CT host Alex was in need of a new daily driver, after his daily beater Suzuki Vitara decided to stop running. So someone on Instagram offered him an E46 3 Series Compact — the prestigious 316i — for less money than than it costs to buy a new suit. An entire car, that runs and drives shockingly well and has a nice trunk, for that low of a price just needs to be bought. Thankfully, Alex is willing to go through the pain of owning such a car for our entertainment.
When he visits the car, it looks like it’s in pretty decent shape. Okay, so the paint is fading really badly, it has mismatched tires, there’s a bit rip in one of the seats and it just sort of looks sort of dirty. However, it lacks any real worrisome rust and everything seems to be in good running order. The small four-pot engine works well, the brakes are okay, the clutch works and the suspension seems tidy enough. It’s no beauty queen but it will do the job of daily driver just fine.
The idea of buying such a cheap old BMW can seem frightening, as it should, which is why it’s fun to watch Car Throttle go through the pain for us. It’s like automotive Schadenfreude. However, it’s always impressive how CT is able to buy such cheap cars that, while admittedly quite beat up, are in good enough to shape to run and drive. This E46 3 Series compact is one of their best yet.
