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Thread: Looking at 05 E46 330ci Convertible

  1. #1
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    Looking at 05 E46 330ci Convertible

    Hi everyone.

    I'm looking for some input here. I've found a 2005 330ci convertible. It's in very good shape cosmetically both inside and out. It runs and drives well also. It's a Florida car (I'm in Michigan) so that's probably a lot of the reason that the body on it is in such good condition.

    It's got a CEL on, and the dealer it's at told me they'd get that taken care of before it leaves the lot. They didn't tell me the exact code, but they said it's a lean condition...so obviously something to do with fuel delivery.

    Other than that, the only thing that seems a bit off is that when driving it tends to pull a little bit to the left. The car DID have a front/left accident in 2013, and the Carfax indicates it was:
    Accident reported
    Involving left front impact
    with another motor vehicle
    Vehicle functional
    Vehicle driven from the scene
    Airbags did not deploy

    The car has been driven about 15,000 miles since the repairs were reported, including where it was purchased by a BMW dealership here in Michigan back in 2015, where the Carfax indicates that they basically did the works to it to make sure it was good to go. It lists inspections by BMW of Ann Arbor as well.

    The car has been sitting at this dealership it's at now, which is a reputable independent used car dealership, for the past 15-16 months (over the winter inside a climate controlled warehouse).

    After all of this rambling, my question is this...I've never really owned any type of "performance" car. I've had Honda Civics, Kia Rios, Dodge Intrepids, Pontiac 6000LEs...things like that. How concerned should I be about this slight pull?? Is this something that could be cause simply by the tires not being inflated to correct pressures? The car did not start on the lot and had to be jumped, so I'm guessing that the tires haven't been checked in a while.

    My plan right now is to make an offer contingent on:
    A. The dealership making sure that the check engine light is taken care of with correct parts/repairs
    B. The dealership having an alignment performed

    I know that the pull could be caused by the accident the vehicle was in, but it seems kind of odd to me that it would have passed inspections at two different BMW dealerships and been driven for nearly 15,000 more miles if something was off from that accident repair 5 years ago. The dealership that this vehicle is at right now is a solid reputable dealership...they have many positive reviews online on various different media (google, Facebook, CarGurus, etc) and I know several people that have bought from them and been very happy with the service and product.

    I'm just a bit nervous about that pull. I really like the car, and what's more it's one of the few "performance" oriented cars that my wife hasn't said "No, you can't have that" to the moment I show it to her...in fact, she showed it to me and said that she would be interested in owning something like this.

    Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you very much.
    Jeff

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    Lean Codes (P0171/0174) are generally due to vacuum leaks but can be due to other issues also. Not a deal breaker. The 'pull to the left' following an accident to that section of the car would be a deal breaker for me. And a 330Ci isn't really a performance car unless it's an M3 or ZHP model.

    My best advice is to keep looking.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by All2kool View Post
    Lean Codes (P0171/0174) are generally due to vacuum leaks but can be due to other issues also. Not a deal breaker. The 'pull to the left' following an accident to that section of the car would be a deal breaker for me. And a 330Ci isn't really a performance car unless it's an M3 or ZHP model.

    My best advice is to keep looking.

    Okay thank you.

    I called today and they have already sent the car in to have the CEL diagnosed and the issue corrected. I told them about the car pulling and they said they'd have that checked out as well.

    If it's something that is corrected by a simple alignment, would that still be something to be concerned with?

    I plan on driving it again before I sign any paperwork. Part of my problem is where I noticed it pulling is on a stretch of road that I rarely travel...so it's possible it's just graded that way. I may go drive that stretch of road tonight in my daily driver to compare. I never think about things like this in my daily driver...but when driving it in to work today I got curious and let go of the wheel...vehicle immediately veered to the right, and I know this car has never had any damage and recently had an all green alignment after a new set of tires.

    Again, I thank you for the input.

    Jeff
    Last edited by Gimpdiggity; 03-21-2018 at 02:42 PM.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gimpdiggity View Post
    Okay thank you.

    I called today and they have already sent the car in to have the CEL diagnosed and the issue corrected. I told them about the car pulling and they said they'd have that checked out as well.

    If it's something that is corrected by a simple alignment, would that still be something to be concerned with?

    I plan on driving it again before I sign any paperwork. Part of my problem is where I noticed it pulling is on a stretch of road that I rarely travel...so it's possible it's just graded that way. I may go drive that stretch of road tonight in my daily driver to compare. I never think about things like this in my daily driver...but when driving it in to work today I got curious and let go of the wheel...vehicle immediately veered to the right, and I know this car has never had any damage and recently had an all green alignment after a new set of tires.

    Again, I thank you for the input.

    Jeff
    I'd find a nice stretch of flat smooth road or empty shopping center parking lot where you can get up to at least 30mph and then let go of the steering wheel. See what happens. The vehicle should continue to drive relatively straight. I'd then apply the brakes hard and see where the car goes. It should also remain relatively straight. If the impact to the front left was severe enough, damage to the frame could render the vehicle incapable of being properly repaired or aligned. Given what you told us so far, I'd likely not buy the car unless it was being offered for under $2500 and I was prepared to drop another $3000 into it. And then, well, they've had it this long for a reason.

    Your best course of action here is to have a Pre-Purchase Inspection done by reputable mechanic that does these things.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by All2kool View Post
    I'd find a nice stretch of flat smooth road or empty shopping center parking lot where you can get up to at least 30mph and then let go of the steering wheel. See what happens. The vehicle should continue to drive relatively straight. I'd then apply the brakes hard and see where the car goes. It should also remain relatively straight. If the impact to the front left was severe enough, damage to the frame could render the vehicle incapable of being properly repaired or aligned. Given what you told us so far, I'd likely not buy the car unless it was being offered for under $2500 and I was prepared to drop another $3000 into it. And then, well, they've had it this long for a reason.

    Your best course of action here is to have a Pre-Purchase Inspection done by reputable mechanic that does these things.
    Thank you again.

    I will see if they have any explanation for the pull then drive it again.

    If it seems suspect at all, I will pass.

    Thank you.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gimpdiggity View Post
    Thank you again. I will see if they have any explanation for the pull then drive it again. If it seems suspect at all, I will pass. Thank you.
    If they cannot provide pictures of the car when it was damaged, you really should just pass. Hidden damage is often times never found.

  7. #7
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    Okay, I went and drove that stretch of road with my daily driver, which I know tracks straight...and it pulled to the left pretty severely as well when I let go of the wheel. I'm guessing that it's the grade of the highway there, and the fact that it's a pretty open area so it seems prone to crosswinds. This makes me a bit more comfortable with what the 330 did when I was test driving it, especially considering when I test drove the vehicle it was ridiculously windy outside.

    I also was looking at the Carfax wrong...I thought that the dealership had this car on their lot for much longer than they actually have. It looks like they took possession of it in September of 2017, so only six months ago...and it had been in their inside warehouse type area over the winter, not actually on the lot. My apologies, I've never really looked at a Carfax before, as the last couple of vehicles I have purchased were brand new so I wasn't concerned with any previous owners.

    This makes me more comfortable with the vehicle, but I am still waiting to see what they have to say about the CEL and if the vehicle did in fact need an alignment or something. I also asked them if they'd mind if I ran it by my body shop of choice to have them give it a once over, and they said they'd have no problem at all with that...so I may do that when I test drive it again.

    Thanks again for the input.

  8. #8
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    Okay...because I'm a search ninja, (I'm not, I'm actually pretty terrible at searching the internet LOL) I was able to obtain the accident report from the accident the car was in.

    AutoCheck had a case number listed, so I was able to find that Florida will sell you an accident report for $16. If you live there, I'm sure you can get it for free.

    Turns out this 330 was backed into by a Rav 4 that was pulling out of a parking spot onto a two way street.

    Rav 4 owner was cited a violation for improper backing. Accident report shows damage to the BMW in the front left, and shows no area of "most damage." It lists the vehicles both as being driven away from the scene after no airbags were deployed.

    The "Narrative" for the report goes as follows:
    Vehicle 1 (the BMW) was traveling west on 19th street in the 2100 block.
    Vehicle 2 (the RAV 4) was backing out of the parking lot of 2101 19th street.
    BMW observed Vehicle 2 backing into his path and stopped and honked.
    RAV 4 failed to stop and backed into Vehicle 1.
    Driver of vehicle 2 was cited for improper backing.



    This seems like a relatively minor accident that most likely did cosmetic damage only.

    I must admit it's kind of interesting what kind of things you can find online by just looking around a bit.

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