1989 BMW 3 Series 320i Cabrio (Europe) M20B20

Summary:

Fantastic driving as well as maintaining experience. Rather easy to work on

Faults:

There was stuff to be done when I purchased it:

- Timing belt change.

- Some rust on the bottom part of the vehicle was fixed.

- Both front axle arms (including rubber bushing).

- Headlights had to be set. One of them is still a bit "foggy".

- The hood needed to be repaired on some spots.

Recently I experienced a small glitch with the brake light check light on the on-board computer check screen. The light goes on after some 5 - 10 minutes of driving. I checked the standard stuff, but do not know the reason.

Also, the front sport bucket seats are comfortable, however getting in and out of them is rather tricky. The thing I most hate about it is the accidental release of the height adjustment lever - then the seats hit the lowest position. If somebody sits in the back seat, their feet are seriously endangered.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is very reliable and cheap to maintain. A spare main headlight bulb (H1) is some $2 a pop, so it is not bad at all (even though I had to change them twice already).

Also, a self-made oil / filter change is rather very easy and straightforward.

The driving experience is fantastic - it is one of those basic driving, well handling cars. Even after some 23 years of existence (and not always 100% care) on this planet, there is no rattling noise or other disturbing stuff.

I am actually considering a purchase of another e30 - this time a sedan (4-door or maybe even 2-door).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th August, 2013

2004 BMW 3 Series 330Xi 3.0

Summary:

Best car I've ever owned

Faults:

I have had no problems with this car.

Sound system in the BMW does not come close to the Audi Bose sound.

General Comments:

This is by far the best car I have ever owned. I decided to change my Audi A6 3.0 TDi because it was sluggish in the city and not reactive. You have 2 second blanks when you press the accelerator, and then the turbo kicks in and you go flying. There is no in between. I also needed some cash, so figured I would go with a cheaper second hand car... well what a surprise.

The BMW 330 xi is by far the best car I have ever owned. It is nimble, agile in the city and has the perfect weight power balance. Once in the mountain passes, it is super fun, and the handling is fantastic.

The automatic gear box is great with no blank moments, very quick transmission. The motor sounds amazing and I still don't get bored of it. It has just the right amount of power to be fun, without becoming too tempting and dangerous. I have pushed the car hard in the mountain passes, and not once have I felt in danger.

I bought the car second hand, and the interior is surprisingly well kept. The seats are a kind of snake / scale like leather and it hasn't budged. I have seen a couple BMWs with the regular leather, and it doesn't age well.

It has a fantastic option, a button you press to manage the car when you are going downhill. It takes the car down at a walking pace and can handle the steepest iciest slopes, really unbelievable.

The 4 wheel drive is awesome!

I was never a BMW guy... but there is no going back from here. I collect old VWs and have never been very attached to my daily driver. I like my BMW more than my Beetle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th October, 2010

14th Sep 2012, 14:58

Well the coolant system is a known weak spot in some of those cars. There are some examples that reach beyond 120,000 miles on the same water pump, radiator etc, while most don't make it that far. BMW dealerships consider those parts to be maintenance items that should be changed every 40,000-50,000 miles, or every 4-5 years.

There are updated, more metal like parts for the cooling system, but the dealer only supplies and installs the OEM quick fail parts. The metal replacement parts are tricky because they are about twice as expensive, but usually last the life of the car into the upper 150,000 mile range, but some cheap metal alternatives are nothing but trouble, so most people just stick with dealer and replace the entire coolant system every so often.

And yes, these cars have to be repaired very properly, meaning that the pimple faced kid straight out of Bimmer school may have not a clue of what he/she is doing, but the experienced guy is busy fixing the 760LIs and 6 series Bimmers, so your car might end up as a test dummy for a newbie at a dealership, thus finding yourself having the same issue over and over.