1985 BMW 3 Series 318i 1.8L from North America

Summary:

Outstanding in every way, especially for city driving.

Faults:

The catalytic converter was replaced twice, in the 7th and 11th years of ownership.

The clutch needed replacing in the 7th year. Showed no problem since.

Other than that, just the usual seasonal maintenance and wear and tear.

General Comments:

This was the perfect car for me. It is super responsive and a perfect match to my own quick reflexes.

I have been driving this car for over 20 years, 98% of the time in city traffic, and I am absolutely delighted with its size, comfort and performance.

The body paint quality is outstanding as, in spite of our long and rough Canadian winters, it still shows as practically new, with just a bit of rust under the rear wheel wells.

Overall, it is a very forgiving and resilient model, as I have not been giving it much tender loving care over all these years.

It only started requiring heavier repairs two years ago, after 18 years of great reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th September, 2005

1985 BMW 3 Series 325e 2.7L SOHC L6 from North America

Summary:

Keep your cheap ride

Faults:

ICV valve stopped working.

Rear driveshaft slack.

Dummy lights, cluster not working.

Interior Lights Only Come On When You Open Passenger Front Or Driver's Rear Doors.

Drains Batteries When Parked.

Gas Mileage Sad.

General Comments:

The Ultimate Driving Machine indeed. I've never had a car with so many electrical gremlins. The gas guage, dummy lights, interior lighing, door chimes, service indicators, interior clock, central locking mechanism and the fog lamps refuse to work. Can't figure out why.

The car IS fast, but gets sad gas mileage if you drive it with any kind of spirit. Handling is equally good, but the wearing rear axle is starting to effect performance when you get on and off the throttle. The seats are uncomfortable as all get out. So is the driving position (built for a 7 foot NBA player, can't get the seat to the right setting for me) and it lacks much in the way of smoothness and refinement, especially on the highway.

I am not impressed. I'm going to sell it, recoup my losses, and buy a Reliant for a quarter of the cost and give the rest of the money back to the bank.

Even the trunk badges are like $50. The car is just too expensive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd April, 2005

22nd Mar 2007, 00:12

The BMW e30 is one of the best cars (period).I have a 1987 BMW 325e with well over 300,000 miles on it. I bought the car for $1200. I have had no problems worth mentioning. The e30 is 20 years old so a little maintenance is to be expected. The reliant is in my opinion a grandmas car. The BMW e30 is the definition of a sport/luxury car.

28th Mar 2007, 09:32

I just purchased a 1985 325 E, so far no major problems. The only complaint I have is that the driver's and passenger's seat is very low. The owners manual has a place to adjust it, but it is not located on the seat. Otherwise a fine looking vehicle for one that is over 20 years old.

9th Jun 2008, 23:32

I own a 1985 325e, and when I bought it, this car was a champ, but less than 6 months later it stopped firing. I replaced the reference sensor and speed sensor, because the ohms were off (courtesy of BMW), which still didn't fix the problem. I replaced coil, distributor cap, rotor button, wires and plugs, ECU, inspected wiring harness... and still isn't running. Only every once and awhile will it fire up, but erratically idles. Mind you, it has over 400,000 miles on it. Every once in awhile, it will start up and idle normal, but has absolutely no power.

Overall this is a great car, but I'm to the point that it's more pain than gain. The 2.7 is also near impossible to immobilize unless it does it to itself. Regardless, take care of it and it will last you. I like it when it runs properly.