickable Auto in Melbourne for my parts. Just the common issues and are easy to fix once you understand the design. Running costs are normal parts and repair are easy to obtain, but always check with guys at ClickableAuto. July 24th 2017 Update: Great after care Great… Read more

customer care , I believe I am the 3 rd owner and I was impressed they found me through the car registration to replace airbags after TANAKA recall. Its great to see they care about a driver who is in one of their cars even after 13 years of purchase.

Probably the best car I've ever owned – I bought this car with 186,000 kms on, much more than I would have liked but the car was in such immaculate condition I could not resist it for the price I negotiated. I love this car, the performance, the smoothness of the the transmission, the fantastic roadholding and handling and the huge brakes and did I mention the looks - best BMW body… Read more ·  1

design ever and with big CSL replica mag wheels, it just grabs me every time I look at it. Down side is that I did have to have the air con evaporator replaced but my usual workshop did it for almost half what the dealer quoted. The door lock actuator failed and the engine still has a slight oil leak despite two attempts to correct it. In the first 12 months of ownership it has cost me about $3000 in repairs and maintenance but the pleasure this car gives me every time I drive it can't be exaggerated and I've owned some very nice performance cars in the past.

Don't want to let this car go – Bought this car brand new; drives beautifully; great road holding and handling. About to update to a newer model, but hesitant at letting this one go (I'm very attached to it). Never had a breakdown or needed major repairs, so repair and running costs have been minimal. Found a local BMW specialist mechanic who keeps my car in tip-top condition… Read more

(anything that he doesn't know about BMW's isn't worth knowing) and charges a fraction of what the local dealership does to service the car.

Of all the used cars I've owned, the one I like the most – 2001 model 316ti, 1.8L, 115bhp, manual. Bought it four years ago with 65K km, now 13 years old done 124K km. Before buying, I was worried about whether or not the engine was up to NZ's mountainous roads, since my previous cars all had more powerful engines. Worries dissipated - the manual gearbox's top 3 gears are perfectly spaced for overtaking.… Read more ·  3

Unusually frugal car - all my other cars, mostly automatics, averaged 8-8.5 km/L consisting of a mix of urban and motorway driving, usually without aircon. This car averages 11.5 km/L - for a car that weighs nearly 1300 kg, it is more frugal than the '81 Mirage 1.2 I used to have years ago. And on any long drive outside Auckland, I can average up to 16 km/L, which is really in diesel territory. The seats are perfect - the back support is right and I can drive five hours straight without a backache, and that's with no lumbar support adjustment. The body is solid, the doors thunk reassuringly.

Having owned and driven front-wheel drive cars all the time, a trip to a friend's wedding in Napier five hours away through hills, gorges, and winding mountain roads mostly at 100 km/h and driving back at night in heavy rain, I realised that I made the right decision buying this car. Yes, there is a difference between FWD and RWD cars, and although this car doesn't manifest it as incisively as a Mazda MX-5, a tug of the wheel makes it very clear that the chassis and related components including the steering are there to see me through. I don't have to second-guess what the car is going to do when I suddenly get to a blind corner at speed. Third to fifth gear ratios are spaced perfectly - though at some expense of the 2nd-to-3rd gear gap which could be better-spaced for city driving. Its handling is sure-footed and confident - despite having 195/65-15 tyres, and a rear suspension taken from the previous 3-series cars to save cost.

Problems? Three instances the car was not driveable: 4 years ago, after owning the car at 9 years old, one of the coils went. Last March (2014) the original 2001 BMW battery finally packed up without warning. And three weeks ago, a second coil failed.

All my cars have been proactively maintained for wear and tear parts, so rollers and a tensioner for the alternator belt have been done (I thought it was the water pump and got worried), two front suspension control arms, front and rear brakes done about two years apart, minor oil leak near a vacuum pump fixed with an inexpensive gasket. Strangely the thermostat, water pump and expansion tank haven't failed yet. The clutch has a shudder taking off in 1st gear at times, I thought it was just me not having driven a manual in 10 years, but it hasn't gotten any worse over the last 4 years at all. Will get it done one of these days, mechanic isn't too worried. The timing chain has a stretch though, a common problem for a car of this engine and vintage. Fortunately the chain is up front, will get that done and replace the two remaining original coils while at it.

Parts prices? Fair. Maintenance cost of this car is similar to my 2001 Mitsubishi Galant I had before this. None of the parts replaced had prices that took me aback, the coils for example were NZ$86 each (vs. $300 for a Mitsubishi Cedia). And I always use an independent mechanic.

Having always bought cars about 8-10 years old, being on a budget, trying to balance age with mileage and with power and handling as well as a rigid body, this is the car I've held on for the longest. Usually within the second year, I'm already thinking of what to replace a car with, as you can really feel how worn the car is from the seats to the bodywork. Not this one. It just doesn't feel its age. While controls are not as light as a Japanese car, it is not at all demanding to drive but is engaging, with just the right weighting of the pedals and steering, the brakes modulate excellently. The worst thing I could say about this car is that it hasn't got heated mirrors or a sunroof (if that's a problem), but it does have factory parking sensors! Unless I encounter catastrophic engine failure or have a need for more than two doors, I'll keep this one, thanks. Pity I didn't own it new.

I realise there are those with less than stunning ownership experiences with BMW, but these cars need to be serviced correctly by a competent mechanic and get any problems fixed when discovered. You can't run this car like a dishwasher and hope to get away with it. If you live in a city where the roads are pretty straight and flat with no hills or bends, you may never appreciate it for what it can do, and wonder what the fuss is all about. Solid body, durable, fairly reliable, parts costs not too bad, safe and confident handling, quiet inside. 2nd-to-3rd gear ratios could be better-spaced, must be diligently serviced and doesn't take well to neglect

The love of my life sent me broke! – My deceased father purchased a brand new 325Ci auto coupe in 2002. In 2010, a year after my father passed away, my mother didn't want to keep it. I decided to swap my Ford Fiesta which I purchased new in 2009 with the bimmer. As it had been in the family, I knew the car's history. No accidents, serviced by BMW, always garaged and regularly… Read more

washed. Basically showroom condition. Car had done 125000km. The first 2 years no problems at all. I was loving the luxury, the style, the power, the handling, the steering! Yes I was hooked! Then the cracks began to appear! Things were starting to wear out or break! One rear parking sensor - $500. Drive belt snapped (replaced with air con belt) - $800. Air con resistor packed it in - $600. Servicing costs between 1200-1500 dollars each time. Suspension bushes - $600. Father had replaced them 4 years earlier too. Rubber door seal on passenger side came apart. Quoted a $1000 to replace. Father replaced drivers side previously. Recently went for wheel alignment thinking the car needed it. Turns out one of the struts have bent thus the shocks need replacement. Quoted between $1700-2000. Recent service $1500. They also told me the diff is cracked. Leaking some oil, may require replacement. 4 new tyres needed soon. If they are the same "continentals" looking at about 3k to replace the four. Rear brakes due - $700. Reversing passenger side mirror packed it in last week. The love affair had to end along with my credit! Traded it in on a brand new Hyundai! Oh the shame! Moral of the story... if you can't afford to buy a new or near new BMW and maintain it... Forget it! Styling, handling, steering, luxury leather and wood trimmed interior. The power and the fact it made me feel good! Too expensive to maintain. If anythings breaks or wears out you are up for a fortune.

Very good – 2001, 330i, bought in NZ. Sold before moving to Australia. Stunning car to drive. A nice example and fairly well looked after. Solid feel, brilliant handling, seamless power to blow off standard Commodore & Falcon V8's. Had a couple of repairs under warranty that when I compare with the cost of the old Honda I have now, makes the back up service… Read more

and cost of running these far better than most people realise. Euro cars have a bad rap because people buy older ones that people have not looked after and passed on before they have to pay repair bills. Four days for a light control module to come from Germany and fitted to a small NZ town!! Typical German service. Japs couldn't do that... Solid feel, awesome handling, smooth, powerful, brilliant parts service from factory. Light control module went under warranty, poor rear seat room for big people, back seat not comfortable on long trips.

Good – My boyfriend bought this car when it has done 60,000 kilometers. It was a 4 door 1998 sedan. We really loved the car and wouldn't want to sell it if it wasn't too expensive to maintain. It was a wonderful car to drive around. However, when we had to fix anything it was so dear so we went back to purchase a Toyota. Great German luxury. Great to… Read more

drive. Excellent handling. Very easy and fun to drive. Expensive to maintain which was the main reason we sold the car. The parts are very dear. Not very good value for money.

OK – I was stupid enough to buy one that had not been looked after at all, but it was cheap, and to get it back close to how it should have been to start with has cost me around $4000. I hated the car immediately after buying it, disappointed in just how much worse it was than my E39 (best car I'v ever owned), but it's grown on me now and I would… Read more

recommend looking at a mid size euro take a serious look at an E46, just make sure it's been looked after, garaging essential! 1998 328i, feels well built & handles very well, good fuel economy everywhere & plenty of power for driving on the open road. Has had a hard life (as I found out post purchase) never garaged so has developed some leaks in very heavy rain (only when parked tho?). Mechanically very good apart from usual cooling system maintenance, had to replace all the suspension and bushes as the car came from country NSW & the roads aren't so BMW friendly out there. Had to replace the paper cone base speakers as they had all but disintegrated.

OK – Overall a bit disappointed with the little things that have gone wrong but I guess I have a high expectation for a vehicle that cost over 100k to drive out the showroom (should last indefinitely ;-)!!! Looks and goes great when its in the mood. 2001 330i with m3 front spoiler, looks awesome, handles great, performs well, great fuel economy for a… Read more

powerful motor....8.6l/100k combined town/highway.... amazing brakes interior quality not up to BMW standards, window regulator on passenger front door has failed (common problem), brake dust on the wheels, small boot, small hard to use controls unless you are very familliar with them, no lumbar support on front seats????, has engine management hiccups (due to camshaft position sensor failure)

Excellent – This is an older but still beautiful car 1998 328i, and goes well, 2 door windows tension wiring broke twice but on different windows, and cost a lot to fix but I guess thats to be expected. Tried getting it serviced at the local garage a few years ago, but it wasn't happy so back to the BMW dealer again and it purrs every time it comes out of… Read more

servicing, Hope it will last me forever. I think it is the best classic looking BMW series car around.

Cost of servicing