BMW 318i

Advantages: Power, economy, style, reliability, boot size and access.
Disadvantages: Slightly difficult to handle in the wet, slightly cramped in the rear seats.

...style and reliability was the BMW 3-Series. I test drove a lot of 3-Series with various sized engines and eventually decided on a 1993 318i for insurance purposes. At the time a lot of people warned me against a 318 because of the 1.8 litre engine being seriously underpowered for such a car but I bought the car anyway. The 1.8 litre BMW engine (SOHC) is one of the best engines I've ever experienced in both my own car and in other cars I have been ...
...as it had a full BMW service history and only one owner. I have since driven another 80,000 miles in it and it's still running as well as the day it was built. Another area of concern people have about a BMW is the cost of servicing but I found that it is actually cheaper to service than my Ford Sierra was when using a manufacturer's garage. An added advantage of BMW servicing is that you usually get a brand new BMW as a courtesy car for the duration ... Read review

Advantages: style, elegance, sheer driving experience
Disadvantages: engine problems with 1.8 engines

My wife bought this vehicle when she had to commute up and down to Newcastle every week. She covered at least 1000 miles per week. They are great cars to drive but have to be serviced regularly and correctly. Unfortunately, the car is now in the garage awaiting a replacement engine. It is a 1995 N reg 318i (1796 cc). It was only purchased because it was black and she had always wanted a black BMW. At the time I thought she should have bought the ...
...bit of a no starter. The colour not the car. The acceleration and the performance are second to none. The breaking is excellent but be careful not to over do it. The main concern to new users is the fact it is rear wheel drive so they can be a little hard to handle at first. The local mechanic recommended putting a bag of sand in the boot to stabilise it and the extra ballast helped. The fuel consumptionfor such a performance vehicle is excellent ... Read review

Advantages: Solid, reliable, they go on and on
Disadvantages: not many, jealous neighbour

...proud owner of a 1993 BMW 318i saloon. It has 112000 miles on the clock, but you certainly would not think it by driving and owning it. Moreover at £3800, it was not that hard on the pocket to buy. It is dark blue, and I bought it in February this year, when it had 110000 miles on the clock. It was purchased from a local car dealer, who trades mostly in high mileage prestige motors. It is a smooth car to drive, and the driving position is the best ...
...an enjoyment in itself. The BMW engine is smooth and doesn't mind being revved a bit. A nice touch is the tool kit that is stored in the underside of the boot lid. Simply turn a small handle, and there you have a small selection of hand tools, and most importantly, the adaptor for loosening the special locking nut on each alloy wheel. With mileage approaching these levels, it is vital that you check the previous service history. What you are looking ... Read review

Advantages: A prestigous car giving a feeling of safety and comfort. d
Disadvantages: Latest models not as well finished off as the earlier ones.

...have owned a 3 series BMW since 1974. The first one was a 316i (1596cc)with manual gearbox. The car was completely reliable and very well made, and the paint finish was faultless. Servicing was every 6,000 miles, although perhaps more frequent than other cars at that time, the cost of the service was as cheap, perhaps cheaper than that of other foreign cars. The second BMW we bought, in August 1997, was a 318iSE (1796cc)with automatic gearbox, again ...
...servicing price was competative, the BMW labour costs seemingly cheaper than those of a Ford garage. In September 2001 we bought a BMW 318iSE (1995cc) - with the 'newly' designed engine, again we opted to pay the extra £1100 for the automatic gearbox, which does make the car a dream to drive. The 'feel' of this car was very much different to the previous models, giving a harder, more sportier ride. Servicing for this model has now jumped up to every ... Read review

Advantages: Looks, reliable
Disadvantages: cost of servicing, looks slightly aged

First off i want to just make clear that when i bought this car back in 2000, it was a brand new car so any mdel that you my purchase now may not have the reliablility as a new car. However that said it is a brilliant car, I have driven about 40+ cars and owned a about 12+ sports cars among others. But my favourite remains to be the 3 series both the coupe and the saloon are a pleasure to drive with an exciting ride and reliablility. What i do have ...
...yellow emu (engine management unit) tends to display a fault which cost me around 1,500 w/servicing. Other than that it was a fantastic car which i loved and was a real head turner, proberly less so now. The advantage of buying one now is that you can get a cracking car at a cracking price with convertibles starting at aroun £6-7k. ... Read review

Advantages: looks, great to drive in the summer
Disadvantages: None

...I have a 318I convertible but in the E30 shape, which is not new!!! This model is more than 10 years old, but in my opinion the E30 is the best looking BMW model. My particular model came with a power hood (the hood is controlled by motors not manually). After a few weeks use the motor decided to stop working, and I felt it was to expensive to replace. That is one thing to bear in mind when buying one. Do you want the power hood or want to operate the hood manually. I find pulling the hood down a nusiance sometimes. Another point to keep in mind is that BMW are heavy cars, and if you are a speed freak the 1.8 engine is not going to be sufficient. I made the mistake of buying my convertible in late spring/early summer, the most expesive time to buy one!!! Wait till the winter when it is cold and wet, and you will pick up... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Desirable, Reliable, Robust
Disadvantages: Arrogant Image, Price

..., and the driver was always happy to race the car to hear that happy wail. I always promised myself at least a 320, first by the time I was 21 and, when that dream wasn't realised, by the time I was 30. Sadly, fate intervened, firstly in the guise of finances -- or the lack of them -- and then later in the guise of the IS200, which was a more financially rewarding package based on similar ideals to the BMW, but when I reached the tender age of 31 I finally managed to get my hands on a BMW 318i SE. The model was a 2001 Y-reg and by now BMW had changed the way their cars were monikered. Originally, the way to identify a BMW's engine size was via the numerics that made up its name: the first digit (3) was the model, so you had the 3-series, 5-series, 6-series and 7-series; there was even, briefly, an eight-series. The last two digits represented... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Amazing control/handling of car and begs to be upgraded (is well worth it)
Disadvantages: Need to upgrade a lot of different things, so have money saved/ready

...If you are going to buy this car, you need to know this: * The "i" in BMW 318iS stand for "injection" (which is good/new) * The "s" stands for "sport" * "Coupe" means "a fixed roof and 2 doors" My car's year: 1994 My mileage: 100,000 kilometers Engine: V6 - 1800cc Service problems: nothing major/expensive yet Original tires: Michellin "?" (15 X 7) Current tires: Pirelli "6000" (15 X 7) FEATURES: The convertibles are not worth buying, as they leak in water when it rains heavily. What is the point of having a roof if it leaks and can't be fixed. I also think the convertible roofs on the old 3 series bmw models look tacky. Much better to have a fixed roof and this car has a sun-roof anyway. But.... ELECTRIC... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful