1992 BMW 325i

having constant issues recent,,,needing a really good mechanic!

learn to fix yourself or pay $1000 a year

things that will need service
Auto tran 70000 3k
h2o pump 60000 1k
radiator 80000 * with above
smog 85000 1k
suspension 90000 2k

We bought this car in Monroe, GA about 2 months ago. Had almost $52k miles on it.
Today the ac started smoking and went out. Took it to our local BMW dealership to get it checked out, not only was the a/c out but we were told it needed a crankcase vent valve, hoses, evaporator, dryer, a/c line, intake boot, oil filter housing, rear brakes and lower control arm bushings. The estimate was over $5,600!!!! I seriously doubt I'll ever buy another use BMW.

I purchased my 2003 325i in 2005. It drives very well and I have experienced minimal maintenance problems. I will definitely purchase another BMW!

I like the car, overal looks and performs well - now at 110,000 miles. Although I don't expect perfection at this age there are a number of little things that have failed, some because of poor design or inferior parts/materials; all of which add up very quickly; e.g., taillight bulb assembly board, HID headlight went out (few hundred $'s in repairs), inside trunk release, lower control arms, leaking valve cover gasket, and leaking door seals.
Despite these annoyances, this is my third BMW (3 series) and is unlikely to be my last.

Overall I think the bmw 325i convertable is friking awsome!!! looking car with the long front end they have just sets them apart BMW did a great job on the cars body to bad they didnt cary it on to the 2000 model convertible so I hade to buy a vette but still love my 1994 bimmer !!. ill never get rid of it!! Dont get me wrong I like the sadans to!!

Purchased my car new. No problems until 2008, when I had to replace tires. In 2009, had window motor on passenger side replaced. May 2010 I had the power steering pump replaced and left back lights fixed...total cost $1,011.00. Car does not look dated and is fun to drive; however, it is very expensive to repair.

what a great car i had this car brand new since 2001 i had no problem with 125,000 miles suddenly the check engine light came on and i develop oil leaks ,crankshaft and camshaft sensor light problem soon after i replace these parts every thing was ok the key here is maintenance regular oil changes every 4,000 miles

Amazing first car, if your good with cars and know a thing or two they are also very cheap to fix since parts dont kill your wallet if you buy online. Amazing handling and for a 18-year old car with 176,000 ... it is very fast.

Love the way it handles...has a nice get up and go for a low end luxury, but the never ending problems and the price to fix them is forcing me to trade. Gas mileage is 30mpg with a heavy foot. Daily commute about 100 miles round trip. Drive is really fun, repair bills are horrible!!!

I am very dissappointed. I'll never buy BMW again. My past cars and vans were Toyota and had no problem with them. With my BMW, the moment the 4 year warranty elapsed, all problems occur. Both front and rear brakes were replaced, clutch and flywheel replaced, window motors replaced. It cost me almost $10,000! Now, the airbag sign is always on and I'm scared to bring it to the dealer for repairs! I might get ripped offf again. It's not worth it to own a BMW-you are just paying for the brand. Quality wise, it's a complete failure!

We have an 05 BMW 325i with 89K miles(owned it since 20K) and approx 60K are highway miles. I'm religous about my scheduled maintainance(dusty TX conditions). Great car to drive... be prepared for mechanical (peripherals) and/or electrical issues when the warranty runs out. We've had 3 confirmed oil leaks, head rest mechanism broke replaced(45K) and are wearing out again(we DON'T even adjust them)... i notice a trend. Front passenger window gear is malfunctioning, rear taillight lens cover leaked and shorted out the tail light assembly(replaced). Alternator fried and overcahrged the battery(leaked acid in the battery pan)... fun mess to clean out of the truck when it exploded. Now the A/C compressor stopped working. I'm fed up with this car. The last few things have happened in the last 3 weeks. I have a dodge truck that's two yrs older with nearly double the mileage and the only things i've needed to replace were the Exhaust o2 sensors and I did that myself. I maintain my vehicles very well and BMW makes it next to impossible to work on those vehicles with every speial tool known to man!!! You best be able to afford the warranty and/or afford to trade in on a regular basis! Not what I expected in the way of quality!

good

I don't drive the car hard. Only 37K miles in 6 years, but so far no problems, just routine mintenance. One oil change. Still on the original set of brakes.

Only quality problem is exterior trim. Glue that fastens brackets to window trim is failing and falling off. No way to repair except buy a new trim piece.

All problems listed in most of the comments i have had, brake issuses,window issuses,light issuses,but i still love my car -go figure

This car has some weak points that cloud the overall ownership experience. My problems so far:

Rear window regulators. It seems like there is a 100% failure rate on the the rear window regulators and at $350 a window this is not trivial.

Front window regulators: The fronts have not failed yet but are slow and as a result I avoid using them.

Cooling system: This year has a tendency towards cooling system failures. My fan clutch had to be replaced and the service advisor is recommending replacement of the water pump and reservoir to head off the inevitable failure at 60k miles.

Lights: The side marker lights fogged up and had to be replaced. The interior door switch failed and required replacement.

Brakes: brake life is not long and complete replacement at $1300 is a heavy price to pay.

Mystery stalling: If I make a U-turn and don't keep the gas on, the car stalls. Sometimes it just stops on a bridge or making a left turn out of my development. This is a scary problem that so far has no diagnosis.

My car also has the weird fan speed problem in which the fan pulses at high then low speed. This is annoying but apparently there is a fix for this.

The ride has lost the compliency that is so good when new. My other BMW has 127k miles and rides better than this one!

Summary: an expensive car to own. Look at alternatives that can provide similar quality with lower costs from Lexus or Acura. This car can make you truly miserable with repair costs. If you do own one, make sure you trade or sell the car when there is some service agreement and warranty left.

As with the 2002 models there are many expensive and disappointing problems. I love drive this car but find the clutch jerky and although I had it replace before it was time, it is still clunky. The problems with the window lift controllers is very annoying, obvious defective designs should be resolved by the manufacturer under a recall. The dealer told me that the sunroof falls of its track and there is a retrofit kit for $1500, i have never used the sunroof and find that outragous (BTW he also said that before the kit was available the repair cost was $2500).
The last trip to the dealer for the 50K service netted me an estimate of over $5000 for repairs to defective parts.
I get 31 mpg on the road and 25 around town which i like but the gas savings don't come even close to the cost of repairs.

The only problems I have with the car are as follows: The right side of the dash lights went out plus the one on the thermometer and clock, the speedometer/odometer have quit working for a while every once in a while but they come back when you start the car again usually, the sunroof froze up on me and won't slide open, and the steering has a slight rattle on bumpy roads.

That said I love the car. It is amazing in so many ways. Good gas mileage, power, and style. It's German engineered. It's Reliable. It's everything you could ever ask for...just add a CD/mp3 player.

I owned a 325i for 2 years and loved every minute of it. Not once in two years did I experience even the smallest problem whatsoever with my car. Even more, I loved the fabulous service provided by BMW dealerships and service professional.

Oh BMW, how I'll miss you.....