New member and prospective buyer of E46 B3 Touring

[Kulavumbi]

Hello chaps!

Like many I’ve done a lot of behind the scene reading on this forum. Your inputs are much informative and entertaining.
I live near sunny Nice and I’m in need of a replacement wagon for my Peugeot 206 SW petrol. Great little car, never let me down and oh so cheap! But it’s almost at redline at just 170kph. Simply put it lacks a lot of class, performance and comfort. Hence why I’m here.

After a few months debating between E36, E46 or E91, I made up my mind.
The only one I could find in Europe in my price range is a Japanese import, #55 E46 B3 3.3 Alpina blue I believe. 115,000km asking €19k. It sits in Belgium, would be a great road trip down to the Côte d’Azur. There are a few cosmetic items to address, little corrosion by the exhaust but overall I think she looks mighty fine. But you all have more experts eyes!
Auto transmission is not my ideal but Barry at BMR could swap for a 6spd Getrag down the road.

That’s for the presentations, what are your thoughts?
Merci!

[Bob]

Looks like a fair example, that front spoiler needs some attention and we haven’t got an history logged in the Archive before it appeared at the Japanese auctions and was then exported to Belgium in 2020.

The 3.3’s are usually pretty reliable although they can like a drink of oil. Otherwise it’s mostly standard E46 bodywork to watch out for I think. Looks like it’s fairly basic in terms of options: no multi-function wheel, non-heated seats, no H/K, standard BMW wood trim. Can’t really comment about the prices in Europe but by comparison the UK is a lot cheaper.

Good luck, hope you find the right car for you.

[Kulavumbi]

Thanks for your observations Bob. The light options list might help with price bargaining! I tend to prefer older, bare interiors rather than full on technological limousine. The sound system would have to be upgraded and I’m not sure what this Japanese audio-video screen is all about. Could be reading MiniDisc!

I’ll update if the sale goes through.
Enjoy your pretty cars!

[rc944]

its very expensive and has a different front light set up and the older wheels compared to my 2002 car

[Bob]

its very expensive and has a different front light set up and the older wheels compared to my 2002 car

Most of the 3.3's were based on the pre-LCI E46, but as one of the last builds, yours is an LCI (May-02 BMW build) verses Sep-00 for #055. The later Classic C01 wheels weren't released until 2001.

[Charles]

its very expensive and has a different front light set up and the older wheels compared to my 2002 car

Most of the 3.3's were based on the pre-LCI E46, but as one of the last builds, yours is an LCI (May-02 BMW build) verses Sep-00 for #055. The later Classic C01 wheels weren't released until 2001.

The blue car is definitely pre-LCI - you can tell by the position of the side indicator repeater which is lower down the wing. For LCI cars, this was at the same level as the decal set. The rectangular front fog lights are another clue to pre-LCI (LCI have round ones). Also, the outer edge of the headlights dip down whilst the LCI version have a slight uplift. There are other minor changes to appearance, such as a wider flare on the front bonnet for LCI cars and, as Bob has pointed out, the LCI cam with the Classic wheels.

[Bob]

The blue car is definitely pre-LCI - you can tell by the position of the side indicator repeater which is lower down the wing. For LCI cars, this was at the same level as the decal set. The rectangular front fog lights are another clue to pre-LCI (LCI have round ones). Also, the outer edge of the headlights dip down whilst the LCI version have a slight uplift. There are other minor changes to appearance, such as a wider flare on the front bonnet for LCI cars and, as Bob has pointed out, the LCI cam with the Classic wheels.

I'd never picked up on the side repeater location before, interesting. I principally check the headlight shape: happy = LCI and sad = pre-LCI

[Charles]

For reference

email16273434420182.jpg (2.99 MiB) Viewed 529 times

[ali]

For reference I have done Edinburgh to South of France / Alps on 3 or 4 occasions and have found the B3 3.3 Wagon to be the perfect weapon of choice.
Expect a solid 30mpg cruising at 120kms
I love the interior of the wagon you pictured above

[farrandwyde2002]

I can vouch for touring. Very comfortable on long journeys.

[Kulavumbi]

They’re simply stunning. I plan on using the touring for surf boards or a mountain bike roof rack. Glad to see the inside allows for good antique shopping.
Thanks for the LCI Find the Differences game!
I’m gone too much with work for another month to make a move but it’s bound to happen one day or another.

What do you all think of Ethanol conversions for the older V8 on the B10?