Faults:

The door seals were not soundproof and caused the doors not to close properly. They have needed to be replaced twice.

The car developed a handling problem when the rear tires were changed, which I lived with for 10000 miles until the front set were also replaced. The tire supplier and the car dealer were unable to determine the cause of the problem.

General Comments:

Apart from the period where my tires were giving me problems the car has been a real dream to drive. It is very fast, but incredibly safe with taught suspension, good steering feedback and superb brakes.

The car is also great around town offering good visibility and light and easy controls.

As if that's not enough, it's also fantastic over distances - for a coupe it takes my family and a lot of luggage easily, and is comfortable to drive all day long. The engine gives so much power, you would hardly notice when the car's loaded up.

I average about 30 miles to the gallon in all kinds of driving, and have no expense in 75,000 apart from routine maintenance. The door seals were replaced under warranty.

Faults:

Brake problems, mainly overheating, and too much fade.

Security system faults.

Has overheated in the summer.

A few minor electrical and engine management faults (fixed under warranty)

General Comments:

Nice driving position, logically laid out controls and good fuel consumption are a bonus.

Very torquey as you would expect, however its no performance machine.

I am a rep and do a lot of miles, but this car is no quicker than your average Jap 2.0 saloon, it has loads of mid range pull, but runs out of steam through the gears and does not possess the seamless almost relentless urge of other higher revving cars I have driven.

It has been pretty reliable, and of course I'm not paying the bills, but if it was my money I wouldn't buy one. I think this is partly due its image which is increasingly low rent and down market coupled with some of the other manufacturers coming out with great cars.

My company have solely German vehicles, but I believe that is to change due to the advent of more competitively priced and modern stuff on the market.

Faults:

Nothing so far, but it is early days.

Having had various BMW models in the past, I don't think that anything will break just yet.

General Comments:

This car beats the current C class Mercedes hands down!

I know this because I have just disposed of my 2002 C320 because the build quality was dreadful.

This car feels so solid, and the performance and handling are quite superb.

Even though it has covered a high mileage for its age, it looks and feels like a new car, albeit with a few minor stone chips on the front bumper.

I have never worried about buying a BMW with a few more miles on it, because they handle it extremely well and as long as they have a documented service history, high mileage should not be considered an issue provided that the purchase price reflects this.

I was really hoping that the current Mercedes C Class would have turned me into a Mercedes fan, but here I am a year later, back with BMW... it is a far better made car, the trim quality is far superior, it drives better, is faster, (and yes, I have tried the C32, fast, but still the same awful build quality), So its back to BMW for me!!

I know its early days with this particular car, but I have to say that I don't think I will be selling this one in a years time. I feel that we will have a long and pleasant relationship.