BMW 325ti Compact (E46) | PH Fleet
A thousand miles driven, a thousand pounds spent
Ignorance is bliss, or so they say. And there I was having a merry time in the Compact, enjoying every mile, be it brightening up the nursery car park (a very usable three-door, it turns out) or cruising along to a car meet. It always started, it always sounded great, it always drove keenly and it always brought a smile to my face seeing an old red BMW parked up. And if a like-minded enthusiast wanted to talk about it, then even better. I’m not sure anyone has been proud of owning a 3 Series Compact, at least not since they were new - but certainly the decision to swap a boring newer car for something older and more interesting felt vindicated. As if it was ever in doubt, right?
But eventually, inevitably, it had to go on a ramp. There’s never been any rust mentioned in the MOT history, for whatever that guaranteed. Nevertheless, at 21 years and 150,000 miles old, the Compact couldn’t be perfect, could it? Well… no, it wasn’t. Rust has claimed more than enough interesting old cars, and I really didn’t want to be the Compact to be next. Luckily, there was only a little bit of surface corrosion on the rear chassis legs, which was treated, plus some missing wheelarch liners up front, so they were replaced. The rust radar can hopefully rest for a couple of months, at least.
Shame about the brakes then, really. The ad for the Compact said all four discs and pairs of pads were replaced last year, and there’s an invoice to prove it, but there was a carrier bolt missing from the rear axle. Which certainly looked a bit iffy. Replacing those didn’t solve the brake judder, either, as it turns out there’s a warped disc up front. So they’ll need sorting also. Which is a tad frustrating, but there we are - joy of old cars, right?
Hopefully with the fronts sorted soonish, that’ll be the Compact really rocking and rolling - because I’d rather not have bills for £954 (inspection, discs, pads, the carrier bolt, the wheel arch liners, the rust treatment, the labour, the VAT) on a regular basis. But let’s see. Cars don’t get any cheaper to run as they age, and I have to remember that the BMW cost me very little in terms of cars generally and specifically manual, straight-six 3 Series that really don’t have much rust as it turns out. I’ve just given back a test car with ten times the purchase price of UGB in options, so it sort of feels alright. I think. Tyres up next…
In better news, K&N sent a new air filter out; there was a sticker on the airbox already, so presumably it had one in the past. And while not everyone says they’re a great idea (the 325ti appreciation thread really does contain everything you need to know about these funny little cars), it’s all good for the moment. A little more straight six rasp, no issues to report. Apart from probably using a little more fuel. Again, though, old engine, five-speed, short ratios and an appetite for revs - hardly a recipe for parsimony. For what I paid and what I expected, I’m still very happy. A local pub held a BMW night recently and it reminded me exactly why I bought something like this, with a great assortment of cars and people to talk to. That wasn’t going to happen with a Mazda 3.
With money spent on less than fun stuff, it’s been only too easy to think about what might come next from the actual fun list. Some spacers might be good to get the wheels a bit further out in the arch, the ride height having dropped on the Bilsteins. I think the speakers have seen (and heard) better days, so if it’s still possible to get 6x9s for a parcel shelf like it’s 2003 then that would be good. It’s such a boon having CarPlay that I’m keen to make the most of it. There’s a temptation to replace the squeaking, sagging driver’s seat with something sportier, too, though on the other hand it would seem a shame to spoil what’s a pretty well preserved interior. Any advice on seat repair is really welcome - what do you do? Where do you go? Every time I get used to the squeak I drive something fresher and it’s irritating after!
The 325 will pass through 152,000 miles this week, and it’s certainly been kept busy. Late night airport runs are more agreeable than you might think, the car reasonably hushed despite the high revs at motorway speeds and the soft (perhaps dim) dashboard lights easy on the eye. It’s made newer cars seem even more annoying in that regard. Sometimes I take it for a run at lunchtime just to remind myself how to change gear, and it’s always entertaining. I like to think that the 325ti walked so that the M135is and M140is of this world could run, but that might be overdoing it a tad.
There are no grand plans imminent, though I am hoping to take the Compact to N24 next year with a few mates. It’s probably my favourite race, and the thought of taking an old BMW to the Nordschleife, watching GT3 cars and drinking beer with my friends sounds tremendous. Even with just the five gears…
FACT SHEET
Car: 2003 BMW 325ti Compact
Run by: Matt Bird
On fleet since: July 2024
Bought for: £2,999
Mileage: 151,910
Last month at a glance: Credit cards are for classic cars
Previous reports
Fortune favours the brave, doesn’t it?
Speaking as somebody who’s into a 24 year old 911 for around 24k, only half of which was the purchase price, I’ve very much made peace with this, but it is like a committed relationship- you really need to have that spark that keeps you together.
Even if money isn’t an issue you need a bit of patience and flexibility to navigate having your car off the road for a week while you replace the rads or spend 2 weeks longer at the workshop because of seized bolts needing major surgery or other hidden surprises.
Saying all that, in the 3 years I’ve had mine it’s been less troublesome than my colleagues brand new Land Rover and I’m pretty sure I’ve still spend significantly less.
Glad you're enjoying it still. People criticise the looks but what other affordable, practical RWD car would they propose instead, an ID3?
My experience of older cars is that the most you can hope for is a respite from the bills for a few months, and with German cars of this age especially that it's easy to have multiple issues per year that need money spending. So the question has to be not is it expensive to maintain but is it worth it.
As for the seat - squeaking seems to often be caused by the frame of the seat breaking at one of the welds. Whip the seat out and have a look. It'll depend on the design whether this can be easily repaired without removing the upholstery but sometimes it's just a quick zap with the welder and cool the repair quickly.
Changing discs and pads is very easy to do yourself.
Parts would be around a couple of hundred.
Same with the arch liners.
And rust treatment? Wire brush and some hammerite (or POR15 if you want to do it properly)
All you needed was a jack, axle stand and socket set.
It would have taken you a morning and cost around £300 tops.
If still unsure, there are loads of YouTube tutorial vids out there.
Seriously, don’t complain about big bills for small easy jobs when you can DIY so easily. Ultimately it’s just laziness stopping you.
Changing discs and pads is very easy to do yourself.
Parts would be around a couple of hundred.
Same with the arch liners.
And rust treatment? Wire brush and some hammerite (or POR15 if you want to do it properly)
All you needed was a jack, axle stand and socket set.
It would have taken you a morning and cost around £300 tops.
If still unsure, there are loads of YouTube tutorial vids out there.
Seriously, don’t complain about big bills for small easy jobs when you can DIY so easily. Ultimately it’s just laziness stopping you.
Could also be lack of time, lack of interest, wanting someone to do it "properly" etc.
I run older cars and give them to specialists to look after. Yes it costs a bit but for me it's the right solution.
If I didn't have enough going on in my life then maybe I would do the work myself.
I have one of the last manual, 3-door M140is and received yet another begging phone call from the BMW dealer I bought it from yesterday. They were trying to suggest that I go and look at the new M135i, which doesn't have a straight six engine, rear wheel drive or a manual gearbox. It's now an ugly generic lump with a transverse 4-banger and generic front-biased AWD. It's slower and it's over £43k before options!
So maybe it is time to preserve these "traditional" small straight six BMWs. It doesn't look like they'll be making many more!
However, a 2003 316Ti came up for sale locally to me with loads of spec, for a grand. I went to have a look at it and it had a bulging service folder and two owners from new.. it its a lot of car for the outlay so I bought it. After driving it a bit and being pleasantly surprised - wasn't as gutless as I expected - I sold it to a friend who wanted a spare car. He's run it over the summer, and absolutely loves it. More than his E36 M3 Evo. It obviously runs out of puff way quicker, but handles just as well.
t Box No.1".No matter what the car, it can happen to any of them when they get old enough.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff