Jump to content

BMW Guys?


dover

Recommended Posts

Tell me about the 2.5L I6 in the 00 330ci.

 

Good motor?

How long do they last?

Is 120K miles to much?

What should I look for?

Whats a good price on one?

 

Reason I am asking I'm going to look at one this afternoon and my knowledge of the BMW line is very limited. Thanks for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Daily? If so, the motor will go forever. My Stepdad drives a beat to hell 1st gen X3 with the 2.5 motor. He's not very good with remembering oil changes and other standard maintenance but it's still running strong at 120k. 5 speed auto or manual? Luckily this was one of the last years of the 5sp. auto so it's refined. Unlike their assimilation into the 6sp. autos which had issues with TCs among other things (in the first year or two only, they've patched everything up since)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in 02 I was looking at getting a 330ci and my research then seemed to say the motor was very strong and would be a solid daily driver, Modding it on the other hand looked to be out of the question. Things may have changed so your milage may very.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell me about the 2.5L I6 in the 00 330ci.

 

Good motor?

How long do they last?

Is 120K miles to much?

What should I look for?

Whats a good price on one?

 

Reason I am asking I'm going to look at one this afternoon and my knowledge of the BMW line is very limited. Thanks for your help.

 

1) Same base motor they've been using since like 1988. Solid performer and will go forever if maintained properly They finally moved to an updated design in '07....still 2.5 L

 

2) Not as long as you've got maintenance history. The big killer was BMW suggested 15K mile oil change intervals to reduce their costs since they cover all maintenance on the car while it's under factory warranty including oil changes. If someone was dumb enough to follow that logic and only change every 15K that car has only had 8 oil changes in over 9 years.

 

3) Water pump and belts replaced? I think they revised the radiator end tank design for all of the E46 cars but this was an issue on E36 cars quite frequently. Control arm bushings, particularly the front "Lollipop" will all likely need replaced at that mileage if they have not already been done. They're failry cheap for the whole lot of them though (bimmerworld.com).

 

4) '00 330?...weren't they still 323's and 328's in '00? Maybe I'm wrong but didn't think the 325 / 330's started until '01. Something in the $7-11K range seems about right for a good example.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i thought the first number designated the series, and the last two numbers designated the engine size?

 

like 323 = 3 series w/ a 2.3l, 325 = 3 series w/ a 2.5l, and 328 = 3 series w/ a 2.8l? or is that only in the e36's?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i thought the first number designated the series, and the last two numbers designated the engine size?

 

like 323 = 3 series w/ a 2.3l, 325 = 3 series w/ a 2.5l, and 328 = 3 series w/ a 2.8l? or is that only in the e36's?

 

As far as I know that's true for the most part, but not always.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i thought the first number designated the series, and the last two numbers designated the engine size?

 

like 323 = 3 series w/ a 2.3l, 325 = 3 series w/ a 2.5l, and 328 = 3 series w/ a 2.8l? or is that only in the e36's?

 

that was the line of thinking, but they betrayed themselves sometime in the e46 lineup. Now it's all jacked up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BMW has become quite fond of badge engineering but the e46 330 actually has a 3 liter engine.

 

Have the car inspected by an independent bmw shop most places will charge $50-$75 and it can save you from buying a nightmare: Tom Hatem, Blagois or Best Motor Werks are all good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its about impossible to figure out the actual displacement of a BMW inline 6 these days.

 

2007+ 328i = 3.0 L N/a

2007+ 335i = 3.0 L twin turbo

 

2001-2005 330i = 3.0 L N/a with better intake and variable cam then 325i

 

2006 325i = 3.0 L N/a

 

1998-2000 323i = 2.5 L N/a

2000-2005 325i = 2.5 L N/a

 

1998-2000 328i = 2.8 L N/a

 

Oh yea, and a 550i is acutally a 4.8 L, the 540i was actually a 4.4L , etc etc . It's all marketing and makes no sense!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Waterpump/belts and have the suspension checked out for the love of God these cars like to eat rear springs for whatever reason.

 

The rear will sit lower than it should just visually looking at the car then you reach up into the lower spring perch and see if you can feel the bottom coil broken and pull it out.

 

Or take it to a local INDEPENDENT shop to have it inspected our check out is $35-$45 The Northend Wrench is where Heelside and I work, or Acceleration does a nice job as well. Carl (can't remember his s/n) works there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tell me about the 2.5L I6 in the 00 330ci.

 

Good motor?

How long do they last?

Is 120K miles to much?

What should I look for?

Whats a good price on one?

 

Reason I am asking I'm going to look at one this afternoon and my knowledge of the BMW line is very limited. Thanks for your help.

 

I have a 120k on mine 325 e46 and it still feels really tight,its a great daily,does all you want,the key would be to find a car that has had service history.

 

Motor is pretty bulletproof,lower control arms at >100 k will probably already have been replaced some of the components like expansion tank tend to leak, I replaced mine,while I was in there put in a new thermostat,water pump,belts and Zerex coolant stuff like that and it was pretty straightforward,so nothing major at all

Great info here http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/index.php

Cheapest parts here http://www.fcpgroton.com/

DIY and your golden

Edited by carl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...