Okay this is my first review and I decided to review my own car. Being my car, I am quite partial, but I will try to be as unbiased as possible. My 325i has around 135,000 miles on the odometer, which for a car that is 18 years old isn’t half bad. BMW has always been known for creating sports cars and the E36 generation (1992-1999) is considered the last generation of 3 series that was sporty and lightweight before the heavier, but more powerful next generation. It has all the requirements for a fun, sport ride; rear-wheel drive, good road feel, and a smooth straight 6 cylinder engine. The engine only put out around 190 horsepower when new, but it has the ability to move the car around at a brisk pace. The engine feels rather weak until you get past 3000 RPM and then you find a wide band of torque and horsepower and you really feel the pull.
My 325i parked in the driveway
Alright, let’s get down to the specifics of this car. My BMW has its fair share of issues. The engine and transmission thankfully have no major problems, besides that the automatic fitted on this car is pretty lazy with its shifts. This car reaches 60 in a little under 8 seconds which means drag racing is out of the question. Most of the issues with the car are suspension and cosmetically related. The suspension needs a major overhaul that will requires new struts, shocks, control arms, and shock towers. The suspension rattles in the back and has quite a bit of give in the front suspension. The paint job has some nicks and the hood of the car has started to yellow, which looks horrible on the Alpine White paint job. The seats and “leather” have started to give stain and the color is rubbing out. Overall this car has a healthy drivetrain minus the suspension, and it still fun to drive around on the streets.
Driver’s side of the 325i
Despite how old this BMW is, the combination of the silky engine and responsive chassis cause this car to still thrill after all these years. The way the car communicates the road to you inspires confidence and asks for spirited driving whenever possible. There are not many cars left that still feel so natural to drive. It is sad that today our society as a whole is more interested in relinquishing control of the wheel and focus on something else. I think that a car, like the 325i, have the ability to make people fall back in love with driving or maybe fall in love with driving for the first time. I began driving with this BMW and this car is what I credit for fostering my love cars and driving. I know that this is my car, but I believe that people are so disinterested in driving because they have never had a car that was more than just a way to get to point A to point B. When you’re driving a fun car, driving no longer become a chore, but is something that you look forward to. It’s not always about the destination, but the journey.
If you would like to see what the current 3-Series looks like I would suggest taking a look at the link for the review by Car and Driver: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-bmw-328i-3-series-sedan-first-drive-review
Cars Without Coffee 