21 years old ... quoted 1,800 a year for 225 BPH car?!

I've been thinking about getting a e46 330i for a few years and ill be 21 later this year.

Is it expensive to run and maintain? Also apparently the 330 engines are "bullet proof", would you agree with this?

It's a little bit thirsty and the tax is quite high but I don't do many miles a week so it's not a bother. I'll get about 60ish miles out of £20.00. That's short, commuter runs with hills were the engine doesn't really have time to warm up.

I'd vouch the engine being bullet proof. Mine's at 156000 and you wouldn't be able tell apart from the number on the dash and the wear on the gear knob.

My insurance is due next month so i'm hoping for it to come in around £600-£700ish

Thanks for your reply!
That a bit more than I expected, but I figure I might as well get one now, since the E90's are too electronic and they discontinued the 330 model .

That is good to hear, too many small engine cars don't cope with being ragged.
I think mine will be around £1000 for insurance but they're quite rare to find a good one on autotrader.

In what way did BMW discontinue the 330 model with the E90?!

My sentence was poorly constructed, what I meant to say was that the E90 330i models are too electronic based thus ruling them out.

I'm under the impression there is no F30 330i model? Not that I can afford one.

My sentence was poorly constructed, what I meant to say was that the E90 330i models are too electronic based thus ruling them out.

I'm under the impression there is no F30 330i model? Not that I can afford one.

Yeah, you're definitely right there. I suppose the replacement is the F30 328i. I know there was an E90 328i but we never got that in the UK.

But as of yet, there is no F30 3 series model with a 3.0L N/A petrol engine (I6); the 328i is a 2.0L turbocharged petrol engine (I4).

However, I don't think they got rid of it due to the electronics - which are pretty much dependent on how many add-ons you wanted rather than what engine's in there. You'd have the same electronic faults with an E90 335i.

As you can tell I love 3 series haha.

As you really know your stuff, if I couldn't find an e46 330i, what car would you recommend instead (maybe 325i)?

I considered the E60 530i but I think its too big and the a3 Quattro 3.2 but too much road tax (£500!).

Personally, I have an E46 320d. For a second car, it's got great power and economy. If you want to stick with E46, I suggest 330d.

Next, I'm going for an E90 330d. So naturally, that's what I'd recommend. But if fuel economy isn't too much of an issue, keep considering the E60 530i. Those things are so luxurious and pretty damn quick.

Obviously, I prefer diesels. That's because of their torque and fuel efficiency.

What's your budget? Quite a big jump from E46 330i to E60 530i so it's hard to give you a good suggestion.

Around £6,000, not a lot but enough for something around 10 years old or newer.

Around £6,000, not a lot but enough for something around 10 years old or newer.

You should be able to get a decent E46 330d with under 90k miles. Manuals and automatics are around the same price so you've got choice there.

Try Gumtree. Got my 330i for £1200.