The "check engine light" is very sensitive and can be triggered often and for many reasons. The light has been on for 6 months now and the dealer cannot determine the cause and tells me that is is OK to still drive the car. I had another BMW, 1994 model, of the same make and this was also a common problem with that car.
BMW's are reliable and do not require all the service the dealers recommend.
Own a BMW once and you will not want to own anything by another brand. The reliability, performance, and handling cannot be beat. The BMW has a certain "feel" to it when driven. It is really a "drivers" car. This is my 3rd BMW and will not be my last!
The 1992-1999 BMW 3 Series (E 36) is a great buy for the money. I would recommend this model highly.
I am thinking about a 328IS with 80,630 miles on it. Is there anything I should be worried about. It's a coupe version seems well taken cared for. Asking about 12,999. Let me know what are your thoughts. Thanks again, Scott.
To the comment above: sounds like a fair deal. The price is average for a BMW with that mileage. Expect nothing short of perfection with these cars as they are easy (cheap) to maintain and do not spawn mysterious problems like some other makes seem to. If the car is an automatic, make sure the transmission has been serviced. These automatics will last the life of the car if they are kept serviced. The engine should run perfectly, and have all of the cooling system components checked out.
Another unhelpful comment by a cheap individual will only render this vehcile an unreliable example in old age. You state that you don't need to service these vehicles in line with the guidlines laid down by the engineers who designed it, one of the world most respected car makers. Not surprisingly, you fail to mention your engineering qualifications before making such an miserable and foolish suggestion. I have owned three ultra reliable BMW's that have not only had long lives with me, but on changeover have been passed on in supurb condition to serve a long reliable life with future owners, all due to regular specialist (not dealer) service. In particular, you are doing the future owners of this car an enormous injustice by not following factory service requirements. When you read a comment about an un-reliable BMW then think of this person, its not the car or maker who is to blame.
I am considering the purchase of a 1997 BMW 328IS (144,000 miles) for my daughter to go off to College. It looks perfect and all scheduled maintanience has been done according to schedule by certified service providers. How many more miles will I get from this car if I continue service as recommended? General comments?
I have a 1997 328is for 6 years now with 166,000 miles on it. I have not had any problems with this car. I change the oil at around 5,000 miles interval. So far, this is the most reliable car I have owned. The check engine light does come on once in a blue moon due to the sensitive oxygen sensors. This happens when the gas attendant does not tighten the fuel cap. Once I remove and close the fuel cap, the light goes away after a few miles of driving.
In response to 6:57, who are you so nastily responding to on this post? I saw no mention in the review or any of the comments about the cars not needing regular, prescribed service. What I got from everyone's comments was that these cars do in fact need regular service and that they will reward the owner with trouble-free performance. This has been my experience as well, by the way. My BMW has been a terrific success story as it is over 10 years old and has been fantastically reliable.
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