1991 BMW 3 Series 318i review from North America
"A bit of a let down !"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The head gasket failed casuing a complete loss of coolant at only 55000km. The repairs were covered by the warranty.
The rear window shattered completely when I turned on the rear defogger, once again the repair was covered by the warranty.
The car would stutter as if it was starved of fuel on trips consisting of a sustained speed of 120Kph. No dealer or specialist shop could ever diagnose or fix the problem.
The power steering had to be overhauled at 80000km and again at 120000Km.
The driver side rear power window ceassed to operate at 75000km
General comments?
The car is fun to drive. Specially at high revs. as most of the torque resides above 3000rpm.
However, if you do not have the limited slip differential option beware of any percepitaiton. If you experience any snowfall, snow tires are a must and even then there will be times when your rear wheels will spin aimlessly.
The back seat is not suited for adults over 5 feet. Look to a 5 series for that.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1993 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 gasoline Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 6/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 46650 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 163000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Pontiac firefly |
| Date of Entry | 7th February, 2003 |