1995 BMW 325iC

1995 BMW 325iC

This car turned out to be a pleasant surprise on a number of levels. I got this back in the late 90's for very little money. It was sold stating that the top didn't work and it was supposed to have a few other problems as well so interest was at a minimum. It only had 40K miles and looked great so I thought I'd give it a shot. I wouldn't go so far as calling it a "project car" but it needed attention.

The power top issue turned out to be nothing more than a bad switch, and new belts solved every other problem the car had really. It ran great the entire time I owned it. I did have to buy a new rear window - a common problem for a lot of cars that used plastic for glass back then - but I never actually got it installed.

Being a 325 meant it had the larger of the two engine options for this car. I can't imagine liking the 318 (the smaller one) as I felt this car was slightly underpowered.

The interior was in good shape, and comfortable as well. I didn't do anything to it that I can recall.

The power top was the coolest thing to me. Nowadays everyone has power tops, but they weren't as common back then. I've always liked convertibles but hated leaving the top down when I parked somewhere. One release and one button and this one was up or down.

My brother really liked this one. I ended up selling it to a guy in Phoenix who acted like it was his dream car. I never heard from him, and that usually means things went well. Due to how little I paid for it, I made money when I sold it - that almost never happens!

This body style of 3-series were made from 1994 to 1999. They're well built and very good at what they are meant to do. You can get them for almost nothing today. I kind of recommend these as a low cost sort of classic. They work well as convertibles and are fairly reliable, although a little pricey when repairs are needed. My recommendation would be to spend a little more and get an M3. The added power is needed and they will actually be collectible.