Faults:

Needed new rear right brake hose for WOF.

Repaired chip on windscreen.

Vanity lights only work when rear right door is opened.

Leaks oil when on notable inclines - not sure where from yet.

Tear on the lower right area of driver's seat.

Sunroof and rear left window are in need of new seals as they sometimes leak.

General Comments:

I was lucky enough to be given this car from a family member who had owned it since 1991, and fortunately enough for me he looked after it well.

This car is simply amazing, and has never missed a beat, which is phenomenal for a car of this age. The bodywork is in pristine condition along with the interior. With the exception of rip in the driver's seat, everything looks just how it did when it was new.

Off the line this car doesn't feel very fast at all. The engine doesn't get started until about 3500-4000rpm, which is where she finally starts to move. It also doesn't really help that the ZF 4 speed auto transmission is more tuned for a relaxed driving experience, reluctantly kicking down only when you mash the pedal to the floor. Though in the 'real-world' this car performs fine. Has enough guts to get up inclines and keeps up with traffic without any fuss, and is certainly a more fulfilling drive than the 94 Honda Civic 1.3 manual I had been driving.

Ride and stability is the only noticeable shortfall of this car. The dampening is poor, virtually every change in camber and bump in the road is felt through the camber, along with a noticeable amount of bumpsteer coming through the wheel. Also whenever I go over a manhole cover on the road, the car for that instant feels relatively lacking in stability. Possibly worn shock absorbers/ dampers are the problem, as the ride is somewhat rolly polly through the corners when pushed.

Reliability and running costs is something that cannot be comprehensively overviewed, due to the short time I've had the vehicle. I can say though, that it had never left my grandfather stranded and has yet to do the same to me.

Fuel consumption I found to be surprisingly good. Averaging about 11L/100km in mainly city driving, and as little as 8L/100km on the open road.

Overall I love this car, and hopefully it'll get me through the next 4 years of uni without too much trouble.

Faults:

Tail-shaft/Universal Joint unbalanced, there is an awful shudder as you take off through the gears (auto).

Door handles and window winders snap and break to pieces.

Boot mechanism bent slightly - boot wouldn't shut at all.

Needed a new transmission at approx 180,000 - kept stalling itself everytime the car was started, became hard to take off, started to rev and not go very far, eventually just wouldn't drive anymore, $3000 later, the gear stick wasn't put in correctly and the stick doesn't click into gear properly in reverse. Not the cars fault - the mechanics!

Lights for inspection/coolant/ etc continue to stay on, have to get the little plug in thing to make them go off... I don't live close to a BMW dealer/specialist so this is hard.

General Comments:

This was a great car when I bought it, it had so much guts for the size of it. Make sure you care for the car and continue to have it serviced, not like me.

Otherwise, a fantastic looking car, not the best on fuel, but great to drive especially for its age!

Faults:

Radiator replaced twice, air con repaired, minor electrical problems, but not much else.

Involved in a major accident and solid build may have saved my life. It has been successfully repaired since.

General Comments:

Very solid compact car which despite its age still exudes class. My (well serviced) car still looks new even though its over 17 years old!

Involved in major accident (mid 1990's) but was repaired properly and has had no subsequent problems. Don't believe everything they say about cars that have been involved in accidents. If they have been repaired properly, mileage and service history is far more important.

Just like Mercedes, 1980's BMW's certainly seemed to have been built better than later models.

This has been a very economical car with surprisingly relatively low maintenance costs.

Auto versions are leisurely on take-off, but superb on the open highway. They also handle very well (but take care on wet roads).

Now that they are getting a little old (and a lot cheaper), I would still recommend a well looked after (low mileage) especially as a second car.