Introduction and a few questions...

[Ron in Indy]

Greetings,
I am new to this forum, and don't currently own a BMW. I am looking at a
2004 3-series convertible for sale locally and wanted to get some feedback from the forum.
I looked at the car and drove it (although not on the highway) earlier today. It seemed to drive well,
and at least superficially, it looked like a good car. It has >140K miles, which seems about right for
that year, and the interior shows what I would consider normal wear and tear. The top looks new, and I
suspect it was replaced recently. The engine bay is immaculate, but of course that may have been cleaned
recently. I plan on bringing the car to a local BMW shop and have them do a pre-sale inspection before
I buy. Any problems with this model that I should know about? I saw on CarFax that the airbag recall repairs
are still pending. Also, I noticed the spare was missing (presumably a "donut" spare?)
Any other feedback would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Ron in Indy

[MarcoZandrini]

You’re on the right track by having a local indie shop that specializes in bimmers perform a pre-purchase inspection (PPI).

Here are the issues all E46s can have:
1. The cooling system is the Achilles heel of the E46. It needs to be overhauled at 100k miles.
2. The front suspension has lower control arms and bushings that need to be replaced at 70k miles (or do, depending on your roads).
3. Does the car have an automatic transmission? It needs to be serviced (fluid and filter change) every 60k miles. BMW used to tout “lifetime fluids.” It was a marketing ploy and not a maintenance philosophy.
4. You didn’t say the car’s model year, but early E46s (1998-2002) can suffer from torn body metal where the rear suspension attaches to the body.
5. Oil leaks:
A. Valve cover gasket
B. Oil filter housing gasket
6. You didn’t say the actual model. Is it a 330Ci? The 3 liter engine (M54B30 in BMWspeak) tends to drink oil. The reason is the piston’s oil control rings aren’t up to the job. Yes, BMW did you better oil control rings in the 2.5 liter version of this engine (M54B25). Solutions abound:
A. Shell Rotella T6 oil
B. 02pilot modification
C. Oil catch can
D. Valve cover from the BMW M56 engine.
7. The crankcase ventilation system (CCV) was, imho, designed by an engineer who’d been fired by Audi. It sucks. Well, it doesn’t suck properly. The crankcase of a modern BMW engine has to be under a slight vacuum (2” to 4” of water) so it doesn’t drink oil. The M54 CCV doesn’t do the job consistently. Hence the solutions in item #6, above.

Go to E46Fanatics to read all about this car.

[Ron in Indy]

Thanks for your reply.
The car I was looking at is a 2004 325 Ci with a 2.5L i6 SMPI DOHC engine.
Unfortunately, I don't have the complete service records for the car, so I don't know if the issues you highlighted
were ever addressed. Hopefully, some of those will be apparent when I bring it to our local BMW shop for a pre-sale inspection.
This car will be my backup daily driver, and I was hoping to get a few years of relatively trouble-free use before I replace it with
a newer vehicle. Something fun to drive (particularly in warmer weather with the top down) that will not require a lot of
expensive repairs. (that is the hope, anyway) I understand that it is a 14 year old car with more than a 140K miles, so I don't
know if that is a reasonable expectation. I'll check out E46Fanatics to learn more about this model.
Cheers,
Ron in Indy

[All2kool]

4. You didn’t say the car’s model year, but early E46s (1998-2002) can suffer from torn body metal where the rear suspension attaches to the body.

He mentioned it was a 2004 Cabriolet and Cabriolets never suffered this fate.

[Ron in Indy]

Thanks. Good to know.
By the way, the car in your post looks very similar to the one I am considering.
How many of those 138K miles were your doing?
Cheers,
Ron in Indy

[All2kool]

How many of those 138K miles were your doing?

Not many - just 5000. I bought the car in March 2016. I don't drive much and until recently, it was really a 2nd car for me. I have been wrenching on my own cars for more than 40 years so I did the repairs that it needed. I've spent about $700 in maintenance items which means I didn't spend $5600 at the dealer for the same work. It had some seriously revolting wheels on it when I bought it so the BMW Style 286's it now has was the first change I made.

[Jackson42]

Not many - just 5000. I bought the car in March 2016. I don't drive much and until recently, it was really a 2nd car for me. I have been wrenching on my own cars for more than 40 years so I did the repairs that it needed. I've spent about $700 in maintenance items which means I didn't spend $5600 at the dealer for the same work. It had some seriously revolting wheels on it when I bought it so the BMW Style 286's it now has was the first change I made.

I don't know why these cars seem to suffer that fate. "Seriously revolting wheels" exactly describes what I had when I bought my '04 330Ci. They must have been off of an X5 or something - they were HUGE and UUUUGLY. I replaced them immediately with a set of 18" wheels off an E90. They look great and fill up the wheel wells very nicely. Same here - been wrenching forever and do all my own work. Putting a couple hundred bucks of parts into the car once in a while not only beats having a car payment AND having to put a couple hundred bucks of parts into the car once in a while, plus it gives some peace of mind and general satisfaction that the car is right and tight.

[Ron in Indy]

Still looking, by the way. The 2004 Ci was sold a day before I scheduled the inspection. I drove another Ci (2002) for sale locally,
but decided to keep looking. In the meantime, I am continuing to learn more about these cars. Hopefully the right one will come along
before "top-down" season.
Cheers,
Ron in Indy

[sprocket1200]

Keep looking, these are great cars and with the repairs listed will last a long while.

make sure you get a 330 at this point. you will love the extra power and probably get some extra optons.

If you see a zhp, buy it!

[Ron in Indy]

Keep looking, these are great cars and with the repairs listed will last a long while.

make sure you get a 330 at this point. you will love the extra power and probably get some extra optons.

If you see a zhp, buy it!

Thanks. I definitely haven't given up the search, although it is starting to look like I may not buy one before the early Spring.
Garage space is tight right now, and I would hate to see the car get beat up by an Indiana winter.
I'll keep an eye out for the 330s and zhp (saw one on eBay recently that was outside my budget, but it looked like
a lot of fun.)
Cheers,
Ron in Indy

[All2kool]

"Seriously revolting wheels"

Try and keep your lunch down after seeing the wheels that were on the car when I bought it. I sold them to someone that was putting them on a mini-van as I recall.

[TitaniumSilber]

All2kool,...i agree the wheels of that era were absolutely HIDEOUS. I was lucky when I bought my 325ci cabriolet that it had (still has) from the factory, the utra-rare & awesome 17" 10-spoke stye 171's. Beautiful, easy to clean, and waay better-lloking than those usual blocky-looking wheel sets that BMW usually put on from the factory.

[Ron in Indy]

Quick update.
I ended up buying a 2006 325Ci after looking at/driving several others.
This car was by far the best I saw, with low miles and a great service record. A few minor
(mostly cosmetic) issues that I will get squared away, but I'm looking forward to enjoying
the car, particularly when the weather improves and the top gets dropped.
Cheers,
Ron in Indy
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[MIKYZZ4]

Looks like a nice find, have fun and enjoy!

[Ron in Indy]

Thanks. I think the car was accurately represented, and I paid what I consider to be a fair price.
I'm looking forward to being part of the community here. I'll start tackling some of the issues once the
weather finally breaks.
Cheers,
Ron in Indy