The E46 Touring represented the first time BMW tested the waters with a small estate car for the US market. While it didn’t sell in quite the same numbers as the sedan or coupe, it certainly did well for itself in a nation obsessed with SUVs. Offering nearly the same performance as a comparable sedan with added versatility and available all-wheel drive, this was an attractive package for someone seeking versatility without compromising driving pleasure. These days, it’s rather difficult to find low mileage E46 Tourings, as they were often pressed into service to a greater degree than their sportier counterparts. Here we have a 2001 325xi Touring with under 40,000 miles for sale outside of Philadelphia.
2001 BMW 325xi Touring on eBay
2001 BMW 325xi Touring wagon. Only 39,xxx miles. All wheel drive, one owner, clean Carfax report. Heated seats, leather interior, power sunroof, automatic transmission, power locks, keyless entry, power memory seats, traction control, CD player
Realistically, anywhere between $11,000 to $13,000 will buy you a nice E46 Touring. As mentioned earlier, it is getting harder to find these five door variants in good condition, but pushing $15,000 is a bit much for a 10 year old 3 series. With a $1,000 to $1,500 discount, at least, this would make for a more attractive purchase.
-Paul
A 325xiT with automatic isn’t going to be terribly quick, and lacking the sport package, this one may not score as well with the car enthusiast population. Still, it’s got all the basics (leather, heated seats, sunroof), it’s got an acceptable color combo, and it’s in great condition with a clean history (despite living those years on Long Island). But $15K is at least $2K above realistic.
39K miles in nearly 12 years? Someone didn’t drive this car enough. Maybe they commuted by train into the city. Or maybe it wasn’t as much fun to drive as they expected.
Automatic – check
All wheel drive – check
Wagon – check
Luxury – check
Perfect car for my mom.
Had one of these, a special order with 5 speed, premium and sport package. Traded it in on an X3 and have regretted that ever since. Smooth six plus manual tranny. If I had to do it over I would nix the AWD, and I wish the E46 had more back seat room. This one is at least a few thousand over what I’d pay to get back in that saddle, esp. with the auto.
Spencercat, you’re right – the stick and the sport package significantly change the car’s character. It’s still not going to be fast (too bad BMW didn’t send us a 330xiT), but it’s going to be a lot more fun getting there.