Faults:

Front ball joint was replaced at 89,000 miles.

VANOS system (Variable valve timming system) needs attention (Noisy).

Rear box was replaced at 89,00 miles.

Alignment was checked and was considerably out of line, specially the back.

Reverse switch needs replacing.

Front headlight glass needs replacing (Cracked Glass).

Front fog lights need replacing (Cracked Glass).

Clutch shudders when car is warm and start stooping.

Both front lower control arms need replacing.

Both front brake disc`s are warped.

General Comments:

This is the first BMW I have owned. I purchased it from a elderly couple for £5500. It has full service history and has been looked after well.

The 325i handles like a dream and is quick, but seems to lack power at times (this could be due to the VANOS system).

After 3000 rpm the car rockets off. I would recommend 325i or 320, they both have Variable Valve timming (1994+).

Consumption around town is approx. 23-26mpg motorway driving 28-32mpg. I recommend using quality petrol and not no cheap petrol, as this effects the timing of considerably.

Rear tyre`s will need replacing approx 3 times before the front need replacing. Depending on how you drive. I recommend Michelin tyre`s they don't wear too quick and grip the road well.

Overall, although it's a beautiful car and is built like a tank. There are other better cars on the market for a similiar price that I would have a second look at.

Faults:

Electric windows sometimes get stuck on closure. They go half way up, and then back down again. Can be very frustrating at times.

The drivers airbag light came on permanently soon after I bought the car. I was told by the BMW dealer that the airbag control unit needed to be replaced, and it was not dangerous to leave it as it is, so I didn't bother fixing it. Just means that I have no airbag.

More recently, in the cold weather, the automatic transmission got stuck in third gear. This soon corrected itself (after about 1 hour of worrying about a big bill)

Also during the cold weather, I found the idling revs were inconsistent. Sometimes too high, that the car felt it wanted to just drive away from the lights on its own, or sometimes it dropped below 500 and the engine just cut out.

Mechanically I think the car is very good. All the problems I have experienced are due to electrical faults, but these can be very annoying.

General Comments:

The car looks very nice and the paintwork is good. My car is almost 10 years old, but doesn't look it at all once it's been cleaned. The paintwork still shines.

Performance wise, it's only quick when you put it into "sport" mode. In economy mode, it's very average.

I recently put on Pirelli P6000s all round and the handling and ride improved tremendously. But don't push too hard in the wet or someone might get hurt.

Most of my driving is very uneconomical due to short trips, and I get about 20mpg. On a long trip it will do around 30mpg. For a 2 litre car, I think it should be better than this.