BMW 3-series (1991-99)

Don't get me wrong - I like BMWs. But they've got to have the six-cylinder engine. That distinctive engine note just does it for me. So, for this reason alone, the four-cylinder ones just don't cut it. A feeling reinforced after a few days with a friend's 1995 316i auto. This, the E36 model, was sold in the UK between 1991 and 2001 (the saloon between 1991-98, when it was replaced by the current model). Despite the fact that early cars are now 12 years old, prices haven't dropped significantly below £2,000 (compare that with a 12-year old Sierra or Cavalier, average price £400) and the desirability is still right up there at the "want ...  Read the complete review

I've recently bought my first BMW. It's a N reg 320i and I love it. I was lucky to find one with only 34k on the clock, as they're mostly used as fleet cars. Although I might not understand all the technology, and anything is an improvement from the Orion I had before, I couldn't rate the car highly enough. Firstly, it has the excellent build quality you can expect from BMW. The car feels like it was built to last. The interior is devoid of crappy plastic facias, and although the main display is starting to look a little dated, everything is easy and clear to read. The seats are comfortable, although I find it more ...  Read the complete review

I'm in the motor trade, which means I have driven hundreds of cars and I can safely say that this is one of the best. At the moment I have an L-reg BMW 318i which i have been using for about 6 months now. Reason for this is that I know it will always get me around to different places and never let me down. Through winter it always started and I recently went away for two weeks, came back and started first time. If you are looking for reliability and safety then buy one. They may be expensive to own and run but if you way it up against a Ford Mondeo or Vauxhall Vectra etc. then over the years the costs will balance out. It would be adviseable to anyone ...  Read the complete review

My husband and I are on our second BMW 3 series and we love them!! The first was a couple of years ago, it was a '91 automatic and was the best car we have ever had. Smooth, comfortable, good looking , economical and just a good car altogether. We would never have sold it except my husband set his heart on a Ducati 916 he'd been offered (men) and so it had to go. This May, however, about 4 cars later, we got chance of another BMW 3 series, manual this time, so we got it. Our car previous was an automatic and , to be honest, I didn't want to go back to a manual. Both hubby and I dislike driving really and we loved the auto but he ...  Read the complete review

I own a bottom of the range 3 series (1996) thats definitely near the end of its life but Im still blown away by it! The ride quality, driver comfort and power are all superior to newer cars I have driven. Everyone rants and raves about how expensive BMWs are to maintain but the only real cost is the actual service, everything else including parts and labour is reasonably priced once a BMW reaches this age. The fuel economy isn't aweful, even a badly maintained beamer like mine can get 40MPG in built up areas and 50MPG out on the road. Be cautious when purchasing one of these, they all have a fault where the engine sits too far back under the bonnet and the ...  Read the complete review