Now that the Saab is about where I want it I'm getting itchy wrench fingers. I feel like if this 330 is rust free and I pick it up for $1200 it's a great deal, either as a keeper or flip prospect.
http://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/5223335140.html
Well, you wouldn't need an excuse to put upgraded suspension on it since it will all need to be replaced anyway.
If the motor & trans checkout, and rust is minor then it sounds like a great winter beater for $2500 by the time you are done wrenching.
It depends entirely on what "runs" means, and if it's rusty or not. They don't have a big problem with body rust, but what about everything else? Especially since you're going to have to remove basically every fastener on the underside of the car.
The guy does say "Only serious buyers please. Final price".
I've asked for pictures, so will see about the rust situation. The only thing in the listing that really gives me pause is the supposed need, per mechanic, for a "rack and pinion".
In reply to NY535iManual:
A reman is only $175 but the E46 also suffers like the E36 from hose leakage so if it's just plumbing you can save yourself some $ by buying banjo fittings, braided hose and bending your own hard lines.
It's even easier as a while you are in there since you are changing tie rods anyway.
Do check the rear springs for cracks - this is a weird thing that happens to some E46 cars living in the cold/rust belt. They break, jingle a lot, and increase the rear stiffness to "eleven". It's a $50 problem at the junkyard if nothing else is damaged but a great bargaining point to get in for less money.
Give the area above the subframe a very good once over for stress cracking and fatigue. The excess play in cars driven for long periods with worn out subframe bushings wreak havoc on the unibody in these. This is the real deal breaker if you don't want to spend a long weekend on your back welding things. There is not enough money in the flip to cover the time/aggravation of the repair unless you are building a race car with a full cage.
If the subframe issue is not there and no rust then it could be an easy fixer upper. All of that stuff he lists is a days worth of work.
My concerns would be in the transmission, especially if the previous owners have followed BMW's "lifetime fill" nonsense. Make sure it does what it's supposed to do.
Also, if they haven't been addressed, the oil filter housing gasket is leaking, the VANOS seals are shot, and the CCV is either ruptured or blocked. The intake plumbing is probably cracked too. Not that any of this is too much work, but it's worth noting.
Hm, yeah the auto, not sure how sturdy those are on the E46. The other stuff is just negotiating material, but easily fixable, CCV, oil filter housing gasket, etc.
Harvey wrote: Hm, yeah the auto, not sure how sturdy those are on the E46. The other stuff is just negotiating material, but easily fixable, CCV, oil filter housing gasket, etc.
The ZF unit in the later cars has proven to be a good bit heartier than the older GM units but at 204k I'm not sure how much it's got left. I missed the part where it was an auto.
FWIW, I would not buy a high mileage auto in anything outside a GM truck with an Allison in it unless I was damn sure I could find cheap junkyard swap replacements.
G. P. Snorklewacker wrote:Harvey wrote: Hm, yeah the auto, not sure how sturdy those are on the E46. The other stuff is just negotiating material, but easily fixable, CCV, oil filter housing gasket, etc.The ZF unit in the later cars has proven to be a good bit heartier than the older GM units but at 204k I'm not sure how much it's got left. I missed the part where it was an auto. FWIW, I would not buy a high mileage auto in anything outside a GM truck with an Allison in it unless I was damn sure I could find cheap junkyard swap replacements.
I tend to agree. Anything goes wrong and you are looking at a few thousand for a rebuild unless you can swap the thing yourself. That said, I'm sure there are more than a few manual E46 junkyard transmissions out there, but you would need to swap the diff as well and probably the driveshaft (not sure about the driveshaft).
I had a GM auto unit blow up at around 50k miles in one of my E36 cars.
In reply to Harvey:
If I do pick this up and keep it, as opposed to a flip, my evil little mind will all along be thinking, when the auto box goes, of saying to my wife: "Well, we cant sell the car as it is, so in order to get any value out of it I need to convert it to manual and turn it into a rally cross car." But Shhh, don't tell her that.
"Honey, it's lifetime fluid in the trans."
Plan on replacing radiator and water pump.
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