I've been driving my '02 325XI for about a year. It was kind of on impulse; it was a used car on sale at the Saturn dealership where I was servicing my ION (process that for a second, if you will...). I got the Manual which is a little tricky to get used to (emphasis on "little") with the navigation system and all the bells and whistles in the audio. My parents are Mercedes drivers. Mercedes has good design, but BMW seems to have the guts to go with the skin.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Once I got the seat adjusted (the manuals, I beleive, were not available with power seating) and got used to the clutch, I can't imagine ever willingly driving anything else. In the 2005 revamp, they added a much-needed 6th gear. The 5th gear on this really doesn't save you any gas, which is what a bottom gear should, in my opinion. It has far too much torque.

The stereo was amazing in 2001 when this was purchased originally. Now, I'm afraid, it's a bit dated and I'm considering an upgrade.

My only real problems with this car are basic little design flaws that are an annoyance at times. The biggest of which is the reverse gear is a bit tricky. There are buttons on the dash which could have had an infinitely useful function, but one changes the clock from 12 to 24 hour time. I had to buy an arm-rest separately. The key is cool looking, but not functional; the buttons are such that if you put it into tight pockets, the trunk stands a good chance of popping. There is, at least to my knowledge, no way to trip the alarm (aka: panic button) to find the car in a crowded parking lot. Besides that and a dated nav system (I've tried the new ones on an '05 and '06 and the interface is MUCH better), there's pretty much nothing to complain about. It teeters on being a gas-guzzler, but it's about median for the cars out there.
Amount Paid (US$): 21K
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 325XI, Manual, Nav system