This car looks soooo good in darker colors.I too had a manual 330d touring as a daily driver some 10 years ago, I really liked that car and have recently been looking for a nice one to DD, but finding a clean e46 seems very difficult around here with all the salt that's been eating on them, and all the abuse from teenagers that lowered them and slapped huge wheels on them etc. etc.
I haven't driven it much at all since I put together my 07 Forester XT. I drive every weekend in the winter on one of the worst stretches of Highway you can imagine. Lots of White Outs and big drifts. I believe it is the most frequently closed road in Ontario. Highway 124 from Shelburne to Thornbury is the main wind corridor for our wind power. I need a car that gives me a 2nd chance if I screw up and has ground clearance. Drove that route with the E46 for a couple of Winters then realized one day I would be spending the night in the car. If given the choice between the Forester and E46. The E46 is more luxurious and comfortable, the Subaru is more fun to drive, easy to see out of and tossable. (Feels a lot lighter). The E46 needs a suspension refresh too. The E46 suspensions certainly don't stay tight as long as a Subaru. My E46 needed a total suspension rebuild at 70,000 miles. It needs another one at 140K. It is pretty straightforward though. Control arm bushings, ball joints, trailing arm bushings and struts ought to do it. I love the looks of the E46
