jediknight83 Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 OK for those that dont know my past cars.... 18yrs old - crx mk2 20yrs old - corrado vr6 21yrs old - audi s3 22yrs old - big crash ... from then i have been making do with a pug 406 hdi while i put money into starting my own business. im now interested in getting a nicer car again. Been looking at BMW 330 coupe's and i thought i wanted the diesel but they seem to command a higer price and diesel is pretty expensive so i probably wont really save much in the long run compared to a petrol... right??? so... what should i get? im looking at 2001 - 2002 stuff to keep the cost reasonable Must me a manual, and must have full leather, and must have xenons,.... but there all fairly standard options so should be easy to find. so there is the 330ci with about 231bhp right? then the msport version with a groovy bosy kit and is the suspension actually any different? and then the clubsport which has a gay spoiler but i can live with that if it is a better car to drive???? any comments or advice would be cool as i know little about the 3 series range really and what suspension options there were etc. cheers in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 If you are looking at a manual you will get around 40mpg from the 330Cd compared with around 25mpg from the 330Ci. So around 40% more in fuel costs to go for the 330Ci. Are you financing the car? You may be better to get the diesel, even if you pay £2k more, just pay the interest on that £2k and get most of it back when you come to sell it. The Sport version is definitely the one to go for, looks better and handles like a coupe should. The clubsport I don't know about but I think it is mainly cosmetics? I like the 330i but prefer the diesel, and when you get bored get it remapped and get another 45bhp and 25% more torque too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encee Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 [ QUOTE ] diesel is pretty expensive so i probably wont really save much in the long run compared to a petrol... right??? [/ QUOTE ] Mate, I would say that what you`ll save on petrol over diesel will be nicely offset by what you`ll save on the extra MPG you`ll get in a diesel. Diesels are also less to insure, and tax, than petrol. Food for thought, maybe ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterS Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 And residuals tend to be better on the diesels too, though am not sure whether this also holds true as much on the coupe Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno Posted May 30, 2006 Report Share Posted May 30, 2006 The clubsport is simply a mid-term makeover for the coupe, with some "special" colours and the naf spoiler. Same mechanicals as 330i coupe. Choice depends on £ and where you want to be on the depreciation curve - don't forget the e90 saloon is already out, so e46 saloon residuals are already reduced. Not so much the case for e92 coupe - which launches in the next few months. Your best bet is probably a facelift version of either the 330i or 330d saloon. Plus, 330cd's are pretty new still, so even high milers with low spec will probably be £25k+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 thanks so the club sport is no better to drive than the normal coupe. just got that stupid spoiler. I dont want the sallon atall so thats out. so basically what your all saying is the 330cd is a better option to the 330ci but wait till the new e92 coupe has been out for a while and the prices have dropped a bit? regarding the e46 330cd then... what year did the 6 speed and the power hike get introduced? it went from 170 ish to 205 ish bhp i think i read somewhere? Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterS Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 IIRC the E46 3 was available with 184bhp in 330d form initially, then uprated to a 204bhp engine around 2003. The E90/91 3 has a 231bhp engine I think. HTH Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 330Cds start @ 20k on trader at the moment > http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/car...rch_full=SEARCH Or if you push the budget to £28k, that puts 330d cabs in range - buys a bit more protection from depreciation till next year (when e90 cab comes out afaik) http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/auc/national_search_result/0,5065,1260_159980106__,00.html# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] IIRC the E46 3 was available with 184bhp in 330d form initially, then uprated to a 204bhp engine around 2003. The E90/91 3 has a 231bhp engine I think. Agreed, but the 330Cd wasn't available in 184 /5 gear guise, so all should be 204hp(+ 'boxes and remaps ) autos or 6 gear manuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterS Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Agreed, but the 330Cd wasn't available in 184 /5 gear guise, so all should be 204hp(+ 'boxes and remaps ) autos or 6 gear manuals. [/ QUOTE ] Good point Forgot that the diesel coupe came much later . Would also add that, IMO, the auto on the 330d is a little too keen to kick down; it doesn't really make the best use of all the torque that's available, and I'd often find myself manually putting it into 6th on the motorway to prevent kickdown. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 ok so i didnt mention... i dont want an auto! would rather chop of my BITS than drive one. is the 330cd really as driveable as the 330ci? im buy cars 20% so i can get from A-B to 80% so i can have fun in doing so! also dont want a convertible! mainly as im not actually gay ok next thing to throw into the arena! M3?? if were talking around the £20k mark for a 330cd.... thats getting close to 2001 M3's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] ok so i didnt mention... i dont want an auto! would rather chop of my BITS than drive one. [/ QUOTE ] My last change was in 2004 and I tried the (then new) 330Cd. I wanted a 3 coupe and the Cd seemed the obvious choice - 204 bhp was close to the 330Ci's 231 and the torque was huge in comparison. Add that to the 40mpg instead of 25 and I thought it was a no-brainer. There was a but, though. In a manual 330Cd, I just couldn't get the gearing right. Maybe it is just my (total!) lack of experience of manual diesels, but the engine note was totally wrong and I always seemed to get the wrong gear/revs. Anyway, after half an hour feeling disappointed, I asked to go out in a 330Ci. Suddenly everything was right. The engine note changed in a way that I was used to and which I could use to know precisely when to change gear. The revs responded quickly and smoothly to the gas pedal and the car was a joy to drive. I'm now in a 2 year old 330Ci Sport, and love it! Sadly, we need something bigger and automatic so it will probably have to go in favour of a 535d sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin275 Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 If I was going for an E46 Coupe then I think I’d spend my money on an M3. If you want something newer or slightly less expensive to run, then based on your criteria I would go for the 330ci over the 330cd. It’s a difficult one really because both the petrol and diesel engines have their +’s and –‘s compared with each other, so it really depends on which type of engine suits you the best. I totally ‘get’ the benefits of a modern diesel engine and particularly love the torque, which suits the way I drive 80% of the time but you can’t beat a nice revvy petrol engine when you want to have some fun! I hope I’m not going to get any of the usual TSN nonsense, but if you like the looks you can get an ex demo 130i M Sport for around £23k. It has an absolutely fabulous engine (loads of low down torque and it sounds fantastic) and is great to drive, I’d recommend you have a look at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] ok next thing to throw into the arena! M3?? if were talking around the £20k mark for a 330cd.... thats getting close to 2001 M3's [/ QUOTE ] Maybe, but M3 insurance and servicing doesn't come cheap, esp. on a 5 y.o. car that will have been driven hard. Most 330d /330i are auto, so it'll take some work if you want to take that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 yeah i think honestly the m3 is a bit of a pipe dream at the moment. insurance will be a killer unfortunately. so i think now i need to get me a test drive in both the 330ci and the cd to see which one i can live with and which is more fun. when did the face lift happen? 2004? ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 oh and does the msport version actually have better suspension or is it just the nice body kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Facelift coupe = build date of March 03 >>on (under bonnet on front nearside suspension strut) Easily told by upturned front indicators (viewed from front) and higher side repeaters, amongst other things.(M3 & CSL never got the full facelift treatment, so have downswept indicators) Sport version has lowered suspension, better seats, different spoilers, skirts, bigger alloys and a few other options) Its much better at resale too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 ok so i went into Elms BMW this afternoon and arranged a back to back test drive for next friday. 330ci vs 330cd. both the Msport versions. guess i can only really tell after that. what kinda price should these go for privately then? Elms had a 14k 2002 330ci up for £19k which i thought was a bit steep?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReverend Posted June 2, 2006 Report Share Posted June 2, 2006 If I can add anything to this.. I've not long had a 330ci Sport Coupe. I have to admit it's just lovely. The sound is amazing, the cornerning is beautiful and it looks exquisite in my opinion. It's a nice compromise and buggeration is it quick. Not Scooby / M3 / Tuned S3 quick but more than respectable. One of the nice things is that it makes progress without running out of cogs if you know what I mean. I do have some issues with it.. Even with the sport kit (lip spoiler, 18's, M BodyKit and extras) is doesn't look that special. Only the M3 does that for me which brings me to the other point. The only thing for me now is that I want the M3! The 330 petrol is fast. I mean you're looking at the speedo thinking "I'm going straight to the big house for this" and it just keeps on pulling with serious conviction but you just want the M3 extra horses. The sound too - Straight 6's sound wonderful but when you get the M it transforms it totally. I looked at it and the cost of running it put me off. A mate has one and he LOVES the car but whenever something goes awry it's four figures to fix. Everything costs more and as someone here said a 5yr model will have seen it's fair share of canings. Do I regret buying it? Hell no - it's a lovely balanced car and a great compromise for those in the real world. There's only 2 cars in the range above it and we're certainly not in CSL country so that makes one. Would I recommend buying one - definitely, if only as a stop gap to the M3. Enjoy the test drive - I'm sure you'll go petrol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 I'd agree entirely with your positive points re the 330Ci! [ QUOTE ] Even with the sport kit (lip spoiler, 18's, M BodyKit and extras) is doesn't look that special. Only the M3 does that for me which brings me to the other point. [/ QUOTE ] I'd also agree with the negative, in fact. The thing is, some don't see it as a negative! One of the nicer aspects of BMW's range used to be that the seriously powerful models looked very similar to the ordinary ones. They didn't shout it to the rooftops - so if you just felt like pootling about for a day, or if the wife & kids were on board, you could do that without every tricked up Scooby trying to beat you off the lights. The M models are getting rather less Q-car-ish these days. Which is fine .. they seem to be selling well (!) so BMW seem to have made the right call. So, if you want the "run silent, run deep" approach, the 330 or the 545/550/535d with no model inscription can do it for you. I accept, though, that I am lucky. If I want to be obvious, I have the 911 to do that for me. So perhaps my view of the 330Ci and what I want from it are affected by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted June 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 there seem to be very few 330cd's available second hand!? were they not very popular? and what kind of prices should i expect both private and dealer? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReverend Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 Yep, I see what you mean about the subtlety of the 330Ci. It's still a fantastic car and it does make you moderate your driving. You can drive it like you ass is on fire but then again you can just take your time and waft about listening to the straight 6 make its tune. Either way I'm keeping mine until the M3 CS or CSL. Now you seem to have mixed fortune and luck. Lucky infers that your numbers have come up and you went and made friends down at the local Porsche showroom. Fortune is a different matter altogether - you've worked hard, things have panned out and you managed to get your hands on a 911. Either way, well done to you fella, you're in rarified company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterS Posted June 5, 2006 Report Share Posted June 5, 2006 [ QUOTE ] there seem to be very few 330cd's available second hand!? were they not very popular? ...thanks [/ QUOTE ] IIRC the coupe version of the 330d came out much much later than the saloon/touring, which might be why there are far fewer of them around. I guess also that coupe drivers might be more inclined to go for the petrol engine Just a hunch though Can't help on prices I'm afraid, but an Autotrader and BMW AUC website search should give you an idea Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 yeah sorry... i realised that i asked this question earlier and i just haddnt seen the response! Doh. they start around £20k but there arent many of them by the looks of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 Hmm.... what about a 3.0 Z4 instead actually?? prices seem to be tumbling and you can pick up a low mileage 2003 car for under £20k privately now?? discuss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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