1999 BMW 3 Series Consumer Reviews

Fun to drive, but...

Written by: photown on 03/31/2007

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 328i Sedan

Review

Feels as solid as a tank. Could be quicker but fun nonetheless. Handles as if on rails. The controls are in all of the right places. Looks to kill. Perfect car, but it's an absolute money pit to own. Spent $6000 on repair bills including water pump, computer ($2000), rear-end bushings, 3 window actuators ($375/each) and other misc. parts. Dealer wanted to do even more repairs totaling $4000 (replacing radiator and expansion tank was $2500!). Walk away uless it comes with a very good extended warranty.

Favorite Features

Handling, power, styling, interior controls, seat comfort and fuel economy (26.5 mpg mixed).

Suggested Improvements

Reliability past 60,000 miles is horrible.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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A Dream

Written by: lucky wolf on 02/17/2007

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

Bought this vehicle for myself with 97000 miles and fully loaded with no apparent deficits (one owner vehicle). Body, engine, paint, interior, exterior in immaculate condition. Have driven it on long and short trips and it continues to elicit stares from lexus and benz owners. This vehicle is made for driving!!

Favorite Features

Body style and performance.

Suggested Improvements

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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BMW Owner No More

Written by: JUAN B on 12/01/2006

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

I always wanted a BMW, this was my first and maybe my last. I have not driven the car one day without a light coming on. Either the turning lights (I haven't figured out the problem) or the check engine light, or the ABS and the list goes on. There is a lot of noise coming into the cabin from the suspension. The moonroof was always a problem. It is not a family friendly car, my baby's stroller barely fits in the trunk, and with the driver's seat in the driving position, not even my 6 year old would fit. I had to service the A/C because a low pressure hose broke. I hate sounding so negative, but it is true. I ended up buying another car, not a bimmer.

Favorite Features

It is truly a nice car to drive.

Suggested Improvements

I guess the slogan of the ultimate driving machine is true, but it comes with a high price in terms of peace of mind. I would trade less sex appeal for a little bit more reliability.

3 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Good Until...

Written by: A.V. on 08/29/2006

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

I have to say I was pleased with all aspects of my 1999 323i untill recently and coincidently when the balance of the warranty ran out. That was when the "fun" began or around 50K. So far I have had the air conditioner repaired twice, brakes done a couple of times and now the transmission is slipping at 80K, which according to the dealer costs $3500 to start, which I will not repair. However, until recently, I really had no problems to speak of that were truly serious. The sunroof was a major area of difficulty and had to be repaired twice. Overall I love the car, but I do not think I would buy another one due to the high costs of frequent repairs. Great if you have the $$$ to fix.

Favorite Features

I LOVE the driving aspect of the car. Even at 7 years, it still drives awesome. In addition, I like the simple complexity of the gauges, where the trip computer operates many functions with just one button. It is not cluttered up like in some other cars.

Suggested Improvements

The cup holders are OK. Also, I do not have internal trunk opener, which makes opening the trunk impossible if you have the keys in the ignition. You must take them out to open the trunk - a pain if you are dropping someone at the airport.

13 out 14 people found this review helpful

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Unbelievable Ride

Written by: Kyle F on 05/02/2006

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 2 Dr 323is Coupe

Review

This is my first BMW and far from my last. I will never get rid of it but sure to get another. It is the smoothest ride with great handling. Great for just cruising around town and can handle its own when wanting to get somewhere quick. I have had a few little problems when I first bought it like an alignment but thats really it. The brake pads keep you busy with the dust but I replaced those by choice. The exterior is very sleek and sporty and the interior is pretty classy. The engine could use a little more power but I have done a few mods and gotten plenty of power. I have absolutely no complaints about this car and do not plan on having any Just do regular maint. and it will run forever

Favorite Features

Handling, exterior, and reliability

Suggested Improvements

The only thing i would want to be improve would be the HP while stock. BMW has already fixed that with the newer ones so really I having nothing.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Great Santa Cruz Mountain Commuter

Written by: Jon C on 03/10/2006

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

I just bought this car as my wife's 1st car. She is arriving soon from Thailand and has never driven a car. I wanted something fun but safe & reliable. I bought the car for $7,500, 83K miles and put about $500 more into new bushings, hoses, belts, and fluid changes etc. The car is a lot of fun and quite a bit of fun to drive. The body and interior are flawless, mechanically it is very sound. My regular mechanics ordered the dealer parts and made the repairs I needed cheaply. This is a fun and cheap little car. I have read all the crying and hand wringing on this site but I have been lucky. It needed an alignment and bushings as stated but nothing else major. I'll follow up if it implodes...

Favorite Features

Nice design, heated leather seats, sun roof, handling, sporty feel, good acceleration, very quiet interior this was a surprise! one touch windows. Great 1st BMW.

Suggested Improvements

Cup holders are lame and no armrest on the console and the whole console looks a little cheap. Better fuel economy. Seems to get similar to my Volvo. A little more power, maybe I'll get a mod. Side curtain and rear side airbags.

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Never Again!

Written by: T Gillespie on 01/12/2006

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

After owning this car for over 5 years I can honestly say it is the most unreliable & expensive to repair vehicle I've ever had. Everything that could go wrong has and at a huge cost to repair. Anyone thinking of buying one of these cars should think again! I've endured complete brake replacements every 15K miles, had to replace almost the entire front suspension (worn ball joints can not be replaced by themselves), the mass air flow sensor, all 6 ignition coils, cam shaft sensor and a whole host of other "should be reliable" electronic components have failed. If someone gives you one of these cars - sell it!

Favorite Features

Drives and handles great (when it's running properly)

Suggested Improvements

Go back to the drawing board! This car is a nightmare to own.

6 out 7 people found this review helpful

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1999 BMW 323I

Written by: John doe on 12/30/2005

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 2 Dr 328i Convertible

Review

This car is the best car I have ever owned in reliability, fun to drive, and utility. It has only been in the shop a few times for routine maintenance and performs nicely to this day.

Favorite Features

Silver color, stick transmission, fun to drive.

Suggested Improvements

A bit more horsepower but the new ones have that now.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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The Ultimate TRASHY Screaming Machine

Written by: RS on 09/03/2005

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 323i Sedan

Review

I always had very good impression of BMWs, but everything changed since I actually bought one. On an unfortunate day I bought a used 99 BMW 323i with 70K miles, got it inspected by a BMW dealer who said "This car is really good, buy it". Then it started costing me almost $1000/- every month on some trashy problems keep on occurring. Worst part is it has no warranty on it. It started running sluggish, CHECK ENGINE light keep coming and dealer has been fixing some thing or other every time it comes on and still it comes almost every 2 weeks with a new problem. Now I'm going to trade it in that for a much more reliable car.

Favorite Features

Just BMW name.

Suggested Improvements

Long term quality and reliability MUST be improved. Anyway I am not going buy another BMW in my life. And I will tell the same thing to anyone who asks about a BMW.

1 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Smooooooth

Written by: bmr girl on 08/17/2005

Vehicle

1999 BMW 3 Series 2 Dr 323i Convertible

Review

Fun and easy. This is the most fun I've ever had outside. I'll have to move south to get more months of enjoyment. Just enough power.

Favorite Features

Great simplistic timeless styling

Suggested Improvements

Auto dimming rearview mirror and glass rear window

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