sayerbloke Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 It was 6 months ago today that I bought my 1995 BMW 328i Coupe. With that in mind, I thought I`d do a quick review of my first half a year of BMW ownership Having been interested in cars all my life, and a fan of BMWs for as long as I can remember, I guess it`s not much of an overstatement to say owning one is a dream come true. For the first couple of months I went through a phase of looking out the window at it and finding it hard to believe it was actually mine. Now the initial "newness" of it has worn off but I still adore it. In my opinion, it looks fantastic, one of the best "everyday car" designs ever. It may not be as fast as an M3, but it`s still plenty quick enough and the straight 6 engine makes a nice noise throughout the revband. I like the interior and the seating position. The whole driving experience is very good, with the possible exception of when it tramlines on some roads. That aside, it`s certainly the best car I`ve ever driven. There is of course the downside of costs, but I was aware of them when I bought it. Considering I was paying £500 a year insurance for a 1.4i Astra, £800 for a 328i BMW seems very reasonable. The sorts of journeys I do equates to an average of 22MPG, but as I was only getting 30 out of the Astra, it`s not made a big difference. I did once pay out £40 in parts to completely replace all the major brake components on the Astra... £40 doesn't even cover the cost of 1 set of brake *pads* alone for the BMW at the same place, but again, I was prepared for that. May as well own a car like this while I`m young and have enough disposable income to do so There is one other topic I want to cover and that is image. It`s fair to say that BMW drivers have a certain image. This is a car forum so I need elaborate no further than that! Now, if after buying the BMW, I found myself getting let out of side turnings a lot less than in the Astra, I wouldn't have been mildly surprised. But I`m pleased to say that simply isn't the case; I still get waved out. Maybe it helps that I`m not the stereotypical BMW driver, in that I am forward-thinking and considerate when behind the wheel. Only yesterday, when the traffic was queued back onto the roundabout, I waited behind the white line at the start rather than blocking the road. A driving instructor then arrived at the next junction along planning to go right, steered his way around the car half-blocking his way onto the roundabout and waved to me to thank me for not pulling onto the roundabout and blocking it off completely. That was nice of him and I hope went some way to re-addressing the balance of people who do drive BMWs in an irresponsible way [TSN-ers obviously excluded ]. So, that's my first 6 months of being a BMW driver. For those of you still reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xspencex Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Nice to hear your enjoying BMW ownership... I hope you continue to have fun in your 328i Coupe its a crackin car.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Good review, and a great car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_m Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 a great review! dont think i could have a 2.8! my right boot is too heavy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted February 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 Thanks guys Before the 2.8 BMW I had a 1.4 Astra. Lets just say the difference is noticeable! I actually stick to speed limits a lot more in this than I did in the Astra, strangely. That said, it`s nice to know the power is there on the occasions I have put my foot down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted August 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 It was one year ago today I bought the BMW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activa Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 [ QUOTE ] It was one year ago today I bought the BMW [/ QUOTE ] Are you still as chuffed with it as when you wrote the first review? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted August 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 Ummm, just about. On some days more than others I think. Generally though, yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 A very good write-up indeed JS, and I'm pleased to see you're still very happy with the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyPence Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 nice, glad to hear youre still enjoying it. I was surprised to see it was one of those, i was expecting one of the older shaped BMWs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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