Hi all, i was going to purchase an e46 330 ci this weekend but after various forums and ebay ive decided against it. It is advertised as a 300 ci but is in fact a 330 ci se. Which means the bumpers and the seats are different and also has chrome trim around the windows! Lucky that i did my research as normally i rush into buying cars! Anyway , ive come to the conclusion that im after a 2001-2003 330 ci auto with leather. What i would like to know is the difference between 2.5 and 3.0 engines and i like the idea of an auto but is this better than the manual? Sorry about the long post but i dkont want to mess up! Also ,what is the milage i shouldbe looking at? I want to spend ideally,no more than 3 grand. Thanks,jamie

"It is advertised as a 300 ci but is in fact a 330 ci"

No such thing as a 300ci. Doesn't exist. The 2 digits after the series number (In your case, 3 series) is an indication to the displacement. Well... most of the time that is what it indicated.

320ci = 2 litre
325ci = 2.5 litre

300ci = 0 litre??

I'm not sure but I THINK, what you wrote may be a typo but incase it isn't, I hope the above helps

As for the "Se" part, that is not a definite indication to the bumpers. If you want the sports style bumpers and seats, you will need to look at "Mtech" models, not just 330Ci minus the Se part.

Daz

Hi mate, oh yeah, i meant 330 not 300! Thanks for the info. I definitely want thesport front bumper and seats! Is there such aghing as a sport SE then? Its getting confusing!

they come in "es" the base model."se" the intermediate model and the "mtech" or "sport" model.however i dont think they did a 330 es or se model only a "sport" model.

sport models have better bumpers.harder suspension.they sit lower.have chunkier steering wheels usually leather seats.

*correction.they did make 330's in se spec*

the difference between the 325 and the 330 engines is the 330 has more power and will deliver it smoother than the 325.the mpg wont be much different on the two so i would deffo go for the 330.these engines as with most bmw engines are bullet proof as long as they've been looked after and serviced regularly.i would try to find one with some history with it to be honest rather than go for a cheaper one with no history.(when they go wrong they are expensive).

as for manual v auto i would always go for manual as its a lot less to go wrong (others on here will disagree).i prefer changing gear when i want to and not the car lol.

i think for 3k you will probably get something around 2001/2002 with 120k miles?

Thanks guys, very helpfull.