Cons: Styling could be better, snob image is annoying, so-so seats, price
The Bottom Line: If road feel and connection with a quiet smooth ride matters more than features, buy one. If you just want luxury, there are better choices for less.
My wife and I recently purchased a new 2006 E90 BMW 325i. Black, black interior, with automatic transmission and power seats w/ memory as the only options. This is our third BMW. We had previously owned two 540's we bought used, with love/hate aspects to the ownership experience.
We needed a vehicle that was safe, stable at highway speeds, got decent fuel mileage, was comfortable, reasonably spacious, handled well, braked well, had decent power, and was something we'd like the looks of enough not to wish we'd bought something else in 6 months.
The 325i we got was around $32,000 after some simple negotiating via the internet. It's more than most of the competition for comparably equipped cars. But the competition usually lacks something the BMW has. Mostly handling ability, road feel w/o harshness, rear wheel drive, and a connected feeling that you just can't get with most vehicles out there. Also, when you factor in the free scheduled maintenance and stellar resale of the BMW vs some of the others it helps keep your overall costs about the same.
Now, the details on the car:
Exterior: I like that the new 3 looks more "grown up" than the previous editions. It no longer has a compact car profile, and gives the impression of being more like a 5 series in size now. I prefered the lines of the previous 3 series, but new designs usually grown on me over time. It's a nice looking car. Maybe I'm getting jaded, but anything I can afford out there I'm not in love with in terms of styling. The 16" wheels on base models are pretty wimpy. I have already replaced mine with 18" M3 style wheels and the look is much more aggressive. It has a few too many character lines, they look a little forced, but the car looks aggressive and sleek, which is all I can ask for. Ours is black, a horrible color to keep clean, but unlike the metallic colors it doesn't cost extra. Many of the busy lines that show on other colors are hidden in black.
Interior: I like that the 3 now has wood grain interior trim standard. Previous low price 3's had a slightly cheap look inside. I regret that there are no voltage, temp, or oil pressure gauges, yet they have retained the silly mpg meter. The base seats are comfortable, but still a little tight for my wide shoulders. The sport seats are said to be great, I had them on a previous BMW, but to find a car with the sport pkg you had to accept a car with the premium pkg and usually other options I didn't want to pay for. I was also afraid the sport seats might be too heavily bolstered for our tastes. I highly recommend the power seats with memory if you share driving duties. It can take a while to get comfortable otherwise. Visability is improved I think, the side view mirrors seem to have a section that now covers the blind spots better. The radio and climate controls are tolerably easy to use, though with some previous BMW experience they may be easier for me than for someone coming from other makes. I find the turn signal that doesn't "click" into place a little hard to get used to. You push and release it, then push the opposite way to turn it off. I find myself signaling back and forth sometimes when I misjudge the effort required to flash for a quick lane change. Rear seat room is still tight, with me up front you wouldn't want to be in the back seat. Its a car that can carry passengers, but that's not its forte. The stock stereo is ok. Nothing great, but much better than some I've had (Saab 9-3). Overall, it has a very upscale, if not flashy, interior scheme. The trip computer and checks take a little while to figure out, but they provide valuable info. I find it interesting that the car now has no oil dipstick. You check oil level and condition through the computer. We opted for the "leatherette" vinyl seats to keep the cost down. They look great, but there is a little vinyl smell that I hope goes away with time. They have a slightly grippier feel than the leather, too, I think.
PERFORMANCE: The biggest improvement for the E90 325i is that it now has significantly more HP. The torque numbers are not great, but it feels plenty quick. I believe BMW shows it as having a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds with the 6 speed automatic. It doesn't have tons of oomph from a standing start, but it picks up speed with revs and the shifts are smooth. If you want to see what it can do, definitely shift over into sport mode. The regular setting has some hesitation and is too soft for fun. It will cost you some mpg, since it shifts earlier and holds gears longer. The 330i will give you more power, but at a significant price increase. But I find the 325i fun enough and have never felt like I wanted more power when punching it. I had two 540i's and they had much more torque, but it was basically unusable in real world driving. I don't drag race, so the 325i is fine for my needs.
Handling is typical BMW. You don't realize how good it is till you get in another car, we have a Saab 9-3 SS that is a nice handling car, but not in the same league. I'm not a race driver, but I like the connected feel and the confidence that gives me. I find myself zipping through my rural curvy roads at speeds way faster than I should, though I am in better control at 55mph than a pickup truck would be at 40. It's a great car for highway cruising at speed. It holds its line and doesn't wander. I would prefer less body roll, though the car now grips well with the wider rubber. I may add sport springs down the line for that added confidence. I would recommend the sport pkg if you are serious about handling. But since my wife is the primary driver of this car for now ( I got the "old" Saab) I figure we can live w/o it. The Saab with its sport pkg is a little more "tight", but at the price of smoothness and road vibrations.
It brakes great, as expected.
INTANGIBLES: Snob appeal. The BMW has it. But I don't particularly like that. I don't want the attention from police, criminals, or the chronically envious out there. I bought it for the handling and safety, not to impress anybody. Unfortunately many BMW owners bought them mostly for that. I also do not drive like a maniac just because in this car I can. I know much of the animosity towards BMW drivers is because of this type of irresponsible driving.
Reliability. The 3 series has been about average in recent years. They aren't cheap to service or fix, but for the first 50,000 miles that's not your concern. It probably won't be as trouble free as a Lexus or Infiniti, but the guts of them do last a long time. Mostly you will have annoying problems, not ones that leave you stranded. Once you work out any bugs, you can expect a pretty solid car for a long time.
Dealer experience. Our purchase experience was great. A couple of emails and we had a deal. No outrageous MSRP only quotes from the dealer like got from other makes (Audi, VW). Our dealership has a great rep and is somewhat like a Lexus dealership in their customer-pleasing attitude. I researched them and this is where BMW blows away Audi. At least in my area.
SAFETY: The new E90 has it all. Stability control, solid structure, airbags all around, and what I assume will be top crash test scores. Great handling and braking also mean you are more likely to avoid an accident. It's got enough heft (3300 lbs) to hold its own in a crash. I'd like a 4300 lb 7 series, but hey, I haven't won the lottery yet.
Overall, I like the car. I don't love it. It doesn't do anything wrong, but the Saab is more comfortable for my body type, the styling is ok but not great, and the car isn't cheap. The alternatives below we considered but nixed for various reasons:
Acura TL - Lots of features, fast, but front wheel drive (it really matters if you enjoy driving)and just a feeling that is more Honda than I'd like. Some of the interior materials aren't that sturdy looking, too. But a good value with great resale and reliability.
Acura TSX- A nice sporty sedan, but not as nimble as some reviews have claimed, and the 4 cylinder is a little lacking in power. Still, at $5500 less than the Acura TL, I'd pick it first. I didn't like the pedal feel in either Acura.
Audi A3 - We loved the car. Really hauls and is a blast to drive. Great visability, the hatch/wagon is useful, and I liked the styling a lot, especially in person. But the Audi sales experience was poor at more than one dealership, and the number of poor reliability reports I read was harrowing. They just don't seem to get that they have to actually make customers happy, no matter what. Resale on this model was also questionable.
Audi A4- see above, plus lacks awesome DSG transmission of the A3 and is more expensive.
I was tempted to go cheap and get a 4 cyl accord, but I knew from experience that if you don't really like what you're driving, you're more likely to trade often, and that can be more expensive in the long run than buying what you want and sticking with it.
One final word on buying a BMW. Value. A lot of buyers see options lists and go crazy. BMW charges a LOT for its options. You can add nearly 50% to the cost of a 3 series with options. Come resale time, many of these options are not worth a whole lot relative to their original cost. So the cost of owning a 3 series can go from moderate to expensive, depending on how you equip yours. A modestly equipped 325i is actually not that much more expensive to run than a more mundane car, due to the better resale value, longer warranty, and included maintenance for 50K miles.
UPDATED 2/07:
After about 24,000 miles and over a year and a half of use, the car still impresses. There have been zero repair issues to deal with at this point and that was a big surprise for me. And with just one required oil change, service visits to the dealer have totaled just one, and that is great for those of us with busy lives who can't afford the time to shuttle cars to shops. But getting a free loaner does help make those rare visits easier, and is another example of how a low end 3 series may be a better overall value than a loaded-to-the-gills Accord or Camry class vehicle. (longer warranty, free maint, resale value, longer maint intervals, etc)
You really do not appreciate the car fully until you immediately step into a competitor. The BMW feels so much smoother and more solidly built, and the steering feel is so much better than our Saab, yet when I drive the Saab I feel like it's a very fun car to drive and very confidence inspiring too. In retrospect I wish I'd gone for the sport suspension, as there is slightly more body roll than I like, but this car is fine for any sort of responsible driving. But it does not have the "on rails" feel of the sport pkg equipped models.
Though many others disagree, I continue to be somewhat disappointed with the styling, though I'm not exactly sure why. It seems a little dull. Perhaps its the color choice, or the fact that the 325i lacks the few extra chrome bits of the 330i.
Be aware that if you do switch to non run-flat tires, you will pay dearly for BMW's jack kit, which from what I could tell was only sold at dealers of original BMW parts. And you'll have to store that spare in the trunk, since there is no sunken storage area for it. So pack lightly. I use an older 3 series compact spare, but it won't clear the large front rotors cleanly, so if you have an flat in front that you can't plug on the spot, you'll have to move a rear tire to the front, and then put the spare on the rear.
The ever-rising price of new and improved 3 series models (328i and 335i?) makes the '06 325i an even better long term value, as resale prices have remained relatively high. The arrival of new more powerful 328i models may have hurt resale value among some buyers, though.
UPDATE: 9/07
There was one minor glitch. The one-touch close function on the sunroof failed and you had to hold the button to close the roof. No big deal. Took it to the dealer for this and they flashed it and it was fine. Dealer service continues to be a strong point.
At almost 30,000 miles it's still going strong. I use the car on 7-8 hour expressway drives at least once a month and it makes the trip a lot easier on me than in my truck. You feel confident at 79mph where other vehicles have you gripping the wheel tightly in heavy high speed traffic conditions. The black paint has not held up that well, it gets abused from sitting at airports, horrible Florida water quality spotting it, and a few rock chips. I also notice that without the chrome trim of the 330i, it looks a little drab in black. Paint these days, due to environmental regs, just isn't as tough as it once was I guess.
I will probably trade or sell it in 2 more years when it reaches 50,000 miles and goes out of warranty. While the car is almost certainly tops in class, I do feel lesser makes have improved to the point in safety and performance where a new $25,000 replacement car will do the trick and save me having to deal the the hassles the car sometimes causes, as well as the maintenance costs which I'd then be responsible for.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 34200
Condition: New Model Year: 2005 Model and Options: 325i auto
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