Got an e46 323 for a loan today.....my thoughts

[bob(NJ)]

Well first of all i'm suprised they gave me( a 19 year old) a 2000 323 loaner. But anyway i love the color, which is dark blue( dont' know the bmw name) and i like the interior compared to the e36. It feels more like a 5 series. I also like those cool little orange lights that glow on the console like the 5 series. I don't like the lack of power compared to my 328. The heavier body style just doesn't do it for me and if i got an e46 i would have to save the extra $$ for a 330. I don't like the steering either compared to my e36 and the ride feels less sporty........like something your mom would enjoy. I do like the radio controls on the steering wheel and a cool thing i noticed is no matter how much washer fluid u spray(this was at 80mph) there was no run off onto the side window like in our e36's. The tiptronic was different and fun to fool with. OVer all i like the e46 for some reasons and like the e36 for others. I think the e36 still feels more "sporty" in both ride and acceleration. The engine noise is completely muted in the e46. I like to hear my engine scream. Anyway just my thoughts i have it for another day or so ........i'm sure i will have fun
later on bob

[Stylin]

Thats exactly how I feel when I drive my friends 99' E46 323i. Softer, less power, no kick in the pants pull, quieter, less responsive. Feels like a soft version of my E36 328i. But when he drives me car.. HE LOVES IT.!!!

[bob(NJ)]

YEa, i just handed in the loaner e46 323 and now i have my e36 328 back.....ahh i love the car so much. It feels like it gives back more to the driver and the power is way better than the 323. I love my e36. The dealer just got an e46 m3. NOw that is sweeeeeeeeeet. I looked at it on the showroom floor and drooled.

later bob

[DeezBMW]

I had a 95 540i for a loaner when I was getting my o2 sensor and valve cover gasket replaced. WOW now thats a quick car for being stock!!

[bob(NJ)]

i ran that 323 hard when i got it. Heeheheh i was flying around campus with the tiptronic downshifting and gunning it around corners squeling the tires. The brakes were real good to especially when campus security pulled around the corner. The car was soooo quiet even at redline....i didn't like that. Ok i'm done talking about the e46.

[Black Majik]

i got a E46 323i also as a loaner a while ago.... but got that puke looking gold color... tried to race every car off the line. hehe...

it was steptronic, but the shift from Drive to neutral was too easy and found that i shifted to neutral too easily and i redlined that car many times... four times i think. That was the only thing i didn't like about it, well... that and the color. Poor loaner cars.... it was still fun to drive around tho. :p

[bob(NJ)]

Poor loaner cars is right! I noticed i redlined the car many times too and one time i was in normal "D" and ran into the redline (6500rpm). I couldn't believe it went into the redline in normal "D". I guess its supposed to do that. My car was dark blue i loved the color but i have decided i want a 99 e36 m3 for my next ride. this time with a manual

[Anfanger]

BMW really f*cked up on the '99 and a few of the '00 E46s. About every person who bought one and previously owned an earlier 3 series (E36 and even E30) bitched the steering blew. Even testers from Motor Trend and Car and Driver and the like said the E46 felt more like a Benz in the steering. BMW made the piss-poor mistake of "lightening" the steering to make it steer softer and easier (for whatever reason - yuppy/blond soccer mom appeal?). In reality, everyone wanted just the opposite - they wanted the tight, brisk steering of the earlier 3ers. BMW claimed theyd "fix the problem" with newer E46s. I havent heard any since, so I think everything is okey dokey now. Still love the E36 and hate the E46 though .

[Austin]

the E46 is EVIL i tell you......actually sorta boring from the sounds of it my uncle had one went from e36 to a e46 he sold the new bimmer like a month later said it sucked. So maybe its Diet Evil only one calorie not quite evil enuf......

ok i'll shut up now....see what happens to your brain when ur up all nite writing a damn paper thats due in stupid english 1301 in acouple hours.......god i hate this class

[~vo328~]

This is exactly how I felt when I drove the e46 323 as well. This past weekend, I had some warranty work done on my car (brake light switch, reverse light switch, radio antenna amplifier replacement, seatbelt latch replacement) and was given a blue 323 as well. I thought it was quite nice for a slushbox, but definitely lacked power. The steering was way too light and the interior didn't have that intimate, pilot's feel to it. It didn't feel BMW enough for me... and I am sure glad to have my 328 back!