Advice please on buying a 3 series coupe sport
Discussion
I am thinking of investing in a 3 series coupe sport but have not owned a BMW before and so would probably benefit from some inside knowledge ...
+ 330ci or 325ci ... what are the pros and cons?
+ If I pay for a 'sport' what am i getting? Is there a difference between sport and M sport?
+ Is there anything I should be wary of?
Any input will be helpful.
Thanks
David.
+ 330ci or 325ci ... what are the pros and cons?
+ If I pay for a 'sport' what am i getting? Is there a difference between sport and M sport?
+ Is there anything I should be wary of?
Any input will be helpful.
Thanks
David.
330 clearly has more grunt, but having just been taken for a spin in a friends 2.5l Z4 there really isn't as much difference as you might imagine.
The Sport gives you
-sport suspension
-bodykit
-18 in alloys
-sports seats
-special 'cube' look trim
-thicker steering wheel
-'M' door entry plates
No difference between M sport and Sport.
My 2002 330Ci Sport feels like it has much sharper throttle response than a standard 2000 330Ci coupe I had before- electrickery no doubt to make it feel more sprightly low down in the throttle travel.
Post 2001 cars (I think) had mods to give better steering feel which was a big improvement, and my 02 car sounds throatier than the standard 330Ci coupe.
Look out for noisy VANOS systems, worn shocks and bushes, worn wishbone mounts on the front, door handle probs.
Buld quality does vary. My car has been very reliable, but others seem more problematic.
The Sport gives you
-sport suspension
-bodykit
-18 in alloys
-sports seats
-special 'cube' look trim
-thicker steering wheel
-'M' door entry plates
No difference between M sport and Sport.
My 2002 330Ci Sport feels like it has much sharper throttle response than a standard 2000 330Ci coupe I had before- electrickery no doubt to make it feel more sprightly low down in the throttle travel.
Post 2001 cars (I think) had mods to give better steering feel which was a big improvement, and my 02 car sounds throatier than the standard 330Ci coupe.
Look out for noisy VANOS systems, worn shocks and bushes, worn wishbone mounts on the front, door handle probs.
Buld quality does vary. My car has been very reliable, but others seem more problematic.
Edited by Robertb on Sunday 11th June 20:40
Does the sport option also include a full leather interior or is that an add on?
Ive seen an interesting ad in trader (ref 6423237) for a 325ci 'sport' but it does not appear to have the subtle flair on the sill skirting. Is this normal or indicative of a post new sport upgrade?
Thoughts?
David.
Ive seen an interesting ad in trader (ref 6423237) for a 325ci 'sport' but it does not appear to have the subtle flair on the sill skirting. Is this normal or indicative of a post new sport upgrade?
Thoughts?
David.
Don't buy one withouta valid BMW Warranty.
Usual E46 bugbears: Suspension- bushes, ball-joints, rear top mounts. Vanos- listen out for groaning. Gearbox linkages/bushes. Climate Control often malfunctions.
Buy a post Sept 2001 build
FBMWSH and BMW warranty
Leather and Xenons are essential
Baz
Usual E46 bugbears: Suspension- bushes, ball-joints, rear top mounts. Vanos- listen out for groaning. Gearbox linkages/bushes. Climate Control often malfunctions.
Buy a post Sept 2001 build
FBMWSH and BMW warranty
Leather and Xenons are essential
Baz
Edited by baz1985 on Monday 12th June 10:09
Funny, I was just about to post the same question??
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
Makes sense... but I'd have thought though that the difference in weight between the 3l engine and the 2.5l would be very marginal. I understand that the feel between individual 'sports' can vary quite alot- maybe that accounts for the difference?
The Sport did not have leather as standard, most seem to have it.
The standard headlights are poor- xenons make a big difference. Harmon Kardon stereo is also worth getting if you enjoy your music. I'd not get hung up at all on the sat nav + tv- nice if its there, but not the worlds greatest sat nav, and the telly doesnt work unless you are absolutely stationary with the handbrake on which sucks in traffic jams!
The Sport did not have leather as standard, most seem to have it.
The standard headlights are poor- xenons make a big difference. Harmon Kardon stereo is also worth getting if you enjoy your music. I'd not get hung up at all on the sat nav + tv- nice if its there, but not the worlds greatest sat nav, and the telly doesnt work unless you are absolutely stationary with the handbrake on which sucks in traffic jams!
ICSD said:
Funny, I was just about to post the same question??
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
I'd have thought it would be pretty much just the same engine but bored out to 3.0. It's not like there's a couple of extra cylinders tacked on the add the weight.
Darth Dave said:
ICSD said:
Funny, I was just about to post the same question??
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
A friend of mine has a 325Ci M Sport and he said that he chose it over a 330 because the 325 engine is lighter and the car handles better (he tried both) - he does some racing so is someone worth listening to.
Does anyone else on here have similar feedback?
I'd have thought it would be pretty much just the same engine but bored out to 3.0. It's not like there's a couple of extra cylinders tacked on the add the weight.
Are you sure about that? I understood that the 2.5 is bored out from the smaller engines but the 3.0 is a different engine entirely.
Robertb said:
Harmon Kardon stereo is also worth getting if you enjoy your music
I disgree. Hence I have named it Harmon Wa*kdon. It really is shocking imo. The constant hissing at the front and unfit for purpose sub really p155 me off. And then HK can't be upgraded only discarded and replaced in full. Where as with the stock BMW Bush1tness at least you can add/replace freely. (My current car has HK which is pants, previous car had Business and the latter was much better with an Infinity BassLink).
Weight: E46 330ci M Sport 1505kg, E46 325ci M Sport 1495kg. You'd have to be more talented than Alonso/Schumi/Kimi/Thompson/Priaulx to notice the magnitude of the weight difference. However, the 325 is sweeter in terms of noise and thereby less gruff and perhaps slightly more rev happy.
Baz
dbk said:
Does the sport option also include a full leather interior or is that an add on?
Ive seen an interesting ad in trader (ref 6423237) for a 325ci 'sport' but it does not appear to have the subtle flair on the sill skirting. Is this normal or indicative of a post new sport upgrade?
Thoughts?
David.
Ive seen an interesting ad in trader (ref 6423237) for a 325ci 'sport' but it does not appear to have the subtle flair on the sill skirting. Is this normal or indicative of a post new sport upgrade?
Thoughts?
David.
Oops, I meant E+M. It's an interesting ad but is somewhat limited on info.
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