Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Newbie: 2002 330i purchased

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Posts
    240
    My Cars
    '02 330i

    Newbie: 2002 330i purchased

    Sold my 2000 M Coupe about 4 months ago, and really missed the zippy little bugger. Got it pretty cheap but paid the price over time as it had some issues (cracked head). It turned into a money pit, so I sold it.

    Recently found a 2002 300i with 184k miles on it locally for pretty darn cheap: <$3k (talked the guy down quite a bit)

    • Silver w black interior, manual tranny, not dents or dings, 4th owner; apparently first owner put most of the miles on it
    • Drives really well and does a pretty good job of replacing the M Coupe for fast, superb-handling driving
    • Did not come with any maint history, but it appears to be well-cared for, mostly
    • Came with brand new crap tires: Kumho Ecsta; they seem ok for now, but this car really need some good tires
    • Suspension seems a bit mushy in the rear (the M Coupe had TC Kline full suspension package, and it was solid!)


    Had a few issues:
    • climate control fan didn't run correctly; so I replaced the Final Stage Resistor (tight squeeze that one) and it works now
    • key would not open the doors consistently, and the mechanical lock didn't unlock; car came with a new lock so I popped it in (easy job) and now I have a mech lock, but battery is buggered in the fob, so I'll deal with that later
    • headliner coming away in a few areas; fixed the A pillars (easy); still have other areas coming off
    • clutch seems a bit "light," but my PPI guy said he thought it could last a couple of years; after driving for a while it seems ok, just different from the M Coupe which had a new clutch
    • has a tear in the drivers seat; no biggie
    • P1620 code is on; next job is to replace the t-stat, but it sounds like that might not cure the issue
    • AC growls; read on the forums that it is either low refrigerant, or a fading compressor; I'll pump some R134 into it next week to see if that changes anything
    • Armrest cover had a big hole in it; replaced it with a faux-leather one from eBay that looks good for $17.00


    Other than that, it's in decent shape. I like it. It is a high-miler, so I might just drive it for a while and look for a low(er) mileage one.

    My daily driver has been a 1989 Mercedes 300SE for nine years; great old cruiser but time to move on.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Sachse, TX
    Posts
    90
    My Cars
    several
    Quote Originally Posted by wallball View Post
    Sold my 2000 M Coupe about 4 months ago, and really missed the zippy little bugger. Got it pretty cheap but paid the price over time as it had some issues (cracked head). It turned into a money pit, so I sold it.

    Recently found a 2002 300i with 184k miles on it locally for pretty darn cheap: <$3k (talked the guy down quite a bit)

    • Silver w black interior, manual tranny, not dents or dings, 4th owner; apparently first owner put most of the miles on it
    • Drives really well and does a pretty good job of replacing the M Coupe for fast, superb-handling driving
    • Did not come with any maint history, but it appears to be well-cared for, mostly
    • Came with brand new crap tires: Kumho Ecsta; they seem ok for now, but this car really need some good tires
    • Suspension seems a bit mushy in the rear (the M Coupe had TC Kline full suspension package, and it was solid!)


    Had a few issues:
    • climate control fan didn't run correctly; so I replaced the Final Stage Resistor (tight squeeze that one) and it works now
    • key would not open the doors consistently, and the mechanical lock didn't unlock; car came with a new lock so I popped it in (easy job) and now I have a mech lock, but battery is buggered in the fob, so I'll deal with that later
    • headliner coming away in a few areas; fixed the A pillars (easy); still have other areas coming off
    • clutch seems a bit "light," but my PPI guy said he thought it could last a couple of years; after driving for a while it seems ok, just different from the M Coupe which had a new clutch
    • has a tear in the drivers seat; no biggie
    • P1620 code is on; next job is to replace the t-stat, but it sounds like that might not cure the issue
    • AC growls; read on the forums that it is either low refrigerant, or a fading compressor; I'll pump some R134 into it next week to see if that changes anything
    • Armrest cover had a big hole in it; replaced it with a faux-leather one from eBay that looks good for $17.00


    Other than that, it's in decent shape. I like it. It is a high-miler, so I might just drive it for a while and look for a low(er) mileage one.

    My daily driver has been a 1989 Mercedes 300SE for nine years; great old cruiser but time to move on.
    Please post pics.

    Sent from my mobile device using Tapatalk
    Jeremy
    2000 323Ci Titansilber Metallic cabriolet

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    5
    My Cars
    2002 E39 M5, 1997 E36 328iC
    How hard was the armrest replacement, and is it notably different from the leather/original one?

Similar Threads

  1. newbie looking to purchase a 2002 x5
    By alan617 in forum 1999+ X5, X6 (E53, E70, E71, F15, F16, G05, G06)
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-29-2007, 01:09 AM
  2. Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-02-2002, 08:05 PM
  3. 2002 330i Sport Fog Lights
    By PoloJag in forum 1999 - 2006 (E46)
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-05-2002, 12:39 PM
  4. Sub setup in 2002 330i
    By PoloJag in forum Car Audio & Electronics sponsored by Bavsound
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-02-2002, 06:35 PM
  5. 2002 330i
    By PoloJag in forum 1999 - 2006 (E46)
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 05-01-2002, 01:35 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •