alb27

£SOLD

OK, it's time to sell my 330d. I've had it about a year, and a change of circumstances at work mean I've had a bit of a rethink of my car situation. I've fairly recently sold my Impreza through Scoobynet as it really wasn't getting the use it deserved. That left me with the 330d, however we now have to use hire cars, which unfortunately means I'm no longer allowed to drive my quick, comfortable BMW for work :mad. However, on the positive side, I don't need a diesel now, so I've just bought an E46 M3... As such, the 330d needs to go to a new home.

About the car, well it's a 2005 55 plate M Sport, and is sitting at about 86,300 miles at present. I'm not using it daily any more, so the mileage isn't likely to go up very much from there. It's in A22 Sparkling Graphite Metallic, which I think is quite an unusual colour for the E46, you see it more on E9x 3 series, and 1 series. The exterior is complemented by the black leather interior, which I've tried to keep in good condition with applications of Gliptone.

I've kept the car maintained with both standard and preventative measures. It's had an Inspection 2 service recently at my local specialist. The service indicator is showing approximately 13,000 miles until the next service is required, which will just be an oil service. The same specialist has also replaced the starter motor recently, as there was a bit of hesitation on start-up. It's now faultless and starts on the first turn every time.

The car has full service history from BMW dealers earlier in its life, then specialist later on.

The aforementioned specialist also removed the swirl flaps and replaced with blanking plates, which was the first bit of work I had done to the car. I tend to read up a fair bit about a car before I make a purchase, and as you may know, the swirl flaps get mentioned quite a lot on these. I decided that for what it was going to cost, it was a worthwhile thing to do for peace of mind.

After I had the swirl flaps removed, next up was a remap, by Simon from E-Maps. I used E-Maps as I'd heard nothing but good reviews about them on various forums, and Simon did not disappoint with his knowledge and helpfulness. He read and reset any fault codes first; I have to admit these mostly went over my head, but there were just a couple which he suggested may have come about when a new battery was put in by the garage I bought the car from, probably to try and rectify the starting problem which later turned out to be the starter motor.
The remap has improved throttle response and removed any slight flat spots from the rev range, the torque is impressive. I've also (once I stopped putting my foot down everywhere and started driving sensibly again...) noticed an improvement in the fuel consumption since the remap, an extra couple of mpg on average.

All in all it's been a pleasure to own, and very reliable with the exception of the starter motor issue which is now sorted. It's very comfortable and effortlessly quick, and I would almost look forward to a long drive home in it after working away somewhere.

I stupidly scraped the whole length of the passenger side door a couple of months back, so the car has recently had a new door, fitted and finished to a very high standard. At the same time, I had a couple of minor car park dings taken out with paintless repair. There's a few minor stone chips on the front, but in general the bodywork is in very good condition.

Here's a summary of the spec:

-2005 facelift M sport coupe
-3 litre diesel, 204bhp (as standard)
-5 speed Steptronic automatic gearbox
-Climate control
-BMW Business CD player. I've also added an aux cable which allows you to plug in an iPhone via the headset jack
-Electric leather seats
-Black cube trim
-Cruise Control
-Parking Distance Control
-2 keys


The car is well maintained and shouldn't need much doing to it for a while. I will make sure it has a fresh MOT and 6 months tax for the buyer, and with the recent Inspection 2 it should mean that there's nothing much that'll need doing for quite some time. As such, I think it's priced reasonably and realistically - a well loved and looked after car.

The only negative in my opinion is the brand of the tyres. The garage I bought it from had 2 replaced when they took the car as part exchange, and then it needed the other two replacing when they had it MOT'd ready for me to take it away. Unfortunately they are budget brands, but on the positive side there is plenty of tread on front and rears.

I'd encourage any prospective buyers to come and take a good look at the car. It is located near Eye, in Suffolk. You're welcome to arrange an inspection if you wish.
I'm happy to take you for a test drive, but you will only be able to drive it yourself if you can show me a full driving licence and fully comprehensive insurance cover for the car. Any payment would need to be by bank transfer, or cash paid in to my bank while we are both present. Funds would need to be cleared in to my account before I release the car.

Any questions, give me a call, or PM me on here.

Thanks, Alex


SOLD

Here's some pics...
















Here's the new one in the background...

alb27

OK, not had much interest on this so far, and could do with moving it on fairly soon. So, price dropped to £5495.

The car now has 6 months tax and a year's MOT, plus it has had two new front tyres and wheel alignment due to uneven tyre wear picked up as an advisory on the MOT.

jamie_sti

Hiya mate is the car still for sale ?

alb27

Hi mate, it went on Saturday, had a bit of a flurry of interest over the weekend.

jamie_sti

Ok mate thanks for the reply