Nice power when you need it. Beautiful styling. Standard Leatherette is way better than cloth any day. The interior is roomy and nicely designed.
Excellent stock rims for once. Smooth manual trans. Handling is world class. Great new design for the remote keys for 2001.

Hard to bargin down the price. Too many options that should be standard for a brand like BMW, not to mention the price too. The stock 10 speaker stereo system is not so impressive, even honda sounds better.

There was hardly any comparision when it came down to which near-luxury mid-size car to buy. The price I purchased it was out the door including CD, moonroof, xenon lights, auto dimming mirror and climate control. My friends have told me this must have been a mistake on the dealers part because many of their BMW 323i 2000 models were more than that with less options. I guess I got lucky. I test drove the new C240 and that was a great car but the fun of driving was not there. The car just felt too sluggish at times. The interior design was too boxy as well. The IS300 was last on my list. It reminds me of a fixed up Civic. C'mon Lexus! That car just wasn't as eye catching, neither was the engine with the supposed 215hp.
And also another note to Lexus, if they're gonna make a sporty sedan please by all means add a manual trans. option. Conclusion: BMW offers the thrill of driving back. I feel like a 16 year old again. The car feels stronger than ever although if my budget would allow, I would have grabbed the M3 coming out soon or even the 330ci. It sucks when you're limited on how much to spend. So far I've been very satisfied with my purchase and the dealership is great too. No hassles. They've been sending me thank you letters twice a week now. It's starting to get annoying. But nonetheless I'm a happy camper.

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IS300 and the new C240.

Engine, manual transmission, looks

Value, insurance cost, poor control design, paint job, oil filter design, cost of options and maintenance.

After 5 years the dazzle wears off and reality sets in. I really like 3 series cars but I know now that there are better choices when overall ownership is considered. The cost of maintenance is high once they start to need it (which as AFTER the 3 year free stuff) insurance is higher, premium gas is highly recommended. My seat broke (3yrs) the gauges and lighting went crazy one day as I was driving (as if I were on the Enterprise doing battle with Klingons and getting beat up) and the terrible controls with their tiny buttons (check it our yourself) are difficult to use while driving. Any other car company would get ragged for such a thing - just try to set the clock or adjust the your eyes on the road. The paint job looks good but my white one had marred finish due to bird droppings - one I removed in minutes after it happened. They do not clearcoat white. No other car I ever owned had that kind of paint problem. If you get one, pay for the metallic or watch our for seagulls and pelicans They are nice cars but I do not like the fact that the 2001 $31K model is with our cruise or the back seat does not fold in such a small car(4dr) and note that the civic sized 3 series features have changed over the years. Check out the Lexus IS 300 or the Acura CL or even the econiomical and cool 2001 Mazda Millenia S which I just bought as replacement.

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Owned - Lexus ES300, Mercedes 300CD Turbo. Market Competitors - Lexus IS 300 Mazda RX-8 Acura CL

Ride, Built Quality, Handling, Smootheness, and better than I expected, 'cause i have heard many bad things about new 318i!

Many people say that 318i doesn't have enough power. Relatively,
just by looking at the numbers, 318i doesn't do much, when you acually drive, it feels alot quicker. I used to drive 96 VW GTI V6, and compared to that I do not feel much difference for everyday use. Also i have driven 520i (our family car) 318i is easier to dirve, has better visibility, and easy to park and stuff.

rattles and vibration noise

satisfatory purchase, price/performance/quality ratio not very sure

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None

-strong engine
-all-wheel drive
-options package: heated seats, leather interior, sunroof, power windows/locks, ski bag,
-large trunk for a small car
-handling
-AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO DRIVE!

-the car is fast, but wish it was faster

The 325ix is a classic BMW. I'm glad to see that BMW is again producing the all-wheel drive 325xi and 330xi. My car has 160,000 miles on it and still runs strong. The engine and 5-speed transmission produce incredible torgue and the all-wheel drive glues the car to the road. An absolute pleasure to drive. I will never sell this car. In fact, I'm looking for another old 3-series to drive during summer months to save miles on my ix for the winter!

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Audi Quattro, Saab 900 turbo, PT Cruiser - I've owned many cars, test drove many new cars, but have not found a car as fun to drive as the 325ix

Great Engine, excellent seats and the front end is well sorted out. More monoeuvreable and seems to have a lot more poke. Passing is like a breeze, Brakes are outstanding.

Steptronic systems - it reacts slowly and when selected manually, it will not hold high revs in lower gears.(Just stick with Drive).

170 KW M54 engine that found it's way under the bonnet. Brakes are excellent with 325mm front and 320mm rear (Austalia Spec.)The elegant body that has real room in the back for two extra passengers. It's a lesson for any company building a coupe which believes eye-ctaching styling automatically cancels out practicality.

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BMW 323i Audi A4

- Smooth engine,
- good roadholding,
- outstanding marketing.

- Way to heavy, even the 2.8 liter engine is having a hard time (but that's why they build the 330...)
- Average (below avereage?) quality, SIX dealer visits in one year: radio broken, air conditioning, window creaks, radio again, etc,
- lousy stereo (Harman Kardon option), bad sound and ergonomics, extraordinarily bad sound considering the price,
- outstanding marketing (but it will work only once on me!).

Absolutely lousy dealer support with Konz in Luxembourg and with a BMW dealer in Basel, Switzerland. An insult considering the brand and the car price.

The crappy radio spoils much of the fun.

A good Autobahn tourer, driving pleasure is somewhere else...
Smooth and soft heavy car, if this is what you want you may be happy with BMW. I am not.

There are lots of cars in this price range, 328 is just one of them.

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Alfa Romeo 75 3.0 V6: about the same performance, but 300kg lighter! Much more fun driving the Alfa, BMW is like taking the bus in comparison! Alfa nevertheless is scarier especially on a wet road, but once you learn to drive it... :-)

nice ride, good power, overall a great car, but a V8 would be nice.

not really that much of a weakness, just a few problems here and there, but its because of the new E46 body style, has glitches here and there.

its between a great car and an ok car, i would go the 2001 M3 after this lease is up, or the S2000 to save money.

KF

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The looks. Unique. Not so many out there. With 17's on this thing... perfect. Very good handling. Good gas mileage. Sweet very sweet.

I got the automatic transmission... so forget about acceleration.

I love it. It's a bachelor's car. I'm 21 and it's the perfect size and style for me. Overall good performance. It's actually one of the few BMW models with the least problems. They've come out with the new ti in Europe, still don't know if they're launching it here. Maybe not. That means I still have the most recent model... as of US release.

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Amazing hndling. It is the best performing car in its engine class by far. Installed a set of 18 inch BBS wheels and lowered suspension = amazing performance. Engine is economic, but can use etra horsepower.
The interior is very luxurious, ordered with the full extras. No problems yet...

Engine need more horsepower. Transmission lacks smoothness

I love this car, not only do I like it, but anyone that looks at it does too. The engine lacks horsepower, but in a small city like Panama its just fine. The price here is very competitive. There is so much demand for the car, that poeple want to purchase mine for 27K, figure that out. No problems with the car and the agency, taken in for regular checkups. The wheels ake the car fel a little stiff but the performance is exhilirating.
Th esafety features are amzing you have to be an idiot to loos e control of the car. Recommend it a four and a half out of five stars.

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Best car in its class

The car looks great, not like some souped up import racer (IS300).
The handling is fantastic, HID lamps are great, more interior room than it's competitors. Smooth & adequate acceleration... stock 10 speaker system is good already, the Harmon Kardon upgrade must be over-whelming

a bit pricy, 17 inch wheels get a lot of brake dust quickly, but when those wheels are clean, they look awesome!!!

The car is great! Smooth & powerful... practically the same performance as the previous year's 328i... the steptronic tranny in silky smooth..

No complaints on this car whatsoever!!!!!

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IS300: more refined than the lexus, competes nicely with a smaller engine... the 330 will blow it away; A4: more space than the A4