1998 BMW 3 Series 323i coupe review from UK and Ireland

Central Locking went just before the car was three years old. Fixed under warranty.

Passenger electric window was triggering safety stop, even when there was no obstacle. Fixed under warranty.

Accelerator pedal squeaks. I have taken it to BMW twice, but never repaired.

Considering this is a car with only 170bhp the straight line performance is stunning. This is even in comparison with a Volvo T5. 0-60 is out of the way in a shade over 7 seconds. The straight six engine is faultlessly smooth and always responsive, pulling cleanly from very low speeds even in third or fourth gear.

Handling varies. Around town and the tight corners you have to slow down, which is sometimes frustrating when I compare it to my old 306 GTI. This can all be forgiven however on the motor way where the car remains as solid as a rock, even at monumental speeds.

The car is very well screwed together, very few rattles if any have occurred. The body-work still looks brand new which is impressive after a five year life in London.

Fuel economy is not great, but it’s what you would expect from a 2.5 litre car, averaging about 21 – 23 mpg about town and 30'ish on a motor way stint.

As for dealers, there are a lot of very polite people at BMW, of course at their prices they can afford to be. The problem is you're in a ‘catch 22’. A newish BMW without BMW service history is impossible to sell. My advise would be to shop around when you get the car serviced. For an Inspection 1 service in London, I was quoted £420. In Newport the same service cost just £290.00.