E46 for a daily. Coupe vs saloon

M

Mrodoc

Member
Hi chaps and chapettes,

Currently on the lookout for a new daily and have been swaying towards an e46.

I've been looking at 330d and the petrol 330 and am stuck between the coupe vs saloon dilemma I have 2 little kiddies who are in car seats that I have every other weekend and am wondering how much of a ballache it would be getting them in and out of a coupe. All be it not regularly. And then also if anyone has driven both a diesel and a petrol 330 and can let me know what they prefer Milage wise I'll be doing probably 30bmiles a day due to work and I've heard that there isn't much difference between the diesel and petrol when driven sensibly. But would be nice to be able to have a play if I wanted to.
Cheers chaps
 
Can’t comment on a 330 or 330d but had a 323 loon with 130k on the clock, I was 20 back then and as you do had it at the limiter 99% of the time. I love them it went well for its size plent to drift with although stock they feel a bit numb, I’d have one for a daily again in a heartbeat. If you are going to drift keep an eye on the subframe and other usual e46 things. P.s saloons are the same weight if not a bit lighter I think and stiffer than coupe
 
Saloon I think is a better looking car. I had a 330d manual, the later model with the 204bhp engine and 6 speed manual. It would easily do 40+MPG and was a great car to drive. Would do silly skids in the wet too.

Be careful of rust though, most of them are hanging at this stage.
 
If you need to put kids in the back it's a no-brainer. Saloon all the way.
Non-M e46 coupe looks shit too.
 
Cheers chaps Definitely going for a 330 model and seems like it will definitely be a saloon now, just need to decide if diesel or petrol now iknow the diesel can be remapped to like 260bhp and some silly torque, but not sure about the petrol and with having less distance to travel to work I don't know if the saving would be worth it in the long haul.
 
Just keep in mind 330 diff ratios are looong, shouldn’t be to much of an issue though and heard it’s a bit of a pig to find a suitable diff, not sure if it’s the same for the derv though.
 
Until last night, I had a 330ci daily drifter. Always regretted not getting a saloon.
Here is my advice from my experience :D, I am no professional, just felt like wasting some time at work, typing out my few years experience gained from 3 shitty E46's.
If you have the budget, find a 330i saloon, good service history. If its an SE, it is cheap and easy to find and buy M-Sport bumpers to make it look good (personally like the SE style though).
Get some HSD coilovers or similar, cheap eBay ones will do, but worth spending the extra money for quality parts if you plan on keeping the car.
Bucket seat for the diver (your Mrs will probably moan about a bucket seat and its just not worth the argument :nod:).
Leave everything else stock (don't bother with an aftermarket wheel because then you loose cruise control and the indicators are a ball ache to make self cancel with an aftermarket wheel).
Unplug the nearside front wheel speed sensor. That will disable TC and ABS, but still let the speedo and tachometer work, and you wont have a lower rev cut like when you remove the fuses.
If you want a shorter ratio diff, get a 330 automatic diff and swap over the cups to make your shafts fit. Don't fit a small case diff from a smaller engine car. Yes they are better ratio, but you will also continuously blow them up and its not worth the hassle, just spend the money and find a 330 auto one.
Fit a hydro if you want one, don't if you don't. But don't use the factory E46 handbrake to initiate, because you will pull the spring through the tin backing plate and your handbrake wont work, then you will have to spend time replacing the handbrake backing plate, which sucks (done this on every single one of my E46's).
If you want more lock, Wizards of Lock is the way to go. Cheap, Reliable and a good amount of lock. Buying a purple tag steering rack (quicker ratio) also makes a difference (apparently Z3 racks are even better to swap in, but not tried this myself yet).
Stock E46's don't self steer much, but feel way better if you add some castor, can be done with castor adjustable top mounts, or offset caster front lower arm bushes (Powerflex make some, so do lots of other companies I assume).
Stud conversion makes changing wheels a lot easier. Worth it if you end up taking it drifting a lot.
If you street drift it, at some point you will tap a kerb, and bend the paper thin rear lower camber arms. Replace these with fully adjustable arms when you do (I use Powerflex ones, which have survived a tap or two).
That is about it I think... Good luck :cool:
 
I have both a coupe and saloon, have had the coupe for 5 years ( non m ) and the saloon for 1 year.
The loon is a daily 320i does around 340 miles on a trip when I travel to and from work ( yes I work away from home ) and manages easily 45MPG
It’s a brilliant car and can sling the dog in the back seats easy and the boots huge too.

The coupe ( which is my fun car ) is much smaller couldn’t imagine booster seats in and out the back would be fun!

I’d say a saloon is better for you as they are essentially the same but the loon suits more of your needs. Just get a good one and you’ll love it for many years.
 
Good advice from RozeTheHornet up there.
Handbrake springs are best replaced with a softer spring, a washer and a big split pin. That way you won't have to change the backplate.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, been looking at 330d salons at the minute. Found a couple that a like. But just in the process of freeing up some money so I can stop window shopping them,
Already started ordering parts for it for when I do get one ‍♂️
Hm kit being collected this weekend
Got a hub and some qol interior bits coming aswell,
Then once my e36 compact (drift car) sells ill be shopping for my new daily so if anyone is in the market for a wallbasher hit me up

But yeah if anyone knows of any other qol upgrades on the 330d or anything I should be wary about other than the rear subframes and the clutch release bearing etc

May also look into a cheeky remap if it hasn't already been done

But yeha really appreciate the help chaps, but if I can find a 330 saloon petrol I'd probably swing that way tbf
 
So the 330d I had lined up to buy first week of Jan has now fell through and been sold to someone else.

So If anyone knows of a 330d saloon 6 speed manual for sale hit me up
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top