im looking at getting a 2002 plate one just wondering if anyone has ever owned one and what are they like? what are they like on juice and long journeys ? and what are the cost of repairs like?

I had a 2004 320d tourer so can’t report on the fuel costs of a petrol one but I can say this:

1) lovely car
2) tiny boot, for an estate
3) don’t get pale grey cloth upholstery.

I had it from one year old with 6k to 5 years old, 104k and I think there were two issues in that time, both inside the warranty period so I’ve no idea about parts prices. It also had the “service pack” so I’ve no idea how much a dealer service would have been; once outside warranty I had it serviced at my local independant, about £100 for an interim service. again, no idea about a petrol version

sorry, not much help I guess

the one im looking at is the se spec i think? the one with the cream leather interior i thought the boot was small parked next to my dads v70

It will be small compared to a v70, that’s more 5 series touring. 3 series is more v50. I think the petrols before start/stop was introduced are good. With start/stop they eat injectors and coil packs.

I have a 318i 2001 different engine to the one in yours. Fuel economy mid 30s mpg

Pretty reliable mainly niggley electrical problems rear tailgate electrics front wishbones known to wear.
Also vanos can cause issues

Should be fine, as long as its been looked after.

£1k?

its an ex company car motorway milage and full service history from bmw

its an ex company car motorway milage and full service history from bmw

that makes a huge difference…. the 318i is actually a 2.0 litre, 143bhp and 4 cylinders so not too bad on fuel and reasonably nippy.

Yep. I have the Coupe and mine is currently running around 34mpg, but the MAF sensor is playing up a little so im sure economy isnt as good as it could be with a new sensor.

Love it though. Enough power to comfortably overtake when necessary and 13 years on, not one problem with the engine. Personally love the sound of it when you put your foot down.

Can vouch for niggly electrics problems though.

I’ve got a 330ci and it averages 31 – 32mpg in mixed driving & can do upto 36mpg on a run without any particular effort.

Sure insurance / servicing costs are a little higher but there isn’t a great deal in it I wouldn’t have thought (plus they are VERY easy to work on)… a BMW without a straight 6 just isn’t the same.

Try a 320i or 323i (same M52/M54 block) – the smoothness & sound more than makes up for the small drop in MPG, these are heavy cars and I always thought the 4 pot’s struggled a little to make progress. Plus you’re going to get more life out of a bigger, less stressed engine (particularly important if buying a car that’s done more than 100 – 120k).

Problems include; front suspension bushes, snapped rear springs, fan controller ‘hedgehog’ oil level sensor failure and a cooling system that will need overhaul (approx £230 + labour) at the age they are… oh and they do Rust so check the arches carefully and also the tailgate around the boot release.

Don’t be put off though – these are fairly minor things in the grand scheme of it and mine has been a great car, and much better put together than the later E90 range

I have a 55plate 320d Touring, my local garage guy and I had a discussion about them as he services quite afew, his opinion favoured the 320i and upwards in petrol. The 6cyl petrol engines are smoother and run better after high milages than the either the petrol or diesel 4 pots. FWIW I have had high miler 6 pot 525i and 6 pot 520i and even after I got into 6 figure milages the engines were great. Size wise the 3 series is no better than a Focus IMO.

I have a 2000 (w reg) 318i E46 saloon. 186k on the clock and still feels like new to drive. I can get upto around 46mpg on long motorway journeys. The only major problem I’ve had is a leaky coolant expansion tank. Be sure to check the things stated by meames above and that it’s been looked after properly.

We swapped an X1 for an E91 318i touring two months ago & love it! The engine’s as sweet as a nut, it handles sooo nicely, it’s really comfortable and my two golden retrievers are happy in the boot too. We were surprised but it actually had more room for the dogs than the X1. Looks great too in sport plus trim!

The downsides so far are the fuel economy as it’s mainly been doing urban journeys which explains the slightly disappointing 31mpg, but and the run flat tyres will be mind bendingly expensive to replace at some point I guess. Thing is, I’m willing to overlook these bits though as it’s just so much fun to drive compared to just about everything else I’ve had before. Love it 🙂

Had an e46 318i saloon a few years back and enjoyed it and got good MPG and experienced no problems with it. I had it up to approx 80k miles and never missed a beat. I now have an e91 diesel estate and the boot size isn’t too bad I suppose. Have to drop the seats to get a bike in but once it’s in it’s fine. I’d imagine the size between e46 (2002 plate) and e91 ( my current 07 plate ) won’t be too dissimilar .