I bought my BMW 320 diesel three years ago. It was an 02 plate car. I couldn't afford it but had just started my own business and needed a credible car for visiting client sites. I had the turbo problem after three months. My buddies replaced the turbo and I now see they couldn't have charged any labour. One of them owns a motor factor chain and the replacement turbo came from there. Total bill: £650. In reality I think this was the cost price of the Italian made turbo common to a surprising number of makes. The engine crankshaft pulley went next. The car was in Ireland so I had parts shipped and a local mechanic fitted them. Problem solved but expensive. Driving the car back to the UK a while later it started to drive erratically. There was a sudden marked reduction in power and smoke from the back again. This last failure was the butterfly problem. I now know that the only good fortune I had with this car was simply the fact that none of the failures totalled the car on the spot. All of them commonly do apparently. Within about two and a half years the car cost what to me was a fortune and could only be sold as a non-runner. It broke my heart. I contacted BMW. I would put them down as Ryanair on the road. They do not want to know and it seems clear they rely on customers not being able to act in a 'class action' mode. They trade on reputation and when an individual car gives trouble the individual tends to think they have been unlucky with an otherwise exemplary brand of luxury car. That's my perception anyway. I was considering a late model Rover 75 until I learned about the BMW engines they have. Ironically dealerships point this up as a strong selling point. I like the Rover but would be very reluctant to go near anything with a BMW connection ever again; seductive designs with atrocious engineering. I have a Suzuki 100+ for running around in. It has a 'W' registration and cost £700. At the risk of tempting fate I have to say it is very impressive indeed. I bought my daughter a second hand Hyundai as a first car and same experience. There is no indigenous car brand left in the UK other than 'specialist' so no hang-ups to worry about. The Japs seem to have cracked the reliability challenge. Way to go.....