DON'T GET RIPPED OFF! E46 Buyer's guide

Thanks for watching! SUBSCRIBE please and LIKE please because it gives me (little gremlin that edits these videos) lots and lots of dopamine seeing those funny little numbers go up!!!

Quick summary of things to remember before you buy your e46:
Check how frequently oil changes occured
Check to see if the engine has had an overheat event in the past
-Is it burning coolant?
-Does it reach temperature (Or sit below or above)
-Is there coolant in the system

Check to see when important replaceable items like the expansion tank were changed
Check that there are no strange sounds coming from engine bay

Is the body style your desired choice (4 or 5 doors of sedan and wagon are more practical)
Are the looks your desired choice (prefacelift or postfacelift)

If you are in a region where rust is an issue inspect rust likely locations like chassis rails and subframe mounting points

Is the car in your desired choice of transmission?

DO NOT BUY AN E46 WITH THE N42 OR N46 ENGINES THEY ARE NOTORIOUSLY BAD AND I DO NOT FEEL ANY SYMPATHY FOR YOU IF YOU GET STUCK WITH ONE OF THESE BUM ASS MOTORS. (i do a little bit)

[moneyshifters]

Check the description once you've finished watching for a quick recap on things to look for when buying your car!

[cctrno]

It's as if the universe knew I was looking into buying one of these and you guys delivered. Great insights thank you!

[zaynlabidin]

Just bought a 330i and this was a great insight. Well done 👍🏽

[Kip_Kurry]

me: * just wants to watch a E46 vid at 2.am
also me: * gets accurately roasted in the first sec

[xanvasanx]

Hey, why did I feel so insulted in the beginning of the video???
Great guide guys, this information is worth millions

[BeatPoet]

320D in the house! I replaced this with an Audi A4 3.0 V6 TDI quattro and even though this was ballistic in a straight line it was f horrible going round corners. The steering was way too light and I had no real feel of where I was. Thankfully I'd kept the old 320D in a garage and resurrected it 2 weeks ago. Way better fun. And yes kids, I know the straight six is the purists choice but a diesel is always in the torque band on small twisty roads!

[sussymeet]

this vid deserves way more views. good job guys

[SuperMAZ]

Very fun and well done overview. I would add that if you buy a tourning E46 make sure the rear hatch dose not have major rust issues. Some also like to rust from the wheel wells, rear hatches rust from the sides and from under the plastic covers. Very typical on tourings is the rust on the body arches where the hatch meets the body. Low spots tend to collect leaves and junk.
If you happen to get a N series engine in the E46 you can't swap a M series engine into that without a lot of headache. The only way to get anything good out of the N42 and N46 engines is to send them to be melted up in a furnace.

[GTFour]

M-Sport has different steering rack ratio, sway bars and suspension too. If you enjoy driving always buy M-sport. It’s 👌 to drive.

[JORDO]

Nice video boys. I've owned my Auto 02 330i for about 2 years + now while being an absolute beast to drive.
The only issues I've ever had are my DISA unit flap literally being snapped off, car not starting because of a fuse 😂and an ongoing rocket cover oil leak that leaks onto the manifold, causing some pretty toasty KFC drive-through runs :) aw plus classic centre bearing going bye-bye and blown coils woooo.
I'll fo sure look into some of the other stuff you've pointed out.

[Ricys]

used to own a compact with an n42b18 back when i was in greece, wonderful car and engine didnt need much was very reliable i sold it at around 250k km.

i am in florida now and got myself a 330i sedan and its much nicer, and has alot more miles doe

[ZeNN.]

Replace the 2.0 bar expansion tank cap with 1.5 bar cap that will prevent the expansion tank and the rest of cooling system to blow up when plastic gets old... And btw electric seats with memory also add around 20kg or more so I wouldn't really recommend em. But it's a great car with 6 cyl petrol engine even with under the wheels with regular maintance still runs good.

[kangzau]

The video is actually quite informative after i got past the not-so savoury intro

[rbruce]

Outstanding! Thanks for the pointers! Seems like a very complicated car!

[bernatroure]

Wish I knew this before I bought mine 👍👍

[oversteer_]

Thank God i watched this. I nearly bought one with the N42 😬

[dashcamdiary]

Good vid! I'm in the States (California) and have a 2004 330Ci ZHP, 2nd owner and I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!

[tyler]

Get the right E46 and learn how to wrench a bit and you can have a really good ownership experience and then be addicted to BMWs for life. I've had my 2006 330ci ZHP (m-sport with actual go fast bits) with 6-spd for almost 11 years now. She's living the pampered garage queen lifestyle now and I'll probably never sell her unless I get too old to drive manual. I'm about to turn 40.

[BuckeL]

When it comes to the coupé you don’t want a sunroof, they will leak eventually and cause electrical issues.

[JoshMB]

I enjoyed watching this video so much I made another YouTube account so I could like it twice 😍😍