1988 BMW 3 Series 325is review from North America
"Classic BMW lines, for thousands less than new!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I had owned a 325es previously (before the Problematic 240DL Volvo), but since then I knew I had to have the quicker 325is version which was very comparable to the M3 E30. Overall, as long as the timing belt has been changed, the car will run forever. Getting 250,000 miles out of a stock engine is not uncommon when regular maintenance is taken into account.
Valve adjustments are common for all M20 power plants (used in the 325e, 325i, 325is, 325ix, 325es, and 325). After these are done, the car will usually run much smoother.
At 252,000km I had realized that the driveshaft had to be replaced/rebuilt due to the non-replaceable u-joints. The price of this can usually be pretty high, in the neighborhood of 400-500USD.
General comments?
Overall, the car stands out among all other Japanese cars, as well as newer BMW's. It's design is so simple, yet attractive that most will think you've spent much more on this car!
If your interested in one, make sure to buy one with the timing belt recently changed, or at least with records of when it was last done. This will save you from having to purchase a new motor due to the timing belt failing. Make sure it gets replaced every 100,000kms, or 5 years, whichever comes first.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 250000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 258300 kilometres |
| Previous car | Volvo 240 |
| Date of Entry | 8th August, 2004 |