1997 BMW 5 Series review from Kenya

Clutch was worn out when I bought it.

Prop shaft coupling was shot.

Headlight and brake light bulbs blew.

The steering rack is leaking rather badly.

Rubber pipes from the windscreen washer reservoir have split, leaving me with no wash/wipe action.

I have always loved beemer,s and when this one- owner example came up for sale, I quickly offloaded my diesel Toyota and snapped it up.

I have owned ten cars in five years, but this beemer is in a class of its own: it is supremely agile, extremely comfortable and with 170 bhp on tap, fast enough to see off most cars on our roads. Those it can't match in a straight line it leaves for dead on the twisties.

The m52 straight six engine feels a bit gutless at low revs, but from 4000 revs onwards it pulls hard and sounds great. The Vanos variable valve timing also helps, and you can toodle around town at 2k revs in 4th when you need to.

The manual gearbox is precise and a joy to use, but the clutch action is a bit jerky.

The grey cloth seats are starting to fray, but are comfortable and very adjustable (I'm 6 "3 and I fit into the car perfectly). This car is very spacious all round.

I love the dashboard design, and the quality on all the controls are top notch and squeak free. Mine comes with carbon fibre effect trim, which looks great.

The car is loaded with extras like parking sensors, cruise control, steering wheel stereo controls, heated electric mirrors etc.

The car has been reliable so far, and has never let me down, and everything including the dual climate control still works.

On the down side it doesn't exactly sip fuel and parts are pricey. It could also do with a bit more poke.

Overall it's the best car I have ever owned, and I'm planning to upgrade to a newer and gruntier 525i when I can afford it.