BMW 3-Series E46 (1998 - 2005) - BMW 318ES 2004 53 ?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 15 Feb 2008 16:16
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - naik72
This car is for sale at local Ford dealer and priced at £7999. The car has had 2 owners from new and covered 56k miles. I am awaiting a phone call from the dealer to get a few more details ie service historyect. Your initial thoughts would be very welcome on value for money. Oh yes, what is the difference between the SE AND ES model?

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 15/02/2008 at 19:12

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Feb 2008 17:27
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - paulb {P}
Price seems OK - Parker's quotes nearly £10k dealer price for the same model but I'm never sure how much to rely on their figures.

As regards the spec, I think that ES was a limited edition which got you some extra kit over and above the standard model, but not as much as the SE.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Feb 2008 17:51
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - Pugugly {P}
One has climate above manual air-con. IIRC without checking the SE was the higher spec. Its quite reasonable at that price/spec.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Feb 2008 17:56
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - CJay{P}
ES is not a limited edition - merely an edition that satisfies the fleets. In reality is poverty spec.

From memory, it has no
parking sensors
multi function steering wheel
climate control, etc.

Go to www.bmwland.co.uk, and do a search. You will find the exact differences between the two versions.

Parkers is pretty useless as a guide. Great if you are the seller.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Feb 2008 18:19
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - Pugugly {P}
The 318 was a 2.0 litre I think with about a 140bhp. Don't listen to the nay-sayers, whilst not an M3 it was quick enough as well as being insurance friendly.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 16 Feb 2008 08:41
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - CJay{P}
The 318 was a 2.0 litre I think with about a 140bhp. Don't listen to
the nay-sayers whilst not an M3 it was quick enough as well as being insurance
friendly.


Pugugly, are you referring to me as a 'nay-sayer'?

All I said was that the ES version is not 'nice'. Even the dashboard looks substantially different to the SE. It looks rather dated with 80s style rotary dials.

Agreed 318 is a sweet handling car (143hp to be precise), and I would stick out my neck to say that it the driving experience is better than that of the 320 (but not the 325 or the 330). I have owned a number of 318s since 2003.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 16 Feb 2008 10:06
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - Pugugly {P}
Good grief no ! It was a pre-emptive for the hoards that'll be along in a minute going on about brand image and stereotyping particular car drivers....the ES was a poverty spec car by any standards !

Edited by Webmaster on 17/02/2008 at 22:39

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 19 Feb 2008 21:10
BMW 318ES 2004 53 ? - perleman
I'm always highly suspicious of premium cars for sale at more normal dealerships. A particular eyebrow raiser is a Honda S2000 specialist that always has a number of Boxsters for sale too that were taken in PX. It makes you wonder if the previous owner had had enough of expensive running costs / unreliability & had sacrificed the once coveted status symbol for a more economical vehicle. Obviously there are other explanations too but having been driven to the brink of chopping my Porsche in for a Toyota / Honda etc before, I'd approach with caution.

Does buying a PX from a main dealer (not of the brand they deal in) give you the same 1 year guarantee etc?

Also, have you test driven one of the 6 cylinder models too, that engine is pretty well respected
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....