1985 BMW 3 Series Reviews

Needed new struts on the seats.

Needed new window winders.

Time has come for a new top, but only because I want a change of color, but the old one could go on for a few years yet.

The best car I have ever had.

I love this car it is fantastic in every way!!

This car has never let me down, it has started first time every time, even when it has sat idle for years at a time.

This car can FLY!! 5 speed manual, it revs like the devil himself.

Nothing that wasn’t general maintenance or required to be change for a 25 year old car.

The car was previously in storage, so a few general items had to be looked at. I changed the control arm bushings, fuel sending unit, and in tank fuel pump, fuel filter, distributor and rotor cap, spark plugs, rear brake lines.

Found a cracked rubber vacuum hose, which was causing erratic performance during acceleration.

The car now drives like a champ for a 4 cyl, and my daughter is going to love this car as her first. Great gas mileage.

See previous notes. Fun to drive, but more caution is required during winter months, due to rear wheel drive.

Okays - nothing has really gone wrong with the car as such in the last two months. But many reviews on this site are ringing a bell.

The horn is intermittent at best. It seems to work when no one is around, and then in a really urgent situation, I am banging on all four horn pads and there isn't a peep from the ballsy thing.

No for the smells. There is a recurrent petrol smell inside the car that is disturbing. I haven't had it checked out yet. But will ASAP.

I had the car running on no oil whatsoever for about 1 month from when I bought it from this French guy... oops. My fault. But goes to show how sturdy this machine is. I may have been a little exuberant with filling her up with oil - and now there is sometimes a burnt oil smell coming in too. I put that down to the fact I may have spilled some on the engine.

That aside, I am having some massive issues with losing power up hills and on general small inclines. There is something loose, and I need this checked out straight away. Some days she's good, and off a green light will stay up with any car - but then on a bad day, I am hiding in shame as I try to climb a small incline in 3rd. Worse in 2nd sometimes.

The general outside of the car is not looking great anymore. The paint is looking tired - but she is from 1985.

All the flashing lights on the inside, you'd think it's Christmas. I have the inspection light flashing at me. The check light flashing orange. I now just put it down to the fact she is talking to me... (yeah right). I have read these can be ignored. OK. But would be great to have them switched off.

On the whole, I could not have had a better first car / second car. My first car was so long ago. This feels like a first car all over again.

I love the fact she has a personality and is so reliable.

On a good day with the engine - she is so fast. Great 2.0 engine - and you would not think it's 30 year old technology.

On a bad day - she's bad and noisy. That I think can be fixed, so she can do the one thing I bought her for...

I will drive her around Australia. Anti-clockwise. Taking maybe 2 months. She will make it - even if she passes out on the way - she'll do it. You know when you have something solid under the foot. And she's a good'un.