BMW 3 Series Sedan E90 (2005-2012)

Very reliable and functional car – Drive the car daily for work and other purposes. Had it for 11 years done 160000km and only issues has been a reader diff seal that I didn’t even notice was leaking. Extreamly economical, quite quick with loads of torque and comfortable to drive on long drives. Handles very well as the chassis is well balanced with precise steering. Show details

BMW 320D 2008 - The panzer still going strong after forteen years! – After driving several European cars, my 320D is still going strong at 142k on the clock. In twelve years of ownership this car has been extremely economical in all facets. 5.2 litres/100km avg serviced once a year at around $375 per service that’s it. Apart from a petrol station water ingestion in my diesel tank which was an insurance $8k fix the… Read more

car has been running perfectly all this time. No parts falling off, just specified tyres, filters and battery replacements. No timing belt issues, no turbo issue, it’s called driving the vehicle the way it should.

BMW 2009 320d E90 turbo diesel automatic sedan – I am a motor car and heavy vehicle mechanic, I have worked on diesel engines for a few years after my apprenticeship. 29 years ago I was in a Commodore racing team as the team head mechanic. I have tones of experience when it comes to motor vehicles, I hold a semi-trailer licence and have driven semi-trailers, and heavy rigid vehicles for a… Read more

living prior to joining the NSW Police Force in Feb 1988. I have undertaken NSW Police Advanced driving course I was High-Speed Pursuit Gold Licence holder. Last year we purchased a BMW 2008 320d turbo diesel auto luxury sedan with 149,000km on the speedo.

I would just like to say the 320d turbo diesel is the nicest car I have ever driving, it has many safety features it is very strong in case of an accident. It is a very well built car, easy to work on and parts are a lot cheaper than any other cars on the road. For instance, the huge air cleaner was $100 it lasts for five years in normal conditions, the oil filter genuine is $24. The fuel filter was also cheap. It only takes 5 litres of synthetic oil in the engine. The air conditioning cabin filter was $50 and was very easy to replace my 17-year-old daughter replaced it. The auto transmission requires no servicing at all. There were a couple of little things we had to fix up but I am fastidious with our cars. These are extremely nice cars and run circles around the competition.

Diesel BMW cars only not SUVs and I wouldn't buy a Petrol BMW. Our 320d uses 7- 8 litres of diesel per 100km on average. As far as the motor goes I have replaced all of the fan belts, changed the coolant system and flushed it out. I have also replaced the rear window lifters as I know they are a problem and get stuck down if open as they don't get used enough due to the great heater and air cond system. The window lifters were $200 each fitted I did both rear windows just for peace of mind even though they were working ok. The boot is huge.

The interior is plush with thick very good quality leather and just exudes luxury/quality. I would not take any BMW to a BMW Dealership for servicing myself, that is my own opinion we have a privately owned mechanical workshop who services and repairs BMWs close by they have all of the equipment to work on BMWs and know everything about them and are also very reasonably priced.

The work I cannot do as I am nearly 60 he does. I cannot get down and pull off wheels or do any heavy work anymore etc. The car is fitted with run-flat tyres that you can travel at 80km an hour for 200km should you get a puncture. Believe it or not, they are basically half the price of my Pajero tyres, about $180 each. In a crash, it would be one of the safest cars on the road in my opinion. It has the stability controls, ABS, etc as well as several airbags. Look for a low kilometre 2008-2009 E90 luxury pack with sunroof etc will only cost you about $14,000 or less depending on where you buy it from. North Sydney is a good place to start as they all seem to own them down there.

We paid $12,000 from a private seller for our's in a metallic light gold colour. Importantly all of the service books were up to date and it was in near new condition. On the road it is very surefooted and even though I have owned heaps of cars over the years and had a brand new SS V8 Police Commodore or XR8 Falcon Highway Patrol car replaced every 6-8 months for my 9 years in the NSW Police Highway Patrol section this BMW would run rings around anything I have owned in the past as far as handling, braking and comfort, quality goes.. It is no slug either you wouldn't know if was a diesel you were driving one if I didn't tell you. 9/10 for this car.

Please Note: The above comments are my opinion/experience only remain guarded when buying any second-hand car. Some people may disagree with my opinion and that is fine. I take no responsibility for my comments in this review.

Great car but don’t expect it to be cheap – I bought the car secondhand with 64000kms in 2014 and it has been more reliable than my first 3 series, as well as more reliable than my previous Honda Accord Euro. Great car to drive with weighty steering that’s feels more involving. And generally the engine and transmission has been no problem, but there have been a few things that have been… Read more

issues.

Expect to pay more for tyres. As there is no spare tyre, your only choice is run flats which are generally more expensive and give a harsh ride.

THERE IS NO DIPSTICK! As i have never had great luck with cars, i do like to check the oil once every two weeks. Unfortunately after I purchased I realised that it has an “electronic” dipstick where the car tells you how full it is. So far so good, there has been only 2 times in 4 years it has asked to top up with 1 litre of oil in and I’ve had no problems. However i am weary of aging German technology.

Also I’ve had issues with the two rear window regulators breaking and dropping the windows. As you don’t want to park anywhere without securing your car, I had to get these fixed quickly and was $450 each time.

Personally it has been a fun car to drive and pretty reliable in terms of the engine and transmission. Things to consider is that its not a Toyota and will cost more to fix if/when stupid things like window regulators fail.

My very first car – Bought it second hand, but love the car as it’s classy and as diesel car, it saves a lot of money. People might feel it’s a little bit noisy but it is perfectly fine with me. Dashboard is clear, and you can pretty much know all the functions without reading the manual.  Show details

Beautiful car to drive – I have recently purchased a 2007 325i BMW with the Msport pack and suspension. I find this car to be very sleek. The navigation, front and rear sensors and multimedia are all easy to use. The shape and size of the car is perfect for day to day driving. I find a slight lag if I need to take off quickly into traffic but besides that the performance is perfect. Very happy with this car. Car is quiet and has lots of room. Runs perfectly.  Show details

Lemon – I have wanted to drive a BMW my whole life and after just over a year of driving a 335i sedan on a novated lease I must say I am so disappointed and expected better for BMW. This car is a straight up lemon. 2 major problems which arose in the first year of using the car, first one a crack and subsequent leak in the coolant system. Second one a few… Read more

months later the car just wouldn't start apparently due to "software problems" affecting the starter motor. We have had to pay around $4000 to date out of our pockets as the novated lease budget wasn't sufficient to cover the rip off prices that BMW service charge. Next car will not be a BMW thats for sure. Crap quality.

Perfect car and very comfortable – Our car drives like a dream. It is very smooth on the road and doesn't sway when you turn sharp corners (like previous cars I have owned). It is very comfortable and has enough room for the whole family. I wont be buying anything else but a BMW from now on.  Show details

Reliable car with quality – What I like about this BMW is build quality and just look elegance. Fuel consumption can be thirsty for the naturally aspirated 2.5 engine. On average it takes about 12 to 14L per 100kms. you don't want things to go wrong with BMW because it can cost you, especially mechanically when its out of warranty. Would probably recommend the newer generation for better fuel ecomomy  Show details

BMW 323i faultless motoring – 2010 323i solid great to drive. I change my oil every 10k and yes you can tell the difference if it's left any longer I tried Mobil 1 0/40 but found the Castrol 5w30 seems better nothing bad to say 8.3lts per 100ks serving is the secret to a great BMW yes i do my own oil changes it's easy cheers and happy motoring  Show details

lemon – driving experience great, handles good, no noises, stops well. nice leather seats, plenty of leg room. reliability none.always breaking down. running costs through the roof. the most unreliable, expensive car i have ever owned.stay away from this series 3 model. you have to take it to a specialist car mechanic,  Show details

A dream to drive. Sports and luxury combined – 2010 BMW 320i 4 door sedan is an absolute pleasure to drive. Quick, efficient and very responsive I love driving this car. The steering is a little heavier than usual but this gives you great road feel, responsive driving experience. Love the leather interior but above just love the solid feeling and safety of this car. This is especially important when your family is on board. Great value for money secondhand. Quality product.  Show details

My Favourite Car! – The driving experience is great, sports steering and handling when in sports mode. The exhaust opens un in sports mode and sounds pretty sporty for a BMW, very deadly. I love the interior to the maximum! I have a 2009 320i M Sport with Oyster Interior, exterior color is Le Mans Blue. The leather is quality although the air con adjuster plastic… Read more

bits always break! I broke two of them in 2 weeks although it's not much of a vibe kill. It's a reliable car to me, never broke down. Only the time at the traffic lights when I realized you need your foot on the break to get into drive or any gear for that matter, that would have looked like a break down from behind haha. The running costs are very economical, I use about 5 liters going 80kmp/h. I decide to run her on U98 which is expensive although you can use any fuel you like, depends on how long you want the engine to last and how much performance you wish.

An E90 Lemon – I bought a 2007 demo e90 323 and had it for 18 months. Within 2 weeks it went into limp mode & had to loaded onto a truck & taken back to the dealer. The problem persisted sporadically and was quite frightening, when coming to an intersection and accelerating to cross the road, the car would again limp across the intersection. As the car was under… Read more

warranty the software was upgraded 3 times and the top half of the engine including overhead valves etc. was renewed, all to no avail. I had the chief techo from BMW Australia look at it. He insisted on me driving, which I did to demonstrate the problem. He told me that it was my driving style which the engine management system was replicating. I knew there was nothing wrong with my driving style as this was the 6th BMW I had owned & driven over a 20 year period with no problems. My only alternative was to trade it on a Lexus & two cars later (an IS250X and IS350FSport) I have had no issues!!!

DON'T BUY .... ABSOLUTE LEMONS – Hi Guys, i bought a Second hand 2009 BMW 320i at approximately 65000km just under 2 years ago which i have just recently traded in (THANK GOD). Since i have had this car i have never been to the mechanic/dealership so many times where i actually knew the service advisers on a first name bases and was asking them how the family was... Everything… Read more

that could go wrong went wrong since i had the vehicle, from Sensors, oil leaks, gasket, seals and many more problems. I was actually using more oil then fuel before i traded it in. I was always on time with my services. I emailed BMW Australia with my disappointment and their reply was "Due to the age of your vehicle we cannot help you in any way" Age of my vehicle the lemon is only 6 years old. A vehicle that's half the price and with more options then a BMW last a lot longer then this car. Will never be a BMW owner even if you gave it to me for free or even paid me !!!!

Unsafe vehicles – Bought new 2010 320i Executive. Had bad car accident, not 1 airbag deployed after 2 collisions: bounced off a car and then a pole. Can I sue BMW?  Show details

2010 BMW 320i Rubbish – Purchased brand new, has been to the dealership on no less than 10 occasions. Added recent invoices up and it has had 14k worth of repairs luckily under warranty. Problem items, 6 months into ownership: - mechatronics gearbox replacement 11k to fix (6000 km's) - cylinder head cover replacement and vacuum pump replaced twice (36000 km's and… Read more

66000 km's)

- faulty ignition key

Every service was done by a BMW dealership in accordance with the service intervals specified. Car looks great as it is fully optioned. Never done a review before but would like to let people know my experience. It is getting traded asap. The last fault vacuum pump and head cover replacement was covered under Allianz Extended Warranty. No problems with the claim.

BMW 2005 320i E90 – These cars are and absolute pleasure to drive, magnificent but don't purchase one, they are a nightmare mechanically. Just ask any mechanic: water pump, radiator, cat converter, sensors, the list goes on... Their appearance is second to none but beauty with these machines is only skin deep: I loved looking at my BMW but I was afraid to drive it anywhere.  Show details

BMW 3 Series E90 – I bought my wife a brand new 3 series Executive, paid $65k in 2005, within 10 months the auto blew up, great under warranty, what a Nightmare of a car. Every time we took this car to BMW the minimum cost was $1000. We still have the car, the engine light comes on often, we have replaced that many Valvetronic motors, we continue to get different… Read more

lights all the time. 2 weeks ago I was offered $4000 as a trade in on a Merc, the dealer apologised to me for the insult, but as he said, the 3 series was the worst car BMW have ever sold. I would agree with him 100%.

NEVER buy a BMW, this piece of ......... cost us a fortune! Not Happy :(

Never would buy another BMW 2008 320i E90 – Well I bought my BMW from Rockhampton at a 2nd hand dealer. I drove out of the dealership, 5 days later my car decided it doesn't want to start, only when it felt like it cause: there was a crack in the water bottle for the windscreen wipers so the bottle was dry... 2 week's after that I had smoky particles flying in through my air con vents and… Read more

chocking me and my children cause: vacuum seal at the back of the engine... Lucky I had my whole 3 month used car warranty (sarcasm). 5 months later I keep blowing my central locking fuse and then the big fault came, my car's dash lights go haywire then my car shuts down completely: engine, transmission everything...

So as BMW is the closest dealer with a diagnostic machine (500+km away) I got my BMW towed to find out I have a failed dsc module and they want to charge me $5800 to fix!!! I would have to say this model of BMW is rubbish. Buy a 96 Commodore and you'll have better luck and reliability! If I had Googled common faults for this type of car I would never have looked at it. I am not happy with the fact of a luxury car under a good name can be built so horrible with so many faults. BMW should have recalled this model as my dad says BMW stands for Bring My Wallet. Never again in my life will I spend big money on BMW again! Fuel economy was good. Bad make of car too many faults, Google it!

Never buy out of warranty – I purchased a 2006 320i with 100,000km and full service history. In 14 months ownership I had multiple problems and estimate I would have spent $8,000 on services and maintenance issues including multiple oil leaks. I understand and accept that a second hand car will have faults but I have driven cars with over twice that mileage before that were… Read more

a lot more reliable - I think it says a lot about BMWs build quality - the BMW specialist mechanics I took it to said this model was notorious for oil leaks. The driving experience was nothing special either. Much happier now I have got rid of it and purchased a Lexus.

Unreliable

320i 2007 - don't bother – I've had a 320i Executive sedan with innovations pack since new and have had nothing but trouble. Had to replace the thermo fan at 26,000km's and now the auto transmission has failed at 57,000km's and $10k to replace! BMW Australia want nothing to do with it - clearly a known fault with the car. A luxury sedan having this many major failures = no more BMW's for me! Too many faults and expenses just out of warranty Show details

Perfect product – I bought the 320i executive new in 2008. It's just gone 4 years old and 70K and has not missed a beat, everything works as intended and still on the original battery. Great handling and nice and easy to maneuver and park around town and holds the road beautifully at high speed. The only downside is there is no wheel well in the boot should (and… Read more ·  1

I would!) you wish to change from runflat tyres to standard type tyres. The runflats are a piece of mind safety feature but wear out way to quickly (on my third set). I've had a few nice cars including Mercs, VW, BMW's, Audi but my next purchase will be another Beamer. Equipment level, build quality, handling, fuel consumption. I would prefer not to have runflat tyres.

Nice drive but BMW in denial about some known faults with 3 series – I purchased an ex-demo 2007 325i sedan from a BMW dealer. One hot summer the Air Conditioner blower fan just turned on by itself and ran on full power until it completely drained my car's battery. I returned the vehicle to another dealer for the replacement of the FSU/Air Conditioning Blower Resistor Control Unit whilst the vehicle was still… Read more

within the BMW warranty period. They replaced it because it was found to be faulty. After a further few months the exact same unit failed. This time out of warranty. BMW refused to replace it even though it had previously failed. I found out from various BMW forums around the world it is known to be a common manufacturing fault. BMW conveniently denied they knew about this. The part costs $350 from BMW but a genuine part can be purchased from the web for $190, including delivery. This part takes just 5 minutes to replace. Big money making rort from BMW Australia, especially if you have to keep replacing the same faulty part every year. It's time to sell my BMW and look at buying other makes. Overall quality, styling, prestige, smooth drive, more power than a 320i (taxi pack which most owners try to disguise as a 325i or 335i) Poor warranty service response from BMW in denial about known faulty component

Low fuel consumption, good peformance for a 1500 kg vehicle – I like the diesel 320d version a lot as uses less fuel (around 7L/100km) mixed driving, and servicing intervals are 25.000 kms or 1 year. Basically all you need is change the motor oil and brake fluid every 2 years, and top up other fluids if necessary. Filters are replaced every 100.000 kms. With proper TLC these cars should last a lifetime. … Read more

You pay for the badge too BUT if you're unlucky you may end up with frequent trips to dealerships.

For those considering purchasing a preowned BMW, be careful as you never know what's wrong with your next car or how previous owner has treated it.

It's sad in Australia we pay almost twice more than in USA or UK for a identical BMW. Top of the range Bimmer costs 50k USD here over 100k. Good fuel economy, great performance, good handling, great looks. Price tag high. Servicing & parts can be expensive.

Best car I've ever owned – I've owned a Mazda, four Audis and an HSV, and this 3 series is my favorite car of all. I was lucky enough to get a German-built version when the 2009 model first came out. No problems at all with build quality, not a single thing has gone wrong in 2 years. I don't find the run flats to be too hard, but I came from an HSV with 19" rims, so… Read more

anything was going to be softer.

320d engine has ample power and great delivery. Economy isn't flash - around town 7.5l/100km and low 6s on freeway trips, versus official combined figure of 5.4L. That's the only downside (other than purchase cost, of course). Reliable, smooth, great build quality, good styling (with sport pack) 18" rims make for expensive tyres

Good – My 323i M Sport is now 18 months old. Had minimal issues with it, all fixed at BMW Melbourne with no fuss at all. Have just replaced tyres with non run flats, and it makes a world of difference to noise, ride and handling. Just needed to buy the "Mobility" pump/puncture repair kit from dealer. Great car, a pleasure to drive. Run flat tyres, limited rear legroom Show details

Expected a lot more from a prestige car – I purchased the car in one day loved the look of the car and it was time to downsize from a 4wd, the kids had grown and the petrol was so expensive for the use it was getting. I have to tell that my previous 4wd was a Toyota so that I can address this issue, the windshield wipers when activated stop right in front of my eyes on the return action… Read more

and this happened every time, the action is repeated as much as every 10 seconds or so. Extremely distracting and annoying, like with all matters of financial gain if you wish to sell the product in Australia do so by converting the parts that make a big difference to comfort. Also the navigation system for this car including voice command is dated, I think that if they purchased a Tom Tom and placed it in the Innovations pack they would have had a better result all around. For e.g The Tom Tom has voice commands that work, red light camera and traffic alerts and its only $300.00 dollars compared to $85000.00. The Runflat Tyres thump on the ground and transfer into the cabin, they are such a hard compound rubber that your ears will hear the road way after you get out of the car. You even get to have a phone connection that eats up the centre console for free and its not useable with the mobile phones we have. The shape and the name and my 5 series 1997 BMW was a great car and I thought the 3 series would match. There are cars out there with more to offer at half the price. Can't wait to trade this car in.

Excellent – What a fantastic car the quality and finish is fantastic and the driving experience is exceptional if you have the money to spend you will not be unhappy with your choice. I have been the very happy owner of my 323i for just over 1 year now and I would only ever sell it to update to another BMW. To be very honest I was a big believer in you pay… Read more

for a badge, how wrong I was. This car is a dream to drive I have the M Sport kit on mine so not only does it look fantastic with options like the sports steering wheel you feel in control at all times. I also have the sat nav in mine and if this is something you don't mind paying for you will just love it. Everything works through the screen, stereo-bluetooth, I only have to say who I want to call and the car does the rest and it also has a tv. The quality of the car is second to none, everything is finished of to a very high standard.

Good – I think it is an excellent car to drive. Have not had any problem with it thus far. The interiors are plush and the aircon is excellent. There is plenty of boot space. For me the real negative is the fact that the car is underpowered. There is the sports option, but it is quite noisy when you are using the sports option. Own a 320i. Fantastic interiors. Looks great. Underpowered. Run flat tires makes the ride a bit bumpy. Show details