This review was re-written on March 23rd 2006.

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I bought my 2002 325i w/ Sport Suspension and 5-Speed Manual transmission in July of 2005 with 74,000 miles on it. I'm up to 88,000 miles now and I love this car. I just plain love everything about it. I am coming from a 1995 Pontiac Firebird V6 so this vehicle was a tremendous step forward in all regards. Every day when I get into my car I look forward to driving it. I commute an hour each day to work on a mix of back roads (most of my drive) and Interstate. The car is just a pleasure to drive.

Exterior:

The exterior styling is a very classy and clearly European style. Coming from American “muscle car” styling to a refined European styled car took some adjustment but I really appreciate the classy nature of this car. The sport suspension package adds an aggressive looking stance to the vehicle; it’s really amazing what it does to the overall look. One complaint I have is with the amber turn signal lenses. On my vehicle I have replaced them with clear lenses and silver colored / amber illumination bulbs and the difference that makes is astounding. I highly recommend it for anyone buying this car.

Interior:

The interior cannot be compared to anything else I have experience with. High quality materials are used throughout and everything has an extremely solid feel. American and Japanese manufacturers need to take a lesson from BMW in this regard for their higher end vehicles. Ever a 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe felt somewhat “cheap” inside compared to BMW’s materials (although, the G35 is a fantastic car in it’s own right).

I have had much of the interior of the vehicle taken apart in order to work on the stereo system so I have had a close look at a lot of the finer construction details. The interior door skin panels are very solid and heavily built, much unlike the panels in my Pontiac which rattled quite a bit. Behind the door skin there is an extremely well sealed foam vapor barrier which further insulates the interior from moisture and road noise.

Ergonomics are awesome from the driver’s stand-point. You can reach most of the important climate control options without taking your palm off of the gear shifter. Most of the common radio controls are on the steering wheel, and the few that aren’t can be reached with only a slight movement of your hand from the shifter. The steering wheel controls (cruise and radio) are very comfortable to use, well placed, and simple.

Seating in the vehicle is also fantastic. My Dad has extensive back injury including 3 fused vertebrae and even he was able to adjust the seat to a level of comfort he says he has never felt in a vehicle before. I have taken a few long trips including a 4+ hour drive to Myrtle Beach and the seat did not become fatiguing. I am a very average size of 5'10" and 185 pounds so this may vary if you are significantly larger than me. Mind you I found the seats in my Firebird fairly comfortable as well, but they cannot hold a candle to the flexible configuration options and overall comfort of the BMW seats. I have also come to truly appreciate the value of heated seats when one has a leather interior!

To sum up the interior of the vehicle takes but one phrase, “attention to detail.” I have no gripes about the layout, comfort, or quality of material used in this vehicle. I don’t think one can reasonably expect a superior interior in this price range.

* One final thought on “interior” topics. The ONLY gripe I have with the car is the audio system. The factory base option system is appalling. I admit it; I love audio, so much that I founded my own car audio company. So take that as you will, my taste is very demanding when it comes to sound. I ripped out the factory speakers and re-did the whole system sans the CD player which I retained. In fact, the vehicle is being used as my company demonstration vehicle, that’s how much I like this car!

Performance:

Since you are looking at a BMW I will assume you want performance. Well, if you love to drive in a straight line you may be let down by the 325i. The 2.5 liter inline 6-cylinder puts up a very respectable performance but would easily fall victim to other cars in its price range in a drag race. I’m not complaining since the straight line performance is more than adequate for me, but if you are hooked on acceleration look towards a 330i or an M3 in a BMW – or an American V8 muscle car for that matter.

The good news comes for those of us that love handling. The sports suspension package turns the car into a very fun to drive car. I enjoy going around curves and on-ramps with as much speed as I can. The BMW never fails to put a smile on my face. For those of us who need some help BMW has included a fairly effective traction control system that will keep you out of quite a bit of trouble with tire spinning under acceleration. It can get annoying if you really know your car and BMW thought of this and made it so you can disable traction control with the push of a button.

For a vehicle that drives like this BMW does it still achieves very respectable fuel mileage. I log my gas mileage for every tank in a notebook so I have plenty of date to base my talk on. The car has never failed to get less than 23 mpg with my driving. My typical run consists of a one hour commute each way to work mostly on 45 to 55 mph back roads with about 5 miles of 75 mph driving on the interstate. My typical mileage during the week runs between 24.5 and 26 mpg, and as mentioned earlier has dipped a slow as 23 mpg when I ran the car like I stole it. On long highway trips, like my ride to Myrtle Beach, I can achieve 29 – 31 mpg. I am extremely pleased with the fuel economy of this vehicle especially since I didn’t buy it to be an econo-box.

Reliability:

I have had only three problems with this car since my purchase and it was essentially the same problem three times. Three out of four window regulators have failed on the vehicle. This is an extremely common failure item on 1999 – 2005 BMWs so I expected it. The cause seems to be simple as I am confident that I fixed my fourth regulator (the most used of all, the drivers side front). It seems that the grease dries out causing the plastic sliding mechanism to catch thus snapping the plastic anchor for the metal cord. On my fourth regulator I swabbed a healthy amount of Valvoline synthetic wheel bearing grease all along the metal rails and all over the metal cord for good measure, this regulator continues to function like new. I have had no other problems with the vehicle since my purchase although you can expect, as I do, to replace your front control arm bushings, your rear strut tower bushings, and perhaps a cam-shaft position sensor or two. Fortunately all of these issues can be fixed with under $100 worth of parts if you don’t mind a DIY fix.

Remember, this isn’t a Toyota; you will have to fix some things on the car as time goes by. Is it worth it? To me the answer is a resounding, “YES!” A Camry would never put a smile on my face like my BMW. A plain vanilla car wouldn’t make my hour long commute something I don’t dread. Total cost of ownership, if you don’t have a warranty, is higher than average to my knowledge. So, again, don’t buy a used BMW without a warranty and expect to, “drive it and forget it.”

* A few notes on maintenance. Do not assume that the 15,000 mile BMW oil drain interval applies in all situations. You will be well served to change your oil filter every 3 – 6,000 miles during this interval, and only consider the 15,000 mile interval if you spent the money for a high quality full synthetic oil. A great oil that meets BMW spec would be Mobil1 0w40 full synthetic and you should be able to find that at your local auto parts store. Mobil1 5w30 does NOT meet spec and should NOT be used for these cars. I personally use Amsoil 0w30 in my car even though it’s not officially listed under BMW specs, and also recommend Amsoil’s 5w40 European car formula based on my research on oils.

* If you purchase a 3 series with an automatic transmission I would not follow the “lifetime fluid” recommendation made by BMW. No fluid is lifetime, period, you should have that transmission fluid and filter changed every 50 – 60,000 miles or be prepared for major transmission work or replacement at 150 – 200,000 miles. If you don’t plan to have the car that long, it’s not an issue for you so you can feel free to leave the fluid un-touched.

Verdict:

My used BMW cost me $18,900 with 74,000 miles on it. It has been worth every penny spent and I never send out a car payment with regret on my mind. I will continue to buy BMW in the future based on the impression this car has left on me. I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone shopping for a car in its price range especially if you drive a lot of miles and can appreciate how enjoyable the BMW driving experience is. You may want to look towards a 5 series if you have a family with more than one child, though, as the 3 series is not exactly a family vehicle in my opinion.
Amount Paid (US$): 18900
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 325i, Sport Package, Manual