BMW 3-Series Convertible (2007 - 2013) 325i SE 2d Owner Review

The car is brilliant, just the previous owner wasn't.

I bought from a dealer who said it had a full service history and all the paperwork said this. Now that it has been to a BMW non-dealer specialist mechanic, I now know the service history is questionable. All the important things have been done and the car is perfect....now.

It has all the general driving characteristics of the saloon or Coupe, with the massive fun of removing the roof. Steering, acceleration, braking, suspension all great. Although I get the feel they are setup more towards cruising than outright B road crazy speeds.

One oddity is the manual gear change is a longer throw than I would expect and not at all outright sporty. Plus the engine is more grunt than free revving, when compared to an Alfa Busso V6.

I am 5'10 and someone similar height can sit behind me no problem. The back passenger space is fine, so long as you are not planning on crossing continents.

Boot space is ok rather than generous. My recommendation is to use soft bags rather than hard cases. You will be surprised at how much you can get in if you do that.

When looking to buy, things to look out for.
1) Each autumn it is recommended to use Gummi Pflege on the rubber seals of the roof panels. It will prolong the life of the rubber parts and also reduce the number of squeaks. So if you are test driving one, do keep an ear out for squeaks while driving as that will be an indication of previous owners care.
2) When test driving, a low fuel economy is potentially an indication of a NOX issue. The 325 petrol should return roughly 35mpg, but have seen some sub 30mpg that had NOX problems.
3) If during your ownership you do have NOX issues, do not panic. Although replacing the NOX could cost £500 at your regular garage. Take the car to a BMW specialist as there is every chance it is something completely different. They can fix the problem and then "clean" the NOX sensor and save you £350>£400.