1996 BMW 3 Series 316 Compact review from Israel

I bought the car from a dealer who replaced the motor of the windscreen fluid spray and the interior lining of the roof which was sunken.

A week later, still under a 3 month dealer warranty, the dealer replaced an electric relay controlling the radiator fan. I was advised that the fan works only at high speed (it's supposed to have a low speed setting, too). Due to the high cost, I decided not to fix it since I was told that the high speed setting does no damage except for the excessive noise.

At 162000 I replaced all four tires.

At 167000km during regular service a belt tensioner pulley was replaced and the rear brakes were overhauled (etched).

The interior lining of the A-pillars needs to be tightened or replaced.

This car just feels rock solid. The sound of the engine is so smooth, you'd never guess it's 170000km age...

While it's not very quick, it is very satisfying once you get passed 3500 rpm, and I have plenty of fun with it.

Another interesting point is its efficiency, which is almost an exact match to what my Nubira delivered, i.e. 10.5km/liter on average, 9.5 on intensive city and close to 14 on the open road.

Finally, I love its compact size which makes parking in the city much easier.