You & Your BMW 3-Series by Richard Dredge (Haynes Publishing, £17.99)
WHEN BMW launched its 3-Series in 1975 it must have hoped that it had done all its homework correctly.
In the 30 years since the end of the Second World War the company had dragged itself out of the wreckage of a bleak future, teetered on the edge of mounting debts and fought off being swallowed whole by Daimler-Benz.
It had relied too heavily on the production of large luxury cars and hoped that the 3-Series would be the start of a whole new beginning.
BMW need not have had any fears, for even the directors could not have imagined just how successful the new model would become.
Here, Dredge, the BBC Top Gear online editor who lives in Droitwich, tells it how it was - concentrating on the third and fourth generation models. He also offers advice on buying one, together with details of ownership, maintenance and modifications.
David Chapman
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