1992 BMW 3 Series i review from UK and Ireland

Fuse for horn blew. 35p to fix!

I just love my new car!! Every morning, evening, anytime I just cannot wait to drive the 320i.

Firstly this car is stunning to look at. It has the original M3 E36 17" alloys on it, shod with 235/40/17 tyres. There is an M3 boot spoiler with red brake light LED's in it and a rear splitter. My 320i also has a front spoiler with air dam. It has clear side and front indicators.

Inside the excitement does not stop either, I am very lucky as my 320i has also been blessed with a full leather re trim in black, there is an M3 gear know which also lights up red at night. The last owner also has fitted the later E46 leather armrest to my E36, which adds to the comfort of driving no end.

My 320i also has an electric sunroof which the M3's don't have and heated electric wing mirrors which also apparently the original E36 M3 also don't have! There are also front and rear fog lights, electric windows, central locking, power steering and ABS.

Even though my 320i is a 1992 model it is in mint condition, from the body to the inside and the way the 320i drives. The 320i has excellent road holding round bends and on the flats even under acceleration. I will say though the brakes do not feel as sharp as on my old Volvo 340 I owned before this car, but my 320i is due for its inspection 2 service very soon now.

The engine is the very sweet 6 cylinder BMW beauty. Yes it is only a 2 litre engine, but this is just enough for the car to be a pleasure to drive on any road. It is so smooth and sweet to drive, it is sheer pleasure just to cruise around or drive quickly if you want to. Yes it is true that the 2 litre 24V straight 6 can feel a little under powered at low revs unlike the bigger 2.5 and 3.0 litre engines, but if you use the gears a bit the 320i really does come to life! 0 - 60mph acceleration standard is 9.1 seconds, which if you are using the gears and take the engine revs up to even just 4000 can feel pretty lively, brisk and fun. It is only from 1000 revs to 2000 that the 2 litre seems to struggle a bit to get up to speed. However From about 60 mph the engine really starts to pull and from about 80mph this engine feels very powerful. One touch of the accelerator and you are doing 90, and the engine does not stop there at all I can tell you, it will pull you rapidly right to serious licence loosing speeds if you are not careful. The 2 litre 24V Straight 6 comes into its own and feels very powerful at Motorway speeds and beyond!!

The best thing about the 320i is on the motorway, it is the most smoothest, quietest and comfortable vehicle I have ever driven. These cars are also actually quite reliable from what other friends have told me who have owned them before, and only need servicing really once a year.

Everywhere I drive I get admiring looks from passers by and other cars. Of course I have only got a 2 litre under the bonnet, but this car is really for cruising around in style and comfort not for racing about it. It feels so nice to drive you tend not to feel the urge to want to drive it hard. However just to liven things up a bit further I will be installing a free flow replacement K&N air filer, Slick 50 engine treatment, a chip, and a diet of high Octane unleaded fuel every other fill up which believe it or not could see the brake horse power raised from 150 bhp to 180bhp!! It is much easier than you think. This will easily knock up to 2 seconds off the 0-60 time, which will bring me into BMW 325i power territory and performance.

And of course my engine will benefit from the better filtration qualities of the K&N air filter and also I will practically stop any further engine wear in its tracks by using the Slick 50 engine treatment. I have used these two treatments alone on all my previous other 6 cars I have owned and I have felt the power benefits on all of them. I recommend these to all other motorists on any vehicle! P.S. I only ever use the replacement panel K&N air filters, which use your cars original air box. Firstly they are much cheaper to by £30 - £50 and secondly you still get most or all of the power gains, but with none of that air induction noise unless you like that type of thing.