Overview & Reviews

A boost in engine displacement and technology, plus an available all-wheel-drive system keeps BMW's venerable 3 Series at the top of its game in the competitive entry-level luxury market. Larger wheels and brakes are part of the engine upgrade. Two-stage front airbags, reduced steering effort, a Cold Weather package and Dynamic Brake Control round out the major changes for 2001.

• Luxurious, powerful, exceptional road manners, available all-wheel drive for sedan and wagon.

• Pricey for their market segment, limited cargo capacity.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 243.00

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  Just Dont ... And Save Yourself Time, Money & Frustration - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By kdub12 - May 16 - 6:43 pm

  These assessment ratings are 100% spot-on. Reliability is TERRIBLE! And honestly, why do things like door trim pieces, various buttons, and interior materials go bad also??? TERRIBLE BUILD all the way around. I have owned 5 other BMWs, all older models, that RULED! SO reliable, well built tanks, with easy repair access engine bays, lasted forever. Still have a 1980 320i and it has 279,000mi on it and still runs great! Trim pieces just dont all of a sudden pop off - because stuff aint all made of plastic. Almost like the new pieces are purposely made to self-destruct. I can no longer recommend newer BMWs because everything is computerized, and needs a new sensor every five minutes, has random problems - like your reverse will just go out whether 25K or 150K miles on the car...mine did. Found out the probs AFTER buying it. Doesnt seem to matter whether this model was babied or driven hard either. Cautionary tale... caviat emptor for sure!!! And to BMW - you now are in the lump with everyone else. No more quality. Keep you new cars. Im going to buy a 5 series mid 80s like my mom used to drive, and now daughter has. They are great on gas, run like troopers, spacious inside, and really fairly modern considering the age - auto windows, locks, etc. I will be free once again, gone will be the days of the constant "Check Engine" light, and a simple set of tools can fix most anything.

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  BMWs are VERY Over-rated - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By shoo - February 1 - 6:57 pm

  Found a 2001 BMW 325I with only 34K miles on it! Thought I had found a steal! Found out I was robbed! Had this car less than a year and have had to replace headlight assembly, front grille trim, rear window motor. Oil light comes on randomly! Worst of all, when it rains the interior leaks so bad it would make a great fish bowl! No one can find where its coming from! Biggest piece of junk Ive ever owned! Now I know why it only had 34K miles on it, no one wanted the piece of junk! My first and last BMW!

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  Lemon? - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By bhunter - June 30 - 8:16 am

  Have loved driving the car, although as mentioned previously, the sound system is lame, the defroster is 100% fullblast or nothing, and we too have had tire/wheel issues. We have had it in the shop 16 times in 3.5 years for various problems, almost every other month since we bought it.The service managers say, "Its a high performance vehicle", to which I reply,"Its a high maintenance vehicle." What about that famous engineering? Id never buy another, its not that fun, and the reality is, most driving is commuting in heavy traffic, little chance to enjoy the performance within.

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  Cheap Materials - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By Stickwithpre1991BMW - December 3 - 11:09 pm

  My biggest complaint after wrapping up my 2 year-22k mile experience with this car is the CHEAP plastic, dye, wood, leather, and moleskin used on the interior. I take very good care of my cars with weekly cleaning, detailing. The interior on this car was literally falling apart. The dye was lifting off the plastic console pieces, arm rests on doors and other areas. The moleskin material on the windshield frame was wrinkling up. The sunroof slide was falling apart from Florida heat I think. I have owned 13 BMWs and I will certainly stick with the 1988-older 5 Series, 1991-older 3 series cars for build quality and enjoyment of owning. Not to mention they hold their value better vs. new models

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  DONT DO IT ! - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By TonyRock - May 9 - 2:26 pm

  The car is nice looking and fun to drive but if you expect it to be quality you are dead wrong. My coolant tank bursed after 100K which caused my head gasket to break and now the care is basically worthless. If you want to drive this car for a few years and have fun fine. But I wouldnt hold it after 70K miles! Little things go on it all the time. BMW is over rated!

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  DREAM CAR TURNED NIGHTMARE - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By BRANDO - April 26 - 10:00 am

  I leased my BMW for 39 months. 45 days into the lease I was at a parking lot when the car surged and the engine revved up so high i had to put my parking brake on to control it. after being in the shop for 30 days they could not find what was wrong. it has been in the shop 6 times in the first year and a half for various mechanical reasons. i have had transmission problems, defrost problems, static on the radio, i am very disappointed in BMW and will never have another one.

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  325 isnt what it was - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By Ellah - January 1 - 10:00 am

  Dont think BMWs are what they once were. Window motors have failed on 2 windows, water leaks due to faulty seals and more have happened so far. The car is totally babied and it should be better than this.

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  Be Afraid, Be VERY Afraid - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By DowninTX - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I warn you - do NOT buy a BMW! I was very excited when I bought my BMW 325i new in 2001 - after shelling out lots of cash for the car, I expected it to hold up, but I was let down quickly. In the 3 years that Ive owned the car, Ive had to replace all of the window motors, sunroof motor, CD player, engine sensor, & now my air conditioner!!! CRAZY!!!!!!!

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  Nice but .... - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By jc4642 - May 24 - 10:00 am

  This is a nice car, but lacks the fit and finish expected in a car of this price. There are numerous squeaks and rattles that are quite annoying. It is fun to drive, lacks power in the low revs, but around 3500RPM it picks up nicely. One major complaint is the Auto-Manual shifter. To upshift you push forward, and pull it back for downshifting. This seemed backwards to me. Only trouble I had is a peice of door trim came loose, and the shade for the moonroof came off its track once. Both issues were fixed by the dealer under warranty and without hassle. Overall, its a good car, but a little overpriced for the quality.

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  Looks great but is always trying to break. - 2001 BMW 3-Series
  By Mo - December 28 - 9:59 am

  I bought this car in 2014 on June and boy was i happy. Loved the looks and performance. IT was always polished and detailed once a month since the start of time. 2 months after buying this from BMW dealer from a one owner the belts and pulleys went bad. I Took it to the shop and had it replaced with the OEM parts. "Note i only did OEM replacements for everything your about to read." My shop during the repair found out the front axel had gone bad as well as the engine mounts and transmission mounts. Reminder to those reading my shop is a very reliable shop in the Bay Area with 100+ cars a day. So after finding out bought the new axel with the mounts right away. Drove the vehicle for a month and everything was ok. Winter night decided to go get a Starbucks coffee before i took off to go flying, "reminder i am a pilot". As i walk back i notice severe smoke coming from the hood. I popped the hood open the and expansion tank was cracked. I had the car towed to the shop and had that changed right away. As they where checking the saw the hose was bad as well as the water pump and the radiator looked as though it was ready to go. Ended up replacing all the parts right away thinking id keep the car still. A month goes by after all that and i get a check engine light after driving from Los Angelas. I diagnose the code since i use to work on cars at one point and it was the O2 Sensors. Jeez Lucky me it was the month i had to smog the car. Again back to the shop and had the O2 sensors replaced. Very expensive. After driving back from the shop i notice smoke again from the hood. Look under Valve cover gasket was bad. Turned around and left the car over night till they replaced that. I drive the car for two months and again smoke from the hood. I check and again valve cover leak. I take it to the shop and it was not the cover but the valve cover its self that went bad. $300 is the cost of that cover. I said screw it ill deal with it. YES the valve cover was torqued correctly when i had the gasket changed. Another month goes by and on the free way i get a check engine light and the car down shifted harshly to send gear from 4th. Found out the alternator went bad. Ridicoulas. I was about ready to destroy this car. Note i did change the differential fluid and the transmission fluid right away when i bought the car due to this generation having transmission problems on the automatic version. 3 months or so went by from all the BS and i decide to go to the snow with my new continental DWS tires. When i got on the freeway and got close to lake Tahoe and to the snow the steering wheel got very very heavy.... Power steering killed it self. Regardless since it was gone i was already in the snow. Drove it and ill say despite not having power steering this car handles amazing in the snow. So when i got back i poured a temporary power steering fluid fix. Aprox a week went by when i put the fluid and i was rear ended by a jeep in traffic and i hit the car in front. The impact was very hard. The winch on the jeep hit me and i damaged the impala in front. The front didnt have a scratch beside the license plate frame damaged on my car but the impala was damaged from behind. The back bumper had a hole but over all it was a hard hit and it coped well. Two months later sold the car with bad power steering and shocks. Never again buying a new BMW. Now driving a 2006 C55 AMG Mercedes. Ive always owned Mercedes and never again will i buy a bmw. My relative had a 1994 318i and that was bullet proof, close to 400,000, parts original. Other relative 2000 528i with 340,000 miles. It was also bullet proof. Both cars great. Other relative had a 2004 530i and had problems with tranny and electronics. 2006 325i electrical problem. 2008 750li electrical and engine problems. Overall BMW is not the ultimate driving machine and they are problematic. I SPENT $6,000 in repairs in a little over two years! IT DID 14MPG combined. Only freeway it did 25MPG. WORST DECISION IVE EVER MADE BUYING THIS CAR!