Faults:

Cylinder head gasket.

Eats brake discs.

Rust between the rear tailgate and bumper.

Overheated regularly.

Horrendous fuel consumption.

General Comments:

No idea why people like these cars. I only kept it for so long because it cost me so much at each service that I never had enough money saved up to get a better machine.

You hear so much about BMW build quality and reliability, but when an average service cost is ~£600 each year you start to wonder whether the car is reliable or if the dealer is rebuilding the engine at each service interval.

Dynamically the car was hopeless on anything other than straight roads or very wide A roads. The auto box robbed the driver of any chance to even keep pace with a well driven Fiat Uno when driving on twisty roads.

Bland interior, too many other 5-series on the road so no exclusivity, and I really can't think of any reason to justify spending this much on a car that is outclassed by so many other lower priced machines.

Faults:

Coolant level sensor failed at 98,000 which resulted in the car beeping whenever I turned it on. 15 pounds in bits and ten minutes under the bonnet fixed it.

Brake pads wore out at 100,000 miles.

General Comments:

This is the only car I've driven which can deliver both gentle, smooth Sunday afternoon driving and still let you drive like a boy racer when your mood changes.

The handling is better than the Peugeot 306 I used to own which is surprising since it weighs three times as much. Although you feel a little isolated from the road sometimes.

It eats up motorways and I have found myself going for four hours without a break before now.

Servicing was expensive to start with, but since finding an independent specialist is probably the same as any other car.

The interior is very well laid out and made to a very high standard. Not a rattle or squeak from anywhere, which is better than a lot of brand new cars. The only downside is the number of ways you can adjust the drivers seat, which means it can take a while to get comfortable.

Try and get an SE, then you get lots of goodies on board like leather seats, on board computer and alloy wheels.

Faults:

Viscous Coupling (at 56K)

Water Pump (at 70K)

Clutch Slave Cylinder (at 70K)

Brake Pipes & Track Rod Ends (67K)

SLIGHT rust (bubbling just below petrol tank, & front corner n/s/f/door) - To be remedied, although note that this car is cherished and garaged.

General Comments:

Beautiful Car, both in looks and running

Slightly underpowered at low speeds, as regards acceleration, although it's an awesome motorway car (constant 125mph without complaint, and it feels like 70!)

For a big 2.0 engine, this car returns between 26 and 35 mpg (29 is the usual "urban" return) therefore I consider it economical.

Not very expensive to run or service, parts no dearer (and sometimes cheaper) than most makes.

This car is 12 years old, and I've owned it for 6 (I bought it from the one previous private owner) - I can't see it not lasting another 12...