My 2000 323Ci is a great car, but its been so troublesome after only 20,000 miles that I would have sold it over a year ago (only 22 months old now) but I can't get a good price for it.

Let me list all the problems I have had with the car and describe my growing frustration:

1. When I took delivery of the car it had a ding on the wheel well (I was disappointed, but realized that eventually it would get dings anyway, not that much of a big deal).

2. When I took delivery of the car, the driver's side seat belt setup was incorrect. I don't know the official part name, but I am referring to the fixed part that the seat belt latch fits into. Some how BMW had installed a right side seatbelt setup on the left hand side, so my car came with 2 right side setups! I couldn't believe that the car made it past BMW inspection- according to the owner's video, each car is meticulously examined before being shipped out (At this point I was still enamored with my new car and just considered this problem as endearing and an "unique" characteristic of my car- I got this fixed after a friend pointed out the fact that it was probably a safety issue).

3. Several months later my sunroof wasn't closing properly and I got it fixed during my 15,000 mile check up (I was annoyed, but still had warm feelings about owning a BMW. I was just surprised that I would have a problem so early on).

4. Shortly afterwards the sunroof was having problems again and had to be replaced along with a thermostat (Now, I was starting to get concerned about the sunroof. Plus, it was just annoying having to go into the dealership so often, so soon for a new car).

5. A couple months after that, my Air Conditioning stopped working- right in the middle of a hot California summer (At this point, I was getting to know everyone at the BMW dealership on a first name basis).

6. Shortly afterwards I got a flat and had to change the tire, but could not use the jack because the plastic screw unit that holds the jack in place somehow broke (Ok, now I was starting to feel like BMW cut too many corners- why would any manufacturer decide to use a plastic screw? I spent 2 hours trying to get the jack unscrewed so I could change my flat).

7. In the last 6 months, 4 light bulbs went out, 2 left side turn signals and 1 left side headlight and 1 right side headlight (After having to change my 4th lightbulb, I was livid [2 bulbs and 3 trips to the dealer in 2 weeks is not a lot of fun]. The numerous trips to the dealership were killing me. The general consensus at work is that I got a lemon, and I don't doubt that, but I spoke to another owner at the dealership that was going through many of the same problems with a 2001 325Ci).

8. My sunroof still acts up when its cold outside- also my cd player doesn't eject fully when its cold (Too mad to write more)

The sad thing is that the car itself is fantastic. Its just too troublesome- especially for a new car.

So the bottomline is that I love my BMW's design and performance, but cannot adequately describe in words how frustrating and absolutely horrendous the ownership experience has been. Beware! If you want a BMW, be prepared to go the dealership often. It's such a shame that the ownership experience is so miserable because the 323 is truly a wonderful car.

By the way, I owned a 95 VW Golf and 87 Acura Integra previous to my 2000 BMW and never had a problem with these 2 cars- I didn't even need to replace a single light bulb.

Thanks and Good Luck if you are considering a purchase


Amount Paid (US$): 34500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 323Ci