BMW 320i soft top, A real drivers car.

Advantages: style, class, powerful and built to last.
Disadvantages: replacement parts can be expensive.

...As a qualified mechanic and the owner of god knows how many cars over the years I have decided the time has come to do an automobile review and what better to review than my one time pride and joy sadly no longer with me my BMW 320i convertible. I bought my BMW in 2003 it was 2 years old and set me back around 12 thousand pounds which was roughly half the cost of buying a new one and was at the time a very good deal. I fell in love with the car after one test drive and just had to have it. Although there have been many different versions of the 320i over the years with very different specs the one I bought was pretty top of the range and had the majority of extras available. I am of course reviewing the car from my own personal opinion so this review will contain information on the extras my BMW had but do not expect to find these...

thebigc1690 11.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320i Convertible

HOW SENSIBLE CAN A CONVERTIBLE GET?

Advantages: Weather Proof. Engine. Fuel Economy. Style. Interior Space.
Disadvantages: Purchase Price.

...Please note that the photograph inserted by Ciao at the top of this page is NOT the car of the title - it is the very different last model, soft roof BMW 3-Series. I have published pictures of the latest model - that is, the car reviewed and which the title refers to. WHAT IS IT? The BMW 320d SE is a clever folding metal roof version of BMW's ever popular 3-Series. Particularly interesting in this case is that roof up, the styling is barely distinguishable from the conventional 3-Series Coupe model. The 3-Series has always been one of the more spacious, four seater convertibles, the folding metal roof does not change this, at 4.58 metres long and 1.985 wide, it is identical in size to Coupe model. WHICH SPECIFIC MODEL? The model reviewed here is the new four cylinder, 177bhp 320 diesel, in non-sporting SE trim. This...

RICHADA 27.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d Convertible

320d - Potentially expensive failure

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

...This is my first BMW, and I am sorry to say my last. The 320d has a reputation for turbo failure, which I believe applies only to pre July 2003 models. This failure can happen at any time regardless of service history and so cannot be predicted or circumvented and is a widely publicised failure amongst 320d owners on the internet!. The cost of repairing this vary between £2000 - £3000 and is not something which I would expect from a name like BMW. Other drawbacks include driver comfort, which is virtually non existant, after 15 mins in the drivers seat you rapidly experience another feature of the 320D - namely BMW "Numb Bum", which I must admit was not publicised in the brochure. The driving position is also somewhat strange. Both rear seat and boot space are limited and certainly not inline with the size of vehicle, and all BMW...

jamesey 30.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d

BMW 325i convertable

Advantages: Fair price, electric roof, leather interior, CD player and, of course 'blindingly rapid'.
Disadvantages: Quite expensive parts, can tend to guzzle petrol depending on the speed.

...Two years ago my brother was serching for a car which had class, good looks, gave a good performance, a soft-top and space for his golf clubs. He found a mattalic purple BMW 325i convertable which gave him everything above. The only thing it didn't give him was the good performance - instead it's performance was excellent. The soft-top folded back itself - what would you expect? The car came with black leather interior, a CD player, alloy wheels, a standard BMW alarm system and lots more. Insurance can obviously be high for a quality motor as with the BMW 325i. If anyone was going to buy this car my advice to them would be that: *BMW parts can be expensive, although replica parts are available at a fraction of the cost. *It may be necessary to buy a wind-breaker, (which breaks the sometimes violent wind when the roof is down...

tom13 03.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW 318i

BMW Sporty Diesel with Low Running Costs

Advantages: Good Resale value, sporty, comfortable, sleek
Disadvantages: Feels same as a much older model.

...I bought a 2004 model 320DSE recently and am pleased to report it is a nice executive car. The 320D range start with a basic model then the ES then the SE and then of course the Mtec Sport. The level of goodies you get with the car go up with each model but they all driver the same apart from the sports suspension on the Mtec. I decided the Se was probably the best value for myself with Climate control, electric windows , 6 speed manual gearbox, electric windows all round, and cd player advantages over the ES. This is the second BMW I have owned. the first being a 316 made in 92, and I must report it is amazingly similar to drive. The pedals are offset to the right slightly but this feels quite natural, the, the brakes are exellent, and the clutch is fairly light but has quite a long travel which I find takes a while to get used to...

lightheart 18.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d

New facelifted 320D 1998cc 2002 model

Advantages: Performance, MPG, Quailty
Disadvantages: Rear cabin space, Small boot

...I ordered a 320D SE 1998cc 2002 model from my local BMW dealer in October 2001 for delivery in December 2001. I was impressed with the dealer (Dick Lovett), as the sales guy was not at all pushy but allowed me to take my time looking over the car and responded well to questions I raised. The first test drive I had was with the sales guy and lasted around 40 minutes, he then arranged for me to have the car for the whole day that weekend. This whole day test drive was excellent and really let me get know the car without any sales person around, and after that I was hooked and continue to purchase the car. The list of options available is huge and it took some time to decide what I wanted. This new car was to replace my company Astra and I purchased it myself using my companies opt out option. The car was ordered for December as my...

focus328 06.03.2002 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d

Life with my BMW 320i Sport

Advantages: smart, comfortable, economic on fuel, quick
Disadvantages: A little conservative in looks, expensive to service

...As a new mum, I had to replace my beloved Mercedes SLK 2-seater with the more child-friendly BMW. Obviously the BMW had a lot to measure up to. Some of the key stats then - it is a V6 2000cc engine, which means I get similar brake horse power to the 323i Sport - 170bhp compared to 186 bhp (but you wouldn't notice and it is about £3,000 cheaper). 0-60 in about 8-9 seconds, but more importantly they have discs, on the 17" alloys, all round so brakes 60-0 in about 3 secs. The insurance group is 17, but depending on your circumstances, you might pay from about £600 per year fully comp. It is a saloon and the four doors makes it easy enough to get my baby into the car seat. My first outing in the car proved a comfortable and enjoyable journey luckily. Leather seats and sports steering wheel made me feel at home. The steering wheel...

madamemilliecat 13.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320i

BMW 330CI CONVERTABLE D/P

Advantages: looks
Disadvantages: fuel

...Brought this car six weeks ago and where do i start?. The power?,the looks?, or the relibilty of the car. The first thing that sold the car to me was when the sales man pushed the button on the key fob and the roof dropped down with out me being in the car, it also does this from quite a distance. I got the m-sport pack which does set the car off a treat. I get on the fuel economy approx 24-25 mpg on a run, i try to keep the at 40 mpg on the dash. This car is fast and in sports mode with the sequntial gears it does hold the road and keeps the power coming. The roof is great and not to bad on drop speed, can do this at lights if straight off, but dont do it if they change quick as you will feel a fool. The car does look great and drives excellent, with the roof down i have not gone for a wind deflector as why have a convertable...

syna 20.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW 330Ci Convertible

Mediocre BMW

Advantages: A higher class boy racer's car
Disadvantages: The engine is an under performer

...I've owned a BMW 320iSE L-reg for the last three years and I have to say that my experience with it has been mediocre at best. Prior to owning this car I owned a 525iSE (F reg) and it was absoloutely fantastic...the sort of car that dreams are made of. Unfortunately all things come to an end and I had to sell it. By purchasing a 3-series I thought I was buying more of the same however this was not so. Even with a 2-litre engine the performance is nothing special. No wonder they make versions with huge engines. First gear is set so low that it runs out of puff before you're going at anything more than walking pace...what was it designed for? Starting on vertical surfaces? and don't get me started on the clutch, which persistently overheats and gets all 'sticky'. While we're on the subject of overheating every BMW I've had has...

DrC 27.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320i

320 Coupe dream machine

Advantages: Six cylinder heaven
Disadvantages: none thus far

.... Price - £24k for a 320Ci with sports seats, CD auto-changer, front arm rest and metallic paint. The buying experience from my local BMW dealer was again an effortless and pleasurable experience. I also got to view the new M3 in the workshop before it went on public show….mean machine. The Coupe is built from the ground up as an out and out Coupe, it is not your run of the mill converted saloon with two doors. The body styling on the 3 series Coupe is absolutely superb it turns heads and meets admiring glances wherever it goes. The car is wider and longer that the normal saloon and has that to die for Coupe styling. Body coloured door handles/side skirts and the chrome trim around the doors add to the classy lines. The large driver windows with no door pillars make the car look even classier and there is almost uninterrupted 360...

runmedownmissy 14.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320i Coupé