E46 330d

>great fuel economy
>relatively cheap to buy
>decent amount of power
>insane torque
>tunability (easy to squeeze out another 50hp)
>that sweet inline 6 sound (even if diesel)
Where's the catch, anons? The more I research about this car, the more perfect it seems.

Other urls found in this thread:

benzworld.org/forums/general-mercedes-benz/1299007-galvanising-mercedes-cars.html
bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/bmw/330d
ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/BMW/4933/BMW-E46-3-Series-330d.html
ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/Mercedes-Benz/1372/Mercedes-Benz-W203-Class-C-320-CDI.html
youtube.com/watch?v=J3ifvLX4eU4
twitter.com/AnonBabble

Brehs, should I get the 184 or 204 hp version? What are the differences in maintenance and fuel economy?

both are good.
204hp is obviously better because more hp and it's newer.
there is no "catch" they truly are great yurofag cars, my friend has a tuned e46 330d pushing about 300-320hp (bigger turbo, 535d injectors, remap)

They're the thinkpads of the automotive world. Everyone will see you as the fedora-tipping super-autist if you drive a BMW.

none. its the same m57, but the 204hp version is an upgraded one that was shared with x5,e60 and etc,got a different turbo and swirlflaps which have to be taken out if they havent (otherwise they will sooner or later break and fall into intake manifold causing shit loads of trouble). great engine otherwise,imho the best sounding diesel on the market (modified exhausts on other engines dont count), good performance and great mpgs. quite reliable too.

t. insecure cuck

as far as i know, pushing over 300hp also requires an intake manifold from an e60 530/535.

Don't forget to remove those swirl flaps.

All diesels use the same fuel so it literally doesnt matter. Maybe 2 cylinders more and you use max 1 liter more in average.

Also best diesel is still bmw 435d. Insane power.

both are 6 cyls
he was asking if the updated 3.0d is better than the first 3.0d

expensive to maintain and repair in the US. don't know how it's like in eu

US didnt even get the e46 330d, liar

>E46
>cheap to buy

Here in yurop its got dat rwd + bmw tax. So no, its not cheap.

I don't know where you live in Europe, but here in Hungary the annual tax for any car is decreasing from 1.15€/kW when new to 0.5€/kW at age 16. Insurance costs more, and depends more on the factors you mentioned (BMW, RWD), but much more on your age, where you live (a small village where accidents are rare or in Budapest citycenter), and years without an accident.

Gross, fucking oiler.

Can't you afford a 328i in your country?

Depends where in Europe you are, in the UK they are hilariously cheap. Even insurance is fine, I bought my E46 330i at 19 and it was £400 a year. I am 25 now and it is £190 a year. Parts are cheap and everywhere, easy to work on, and very reliable. Only major issue has been rust, the front wings are fine as you just get new ones and its a straight swap but the rears can be a pain if you don't catch them early. Might not be an issue in countries without a lot of salt on the road though.

I'm in Yurop too (Slovenia), and they're very cheap here. 3k € for a decent example, 4-5k € for a very good low mileage one. The only thing I can't decide is whether to get a gas or diesel E46, I can find 330i's in the same price range

this is better
>more torks
>more hp
>better fuel economy
>not abused by some retarded teenager
>better interior build quality
>better reliability
>comfier
>more standard equipment

and lets not forget its also lighter wont rust and no swirlflaps lmao
>inb4 'merc reliability"

Nigga that's the car that made the Stuttgart police dept. switch to VW Passats.

They handle like shit (compared to an E46), are even more expensive to keep running due to parts cost and bad packaging and the entire bottom half is prone to rust.

Plus, and I'll admit that's subjective, they look like a chinese copy of a korean ripoff of a Benz and aged horribly.

only on automatic

it's shit though.
heavy, boring to drive, cant fully disable traction control, steering pump explodes when you hit full lock, poorly dated design etc.

its literally lighter than the bmw tho
also you can fully disable the traction control but you need to spend like 10 seconds to open the secrit menu
also you can do mad skidz uleh by just disabling it from the button
idk about the steering pump havent had any issues
why didnt they switch to BMWs
sure the merc is worse in one aspect which is the handling but the bmw will be beat by a 1k euro civic so pls also citations needed for more expensive to run
and no post 2003 are all glavanized so sorry sweatie no rust on those

worst merc

>mercedes of that era
>is not going to rust

Are you retarded or what?

Dude we were all handed down shitboxes at some point, but that doesn't make said shitboxes the best car in the world. There's no need to autistically defend them on here like those Fiat posters.

>but the bmw will be beat by a 1k euro civic so pls
>sweatie
>W203s are gud cars I swear
come on, you're better than that.

>daimlerchrysler
>better at anything

Really activates my almonds

uhh sorry sweatie but post 2003 mercs wont rust sorry
no u
I am not saying its the best in the world but its better than the 330d in every aspect other than handling

Why do you keep refering to people as children's clothes?

And what you don't seem to understand is galvanisation WAS the problem. Because at the same time Merc used less undercoating and sub-par paint to save money. And the result is rust. All around the car, and even on the final W203s.

Cost cutting is the main reason for all the electronics problems as well.

These shitboxes turned my uncle into a Subaru driver despite working for Daimler back then and getting huge discounts on their cars.

Again, just beccause you are stuck with a certain car doesn't suddenly make it any good. Stop making a fool of yourself.

no popup headlights

>literally having to choose headgaskets the car becausea Benz is trash

Shit

why do you keep getting triggered holy shit
it seems to me that you know jack shit about the galvanization
it simply wasnt even there in the first place only the undercoating as you said but after 2003-2004 they started galvanizing their shit
benzworld.org/forums/general-mercedes-benz/1299007-galvanising-mercedes-cars.html
and why would I be stuck with my merc when I choose it and I bought it myself jesus christ what a bad argument

E46 330d does 0-60 in 6.7 seconds, 320CDI 6.9 seconds.
E46 330d fuel consumption is 9.1 / 5.2 / 6.6 l/100km (city/highway/combined)
C320CDI fuel consumption is
9.8 / 5.3 / 6.9 l/100km.
(source: automobile catalog)
W203 is in no ways more reliable than E46.
Maybe on par with the bmw but W203 parts are much more expensive and you can't find many W203s in scrapyards too.
Standard equipment is irrelevant because you are not buying a brand new car.
E46 is faster, more fuel efficient, better handling, cheaper to upkeep, more tuning potential, more fun to drive overall.

>benchracer the post

>benchracer
Did you even read what I replied to, retard?

wow u seem upset
what validation does your post have its just some numbers from autodata isnt it?
how do you see a 20hp more and 10nm moreon a lighter chassis being slower to 100?
or how do you see a 3l diesel burn 6.6l (less than the 2liter)?

Very good car but often owned byretards and rich sandniggers. I wouldn't take the risk, maybe in switzerland or bavaria.

oh also by your shitty site it says that the merc has a higher top speed so techically it is faster than the bmw I saw it on a website mom
checkmate atheists

Because I have actual experience with both cars.
You actually thought that a 3.2 liter engine would get better fuel economy than a 3.0 liter? Seriously?
E46 330d weighs less too - 330d curb weight is 1515kg, 320CDI curb weight is 1580kg.
I have factual evidence to back up my claims, you are just spewing utter bullshit.

As I said before, ithe introduction galvanisation didn't fix things. The problem is bad paint, lack of undercoating and efficient quality control were introduced at the same time in an attempt to further cut cost.

>I choose it and I bought it myself
That's unfortunate. An E46 would have been a superior purchase in pretty much every regard.

Merc is 3.0 lmao nice factual experince also why use the fuel consumption numbers from autodata but not the weight ?

Yes it was going to be so much superior
Worse reliability (swirl flaps to say the least),horrible interior build quality, no "board" computer or whatever ,shittier sound insulation, less interior space, non electric seats(standard on merc), worse mpg, no steering wheel buttons(standard on merc), worse ride comfort and more
But hey a bus rider told me my car was a shitbox so it must be right?

I'm envious of you yuroslavs.
I've already found the first ten used E46 330d at 50k+ Euro here in Denmarkistan.

>auto transmission
>muh shiny screen
>MUH BUTTONS ON STEERING WHEEL
>made up build quality claims

Should have just leased a Kia famalam

Stop shitting up the thread.

I've never seen a 500+k km C320 merc but my friend has a 910.000k km E46 330d.
E46 is way, way more reliable than any Chrysler era benz.

e46 330d for 50k euros? i call bullshit.

bilbasen.dk/brugt/bil/bmw/330d

Keep in mind: 50.000 Euro = 372.000DKK

bro i think you're mistaking e46's for the new f30's.
i found some e46 330d's for around 80k krones on your site
still more expensive than 3k euros, sure but not 50k euros lol

>gets proven wrong
>starts shittalking
Wew

There is someone who has a 900k+km c320 and has never seen a 500k+ bmw 330d your point?

They have shit-tier electronics though that don't really like anything and the interior build quality is questionable at best.
t. Owned one for a couple of years.

>grasping at straws so hard
How the fuck is standard equipment relevant 12 years after the cars were built?
For the price of a facelift W203 you can get a fully equipped e46 with M package, heated recaro leather seats etc.
For the money E46 is the best compact luxury car there is, no other car combines luxury and sportiness like BMW.
W203 interior is bland and dated as fuck anyway.

You reply to 3 people titling them 'Yuroslavs' but only one of us is slav, the Slovenian one :)

I'm still baffled by how avid this dude defended a W203.
>b-but this particular drivetrain/trimlevel is 40 kg lighter

Probably got blinded by the badge and now has to justify the purchase somehow

Pic actually related

>muh M package
>muh heated recaro leather seats
>muh etc.
standard equipment will always be relevant because if you get the cheapest w203 it will still be better equipped than an average priced e46
For the money w203 is the best compact luxury car there is and you must be pretty retarded or own an e46/thinking of owning one
believe me I was all for e46 and I was on the edge on buying a 320d but once I drove my brothers c270cdi I was just blown away by the attention to detail and I can tell you havent even driven or been in a w203
everything you touch is made out of soft plastic and feels nice to the touch meanwhile the bmw is full of hollowed out hard plastic and rough surfaces
>b-but bmw is lighter
>proove him wrong
>sperges out
lmao so pathetic

I think he was referring to the weight difference being negligible instead of claiming you were wrong.

>The car that made the Benztown police drive VWs
KEK Didn't know that was the reason
Although they switched back to Mercedes at some point

man, merc shills aren't even trying now

Dude you need to stop.
The W203 is not a sports sedan. Or particularly good at anything. Wether you happen to own one or not.

No BMW driver would consider getting a C-class, it's a different car for a different sort of customer.
The steering is dead, seats aren't supportive and the rare manual trannies are clunky.

So the mercedes has: better interior plastics while the BMW:
1. is faster
2. has better fuel economy
3. has better interior ergonomics
4. has better driving dynamics
5. is lighter weight
6. is cheaper to upkeep
7. has more tuning potential and aftermarket
8. has better interior design
9. has better exterior design
10. is cheaper to buy
11. is more fun to drive
sorry but the W203 is pointless.

>not abused by some retarded teenager
lol, Mercs and Audis are victims too.

when did I say its a sport sedan you memelords keep saying the BMW is a better car because its sportier or handles better and I agree but say the merc beats it in every other regard
okay bmw fanboi whatever you say

>beats in every other regard
So far we have only concluded that the C class has better interior plastics while the BMW is the better overall car.

merc
1.is faster (20hp more 10nm more faster top speed)
2.has better interior functionality and ergonomics (everything is withing an arms reach,electrical seats as standart and you literally have 1 stalk for the wipers/indicators and high beams which rules the beamer out unless you think that having the dashboard angled towards the driver somewhat makes it more ergonomic never mind the fact that it has a million buttons on the center console)
3.has better fuel economy (autodata.com doesnt always tell the thruth you know?)
4.is more comfortable
5.is lighter (look it up)
6.is cheaper to upkeep
7.isnt a ricer heaven
8.has better interior design (this is subjective)
9.has better exterior design (this is subjective)
10.is cheaper to buy (depends)
11.is comfier to drive
12.has more interior space
13.has better noise insolation
14.is better equipped
15.has an actual "board" computer with functionality
16. is safer
17. easier to find a non abused or riced speciment
18. engines dont kill themselfs (read: swirl flaps)
bmw
1.is faster (cornering)
2.is more fun to drive

>£400 at 19

What the fuck man. I have 4 years NCB on one car, but my daily is a 330 Clubsport and I'm paying £1100. Thats with 1 years NCB on a second policy and I'm 23. Where do you live?

>bmw
>1.is faster (cornering)
>2.is more fun to drive
Those two are significant enough to make me prefer it over the Merc

as I said before I have no problem saying the BMW is sportier and faster but cmon saying its better in every way or even more comfortable rustled my jimmies

kek this post has everything

Dude, why do you keep trying?
Most of these statements are either made up or opinions disguised as objective statements. Then you keep cherrypicking, as if a tiny difference in fuel economy between similar cars matters to anyone.

And nobody cares about your old mercedes or ever consider buying one. Just look at the poor thing

Go. Just walk away.

Dude.
Stop making up facts it makes you look like a cringy tryhard.
All the factual data was disputed a few posts earlier (fuel economy, speed etc)
it was already proven that the bmw is faster and more economical.
The BMW interior is also driver oriented therefore it is much more ergonomical.
Mercedes KOMAND has far too many buttons it is retarded.

because you know I am right and no matter how many times you say my car is a shitbox or old or how I cant get rid of it wont make my argument invalid unlike yours
why are you replying
you neither try to counter my argument (tho you did once and when I told you why the merc was better you literally cherrypicked saying a "shiny screen" or buttons on steering wheel are bad)
can u pls stop posting its embarrassing at this point sweatie

sorry but the post you just replied to prooved you wrong
I mean I disputed it in a post so it must be true

You literally made up facts such as "mercedes is faster because more hp" and "actual factory fuel economy data is wrong" dude you are a joke.

>You know I am right
Nope. There are several awful Mercedes models from the Schrempp/DaimlerChrysler era (looking at you, Vaneo) and the W203 is just one of them.

It's unreliable, there are numerous problems with electronics and corrosion. It looks like a melted down e-class. Aside from the low prices on the used car market, there is no reason to choose this over an E46

Also none of us are sweaties.

Don't forget about the awful dated interior design, looks like a car from the 90's.
pic related 2007 top trim mercedes C55 AMG

Lol at the delusional yuropoor poorfag who thinks that his chrysler is worthwile car

I was parodying you because you seem to think that just because something is written here its right
>Aside from the low prices on the used car market, there is no reason to choose this over an E46
you just proved me right
if a merc and an e46 are the same cash the merc is better/offers more for your buck
tho someone argued the e46 was cheaper

330d is better in every spec sheet on the internet.
Automobile catalog, ultimatespecs, auto-data, carfolio etc etc. All show that the BMW is lighter, faster and more fuel efficient.
Should I believe factual data or some random user on Veeky Forums?
ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/BMW/4933/BMW-E46-3-Series-330d.html
ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/Mercedes-Benz/1372/Mercedes-Benz-W203-Class-C-320-CDI.html

gotta admit it's somewhat amusing how this dude just can't let go
It has been 11 hours by now

Show us on this model car were the E46 told you to touch it

>low milage
I will guarantee you that most of the cars have high milage. 9 out of 10 low milage cars are tweaked so the counter shows low milage. Fellow yurofag (eastern)

gotta admit it's somewhat amusing how this dude just can't let go
It has been 11 hours by now

Show us on this model car were the E46 told you to touch it

>>All show that the BMW is lighter, faster and more fuel efficient
on the ultimate specs
>BMW E46 3 Series 330d Performance
Top Speed : 227 km/h or 141 Mph
>Mercedes Benz W203 Class C 320 CDI Performance
Top Speed : 246 km/h or 153 Mph
almost 20kph slower seems legit
on autodata
>merc Kerb Weight 1580 kg.
>bmw Kerb Weight 1655 kg.
bmw is 75kg heavier seems legit
really makes you think those specs are real doesnt it?

Stop comparing pre LCI with the merc facelift and sedan vs concertible you shitty troll. Just face it your car fucking sucks and the only people who buy w203 are shitskins, old people and special snowflakes

>waaah waahhhhh b-but its pre facelift vs convertible vs facelift vs sedan vs wagon
>wwwaaahhhhh maybe if I say his car sucks he will leave me
show us on this model car where the w203 told you to touch it

Dude i don't give a fuck about that shitty chrysler. Shill your shitbox somewhere else

>he will leave me

I'm not in a relationship with you sweaty

1655kg is E46 touring weight.
I actually have an E46 service booklet with all the acceleration specs and weight data.
It is obviously an error on auto-data 1655 kg is E46 touring weight, all the other sites show the weight ranging from 1515-1550 kg, a facelift can not magically add 120kg, use common sense ffs.
Top speed is governed by an electrical speed limiter, underage kids like yourself compare top speeds anyway.
BMW is almost a whole second faster to 100km/h with less HP and better fuel economy.

>tfw the facelift model is clearly the superior car but you prefer the less agro early frontend and amber indicators

dangit.

Since 2005 I've gone full diesel only. toady I can say fuck everything else.

BMW is legendary in all terms, 4L/100Km you can't beat this with any other car on market.

Lol, maybe on flat straight road at 80km/h, with the 320d.

>tunability (easy to squeeze out another 50hp)
Goodbye clutch, goodbye gearbox.

To add some further autism to this thread, I always wanted one of these since I saw them in the superproduction classes back in the 90s and early 2000s
The BMWs were the only RWD car in the class using for some reason using the 6cyl. (which is a disadvantage in a small displacement category)

But the noise these things made was amazing, especially the Super2000 cars which made 280hp from a NA 2.0 inline six a revving to 9000 rpm

I feel ya

My current E46 is a 2.0 four, but I'd love to get a small six at some point, with some proper head work, ITBs'n shit just to end up with something probably slower than a 325

That noise though

ceramic clutch kit can be had for 100 euros

BMW is sportier, but if you are looking for sport why diesel? BMW interiors are not as good as Benz generally. They may look nice in pictures but if you spend time in the car you will be let down if you have spent time in a car with a truly good interior.

youtube.com/watch?v=J3ifvLX4eU4

I get it.
I wonder wether it's cheaper/easier to use aftermarket bits or a throttle body/intake of the M3

3.0 diesel has plenty of power and torque it makes flooring it fun+combined with the sporty e46 chassis it is a nice combo.
E46 interior is excellent.

>Why do you keep refering to people as children's clothes?

It would probably cost about 2,5k€ to get an M50 running properly on ITBs. But I honestly wouldn't bother without also doing cams and an exhaust.

>spending 4-5k to get maybe 200hp out of a 320i