Faults:

Radiator.

Water pump.

Steering box.

Head gasket.

Oil leaks.

Door lock.

Air conditioning.

Odometer stopped.

Instrument cluster lights.

Electrical problems.

Glove box lock.

Inside door handle.

General Comments:

It takes experience to shift the 5-speed smoothly. I don't think it's the best 5-speed to get.

The vehicle handles really well.

It's reliability is well below average, mainly due to its age and mileage.

Parts are expensive.

BMW are not suitable for beaters.

The mileage is not very good in city driving, less than 20mpg.

The M20 engine in 325i series is very underpowered at low speeds, has little torque.

To get moving, you have to rev it to 3,000 rpms or so. From the stoplight, it's very slow and even a 4-cylinder Ford Escort is faster, except when you get to the 3rd gear and rev it pretty good, it's very fast. I think they improved it with later engines after '91.

But this engine is noisy, weak for a 6-cylinder, and thirsty AND needs constant maintenance such as regular timing belts, valve adjustment. It will tick like a Zinger sawing machine no matter what you do with it, apparently this is normal and doesn't hurt anything.

The interior is made with horrible, brittle plastic parts, for example the glove box got stuck and when trying to open it, the handle broke, and now there is no way to access it.

I think its reliability is below domestic or other imports.

It handles very poorly in rainy weather. I cannot imagine how it drives in snow, probably not an experience you want. In fact, the PO wrecked it on snow.

Faults:

Leak in radiator, brakes, belts, hoses, clutch linkage, coolant indicator switch, sunroof crank, odometer at 318000 miles-THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO... current mileage is unknown, but A LOT.

General Comments:

Great car. This car has always handled awsome, and just won't quit. It is great on turns, easy to drive. You don't have to gear down to pass (a feature they intended). Not real comfortable on long trips, but it is a performance car, not luxury. I got the car from a mechanic that was afraid of getting a ticket driving it, so he traded us for a '93 Ford Aerostar... what a deal! The problems with the car have be minor, and can be expected with the amount of miles. It has really been ragged out and overused, but it just keeps going, and runs great and strong. BMW really made a great car...

Faults:

Radiator rusted and cracked at 184000 miles.

Engine was revving erratically at the first time used due too bad maintenance from previous owner.

Steering rack gave out at 170000 miles.

Oil leaks due to worn oil pan gasket.

Catalytic converter replaced at 185000 miles.

Speakers wore off.

General Comments:

The car handles great, but accelerates just like any normal passenger car due to its underpowered engine, so I modified the intake with a Green performance air filter, and a performance chip. It now runs at 136 hp and 190 lb-ft torque. Good fuel economy, 23 mpg. Fun to drive. Did not like the missing rear fender look, so I added a body kit from Rieger. Black is a perfect color for the car. It made me into a BMW enthusiast.