I was looking for a solid drivers car that could get me around, be fun to drive, and still accomodate my family of 3 kids on the rare occasion when they needed me to transport them instead of my wife's 2003 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. My price point was in the $25 to 30 range, so I drove a honda accord V6 loaded, a loaded camry, and a lexus ES300 just to benchmark.

I was almost set on the loaded camry when I thought I would check out the local BMW dealership, thinking that it would be out of my price range. I found a very low optioned model (sunroof, metallic paint, wood trim and the steptronic automatic trans were the only options) for just over 31k. This car blew away every thing else I had driven, so I forked over a little more than I had planned, and totally don't regret it.

Even though this is the barebones model, it is still quite luxurious and has everything that you need. Power everything, same engine and transmission and suspension as the fully equipped model that can cost as much as 10k more.

The 'leatherette' seating surfaces, essentially fake leather, are fantastic, they look, feel, and smell better than the REAL leather on the camry and the honda, you cannot tell it isn't leather. The car's driving dynamics are outstanding, the build quality is excellent, the interior is a whole other league above the honda/camry and although not as cushy as the lexus, it appealed to me more because the ride is more sporting and less leasurely. One major ding is the back seat is much smaller than the other cars, but I drive alone the vast majority of the time. Think twice about using this vehicle if you regularly plan on having more than kids in the back seat.

The dealership was a pleasure, and overall I totally love this thing. If you drive it, you will understand what people mean when they say that BMW makes the ultimate driving machine, because that's what it is-- a machine perfected for enjoyable transportation. everytime I drive this thing I have a huge smile on my face. The steptronic trans is spectacular, the sport mode almost makes the manual shift option unnecessary because it basically reads my mind. I do NOT consider the heavily optioned $45k 3 series that great of a deal, there are just way too many other larger cars in that price range with a lot to offer, but if you can resist the temptation to option the heck out of it, the 325i is a good solid bargain.

The factory stereo is merely adequate. Resale is very good. Service is included for the first 3 years.

I find the driving position ideal, extremely comfortable. It is harder to get in and out of than the Lexus es300, for example, because it sits lower and the seats are more bolstered. This seat is not your living room couch like a caddy. It holds you there. The instruments are analog with a single digital window, of course they are back-lit in red which is the BMW tradition and it looks interesting but clearly it is not as legible as the Lexus instrumentation and I think BMW is doind itself a minor disservice by clinging to this tradition. The factory stereo is the standard one, and I was disappointed that it was so weak especially since it has 8 speakers. THere is an intergrated antenna in the rear windshield which is nice.

The steptronic transmission is a dream. The regular shift mode has 5 forward gears and it shifts, well, like a BMW, extremely smooth. You can notch the lever to the left and then you are in sport mode which revs higher before shifting and holds revs longer, it is what I use most of the time and it is wonderful. You can also manually shift without a clutch, which is a heck of a lot of fun. The amazing thing is that on paper this thing does not look that impressive with 184 HP and 175 FP torque, but it feels SO MUCH more than this, I have been so used to driving my acura that I forgot what torque is! I drove it back to back with my brother in law's V6 honda which has 225 HP (what I call "honda HP" since they never feel that fast) and we both agreed this thing feels much, much faster.

The brakes are amazing, you can see the giant discs through the slots in the alloy wheels. They are hard but don't fade and have good feel. They steering is fantastic, I've never felt such a perfect balance of feedback, assist, and control as well as complete comfort. I can't describe it, you have to drive it to realise how lousy your current car feels.

The styling is a matter of personal taste, I have the 4 door but I think the coupe is more attractive. I do like the lines, the stock wheels are 16 inch 205/55s with michelin MXV4 pluses, which is more than adequate for my needs, unlike most cars I don't feel the need to upgrade the wheel/tire package. The tiny pencip fog lights are not to my taste.

There are a lot of little details that are nice. The sunroof has an integrated little windflow breaker that pops up when it's open and almost eliminates that annoying buffing you get with normal sunroofs, it's the first one I have driven that doesnt' annoy me after about 40 MPH.

The trunk is small but access is good. On this base model the rear seats don't fold down, it's an option. I don't need it, I have larger cars I can use to haul stuff.

I do miss a trip computer, again an option and usually bundled wtih the luxury package that adds thousands to the cost and in my opinion greatly dilutes the value factor of the vehicle.

As I mentioned, I had an extremely positive experience with Weber BMW in Fresno, the sales department is excellent, I haven't used their service department yet.

I really like the metallic blue color, there are several great colors, but all but basic white, black, and red cost extra. It's worth it.

The bottom line is, you are probably looking at the Lexus es300 (nice and comfortable, reliable, well built but NOT a sports sedan and it's front drive so don't pretend it is), the infinity sedan (didn't drive it but it's supposed to be really great), the acura (again well built but front wheel drive and not a true sports sedan), and perhaps the c-class mercedes (very nice, can't knock it). If what you are looking for is a sporty fun drivers car and having a big back seat and trunk is not important, I recommend getting the sparsely equipped 325i.
Amount Paid (US$): 31000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003