BMW 3-Series Compact (2001 - 2004) 316ti SE 3d (03) Owner Review

i didnt own mine for very long but i felt i should write this to try and help out other people before buying one of these.good points: overall the car was reliable, it drove lovely and was one of the most comfortable cars ive ever owned. it was well equipped and everything worked as it should. the chassis is superb and it handles very well, very much a drivers car. mine averaged 36 mpg which is good for a 1.8. bad points: the n46 engine in these is not very good at all, mine would blow blue smoke a fair few times, had numerous oil leaks that seemed to spring a new one after youd fix one. the parts are expensive and the engine is quite complex to fix. valvetronic system failed on mine but never fixed it as its very expensive to fix and was uneconomical to repair considering the other common faults these cars have. burgundy red ones suffer with lacquer peel really badly and mine was no exception. cabin is nice but cramped. if your going to buy one the only one i would consider is the 325ti as these are a much better engine and perform to the same level as the chassis, 320d also have a multitude of problems. like i said i would only recommend a non burgundy 325ti, unless you have deep pockets for repair bills.