BMW 3 SERIES Convertible 2007 on

BMW, what a rip off!! I know no car does the mpg that is advertised, but I chose this over the diesel EOS because the mpg fugures were similar, yet, on no journey have I exceded 34.5mpg, even setting the cruise control to 55mph along the motorway, so how they arrive at 42mpg combined heaven only knows.

I sadly hit a pheasant which flew into the headlight and smashed the glass, £900 including fitting for a new headlamp!!

Service costs are extortionate too, at only 4 years old with 23500 miles on the clock it cost £600, but as soon as I drove it from the BMW service station the display said the next service is only 6000 miles off, when I checkedfrom the dealer, I was warned this would be a major service costing anopther £600, spark plugs , oil filter, and oil change. Supposedly once this is done it will be another 23000 miles or year before another service is due, or year, but do the maths yourself and work out the annual service cost!!

The tyres are very expensive, and I was tempted to do what pther sugest and change from non run flat, but the tyre place warned this would affect my insurance. Do shop around for tyres, I picked up 3 new ones, all fitted for £360, £117 less than BMW for the same tyres!

As someone else pointed out, all doors need to be unlocked before you can open the boot, and there is no internal boot release like most other cars, which is suprisingly inconvenient. The car looks great with the hood down and the ride for me is comfortable. The gearbox and clutch are not the slickest to manouvre through.

I bought this car used from a main BMW dealer just a year ago, and have regretted it ever since, would suggest unless you have very deep pockets you reconsider.

I don't know where to start. There is an annoying and frustrating lag when accelerating from rest. The convertible roof operating switch is 'up' for down and 'down' for up - why? The manual wallet doesn't fit into the glove compartment - uh? The scuttle shake is rediculous for a car costing £42,000. My 11 year old Volvo C70 was completely quiet. No sat-nav in a car of this price - shameful. The cruise control is a joke (and I use it all the time - in all my cars). No room in the boot for anything much. My Volvo and Saab were both much better. The suspension is so bad the car jumps sideways when it goes over ruts in the motorway!! You can't unlock the boot with the remote unless the rest of the car is un-locked - why? Such a shame when the engine and gearbox are so sweet and it looks so good in Le-Mans blue with cream leather. Not a patch on my Volvo, Saab or XF.

Plus

Fun to drive,

Excellent diesel engine

Roof is an impressive piece of engineeering

Variable service intervals

Minus

Rusty hubs at 6 months spoiled otherwise pristine look

Run flats cost and 20000 miles lifespan

My first BMW since the 80's and followed series of Audis. The rusty hubs problem is well known and BMW blame the British winter, but Audis did not rust. Sounds petty but real let down on a £35000 car.

I have owned my 335i convertible from new in 2007 and i think its a superb car in every respect.It sounds great looks good and and still turns heads although it is now 5 years old.The auto gearbox is an absolute gem and the build is what you would expect from a german

prestige car.The only reservation i might have with a latter model is the dct gearbox .I also own an M3 convertible which i purchased in 2008 .The M3 dct box suffers from terrible lag and can be down right dangerous when pulling away from junctions so i just hope the newer 335i does not suffer the same problem

This is most certainly a drivers car, everything being completely designed around the driver. The drive feels solid, all the controls are perfectly laid out, and the driving position is great.

The rear seats are nothing sort of a joke for anyone over 5'8", and getting in the back without the roof down is a Houdini spectacle, but that doesn't really matter if you've only got one passenger most of the time.

Overall it's a great looking car, and handles just as well as any other BMW I've driven. Reliable and solid. I recommend to anyone looking for a fun hardtop convertible.

My BMW convertible is my pride and joy, it has everything I want in a car, class, style, performance and ease of ownership...

The car is used daily for a 50 mile round trip commute, it averages 38 mpg, the car suits my partner and I perfectly.

This is a sporty, fast and so economical car. I have loved driving it - especially with the roof down and in the sunshine. There is ample boot space for your shopping, and is a very comfortable 4 seater.

I simply LOVE this car! It is very quick for a 4 seater, very smooth for a deisel and superbly engineered for a convertible. It is a very smooth running car with good automatic transmission, For a 3 litre car the economy is surprisingly good. The only downsides for me are the run flat tyres which I changed for normal low profiles and the rear wheel drive in the snowy conditions. However, for a few days a year that we suffer with snow it is a sacrifice well worth making when the sun shines and the roof can come down!!

Fabulous!!

I presume the previous post is used to driving his mothers Rover 75 so he used that as his yardstick for soft ride characteristics.- - -

Run flat tyre and noisy with roof down comment tells you he is struggling with reality - - - now to the real world.

My 18months with a 3.0i 6 speed stepped auto with paddle shifts........

Performance good, you can't beat the seamless auto gearshift in sport mode.

Handling excellent and yes firm but predictable.

Interior, red leather plush, controls comprehensive without needing a degree to understand.

Specification and safety......top level with too much to list, but exactly what you would expect from BMW.

Economy, fuel acceptable, running costs with 20k services also acceptable.

Usability, best of both worlds with the hardtop up or down, boot space limited with roof down but just use the back seats for suitcases.

With the roof up it is a perfect 4 seat, 2 door coupe.

Looks.........white with red leather - 1st class and drew many looks driving round Monaco.

Overall 95% and I would buy again.

Well, where do I start? Some idiot from my company thought it'd be a good idea to choose this ghastly thing as our company car recently, a convertible 320i M Sport (BMW must use the term 'Sport' very loosely). I had to live with this horrid pile of cack for a whole week, and what a week of misery I had.

Even with the roof down, it isn't good enough to look at. It's better with the roof down, but for god's sake don't put it down. In just 20 seconds it can make itself worse to drive, noisier and far less practical.

It doesn't go round corners well, due to the stupid run-flat tyres that do not run flat very well. The tyres, the bad seats and the terrible 'Sports' suspension make the ride comfort truly shocking. The steering is wrong, I can't put my finger on why, but it just isn't enjoyable to drive in the slightest.

And the so-called performance. The 320i does 0-60mph in 9.5 (I've timed it) seconds, slower than my mum's Rover 25, and it does 140 according to BMW, but I doubt it highly. The engine really is rather disappointing. Don't think you can solve that by getting the 335i, because I've driven a 335i Saloon and it isn't good to drive at all. You can't get a 335d either, especially not in convertible form.

A quick summary: Even on short journeys it's uncomfortable, it has 1 too many gears, it's slow, it rides bumps horribly, it doesn't look good, it makes you look even worse, it's not practical in the slightest, the steering isn't good and it, overall, drives you up the wall how bad it is to drive. My workmates all agree with me.

Oh, and another thing, it's a rip-off. This is only the 320i, yet, brand new, it costed £37,000. Awful value.

Any pros...hmm...the air-con is quite good, as are the heated seats. But, really, that's it. Avoid it if you possibly can.