BMW 3 Series 316i Saloon

This is my first bmw and i must admitt, im a very proud owner.

I am 19 years old and was 18 when i was lucky enough to buy it. since owning the car i have kept it in completely standard condition. No ugly mods or useless equipment for me thanks. I will start off with looks, and what a beauty it is! ive allways loved the e46 shape and especially when you consider its over 10 years old, it still looks modern and when you compare it to other cars of that age, i personally think the BMW puts them to shame.

My BMW is silver and the paint is still in fantastic condition. Im not a huge fan of silver cars but the e46 suits it very well and does not fade like other colours including red green and blue.

Besides having some minor prioblems with door sills and doorcards the general build quality inside and outside is superb. The exhaust has gone slightly tatty, so new exhaust trim will be on the way soon.

It still has the orginal 15" alloy wheels, which do look rather small on the car i must admitt and alot of the 316i SE models come with these wheels. So i am looking to buy some 18" bmw mv1 alloys soon to improve looks and make it a little more modern. I would recomend people who purchase a 316 to change the wheels because it kind of does stand out thats its a baby BMW.to people who dont mind it wont be a problem.

The 1.9 litre engine is sluggish and does have to be worked hard to get any performance. i would say the engines lack of power is probaly the biggest downfall. On motorways the engine does improve but around town its slow, no denying it im afraid! My car has covered just over 108,000 miles and still goes well.

i have only had one problem since owning the car. And it was a big one :( the head needed to be skimmed as a result of the waterpump failing and because of the lack of water the engine fried. but luckily was repairable at the cost of around 600 pounds all in :( so besides that big bill it has been reliable and is about to go in for a full service.

Handling is excellent. it goes around corners well but does suffer from slightly heavy steering around town.

so to be perfectly honest to anyone thinking about buying a 316, i would say this..its a very good car for not much money nowadays, but obviously one with service history and reasonable millage is a must. BUT the engine is the letdown of the whole car, yes its reliable and yes its good on feul and yes you get the good handling and rear wheel drive but its UNACCEPTABLE for a 1.9 litre BMW engine to produce so little bhp and torque.

my advice is go for the 6 cylinder models if you can afford to. but if your not too picky about performance..the 316 is one heck of a car.

thanks for reading HAYDEN :)

This car is reasonably good value for money and a driver with small family with not alot of carrying loads.

We picked this 1996 BMW 316i auto estate last year for a grand. It has been very reliable when you get used to the occasional steering wobble. It looks fantastic. The bodywork is as new - very smart racing green.

I am having to move on to a frugal Polo as I have a long commute each day. Any ideas as to average fuel consumption on this auto?

Manual transmission depends on the onboard computer unlike in a pure manual transmission car where engine can be jump started. The onboard computer flickered while driving on a steep upslope then eventually conked out while it was supposedly ON. Eventually, the foot brake failed because the car was working against gravity. Almost perished from the accident had not a stone hedge broke the fall. Naturally, BMW autoshop estimated the damages and maintained "pilot error" as the cause of the fall. What's more insulting is, after the repair of the unit, even if you explicitly request for a test drive on a steep upslope, they still won't heed the customer and prefers test driving on a flat road.

I sold this car about 9 months ago, it was a BMW 316i on a 1995 M registration. It was a 4 door saloon and had a 1.6i engine. I bought this car just to use as a second car for travelling to work and back after having a number of BMW's in the past. The car never once let me down, it had done 98,000 miles when I sold it of which 6,000 of those I did myself. The car wasn't to bad on petrol but it was very basic, no air con, no electric windows in the back. When I sold it it was starting to get a bit of rust on the rear wheel arches even though I washed it every week. These cars are no better to drive then most other cars the same size and the extra costs you pay is basically for the BMW badge on the bonnet. The best thing about them is you don't struggle to sell them as younger drivers love them due to the looks. Also the leg room is limited for the rear passengers and you don't get to much boot space. I would recommend the 316i if you are just after a run about that is very reliable but if you are after the performance and handling that BMW is known for then I would suggest that you pay a little more money and get a higher spec one like the 320i SE.

My Mum has a P reg silver Auto BMW 3 Series 316i Saloon.

Although it has done 150,000 Miles, it is still as reliable and durable as any other car. I seldomly drive it, But when I do, it feels like your in total control.

With Accurate steering, Good power, excellent Auto gear box and a very good safe feeling to it, it makes an ideal drivers car, with room for a few passengers.

However, fuel consumption on this model isnt that great. About 28-33mpg combined. Rear seats are limited in terms of space, so adults would feel uncomfortable for longer trips.

Maintenance costs do add up. It can be expensive to maintain, If it needs it. average boot size, to hold a pair of suitcases and well layed out engine, makes this car very good value for money, especially at todays low second hand prices.

BUT watch out for the Rust, and Exhaust condition. Check the V belt and radiator for wear and tear as well.

It looks the Mutts Nuts and I still feel proud to own one today.

Thanks.

VR