1987 BMW 3 Series 325 from North America

Summary:

A beautiful car for a great price.

Faults:

Had to replace main computer unit upon purchasing car. Was an expensive repair, but purchase price was adjusted to allow for cost of repair.

Coolant "check light" is always on. Have been told that it is a common wiring problem from that year.

Also had minor wiring problem with lights and signals (burned out bulbs and fast turn signal).

Replaced steering rack at 115000 miles.

General Comments:

This car has been the best car (and the oldest) I have owned. Handles great, has a nice zip and has never left me stranded.

Both the interior and the exterior are in excellent condition. I feel as if I have been sent back in time to 1987 driving around in a brand new bmw!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2001

21st Jun 2001, 11:45

To this guy with the North America BMW 325, I would like to email you about my car, I too have a 325 1987 and have had many problems with the coolant light and wiring problems. Please inform me of a way to contact you.

Thank you

--Nick.

1987 BMW 3 Series 320i 2.0i from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Very good car, gets from A-B FAST

Faults:

Nothing yet touch wood.

General Comments:

Very fun car to drive, annoys younger Vauxhall Astra and Nova drivers as I pull away from them with great speed. As the car has been tuned to produce a much better 210BHP, they wonder what the hell is under the bonnet.

You should see some of their faces.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st March, 2001

13th Sep 2006, 22:10

You seem to like this car. Why did you give it a poor rating?

14th Sep 2006, 12:19

Well good on you for tuning it up, but what spec engine do they have? 2.0 16v? Oh you should see the faces of some BMW drivers as I pull away from them in my Impreza! Then again, unless its an M its not a threat.

1987 BMW 3 Series 325 2.6L inline 6 from North America

Summary:

Fun and reliable! But betrays you during a rear end collision!!!!

Faults:

The master cylinder needed to be replaced ($240).

Some electrical problems surfaced but eventually went away with the addition of new fuses.

Didn't collapse when I was rear ended, I absorbed most of the shock and it hurt like hell.

Parts are expensive, a new clutch is almost $500.

General Comments:

This is a great car. Extremely reliable, fun to drive, and very fuel efficient. For it's high mileage of 183,000 (from the Earth to the Moon) the engine doesn't burn oil, nor back-fire, nor stall.

Very well built. Even at 100 miles per hour the car doesn't rattle nor swerve. At any speed it hugs the road and makes normal conversation possible without yelling.

The only problem is that this car doesn't collapse "easily" during a collision. I was rear ended a few days ago by a 2001 Lexus LS 300. It was a very hard hit. The Lexus did what it was designed to do; it absorbed the shock and crumbled to protect its driver (about $5000 damage). My car on the other hand directed the force of the collision on to me and IT HURT LIKE HELL! I suffered a neck injury and the Beemer only suffered a bent exhaust and a few scratches. Not even the lights were broken.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th March, 2001

7th Feb 2002, 19:50

Yeah... I needed a new clutch on my 87 325i and it cost me almost $900... expensive, but I love the car.

10th Jan 2006, 02:01

The harshness of the impact wasn't because your Bimmer didn't "collapse." The real reason for the severe impact is that the other car necessarily "dove" down (like a duck into water) before rear-ending you, after he slammed on the brakes. This also explains why the taillights weren't damaged. In such an event, the car that does the rear-ending usually suffers the brunt of the damage, while the car that is hit (you) has little damage, but a huge force that travels through the frame and into your body. This is why neck injuries are common in these situations.

Trust me, I would know. I've rear-ended two people in the past couple years, and besides I'm also a claims adjuster. I analyzed this stuff for a living. LOL.