USED BMW 3 Series Touring (05 - )

My car

Great to drive and not too sluggish either for a 318d. Good seat position. Rear room is better than I expected On the whole I am really pleased with this car.

My car

This is the first BMW that I have had, and it will be the last. the failure of all four ignition coils over a period of 6 months ( the first at 18 months old) and the aggravation of 4 warranty visits does not inspire great confidence in build quality. Fuel consumption is nowhere near what is quoted and the handling apart from in dry conditions is apalling.

Previously have had Jag X types ( 4x4 and FWD versions) and the build and reliabilty was much better. Handling was also execellent in all road conditions - shame they are stopping production!

My car

I have owned this 'facelift' model since new from January 2009. No major problems so far.

Until...

My I-Drive had what appeared to be a minor problem, however after 4 different visits and wasting plenty of time, a major repair was carried out by replacing the C.I.C unit. This was obviously done under warranty, otherwise would have cost me around 2k.

This problem was not revealed during any services, so had I noticed this problem after the warranty expired, I would have been well and truly ripped off by BMW.

The IDrive (when working) is fantastic and allows the owner to send addresses direct from your PC to your car and many other useful features.

The car itself has very poor handling in wet, icy and snowy road conditions. In fact I find it dangerous and very slippery.

Great to drive on dry conditions.

If you are considering to purchase a BMW aged over three years old, make sure you get a BMW Warranty, otherwise you may encounter repair bills running into thousands.

Independent dealers do not have access to the latest diagnostic systems to complete repairs. BMW have ensured that the latest vehicles can only come back to them with a majority of electronic coded parts. You have been warned.

Overall, I am happy with the car, but feel very let down by the aftercare service BMW offer, which has gone very downhill.

After 20 years of owning many BMW's, due to poor service by their aftercare departments, I will switch to another brand.

My car

This is my first BMW and I have to say I’m a little disappointed.

This is a company vehicle and replaces a Mazda 6 and was selected primarily for tax reasons. The things that are really good about the car are the quality interior, fuel consumption, turning circle, integrated satnav and phone.

Disappointing is a compete lack of space for storage, luggage and occupants. Off-centre and confined peddles, overly stiff gear shift, gear ratios too high, lip on load area and the silly stop/start button.

Practical family car its not. Ultimate driving machine its not. In fact I would say the Mazda is a nicer car to drive.

This car cost nearly £10k more than the Mazda. The Mazda however was nearer in size to the 5 Series and add to that the cost of metallic paint, electric sun roof, front parking sensors, electrically heated seats etc. etc. all of which were standard on the Mazda you have to conclude that the BMW simply isn’t worth the money and is frankly over rated.