[RedStripe]

My impression of BMW (and other German makers) is that the quality and reliability of the cars has been good recently, but not as great as they were once known to be. If you're looking for the hightest quality and reliability, I think almost everyone will tell your best bet will be a Japanese maker like Lexus or Acura.

If you're looking at this purchase from a value perspective also (bang for the buck), you cannot beat the Japanese cars in this class, like the Infiniti G35, Acura TL, and the upcoming 2006 Lexus IS 250 or 350 when looking at features, HP/Torque, roominess, standard amenities and other spec sheet items per dollar.

However, I don't want to unintentionally raise the ire of all the BMWheads on this forum, so I will say that besides the structural reasons that German luxury manufacturers are more expensive (to a reasonably significant degree) than a "comparably" outfitted competitor from a Japanese luxury manufacturer, there is also a premium in the venerability of the name behind it. Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus are only a few years old, though they've really made a reputation for themselves in the short time they've had. But the German makers like BMW and Mercedes Benz have a much longer and storied history. Whether that is worth a premium is up to you.

Also, BMW's have a long-standing reputation as the "ultimate driving machine", for good reason. So to answer you original post, I would say that both BMW and Lexus have very good quality standards and reputations for reliability. Though taking a census of many, many owners of a 2006 e90 and a 2006 IS over the next few years, I would expect on average more problems to surface on the e90 than the IS. However, if you happen to unfortunately end up with a car from either that has an inherently significant mechanical problem, it's going to be expensive. Period.

Really, I have full confidence in the new e90 in terms of reliability and quality of build. So, I wouldn't expect a e90 to be service much more than a 2006 IS over the next few years. The parts for a BMW might be more expensive than parts for a Lexus, but that would apply to all vehicles across each manufacturer. So when you ask, "is it really that bad", I never thought maintenance and reliability was that bad to begin with.

Also, someone had mentioned test driving an IS in an above post. The previous IS wasn't in the same class as the 3 series, but the new one will be.