Faults:

Very little has gone wrong with this car.

I replaced the alternator at 154,000 miles. The micro switch for the dome light / locks was replaced at 146,000 miles. No other non-routine work has been required.

General Comments:

I took a bit of grief from friends when I bought a 4 cyl BMW instead of the 6. But, it's been unbelievably reliable and gets around 35 MPG on the highway. It's just been a great car.

Faults:

The instrument cluster had to be replaced. We bought a refurbished one with a six-month warranty for less than $200.

Lower windshield trim was replaced.

All clips for driver's side door exterior trim replaced.

The sunroof started rattling for no apparent reason.

The brake light switch was replaced.

Nothing major has gone wrong.

General Comments:

This has been a terrific car. I am a college student who has no time for a car that is going to hand me problems. This car still looks brand new in every way. It looks terrific in black/black with the 16-inch Z3 wheels. The only original options on mine are the power tilt/slide sunroof and the fog lights. Everything else needed is standard however. It has one-touch windows all the way around which is a huge convenience. It has nifty climate controls, six speakers, and outside temperature display. The lighting system is nice with its fading effects and the map lights are designed not to blind one at night. The girls dig the lighted vanity mirrors that don't shine right in your face too.

Everything is so solid on this car. There are no loose trim pieces, no rattles except the occasional sunroof rattle that can temporarily be fixed by opening/shutting it again. Everything works as it should. I now see why these cars cost so much, they are what Mercedes-Benz used to be. I will purchase another BMW when I finish college, and hopefully I can also keep this one as I think it will last forever and it is cheap to maintain.

Faults:

Airbag light is on, don't know if it works (I guess i'll find out during an accident)

ABS went on it.

Break sensor stopped working.

Digital climate monitor stopped working.

Clutch is very high.

Upper plate on the suspensions need to be redone.

Breaks need to be changed regularly.

Revs very high in 5th speed.

One of the pistons has a 14% leak while the other 3 have a 6%

The mechanic loves to see me at his garage cause I'm paying his kids college fund.

The dash is full of warning lights that put you in the Christmas mood even in summer.

General Comments:

I really was disappointed with my first BMW, Maybe I got unlucky with a lemon, but some people had warned me before buying it.

It handles great and performs nice in 5th.

It looks really nice and the driving position is perfect.

Love the sound system and the manual transmission, Can't see why would people get this little beast in automatic.

I always wanted to have a BM since childhood and I should have waited to be able to afford a new one cause after this 318 I will think twice before getting another.