Thinking of buying 2001 325i

Dealer asking $17,999, but should come down a grand. It's only got 49,000 miles - not bad for an '01. Has the moonroof package, too, which is nice, I guess. I love that body style, too - much better than the latest ones (apologies to newer 3-series owners, of course).

I test drove it, and it seemed very nice. The only issue seemed to be that the instrument cluster housing was a bit loose, which was odd.

So - what do you guys think? Were the '01 325i's good cars? Or are they money pits just waiting to suck every spare dollar from my wallet? Should I get a Toyota or Honda if I want reliability?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

BMW reliability is good, but even the vaunted 3-series won't be as reliable as many modern Honda/Acuras and Toyota/Lexus, but then again, nothing is. The BMW makes up for it by being better in just about every other imaginable way. It looks better, is more comfortable, handles better, feels better, is usually faster, etc.

Nothing is 100% sure on reliability, but 3-series BMWs usually do not become money pits. Just be warned that when it comes to fixing them, parts tend to be a bit more expensive then what you might be used to with higher production American and Japanese cars. On the other hand, I have found that BMWs are less likely to need trips to the shop then most other brands.

They are great cars and I hope you enjoy yours.

BMW reliability is good, but even the vaunted 3-series won't be as reliable as many modern Honda/Acuras and Toyota/Lexus, but then again, nothing is. The BMW makes up for it by being better in just about every other imaginable way. It looks better, is more comfortable, handles better, feels better, is usually faster, etc.

Nothing is 100% sure on reliability, but 3-series BMWs usually do not become money pits. Just be warned that when it comes to fixing them, parts tend to be a bit more expensive then what you might be used to with higher production American and Japanese cars. On the other hand, I have found that BMWs are less likely to need trips to the shop then most other brands.

They are great cars and I hope you enjoy yours.


Thanks. I'm going in this morning to let them drive my trade and see what they can do for me as far as an offer is concerned. My gut says, "go for it." It's truly a beautiful car. Plus, the heated seats will please the wife!:grinyes:

on edit: do these have timing belts or chains? if belts, when do they need to be changed? thanks!

Hello,

I have a 2001 325 - without too many problems. There were a few problems while under warranty that were fixed - and seemed to be common problems with the year.

- Mainly all 4 window regulars went bad. Replaced them under warranty, and no more problems since.

- Camshaft sensor went bad, fixed under warranty.

- Crankshaft sensor went bad, fixed out of warranty.

Other than that, no serious problems.

Anthony

Bought it! Love it!

We got a supplementary 2-year/24k mile warranty that's fairly comprehensive. The cool thing is, the warranty is through Nissan (bought at Nissan dealership), but our local BMW dealership will honor it. Plus, they paid the tax, so it ended up a pretty good deal. Now I just need to spend some quality time with the manual...

I owned a 2003 BMW 325i and it had plenty of problems in the 2 years of ownership. It was the South Africa build so I'm not sure if the place of assembly had anything to do with it, but either way reliability was iffy. It got outstanding gas mileage, was great on road trips, and was super fun to drive.

My left rear tire blew while driving and when I took it off I noticed it was rubbing against the wheel well and had worn down the tire to the point it would blow...not good.

also

I took my car in because the service light kept coming on, staying on, then turning back off and then the car would just not move or move slowly. BMW kept the car for over a week because they needed to replace valves and a head gasket (I believe, it was years ago) and it was pretty ridiculous for a car that was 1 year old at the time.

At any rate, BMW service is great, but the cars are kind of hit and miss.