1994 BMW 3 Series Convertible review from North America
"Great car if you're rich and bored"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
- Had to replace my WHOLE transmission and the clutch 6 months after I bought the car. Paid US$ 3000. The gear got stuck at 2nd while I was driving home, then I had to drive to the shop with 2nd gear all the way.
- ABS light appears most of the time, but don't know why it turns off sometimes.
- Still have to replace the valve cover gasket, because oil is leaking into the sparkplug holes. (found out while changing sparkplugs)
- Had to replace the factory alarm with the Clifford one, because the factory one drives me crazy.
- The rear plastic window on my convertible was totally "burned out", couldn't see anything, had to replace it. ($200 by myself)
- AND THEN after the plastic window was replaced, I realized that I have to change my whole convertible top, because the new window stretched so hard that the sewn part of the old top almost totally ripped open.
- The center fan vent is extremely hard to take out, I realized this after I accidently pour juice in there and tried to remove it to wash. Then I looked online and found out that I have to take out the whole stereo deck to do this. So I gave up on it and my car smells like orange now.
General comments?
- If your convertible is getting old and the rear window is getting blurry or "burned", I suggest changing the whole cloth top instead of only changing the rear plastic window. I learned my lesson because the old cloth was too weak to hold the new plastic window.
- However, I really like the onboard computer that tells you everything that's happening to the car without having you to check thoroughly. The seats are fairly comfortable, but I expected a little more for a BMW.
- Handling is perfect, one of the best-handling car I've ever owned. German auto engineering is amazing. I drove my dad's 5 series, it handles just as good also. Totally different from driving any Japanese cars (don't take this offensively).
- Driving this car is very fun, girls check you out, guys get jealous. But you really need to spend time and money when things go wrong.
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| Overpriced new, but a bargain used |
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| 1994 - 3 Series 320i Sedan 2.0L straight 6 Fast, sporty, reliable, fun-to-drive chick magnet :) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1994 |
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 180000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 186000 miles |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi 3000GT |
| Date of Entry | 17th July, 2006 |