1991 BMW 3 Series 320i review from UK and Ireland
"Excellent reliabilty - you won't regret this one"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The silencer on the exhaust needed replaced - got a replica part sourced and fitted for £60. Was quoted £220 to get this done with a BMW part.
General comments?
This is an extremely well engineered car. I bought it for £1000 with 54k and a FSH. The body work is remarkable (it was a company car with a single owner until he retired last year) and has the condition of a 5 year old car.
This is one of the first e36 models released onto the market. It has a 6 cylinder engine and does 150bhp. The performance is excellent and the car loves doing long journeys on the motorway.
Unfortunately the car is heavy... both in weight and on fuel. It weighs around 2 tons and according to Parkers guide does 27mpg. I average about 200 miles from 30 litres of regular unleaded.
Acceleration is painfully slow, and you can feel fuel flooding into the engine, and yet not doing much! The car is too heavy to move fast. But once it gets to 60, it will really get moving.
The interior has a bland shade of grey (must be an early 90s thing). Although kept in great condition, the grey interior looks a little tired. Ideally I would like to get it removed and get leather instead.
All in all a great car for the price! Excellent reliability and looks great. After owning a beaten up Almera for 3 years, this has been a breath of fresh air. Worth every penny (even with the cost of fuel).
If you find one with low mileage - get it and convert it to LPG!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1991 |
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 54000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 62000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Almera |
| Date of Entry | 19th June, 2009 |