2003 BMW 3 Series Sports Coupe review from UK and Ireland

Alternator and Alloys replaced at 25,000 miles.

Power Steering pulley replaced 25,500 miles.

The car was squealing when cold and this was attributed to the alternator which was replaced under warranty.

When the car went in for a service, the alloys were replaced as they had started corroding on the inside. For a car that is only 2 and a half years old, that was quite shocking, but thank god for warranty or else I would be looking at repairing/replacing them, and the 18 inch alloys are not cheap.

A new noise appeared when the car was idling, and this was down to the power steering pulley, which was also replaced under warranty, and the car is working well right now.

The door handles tend to stick if you use a jet wash, as the grease in the handles gets washed away.

If you have a bit of a heavy right foot, it is not an economical car at all, and with Shell optimax being 101.9p per litre, it's a thirsty car and averages 20 - 25mpg (mainly city driving)

The car is very comfortable to drive and always feels safe and secure. The low profile tyres do give it a bit of a harsh ride on uneven tarmac, but that is more than compensated for by the handling.

Beautiful engine - sweet sounding and with loads of power, put your foot down in any gear and the acceleration is more than sufficient. It is obviously not in M3 standards, but driving sensibly it's perfectly fine.

The interior is showing its age, especially since I have driven the newer model, but the difference is when I see the car on the outside, my model, the E46 sports coupe is a beautiful car, the new one just does not give me the same visual satisfaction. As a piece of German engineering the new one is obviously better, but design wise, I can't say the same. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there will obviously be people who disagree.

After test driving an Audi S4, I think that will be my next purchase, as the new Beemer just does not tick all the boxes.