'95 BMW 525i

I traded in '84 733 on a '95 525 in July 1998. I had done some pretty extensive research on the cars' reliability and safety before considering it. My ace 733 mechanic steered me away from the V8s- the 530 and 540 because of additional cost, maintenance and some reliability concerns with the V8 cylinder sleeves. The 2.5 straight 6 is completely adequate for most people at 189 hp. The car is super quiet, reliable, comfortable and has a solid feeling that is unique- if feels like the way a German RWD car should. (My wife's Acura, also a fine car, is FWD and I can't stand the torque-steer and the FWD-liness of it.) It had about 42k miles then and about 70k miles now. I had the vehicle thoroughly inspected before purchase, and seviced after purchase. In the 2 1/2 years I've had the only problem I've had is that the radiator developed a slow leak. No biggie- I bought a new OE radiator and had it installed- about $350 total. It runs on middle grade gas (about $1.65 here), and gets 21mpg in mixed driving conditions- although it could easily get 26-27 on the highway at 65mph. The seating is comfortable, the climate controls work great, the acceleration is spirited, and the handling is what you'd expect. Not a sports coupe, but excellent for a mid-sized sedan. The only drawbacks are the inevitable cost of repairs, and the fact that RWD are not particularly great in snow conditions.