E46 330 Cabby - Is this a good deal?

[Rtaylor2208]

Was thinking about going to see this, got a hankering for a convertible again and with good E30's being about this money I think somethign newer is in order.

http://www.killermont.co.uk/used-cars/b ... 5094062879

We have bought from this dealer before and he only stocks very good condition cars. Mileage is low and verified and has a full BMW service history.

Whilst the wheels are not original I actually don't mind the style, however I have never driven any E46 so not really sure what I should be looking for.

Any hints and tips?

[pacerpete]

Silver with grey ! That is a lot of money for a 12 year old turd, 55k or not.

[Rtaylor2208]

Been hunting online but up here there is not a lot to choose from to be honest and 318's are up at 4K, they do seem to be cheaper down south but its such a PITA travelling hundreds of miles to view cars that end up being rubbish half the time.

What do you reckon its actually worth Pete as you must come across these pretty regular?

[pacerpete]

I reckon it is 4k at a push. The spec is nothing special and it is TWELVE years old. They are not something I pay much heed to to be honest. The Ca 20 mpg makes these hard work unless the sun is cracking the stones Don't get me wrong, they are a nice car but so is a 320ci convertible. A mate of mine recently bought one (before the sun came out) for £1900. An 02 plate auto in silver with black heated electric leather. with suprisingly few issues with 100k . OK, it was a SE but he has plenty of change for council bitz !

[Rtaylor2208]

The MPG doesn't really concern me as I'm lucky if this will do 2K per year, it has to be better than my slightly fettled Saab 9-5 Aero wagon which yesterday was reading 13MPG after some spirited driving.

Again the age doesn't really put me off providing it really is in A1 condition. If people are willing to pay 2K+ for 25 year old E30 cabs that are clinging to an MOT and I can get this for less than 5K, in comparison its a bit of a bargain.

It would purely be a summer car \ garage queen as the new house has a nice heated garage to keep it in. I would hope if I keep on top of the preventative maintenance and keep up the BMW history it wont loose much more value, even very well kept E36 convertibles seem to have a decent value these days and there quite a bit older again.

[capri_rob]

Does look nice but I agree with Pete it's too much money really for an old car. I took an £1800 kicking on depreciation in 8 months on my 330i sport touring which was a year newer and similar mileage caused partially by me paying too much for it in the first place because it was on paper the perfect car. Don't make the same mistake I did.

[Andyboy]

A mate of mine has a 330Ci M Sport Convertible auto with 33'0000 miles, had it 11 years. It's pretty horrid thing really, wobbly and despite being garaged the n/s wing is starting to bubble.

That turd looks like 3 grand tops and the E46 Convertible is most definitely a chariot for those with a penchant for tattoos and gold jewellery. Is that you?

[Rtaylor2208]

Ha ha Andy, definitely not, but I do want a cab with 4 seats as the little fella will come in the car sometimes. Budget is 5K and I'm struggling to find anything else I really like.

Any suggestions?

[Andyboy]

Not really. My money would be on a Morris 1000 Convertible but they're a lot more than 5 bags.

Imo, a really spanking mint E36 325i or 328i Convertible is a more interesting turd but you try finding one. An E30 325i Conv? E46 cabs look nicer somehow as an SE but that's my inner Old Fart.

[Simon13]

theres a beaut of a e36 b3 3.2 cab on auto trader with about 88k on it, wait for it. Silver paintwork and extended red leather. Its sporting nearly the full whistles for an e36 spec wise also. It looks heroic and would be on my drive if my numbers came in

[bss325i]

E46 cabrios are less wobbly than E36 and E30 cabrios.

The only E46 cabrios to have are a nice spec 330Ci auto or an Alpina B3.

[Andyboy]

E46 cabs had England flags as standard equpment, nuff said!

[Blitz]

How about a clk?

[bss325i]

E46 cabs had England flags as standard equpment, nuff said!

And E36 cabrios came with a vest and six pack of Stella!

[rh306]

..if you've got a big heated garage going spare it seems a shame to be storing something so new. (Especially as there isn't any real pressure on the prospective future classic to actually work)

[pacerpete]

Neil, it was all going so well until you posted that pic of the XJS-C ! Truly the most hideous XJS amongst stiff opposition !

[rh306]

Neil, it was all going so well until you posted that pic of the XJS-C ! Truly the most hideous XJS amongst stiff opposition !

..attempting to fulfill the OPs brief I read somewhere it's our patriotic duty to save at least one piece of BL scrap though

I could 'do' a nice XJ hyphen S on GKNs



..or a rubber bumpered Midget



Missed the boat on 2 door Range Rovers though

[Andyboy]

That XJ-S is stunning - I had a P reg manual in that colour, and it was that nice as well - 30k, Zienarted from new.

[rh306]

That XJ-S is stunning - I had a P reg manual in that colour, and it was that nice as well - 30k, Zienarted from new.

nice

[Rtaylor2208]

Never made it up to Glasgow to see the 330 over the weekend as we move house Friday and I was stuck in packing.

Having spent a few days hunting I am really struggling to find a low mileage (sub 60K), low owner and FSH cabby much under 5.5K. Those 4 points are non negotiable as now it means the price is high for older cars, but in 10 years time it should also help the car retain some value as I do next to no miles.

My only real requirements on spec is the Msport kit as I personally think it looks way better than the SE bumper cars, auto box and a decent amount of grunt.

Being a cab I'm not necessarily looking for the pinnacle of handling, I can't be bothered with the hassle of a E30 again as I would rather spend my time driving it than fixing it.

I would only really consider a face lifted CLK and having seen how bad they can rust I am pretty put off them TBH.

A few others brands I like the look of are below but again nothing is particularly close to home with all being over 150 miles away:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p