BMW 320i Convertible

As a qualified mechanic and the owner of god knows how many cars over the years I have decided the time has come to do an automobile review and what better to review than my one time pride and joy sadly no longer with me my BMW 320i convertible.

I bought my BMW in 2003 it was 2 years old and set me back around 12 thousand pounds which was roughly half the cost of buying a new one and was at the time a very good deal. I fell in love with the car after one test drive and just had to have it. Although there have been many different versions of the 320i over the years with very different specs the one I bought was pretty top of the range and had the majority of extras available. I am of course reviewing the car from my own personal opinion so this review will contain information on the extras my BMW had but do not expect to find these extras on every 320i.

★The look★

There is one thing the majority of BMW`s have in their favour and that is style, My 320i had style in abundance. It was British racing green in colour with black leather interior and it sat on massive 18 inch silver six spoke alloy wheels. The windows were very lightly tinted green which was known as privacy glass and the soft top roof was black in colour. The wheels were not the standard ones but were fitted by the previous owner. The actual wheels that would be on it if standard would be 16 inch flat faced BMW alloys.

★The power★

Although not the most powerful in the BMW range the 320i can certainly shift. BMW`s engine range starts at a 1.6 litre and in 2003 went up to a 4.0 litre, they now also do a 4.4 litre engine in some of their larger cars. The 2.0 litre injection engine that powered my 320i had the variable valve timing system (Google for further info) which set it apart from the 1.6 or the 1.8 versions of the car. It had 150 brake horse power, could reach 130mph, had a naught to sixty of around 10 seconds and an average fuel consumption of around 31mpg which is very reasonable for a car and engine of this size.

One of my favourite things about the BMW is the fact that it is driven from the rear wheels, in years gone by this was the norm but now a days the majority of cars are front wheel drive. Front wheel drive cars don’t have the real driver feel that you get from a rear wheel driven car. The only thing that you have to watch for in a rear wheel drive car if you are not used to one is the back end skipping out on bends (known as a power slide) however this will only happen due to too much acceleration on a bend and will not become a problem if driven correctly.

★The extras★

As I mentioned earlier these extras that I am about to list are not standard in all 320i`s but were in the one I owned, I will place a star next to the standard ones so you can distinguish between the two.

Power steering *
Electric windows*
Power roof
Abs braking*
Air conditioning
Cd player*
Climate control heating
Twin air bags
On board computer
Factory fitted alarm and immobiliser

★Why I loved and would recommend this car★

There were many things I loved about this car. There was the comfort when driving, the attention it grabbed with or without the roof down, the fact it was air conditioned and had climate control heating meant that no matter what the weather you could control the temperature inside the car perfectly and last but not least there was the speed and power. Whilst I was even then a bit long in the tooth to be described as a boy racer there was nothing I liked better than to get on a bit open road and get my foot down. Working as I was at the time as a bouncer in a club a good few miles away from where I lived I often got the chance on my way home in the early hours of the morning with the roads basically to myself to get my foot down and really drive. Of all the things I miss about this car that is probably the one I miss most.

I have owned somewhere in the region of 20 cars in my time as a driver, mostly due to the fact that I done a lot of miles travelling to work and couldn’t keep a car too long or the money I would lose on it would be frightening. Over the piece I would have to say that this BMW was probably my favourite of the cars I have owned and is certainly a car I would recommend to people. The 320i convertible is a real driver’s car but virtually useless if you have family which is why mine had to go. The leg space in the back is minimal and when my other half was relegated to the rear due to my son being in a front seat baby car seat she soon let me know it was time for a change of car. It is a car best suited to a single person or a couple without kids, in saying that if your kids are older then the car could well be fine because the leg room in the back is perfectly adequate for their short legs and the adults would be up front.

A lot of people see the BMW convertible as a car designed to attract attention and therefore be best suited to show offs and posers but believe me this car is much more than an ego boost it has the looks of course it does but it has much more to offer besides. These cars are very reliable not as expensive to run as people might think and offer driver comfort to the highest standard, that is why I would recommend not just the 320i but almost any of the BMW range to anyone looking to buy a car top end of the market.

I hope I have given enough info and personal opinion to enable readers to make a balanced decision as to whether or not this car would suit them. Due to moving house and general carelessness I have no idea where the photos I have of this car are but I will hunt them out and if found I will scan them and add them to this review.

Thanks for reading!