michael roma 
2002 BMW 3 Series Sedan 325i Rwd 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 5M)
Fun Ride, but prepare for frequent maintenance
 I always remembered having love for BMW's.  After years of wanting one, I was finally able to when my grandfather was finally selling his (black 325i sedan with 111k miles) after buying a newer 3 series.  For $2,500, he gave me a great deal because he kept it in great condition.  After purchasing it in August 2016, I took it down to college (400 miles away).  Even though it has a firmer ride than my former '01 accord, the ride is still comfortable on long journeys.  (If one finds the ride uncomfortable on long trips, take the back roads route  and forget about comfort when you have a big smile on your face from discovering the sublime road handling on twisty unknown turns, away from zoned out interstate cruise-controlled journeys.)                                                                                                                                                Mileage: Decent for a 6-cyl  (I avg. 450 hwy miles on 1 tank) Under avg. for city driving (My lead foot doesn't help)                                                                                              The Bad: The wave of random component break-downs began in sept 2016, having to replace the alternator.  Before driving back home for winter break in dec., the driver door window is stuck down.  I cover it with plastic and drive 400 miles.  Then during winter break (Dec-Jan), I went ahead and replaced the window motor and regulator myself. THEN, 2 days later, the rear passenger window regulator fails.  I repair and replace it myself again.  AND THEN, the 3 month old alternator takes a crap went ahead and replaced it myself again..(Being somewhat mechanically knowledgeable, I figured i could save a lot of money on repairs a shop would charge) As of now, July2017, it is sitting at the mechanic.  It recently started misfiring and wouldn't run for more than a minute. I replaced a bad valve cover gasket, spark plugs. After that didn't solve the problem i took it to the mechanic, and I've had to have them replace ignition coil boots, injector, fuel filter, fuel pump, and mass airflow sensor. But tomorrow, the maf sensor will be installed, and they believe (hopefully) that will be the last thing needed to make her run smooth again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Summary:  For $2.5K, it was initially great value for a lower mileage luxury sports sedan.  There are honda civics the of the same year and mileage in that price range.  The obvious and inevitable lack of reliability is common for these bmws, most are reliable, a lot are not, and some unfortunately run into a lot of problems like my example.  Therefore, it's a good thing to have some mechanic know-how when owning one.  If you enjoy working on your cars, this one is actually quite easy to learn about and work on.  Even though i was expecting to experience problems, I was shocked as to how bad it has been because my grandfather kept it in great shape, and had a reputable mechanic perform mandatory  and regular maintenance.  I have continued to (try to) keep it in good shape and keep it maintained.  I don't know, it must be just bad luck.  I still love it though, and I am going to continue to own and enjoy it after i get it fixed.