Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

[MS BUSY BEE]

Hello Masters, Gurus, and everyone else...

Am a real amatuer when it comes to cars and its technicalities.

Been reading the thread at this forum, and enjoyed it. Think that it's great to have everyone being so helpful and friendly.

Am looking out for a pre-owned BMW E46 , probably 2-3 yr old either 318 or 320 (have not decided yet). This will be my first car!

But the general feedback from friends is that the Beemer is an expensive car to maintain and it usually breaks down or malfunctions quite a fair bit. Of course luck plays a part too...but can anyone advice what I should expect?

Example...what are the common malfunctions after the 3 yr warranty, and how much does it costs?
Read the thread on cost of car servicing, so thats fine by me.
Just wondering what else to expect besides that...

Thanks in advance .........

Regards,
Lydia

 

[hetraa]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

Hello Masters, Gurus, and everyone else...

Am a real amatuer when it comes to cars and its technicalities.

Been reading the thread at this forum, and enjoyed it. Think that it's great to have everyone being so helpful and friendly.

Am looking out for a pre-owned BMW E46 , probably 2-3 yr old either 318 or 320 (have not decided yet). This will be my first car!

But the general feedback from friends is that the Beemer is an expensive car to maintain and it usually breaks down or malfunctions quite a fair bit. Of course luck plays a part too...but can anyone advice what I should expect?

Example...what are the common malfunctions after the 3 yr warranty, and how much does it costs?
Read the thread on cost of car servicing, so thats fine by me.
Just wondering what else to expect besides that...

Thanks in advance .........

Regards,
Lydia

its not really expensive to maintain...well yes if u compared it with a 1.5L japanese sedan...
a e46 will cost around $90 for a full tank of petrol, while a jap sedan for half that price..

bimmers need servicing every 25,000km(as opposed to japs 10,000)and it costs around $170 for a oil change.

hidden costs are consumables like tyres (around $1000-1200, brake pads ~$150, air filters)

if u looking for a 2-3 yr old e46 318i, the price shd be ard $85-90k range. u can try bargain down 3-5k from the list price, and get the PML full servicing records.

 

[colrc]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

If you take care of it regularly and adopt preventive maintenance rather than wait for things to break down, you'll have lots of fun with your car. The costly bits are the add ons performance and cosmetics. Once started, no end, lah.

 

[totoseow]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

hi n welcome..also..there r a few workshops recommended : http://www.bmw-sg.com/forums/workshops.php

from dents to sprays to normal servicing....u dun need to go back to pml...

 

[MS BUSY BEE]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

Thanks GUYS....

You will need to be more tolerant with this little lady here. First time buying car... lol

My other question is...have you encountered regular breakdowns which requires major and expensive repair costs. People have warned me about bimmers more prone to go into the workshops especially after the 3rd year onwards...

They told me to budget 2.5k/mth (estimate):
installment: based on $86k for the car => downpayment of 20k and 7 yr loan
road tax => 1.5k /yr
insurance=> 2.2k.yr
petrol => 500/mth
servicing => 400/ every 3 mths
repair/change parts =>500/mth (standby!)

The 2.5k budget put me off a bit..for a little car.

Please share your valuable advice.

 

[T6]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

I hope the above numbers were given to you by someone who owns a Bimmer and not just hearsay.

Insurance is a variable depending on your age, occupation and driving experience. Petrol bill also a variable depending on what kind of mileage you clock, driving style and whether mainly highway or city driving.

Potential service and repair charges have been over quoted. The newer generations of Bimmers like the e46s are pretty reliable unless u bought a lemon which is rare.

As Totoseow mentioned, use an external Bimmer workshop to service/repair. Cheaper and they get the job done faster.

 

[silky6]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

I hope the above numbers were given to you by someone who owns a Bimmer and not just hearsay.

Insurance is a variable depending on your age, occupation and driving experience. Petrol bill also a variable depending on what kind of mileage you clock, driving style and whether mainly highway or city driving.

Potential service and repair charges have been over quoted. The newer generations of Bimmers like the e46s are pretty reliable unless u bought a lemon which is rare.

As Totoseow mentioned, use an external Bimmer workshop to service/repair. Cheaper and they get the job done faster.

Agree man, $500 a mth for potential service and repair charges!!! Might as well sell away the car, its nt a lemon its a spolit lemon! Perhaps better for ya to ask in this forum, sure get a better answer anytime!

 

[calvin]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

To the nearest:
They told me to budget 2.5k/mth (estimate):
installment: based on $86k for the car (86K - not for 3 yrs bimmer, and probably yes for 2+ years. - 318iA) => downpayment of 20k and 7 yr loan
road tax => 1.5k /yr
insurance=> 2.2k.yr depending on your age, occupation and driving experience
petrol => 500/mth - 300-400/mth
servicing => 400/ every 3 mths - around 200 for 20K KM
repair/change parts =>500/mth (standby!) - best get the car below 3 years,so can claim warranty from PML

The 2.5k budget put me off a bit..for a little car. over quote

Please share your valuable advice.

 

[mistraele]

Re: Lady Newbie Looking Out For E46

given that both the 318 and 320 have depreciated quite a bit, i would try and pick up a 320i if you could. price difference between the 2 wont be very much. its a better drive, probably easier to export and higher OMV.

your total running cost per year - excluding parking & ERP -
installments - $10,500.00 (apprx)
road tax - $2,000
insurance - $1,500 (even with no NCB, i dont think 2200, unless you are very young)
servicing - 1x year $ 300 (assuming no more than 20k a year)
tyres every 2 years / 2 - $450
car cleaning/ grooming - $200
petrol - 400/month
+ set aside 2k/year for repairs
petrol - $4800 ($100/week - which is about 400km)
total = 21,750 or $1,800 per month.
if you park in CBD/ drive into work, then can add another 300 or so to this figure.

further - if you got the car with at least 1-2 years warranty left, you dont have to set aside that 2k a year for repairs. during the warranty period. unless you are going to keep the car for 10 years, as most people scrap by the 5th year, its unlikely the car will need MAJOR repairs before the 5th year, unless you are really unlucky. but best to get whatever car you are looking at checked over by one of the BMW specialist workshops.