I recently jumped into the proverbial deep end and acquired a e46 330ci, 53 plate, with 70,000 on the clock. It is manual, with cream leather and feels very good. Of course, I have only had it a month, so we are still in the honeymoon stage ;). I have recently owned a Golf IV 1.6, an Alfa 166 2.5 V6 (the Busso V6 is a masterpiece), and a Corse 1.3 CDTi (a writeoff that one!). So this is a step up ... Not much to say really; the car seems tight as a drum and everything works. These things are built to last. I was lucky that I did my due diligence before I signed off on it though; the water pump was squealing happily in idle, so I had the garage change it for 50 quid! That straight six pulls like a train, and loves to rev, a real joy to drive. I haven't really had the opportunity to give it a go on the twists, but for a car with a big V6 lump up front it does feel very light and agile. Of course, being a coupe, the car is hardly practical, and I also have that weird and annoying whistling noise above 70 mph from the wing mirror. I will be lurking in the 3-series forum, and moan if something goes wrong, hopefully it won't be much. The only thing is that it doesn't feel as sure-footed as it should be, so I think that I am looking new front arms soon. Thrives.
