2000 BMW 3 Series 323i 2.5 liter petrol from Indonesia
Summary:
Indeed an ultimate driving machine
Faults:
Worn & leaking front shock breakers at 45K km.
A/C final stage resistor refused to work in the middle of a hot summer day.
Three doors except driver's side will leak if it rains. This is due to the poor sealing between door frame and the vapor gasket. Sealing was re-applied, but they still leak.
Passenger-side front window had its regulator replaced.
Every thing's fine now except for that door leakage.
Some interior grey and black trims are peeling for no reason and I've seen this on ALL E46 3-series I was considering prior to purchasing mine.
General Comments:
A very powerful and superb-handling car compared to my previous ride. The pick-up is noticeable and very swift; ride is firm without being harsh, before I changed my wheels to 19" anyway. Controls are logically positioned.
Steptronic really changed my perceptions against auto-transmission. I wouldn't think of getting my next car without one.
Front seats are very supportive and provide just enough manual adjustments. Leather on the driver's side bolsters has shown some wear, but this is common.
Fuel economy is not a strong point and amidst Jakarta traffic, it will only get 7 km / liter.
Rear space is limited, especially the headroom. Then again, I do the driving so I'm not too concerned over this.
If you want to enjoy low depreciation, lower maintenance cost, and magic-carpet ride, go for a Benz sedan.
However, if you are simply interested in driving pleasure, get the BMW instead.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th December, 2005
1st Sep 2005, 11:43
This is not the first time I have heard this. A friend (who owns a Mercedes C-class and is therefore to my mind, biased) tells me his neighbour has just rejected his 320i after four faults culminating in two breakdowns in the first month of ownership. I never paid it much attention until two friends had problems with late model 3-series recently.
One was a 320Cd bought new in mid 2004. Not only did it break down on the way home from the showroom, but it had to be recovered on a trailer and spent three weeks in the workshop, before the dealer relented and offered to exchange the car. My colleague accepted, and was shocked to see that when he took the replacement in for its first service some months later, his original car was still there in the corner of the compound, dash ripped out, and seemingly being cannibalised for spares (or simply dissected and abandoned). The car must have covered all of 10 miles!
The other was my neighbour who rejected her 318i at six weeks old because of a persistent trim rattle, a coil failure, an engine management fault and a suspension noise which the dealer hadn't fixed at the fifth attempt.
They are arguably still the best cars in the class to drive, but quality and reliability, it would appear, is not what it was! Perhaps it's something to do with ramping up production volumes???