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

...Having had a bad run of luck with previous cars (VW Beetle, Ford Sierra, Vauxhall Astra, Cirtoen ZX) in 1998 I decided it was time to buy a more reliable car and the obvious choice for 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 in. The car is really economical, I get an average of 40 mpg and I by no means drive in an economical style. When I bought the car it had 80,000 miles on it and I was concerned about the high milage... Read review

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Advantages: Preformance, Economy, choice of trim, extras
Disadvantages: reliability - Expensive turbo failure, Rear Seat Space, Boot Space

...'s rivals all seem to have more copious amounts of both, so if you have a family (or are planning one) maybe this car is to avoided!. I bought the BMW 320d thinking that I was going to experience comfort and reliability, and within 1 month of buying a 2002 model, i was left bitterly disappointed on both accounts, especially as I found that the Turbo failure was a known problem and affected a large number of pre 2003 320D's So if you are planning on buying a 2nd hand model, then avoid anything below a 2003 model, unless you factor in the risk (and expense) of needing a new turbo. Prior to buying this model, I owned a Vauxhall which in comparison suffered no faults in the same league (or expense) as the BMW in the nine years in which I owned it, and was also more comfortable in comparison.... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap to run and roomy
Disadvantages: Expensive for a Toyota

...Prior to buying the Prius I owned a BMW 316 ti, a 3 door 1800cc petrol model with the latest fuel saving valvetronic engine. I live in ther London suburbs and do a lot of short trips to schools, shops, work etc and a couple of long trips a month. On this mix the BMW (which is capable of 38mpg plus on long A road trips) gave 24.8 mpg. The Prius, on exactly the same mix of trips is giving 44.5 mpg. On 8000 miles per year and current petrol prices (April 2006) that's a saving of over £500 per year. Plus I can save on road tax and congestion charges and insurance. The biggest saving is on company car tax - check it out Vs even diesels. The car is much roomier then the BMW and costs slightly less (mine is the T spirit model) and has automatic, sat nav and bluetooth which the BMW did not. On the downside the plastics are not a patch... Read review

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

...the engine size, so a 318 was a 1.8 litre three-series, a 525 a 2.5 litre five-series, and so on. Simple, really, but today it's not the case. By the time my 2001 model 318 was built the engine in it was a 1.9 four-cylinder lump; today, the 318 is a two-litre four cylinder while the 320 is a two-litre six cylinder. It all makes for a confusing read in comparison to the halcyon days of BMW's identifiers. In addition, these days BMW have to provide models, such as the SE. They could not continue on the lines of 'adding options' to the basic car as more and more competitors brought out 'standard specification' equipment, and so the badging of S, SE and so on came about once again. Equally, as more and more competitive brands came onto the market and as traditional rep-mobiles like the Vectra and the Mondeo improved in both quality and equipment... Read review

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Advantages: Well built, rear wheel drive, excellent handling, fast, good fuel economy
Disadvantages: expensive to buy and fix, run flat tyres as standard

...Having had several test drives across more or less the full range of 1 Series', trying to establish which version I am likely to buy, I can honestly say that for me there is only one choice! Whilst all are put together to the high standards we have come to expect from BMW over time, I can't help but feel that the price difference in models presents you with a bargain when looking to the 120d. The 118d is a good car in itself, but the difference in grunt received from the extra £800 of going a model up is well worth it. Granted, the majority of what follows is not 'standard' equipment on the car, but when is it ever with BMW?? The m-tech extras are again worth the extra money, as the handling, looks and performance are so greatly refined that you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd bought a sports car. The six speed gear box is excellent... Read review

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Advantages: Very pleasent pre sales
Disadvantages: Useless post sales

...I once bought a secondhand car from Sytners, but I wont make that mistake again. The car looked stunning and the salesman was very pleasant. He reassured me that no detail was too small and the car would be delivered in tip top condition all backed by a cast iron 1 year BMW guarantee. The reality was very sad, the car had numerous problems on delivery which Sytners were unable to fix. But they did take the car away for weeks on end whenever I asked them to fix it. Eventually I gave up on them and asked for my money back. They just laughed. My solicitor said I should have rejected the car in writing on day 1 and I really did not want the hassle of taking them to court. So I just walked away, well at least Ciao give me the chance to warn others.... Read review

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Advantages: BMW, BMW, BMW
Disadvantages: :very expensive, poor passenger access with hood up

...NOW here's an oddity. BMW has taken a shine to a design exercise put to it by some of its more forward-thinking engineers, and decided to manufacture a two-seater convertible, something it has not attempted since the Fifties. Its sales brochure claims that the aim of the exercise is ''to rekindle old dreams, to challenge man to reawaken his slumbering passions through vitality''. Rot, obviously, but I suppose you've got to fill a brochure with something. Luckily, it does not have to convince many people, as BMW is aiming to make only 10 cars a week, and UK demand is already running very high. If you order one now, you might just get it next autumn. Is it worth waiting for? Well, it depends. The BMW Z1 is a good car if you want to be stared at. This is the perfect poser's motor: it is very pretty, it is beautifully made as you would... Read review

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Advantages: Looks, Performance
Disadvantages: 0-60 could be better

...consumption i didnt really car because it was all paid for on the company Shell card, but i went on BMW website and the spec for this is as Follows:- Imperial Urban (mpg) 22.1 (20.2) Extra-urban (mpg) 40.9 (40.4) Combined (mpg) 31.0 (29.4) This car definatly pulls the ladies and is great to drive. The car i had came with CD player, Electric heated seats, Leather light orange cream seats and the colour of the bodywork was black. You can find out more on www.BMW.com. The model I had was the 330Ci Sport Coupé and the price was £30,475. There are many accessories ranging from mobile communication to exterior styling. the safety of the car is one of the best around with an airbag everywhere you look and safety bars crafted in the panels of every door and the structure of the car. An overall view of the car would say from my opinion... Read review

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Advantages: YEEEE FACTOR
Disadvantages: COSTLY EXTRAS

...'m getting a little carried away but the car is wonderful! Would I like the car so much if it was BMW-badged? I think not; could I really get this excited about a BMW 1 Series? A large part of the cars attraction is due to people's fond memories of the original design. That is where BMW have excelled even themselevs. The car appeals to people who loved the original but also to people who want a small(ish) car which is practical and will run well. The cabin is not very spacious, I think fitting 4 adults in would leave the passengers squashed. Another criticism is the amount of money spent by people on extras. The average spend on extras is £2000 which drives the price up from a reasonably well-priced car to one that is slightly costly. If you want to develop the boy-racer image I would recommend taking a look at the Mini Cooper S. This, as I... Read review

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Advantages: Good car
Disadvantages: ill Manners, and a lack of care

...knowing i had the right day and came home the 40 mile drive. At tea time i heard nothing the following day a technician called me to say that i needed a full change of rear suspension bushes replacing as they were worn to a unsafe degree, seen as the car was MOT'd 4 days before i went to the MOT station and demanded to be told what was going on, in the mean time i was informed by BMW that it would cost £250 + vat. The MOT testing station appologised and sad they would do the work it needed because they missed something so i arranged to have the car transported back the 40 miles and have it repaired upon telling BMW this i was met with an appology as the fault was not as bad as first thought and it would not fail the MOT. So i ate humble pie with the local garage and cancelled the transport back and BMW got on with the car. 1.5 weeks later... Read review

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