1989 BMW 3 Series 325i review from North America

Theres a clunking noise in the drivetrain which is hard to find (backlash of somesort when braking)

Within first 5,000 miles of owning it:

Waterpump, fouled plugs, fuel regulator, f/r shocks dead, passenger seat worn, driver side oddly not worn noticably.

Sunroof crank won't stay in the closed position, just dangles, dome light switch broken, a/c aux fan resistor, sway bar links, tie rods, control arms, f/r rotors and pads, left front headlight broken from rock.

At 165000:ignition coil, ignition wires, charcoal canister (got flooded and ruined by overfilling the gastank (previous owner) )

I love bmws, and about half of the stuff needed for the car was just 60,000 mile maintenence, although it had all legitimately gone bad. List cost on items is same as price for a 2004 bmw, your best bet is to buy things at a discount bmw place or ebay or something like that, otherwise it'll suck you dry of all your money.

I'll be selling this car soon and buying a e39 540i. I do too much long distance high speed driving, and the comfort level of the 540i is amazing. The 3 is a good fit overall for my 6'2" frame although the seats are not supportive especially in a highspeed windy road situation which I daily put my car through.

Very comfortable to drive at high speeds though, now that I replaced the shocks and springs. I drive my car daily to/from work at 95mph with no issues at all, although I wish it had a 5th gear in the automatic.

Always treat your BMW well by using full synthetic oil and the motor will last forever. My last 3 bmw's I've had run past 200k miles each with no real mechanical failures or lost compression. I always use Fram oil filters and castrol 10w-30 full synthetic and it runs like a champ, even when driven 100 miles a day at 95mph (which is about 4200rpm constant)