| I'm struggling here. I love my Maxima and I love the fact that I have it, but every time I turn my shoulder and think about it, I want to get an E46. It's been in my head for a while and I feel like there's no use for me to buy coilovers and wheels and parts for the Maxima aside from maintenance if I can support getting an E46 too. That leads me to my question: should I? First off, it will most definitely be a 2nd car. I couldn't imagine DDing a BMW that I got from Craigslist. Not because it's a Bimmer, but because Midnight gave us the advisory warning: it's unreliable. Second, while it won't be my DD, I'll still be driving it fairly often. It's more like, I will alternate between having the E46 when I feel like driving it and driving my Maxima when it's not really called for to drive a Bimmer. Third, I don't mind getting a base model 4-door 325i, but I would really love to have the ZHP model and they've been going for about $10,000 around here in good condition, and I don't know the market for the E46 THAT well. Wouldn't that be M3 money at that point? Fourth, I'm considering all the risks behind the E46. I'm not planning to own one because it's a BMW, but because I like E46s. Maintenance and repairs included so I will be keeping it in the long-term which means after I graduate college, I'm gonna look for one. Aaaaaaand that's all I can think of. Any advice? :P |
| Just need to find out how to quote this every time so I can dodge the stupid 30-character limit. |
| -Find one with ZERO oil leaks, they get expensive fucking quick. Once you do, ignore the fuck out of the oil service indicator and change it with synthetic oil every 5,000 miles on the dot. We use Amsoil Euro 5-30 Low SAPS. Don't cheap out on filters, either. MANN/MAHLE or nothing. -Don't even bother with an XI, X-Drive is worthless. -The M54 is a solid engine so long as you take care of it. Along with the above oil change interval, change the coolant every two years, if not every year. Use Pentofrost NF (only comes in concentrate, so you'll need to add water) and invest in a hydrometer for proper chemistry (-34°F). Replace the water pump if it still has the original because it has a plastic impeller, all replacements have metal impellers. It takes about two hours with a mechanical fan, even less with an electric fan. -Look at all of the plastic components in the cooling system. If any of them are brown, replace them. Brown means the plastic is getting ready to break. -Replacing the clutch is a nightmare when you have a lift and a proper tranny jack. Doing it in your driveway will be nigh-impossible. -Inverted Torx bolts fucking everywhere. -Always replace the discs when doing brakes. -Always use DOT4 brake fluid. -If the front suspension makes a clunking noise, you probably need to replace the front LCA bushings. Takes about an hour if you're good. That's all I can think of right now. They're not bad cars by any means, but you really have to keep clean fluids in them. They abhor dirty oil and dead coolant more than anything else. That can be said about any BMW, really. |
Negative-TravisSep 9, 2015 8:03 PM
| I'm dead. Don't come looking for me. |
Negative-Travis said: -Find one with ZERO oil leaks, they get expensive fucking quick. Once you do, ignore the fuck out of the oil service indicator and change it with synthetic oil every 5,000 miles on the dot. We use Amsoil Euro 5-30 Low SAPS. Don't cheap out on filters, either. MANN/MAHLE or nothing. -Don't even bother with an XI, X-Drive is worthless. -The M54 is a solid engine so long as you take care of it. Along with the above oil change interval, change the coolant every two years, if not every year. Use Pentofrost NF (only comes in concentrate, so you'll need to add water) and invest in a hydrometer for proper chemistry (-34°F). Replace the water pump if it still has the original because it has a plastic impeller, all replacements have metal impellers. It takes about two hours with a mechanical fan, even less with an electric fan. -Look at all of the plastic components in the cooling system. If any of them are brown, replace them. Brown means the plastic is getting ready to break. -Replacing the clutch is a nightmare when you have a lift and a proper tranny jack. Doing it in your driveway will be nigh-impossible. -Inverted Torx bolts fucking everywhere. -Always replace the discs when doing brakes. -Always use DOT4 brake fluid. -If the front suspension makes a clunking noise, you probably need to replace the front LCA bushings. Takes about an hour if you're good. That's all I can think of right now. They're not bad cars by any means, but you really have to keep clean fluids in them. They abhor dirty oil and dead coolant more than anything else. That can be said about any BMW, really. That's probably the best advice I've ever got regarding the E46. Thanks! hardhitta71194 said: I can't give you advice on the car itself because I've never owned a BMW. It is very nice to have 2 vehicles. It takes away the stress if you don't have to rush to finish whatever you are doing in a weekend so you have something to drive Monday. But now that I have a DD with monthly payments, I have less to spend on my project. On the other hand, I'm in no hurry to finish so I have time to save up. Oh and I've never had an E46 but they look sweet! I say go for it. Yeah, after seeing Negative-Travis's advice on the E46, I realize that I made the right decision not buying one as a DD. It's a good thing I have some sense. xP |
| Just need to find out how to quote this every time so I can dodge the stupid 30-character limit. |
iSheep said: Yeah, after seeing Negative-Travis's advice on the E46, I realize that I made the right decision not buying one as a DD. It's a good thing I have some sense. xP You can DD one no problem, you just have to take care of it. The only time it'll likely fail to start (and this is something I forgot to mention) is if the fuel pump shits itself. But once again, it's a stupid-easy fix and takes about an hour using only a 10mm ratchet, a wide flat screwdriver, and a hammer. I'd only recommend keeping a second car in the event it does need repairs just because you likely won't have the time to fix it right away, but that's the case with any car. |
| I'm dead. Don't come looking for me. |
| You should be fine, so long as it's not DD. Even with my horror experience, I would buy another E46 but it would be track only. I would never depend on it to get to work or school, or out of town during a zombie apocalypse. |
Negative-Travis said: iSheep said: Yeah, after seeing Negative-Travis's advice on the E46, I realize that I made the right decision not buying one as a DD. It's a good thing I have some sense. xP You can DD one no problem, you just have to take care of it. The only time it'll likely fail to start (and this is something I forgot to mention) is if the fuel pump shits itself. But once again, it's a stupid-easy fix and takes about an hour using only a 10mm ratchet, a wide flat screwdriver, and a hammer. I'd only recommend keeping a second car in the event it does need repairs just because you likely won't have the time to fix it right away, but that's the case with any car. The fuel pump was the last fix I did on mine about two months ago. It was shockingly simple after a quick YouTube tutorial. Most of my issue was spent trying to shove it in the hole while wearing the gasket, i wasn't aware that the gasket had to be in the hole first, ha ha. I heard this fix is impossible in the M3 though. |
MidnightLPA said: Negative-Travis said: You can DD one no problem, you just have to take care of it. The only time it'll likely fail to start (and this is something I forgot to mention) is if the fuel pump shits itself. But once again, it's a stupid-easy fix and takes about an hour using only a 10mm ratchet, a wide flat screwdriver, and a hammer. I'd only recommend keeping a second car in the event it does need repairs just because you likely won't have the time to fix it right away, but that's the case with any car. The fuel pump was the last fix I did on mine about two months ago. It was shockingly simple after a quick YouTube tutorial. Most of my issue was spent trying to shove it in the hole while wearing the gasket, i wasn't aware that the gasket had to be in the hole first, ha ha. I heard this fix is impossible in the M3 though. Everything gets harder when you add "M" or "AMG" to it. Already a given they'll be tons more fun to drive and tons more difficult to repair. What a trade-off. :/ |
| Just need to find out how to quote this every time so I can dodge the stupid 30-character limit. |
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