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

BMW Approved used car warranty in doubt

Advantages: I have seen none to date
Disadvantages: A BMW approved used car from a main dealer proved to be a nightmare

...Two months ago, I purchased a BMW 323ci convertible from Vines of Guildford who are BMW main dealers. The car is 8 years old and had just over 47000 miles on the clock. It was sold with a BMW used car warranty but with certain exclusions due to its age, explained to me after I had paid a deposit on it. In the last couple of weeks, knocking noises have started coming from the engine which have progressively got worse. I've owned three BMWs and I know these cars well but I've never had one do that before. Very worried I checked the service history booklet 'Evidence of maintenance work' that came with the car and this is what I found ... 09/05/2000 Pre-delivery check No running-in check at 1250 miles 20/11/2002 Oil service at 12632 miles (6 months late) 05/05/2005 Oil/Inspection 1 and 2 at 21055 miles (1 year late) And then no...

cravenh 09.11.2008 (24.11.2008) · Read review
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Review of BMW

BMW 1 series as an everyday family car

Advantages: Plenty. Residual values are also truely astonishing!
Disadvantages: The rear doors - they don't open very wide and it's hard to manage getting very young children and the elderly in and out

...My wife and I have had our fair share of cars over the past 5 years or so - about 12 in total - and each one was very different to its predecessor. For example, we went from a Ford Escort to a Peugeot 206; a BMW Z3 to a VW Golf; from a LandRover Discovery to Porsche 911; and from a BMW 330d Sport to a Fiant Punto Mia (1.2). Most recent ly we changed from a BMW X3 to a BMW 116i Sport. If asked to choose which of all the cars we have owned I would recommend the most, I would say that depended to whom the recommendation was being made; however, if like us you have a young family and an active lifestyle, although you might imagine the versatility of a 4x4 such as the Discovery would be a good bet to get my vote, I would honestly have to say that, pound for pound, the 1 series has been the best buy by far. Let's start with the most...

Blackdog23 21.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of BMW 116i

Buying a Car - Snows BMW Portsmouth

Advantages: Excellent customer service, nice atmosphere, good value for money, lovely cars!!!
Disadvantages: Made me feel small when enquiring about discounts!!

...Having recently just purchased a BMW and put it through it's 1st service I thought I would share my experience. Upon changing changing jobs I lost my company car and found myself in the position of needing to buy my own car. To my Mums disappointment, I was not considering buying a Nissian Micra, but wanted something a bit better and with a bit more style. 1st stop - a local VW garage in Portsmouth: After visiting this garage 3 times and still not managing to get to see a sales person or in fact get anyone in the showroom to talk to me, I decided that I really did not like VW's and decided to re-think my options. 2nd Stop - a local Audio garage in Portsmouth: No problem with customer service here, in fact could not get away from the guy and before I knew it I was taking a car for a test drive. Verdict here was that I did not like...

Babe90 11.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW

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

The Car That Saved BMW From Going Bust

Advantages: Unbelievable performance
Disadvantages: Not a lot

...~ ~ In the early 1960’s the BMW company faced a bleak future, full of doom, gloom, and obscurity. There had been no real innovation since the end of the Second World War, and they had little or no market penetration outside of their native Germany. The company was in very dire financial trouble, and there was a very real possibility of them having to shut up shop completely. The BMW 2002 was the car that changed all this and was instrumental in establishing BMW as a leading force in the international car market. The 2002 made its first appearance on the world stage in 1966, labelled as the 1502/1602 series. Then the engine capacity was increased, first to 1766cc, and eventually to 1990cc for the final 2002 engine. The 2002 as such was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969, but in fact didn’t hit the U.K. showrooms...

the_mad_cabbie 09.11.2001 · Read review
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Review of BMW 1502

A nice car to have---BMW 645Ci coupe

Advantages: Nice technologies, and many more adding to the comfort of driving the car.
Disadvantages: None at all

...The BMW 645Ci is a nice car packed with nice features and modern technology, which was always BMW's benchmark. The car has innovative lightweight construction with an aluminum/steel/composite body, and an all-aluminum suspension. Other features are: #Dynamic Driving Control and Active Roll Stabilization #Available Active Steering and Head-Up display #4.4-liter V8 VALVETRONIC engine for superb performance #Choice of three different six-speed transmission options #Best-in-class and state-of-the-art equipment and generous interior space Sometimes, I always have the impression of taking the 645Ci for a Bentley. The 645Ci's body shape is kind of similar to a Bentley's. The 6 series has bold styling and is also dynamic and elegant. Its curves are neat and sleek. With its smooth and powerful engine, it sure is a car best in its class...

JudgeIronFist 15.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of BMW 645Ci Coupe

BMW Sytner Chigwell

Advantages: Great customer service, aparently no matter who you are.
Disadvantages: Services can be a bit pricey, but not as bad as you would think.

...have more recently had an incident involving an insurance claim & chose to have my old 323ci E46 coupe repaired under the supervision of BMW sytner. The whole claim has been a nightmare & I have become very disgruntled with my insurance company (admiral) & will not be using them again, but BMW Sytner have been a shining star. All communications were rapid & informative. After initially contacting them, for anything that had to do with Sytner, i barely had to lift a finger. They dealt with the insurance companies directly & kept in constant contact with me & promptly delivered a courtesy car (a lovely brand new 3 series) they were also generally far less anal about it all than my insurance company, who like to constantly point out stress inducing legal blockades that do not even apply to me. My car was oddly written off by my insurance...

krslim 23.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of BMW

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 116i

Advantages: Superb Handling, Luxurious Ride, Classy, Amazing Looks
Disadvantages: Small rear spaces, Poor rear visibility

...This review is meant to focus more on the car's performance on the road, and not so much on the financial aspects and inusrance details. The BMW 1 Series, is BMW's 2nd attempt to create a small, hatchback car, the previous one being the 3-Series Compact, which accroding to popular opinion was definetely not one of BMW's best. My family were in the market for a new car, and my father was looking to buy a small practical city car, and had practically settled on the VW Golf 5. However when we both attended a car exhibition, I completely fell in love with the looks of the 1 series. After constant haggling on my part, I managed to persuade him to take the 1 series for a test drive. And that was when he too fell in love with it and settled on it. I beleive that people attracted to BMW's new car deisgns, which are definetely not...

Kostas_juve 07.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of BMW 116i