1985 BMW 3 Series 325e review from North America
"Keep your cheap ride"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
ICV valve stopped working.
Rear driveshaft slack.
Dummy lights, cluster not working.
Interior Lights Only Come On When You Open Passenger Front Or Driver's Rear Doors.
Drains Batteries When Parked.
Gas Mileage Sad.
General comments?
The Ultimate Driving Machine indeed. I've never had a car with so many electrical gremlins. The gas guage, dummy lights, interior lighing, door chimes, service indicators, interior clock, central locking mechanism and the fog lamps refuse to work. Can't figure out why.
The car IS fast, but gets sad gas mileage if you drive it with any kind of spirit. Handling is equally good, but the wearing rear axle is starting to effect performance when you get on and off the throttle. The seats are uncomfortable as all get out. So is the driving position (built for a 7 foot NBA player, can't get the seat to the right setting for me) and it lacks much in the way of smoothness and refinement, especially on the highway.
I am not impressed. I'm going to sell it, recoup my losses, and buy a Reliant for a quarter of the cost and give the rest of the money back to the bank.
Even the trunk badges are like $50. The car is just too expensive.
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| Good engine, bad past owners |
|
| A disappointing foray into the European auto market |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1985 |
| Year of manufacture | 1985 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.7L SOHC L6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 3 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 235000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 240000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Plymouth Reliant |
| Date of Entry | 22nd April, 2005 |