Would you recommend a high mileage BMW 3 Series E46 as a first car?
I am 24 years old with only named driver insurance and am now in the position to purchase my first car. I am looking for a car which is fun to drive, safe, with acceptable insurance and economical. I have up to £3000 to spend. I am considering a 2000/2001 BMW E46 320d SE but for my price bracket they all have high milage (120,000 miles or more). Is this car a wise choice? Are the engines reliable enough for another 30,000 miles? What else should I consider?
Asked on 28 May 2010 by yorkshiretombo
Answered by
David Ross
The E46 BMW is a good car and the 320d is probably the best engine in the range. While they are very well built, at 120,000 miles you are just entering the age when things could possibly go wrong and are likely to be very expensive to fix - hence why there are so many on the secondhand market, as people sell these on to buy a newer car. Here's a list of what to look out for honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/3-series-e46-1998/?s...d
Have you considered a similar age Audi A4? In the classifieds there are quite a few reasonable mileage (50-60,000 miles) tidy-looking models around.
Have you considered a similar age Audi A4? In the classifieds there are quite a few reasonable mileage (50-60,000 miles) tidy-looking models around.
Real MPG enables you to register the fuel economy you are actually getting against your make and model of car, its engine and type of transmission.
Every time you enter an average consumption figure against your car, the overall average automatically adjusts to reflect it.
Similar questions
I'm looking at buying a used car that will ideally be economical, fun to drive and (hopfully) last 5-6 years. In your opinion, what is the best diesel car to buy for under £8000 with less than 30,000 on...
I am becoming increasingly alarmed at upgrading our cars to more recent models. My wife and I operate three petrol cars: a 1996 Ford Mondeo V6, a 2008 (original shape) Ford Ka and a 1971 MG Midget 1275cc....
My elderly parents have a dilemma. Their BMW 318is is now eight years old and, to date, has been reliable save for a few minor problems. They are after advice as to whether they should run the car into...
.jpg)
