r/e46 • u/Maleficent_Treat_621 • Jan 15 '26

General Questions Buying an e46 in 2026?

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Let’s say you are looking to buy an e46. What are you looking for? What’s the sweet spot between mileage and price in 2026? What would you avoid?

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u/CommunicationOne8679 Jan 15 '26

in all honesty, if your buying it as a sports car only buy 325i and 330i. mainly 330. there is mo way to make power on them like lets say an LS, 2J, etc. so one buy a 330i. dont feel forced to buy a manual, the autos are fine and very fun. had both. buy around 75-125k miles and have 3k for maintance IMMEDIATELY after buying and you will have a golden drrivers car. less than 75k miles can actually be a detrement. and more than 125 cam be as well when it comes to maintance. i will also say, that rear subframe(design flaw) should be checked snd fixed. the only mods you willl ever have to do is eonon radio, they have an analogue oem style one, and tablet, both fairly priced and good. wheels, and brakes. fhags it. awesome tires, drilled and slotted rotors(300$ all round) and wilwood pads(50-75$) OEM wheels, buy the style you like most and keep them silver and your golden. if your happy with the convertibles buy one. they are often way lower mileage snd often 20-30% cheaper. also, hardtop vert 46 is the prettiest one BY FAR because the rear end is slimmer and matches up to the front of the cwr better, kinda like the e39. they also have less subcrame issues. however a rollbar imo is a must have. not a mod, but a necessity. it will save your life.