2001 BMW 3 Series 330Ci SE Auto review from UK and Ireland

It developed a faulty oil sensor which constantly warned of low oil. Whilst not a major fault it was annoying due to the fact that the car does consume more oil than I expected. This cost about £200 to fix.

The air conditioning needed re-gassing when the car was only 4 years old. I'm not sure how common this is, but it cost about £170.

The control arms on the front suspension were excessively worn after just 4 years. This is a known problem with the 3 series and only cost £170 to fix.

It regularly blows light bulbs. So far it has blown rear, brake, indicator and headlight bulbs mainly on the passenger side. Changing headlight bulbs can be quite difficult as there is very little room in the engine bay, particularly by the air filter.

When I bought this car, I wasn't looking for a BMW, but rather a Subaru WRX. However I couldn't resist the combination of speed, handling, comfort and luxury.

The car is extremely comfortable on long drives and round town. The arm rests make you feel like you are sitting in an arm chair, the optional Harman Kardon hi-fi is excellent and the combination of an auto gearbox and cruise control means that you can cruise along a motorway all day or spend hours driving in start stop London traffic without feeling at all tired.

Fuel economy is surprisingly good - I average about 29mpg (the best I've had is 37mpg on the motorway).

Get it on a country road and its also good. Stick the gearbox in manual and plant your foot and it will just keep accelerating (0-60 in 7 seconds is not bad for an auto). Friends liken it to being in an aircraft at takeoff! Overtaking several cars in a row is no problem and grip is excellent so you can throw it into bends. My only criticisms are that the car can feel a touch heavy and the auto box is occasionally a bit too intelligent for its own good. For example if you leave the motorway having cruised at a constant speed, the car will select higher gears and is reluctant to change down. However this is soon rectified by putting your foot to the floor!