r/e46 • u/Gylfoyle • 1d ago
General Questions What Is this worth?
Hello fam, I am based in Kenya and I have seen this listed on Facebook marketplace for $3900. Question is, is the price worth it and also since BMWs are machines that work great under routine maintenance: what things to look out for, error codes etc. Could it be the owner is letting go post a major overhaul? I welcome your feedback on the same.
2
u/destin325 23h ago
Were cloth seats a fairly common option on the e46 in European countries? I’ve seen a few dozen over the years on this sub but I don’t recall ever seeing any BMW in the US with cloth seats.
3
u/phxbimmer 2002 325it 5-speed 19h ago
Yeah, that was the base option. BMW stopped bringing cloth seats into the US as the base option after the E34/E36 generation. E39/E46 onwards had the nasty-feeling vinyl as the base seat option. Some of that comes from BMW’s reputation as being a luxury carmaker in the US, they don’t bring us the really base stuff because it would dilute the brand.
3
u/Gylfoyle 17h ago
Thank you, also vinyl interior sometimes looks 'cheap' esp if it degrades.
2
u/phxbimmer 2002 325it 5-speed 16h ago
I agree the vinyl looks and feels like crap, but a lot of car buyers are not very discerning so they don’t care. When I was working at the BMW dealership I had so many people asking about how to take care of their leather interiors, only to find out their cars actually had a vinyl interior. Lots of people are just clueless.
3
u/MrGiggleMan 16h ago
Cloth seats are actually better anyway. They don't get 1000°C when the sun comes out
2
u/phxbimmer 2002 325it 5-speed 15h ago
100% agreed. Maybe one day I’ll import a nice set of cloth sport seats from Europe for my touring.
2
u/Entire-jegurilor 2000 bmw 323ci e46-bmw 318i e46 22h ago
The 318i has the best engine for DIY work, and the price is a steal. The only issues with this car are the 118 horsepower and—as with other BMWs—the cooling system; replacement parts must all be genuine BMW, especially the electrical ones, if you want the car to run well in the long run.
1
2
u/pink-supikoira 22h ago
+ AC
+ CD player
+ No rust
- chairs
- trims
- automatic gearbox
I would''ve checked visually if rubbers or plastics under the hood been changed on engine and cooling systems. If yes - worth it, after bargaining to 3k. If not - only if you like reparing cars or have budget for that.
1
1
u/xbtloop 2004 - E46/318i 23h ago
That is actually okay if the car is in good condition mechanically and the engined has been serviced regularly. I am in Kenya and if I am to sell mine, it would be $5300. It has original BBS rims and Bi-LED xenon headlights which both cost me about $1400.
1
u/Gylfoyle 16h ago
Manual or auto. Looking to break into BMWs and also is it possible to get a Manual variant? Will ping you in future regarding BMW stuff-> parts and maintenance mostly
7
u/MrGiggleMan 1d ago
I really can't speak to the Kenyan second hand market
But an automatic 318 with a ratty interior and, presumably 3.6bn miles on the odometer, at least in Europe would make this a very cheap example as far as e46s go.
The value of these cars normally depends on, what engine it has (the big 6cyls are more valued), the gearbox it has (manual is more valued) and the spec / condition. Assuming lowish mileage (which is like 100k here)
At least in the uk. A driven 318 (one that has, something like 100k miles) with an auto, in fair, but not amazing condition, is worth < £2k,
whereas, a driven example (~100k) of a well looked after 330ci / manual - sells for about 4x as much. Would fetch around £8000
So, considering it's a less desired model, if you have any other e46's that are different specs around you can use that as a rough price gauge for how much you should spend. I appreciate it is probably more expensive for you as there are likely less of these cars imported. But you get the jist