Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 12:36 p.m.

So I'm going to look at a 1999 323i. One owner, low price, high mileage, good body and white smoke coming out of the exhaust.

I am considering this as a replacement for my Miata Wintercrosser. I suspect that it needs either a headgasket and cooling system upgrade, or a replacement engine. I know that they can have subframe issues.

I am not very familiar with these things. Build me a checklist of areas to check out.

NY535iManual
NY535iManual New Reader
8/22/15 12:56 p.m.

I shopped e46 sedans just last fall, and prices in the metro NY area were all over the place. They seem to be settling down now. At the time I couldn't find one for less than $5000 that wasn't beat or rusted to hell. I found this buyers guide to be a pretty comprehensive list, with pictures. This list reflects the common problem areas I was aware of. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1007722

Is the car an automatic? I don't have first hand knowledge of this, but the auto trannies in the 323 and 328 (ie, early e46s) were purportedly the problematic ones. I passed on two low price super nice SULEV cars, they just weren't worth the potential hassle.

The car in your pic has an M3 front bumper cover on it; In good condition those aren't cheap, so you might could recoup a portion of your purchase price is you don't want it.

oldtin
oldtin UberDork
8/22/15 1:00 p.m.

Cooling system, ccv, disa valve, vanos stuff along with suspension wear. How cheap is it? A coworker is selling hers soon. 99 323, 5spd. Runs great, has some body scratches from road debris. Will be challenge priced. Needs some bushings and brakes

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 1:19 p.m.
oldtin wrote: How cheap is it?

200k miles, 5 speed, $800.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 1:20 p.m.

Is it true that only the M3 came with a limited slip?

oldtin
oldtin UberDork
8/22/15 1:31 p.m.

every one I've seen with hg issues also has head warpage issue. I think the head gasket pops because of warpage during an overheat. Yet to see one that you could slap a new head gasket on and call it good so it could very quickly turn on to a 2k car. Looks nice. Any rust? Around Chicago they're vulnerable in the front part of the rockers and rear wheel arches by the rear bumper cover.

Re ltd slip, yes, just m3s for e46s

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 1:35 p.m.

Not sure on the rust yet. Does it hide behind plastic? I'm going to look at the car in an hour.

oldtin
oldtin UberDork
8/22/15 1:49 p.m.

Should be able to spot it. In front it starts underneath. In the arches it's salt trapped between the plastic and metal

SlickDizzy
SlickDizzy GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
8/22/15 1:57 p.m.

'99-00 were the years of the REALLY BAD E46 subframe issues before BMW reinforced the mounting in 2001, so be picky there! The early cars also seem to rust more for some reason, particularly around the window frames and rear wheel wells. I don't remember if the E46 M52 cars (again '99-00 only) had aluminum blocks, but the '01-up M54 cars all did, so you MAY have dodged a bullet there.

You are correct in that no non-M 3-series was available with an LSD since the mid-90's. You have two choices: fancy aftermarket unit, or M3 subframe swap. Neither is cheap.

Mr_Clutch42
Mr_Clutch42 SuperDork
8/22/15 2:52 p.m.

He can't just put in the M3 differential and housing?

SlickDizzy
SlickDizzy GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
8/22/15 2:55 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

Nope, IIRC the mounting points and axles are different. That's why aftermarket vendors can get $900+ for a bolt-in solution.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 3:23 p.m.

UPDATE:

I just looked at the car and I passed on it.

The seller inherited the car from his son, who drove it through college. He said that it had been in the family for seven years. His son added the M3 front bumper and rear spoiler, along with some kind of HIDs. There was a cone filter and an AC Schnitzer dash surround. The body and interior both looked really good, considering the mileage. It doesn't look like it had ever been hit and the paint looked original. I lifted the carpet in the trunk and didn't see any signs of tearing or distortion to the trunk floor. It is a non-sunroof car. Basically, a first year, base model E46.

The wheels are steel, with hubcaps and snow tires. I think they might even have been Blizzaks.

188k miles, he did not know if the clutch had ever been replaced. I was able to start the car, but it wouldn't idle, the revs would just bounce up and down a few times and then stall. I could keep it going with the gas pedal, but it wasn't controllable. There was no coolant in the car.

Not knowing the ways of BMW cooling systems or VANOS anything, I decided to pass.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/22/15 3:24 p.m.

Here's a link to the ad if anyone is interested. When I told him that I didn't think that I'd be interested, he said he'd take less for it. That probably means $500.

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5151173627.html

1999 323i 197k mi V6 5 speed manual transmission, needs engine rebuild. Blue/white color emits from exhaust when on. Good condition in and out. Good for parts. Must be towed away.

SlickDizzy
SlickDizzy GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
8/22/15 3:29 p.m.

Non-sunroof? That is an incredible NASA GTS project base if I've ever seen one.

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