corners like it's on rails
Written: Feb 10 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Reliability: |
 |
|
| Seat Comfort: |
 |
|
| Build Quality |
 |
|
| Roominess: |
|
|
|
Pros: heated seats, comfortable yet gripping ride, cornering, see above
Cons: takes only premium fuel, lag when flooring the gas pedal
The Bottom Line: definitely buy one, as long as you dont have constant passengers in the rear
|
|
|
| jcpaps2's Full Review: 2002 BMW 325 |
I purchased the 2002 BMW 325i in June 2005, and since my purchase, I could not be happier with it. It had 55k miles on it, and is warrantee expires in 2008 or 100k-whatever comes first. The CPO people missed/covered up a couple of scratches, but besides that everyone thinks it’s a new car.
FYI--Other details about the car include: Power steering, power brakes, power door locks, power windows, power seats, stereo control in steering, am/fm CD stereo radio, on board computer (trip odometer, mpg, time, outside temperature) air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, automatic stability control (ASC), cruise control, tinted glass, driver side air bag, climate control, passenger side air bag, side air bags (front), front bucket seats, reclining seats, power sunroof, security system for radio, master window lock, anti-lock braking system, cold weather package (heated seats), premium package, alloy wheels, cup holders, interval wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk lid, wood trim, center arm rest.
The ride is excellent and smooth, and handling is magnificent. Even with the stock 16-inch tires (I think they are Continentals with Snow and Mud additional treads) it hugs curves really well. With those touring tires on it snow handling is decent-good as well—never a problem. But, I can see what everyone is talking about regarding quick wear on the tires, I think they wear quickly, but are supposedly very affordable to replace (under $100 per tire). Comfortable ride, but tight enough suspension that if you desire to make a raceway out of a highway, that you feel like you are not floating, but quickly changing lane-to-lane.
The top speed I reached was 119 mph, and that was going uphill. At 119mph, the car still felt like it was going 70. The steptronic is a little weird to get used to (does it remind you of a video game at the arcade, or is it just me), but I find it of use when I want to go 0-60 really quickly, or when I slap it over into steptronic mode to go from touring to racing-style driving. Very smooth transitions in automatic mode make me forget what gear I am actually in.
Regarding gas efficiency – I drive in city conditions most of the time, so I average 21-22mpg. However on the highway, even driving an average of 75mph, I get 30-32mpg. With a 16 gallon tank, I do not fill up as much as others. The onboard computer telling me my average mph and mpg is also handy, as it basically tells me in what conditions I have been driving in (low mph—city, high mph-highway), and my fuel efficiency without me having to take out my cell phone calculator to figure it out when I get gas. Some of these things people take for granted, but for a new BMW driver, it makes driving this car fun.
And to get very aesthetic about the car: In the greater NYC area it does not get that many looks, since there are a lot of people with similar, if not more amazing cars on the road. However, I will get looks because I am most of the time younger than them (at 25). Once I am out of the greater NYC area, I get a lot of adoring looks from women, and men who just scan the car in disbelief that someone younger than them has a nicer car than them. The car looks really nice if washed/clean, but because of the Metallic gray color (it is probably named something different in BMW terms) it does show dirt easily.
Other interesting things that I like: Automatic climate control, heated seats and the center console armrest. The little flashlight in the glove compartment. The flood lights (I always keep them on when I am driving at night). The moonroof/sunroof—it lets sun in, and barely any wind (doesn’t cause that horrible reverb sound that other cars have). The stereo how it increases the music volume when you go from 30-something mph to highway speeds. The compartment right beneath the radio that can fit sunglasses, gum, pen, etc. The reservoir for windshield washer fluid seems as large as the gas tank. The only time I really hear the engine is when I slam on the pedal.
Annoying things: The rear windshield, because it houses the antennae within the defroster lines, the top 3 defroster lines do not work. It doesn’t block my rear windshield view, but it does look a little weird. The car also takes long to defrost the windshields, and the steptronic is hard to remember (do I go up to upshift or down?) I also semi-blew the front right large speaker by playing music too loud—didn’t expect that to occur, and if I was to get it fixed, it would cost a lot of money to install. When I floor the gas, it takes almost a second for the engine to recognize that I floored it. The backseat has too little legroom (or so I’ve heard from my friends). Reminding my passengers to pull the door handle twice to unlock then open their doors. The car only takes premium fuel.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 20000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 325i
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jcpaps2
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.