Faults:

Sensors, ABS, suspension, brakes, oil leak, etc the usual stuff for age and miles.

General Comments:

Even as a 2007 car, this 3 series feels fresh. Bought as a second car to cruise in comfort and it has delivered well.

Expensive to run but that is expected. You can buy them cheap enough used however. The car also barely returns more than 27 - 30 mpg, but you should go for the diesels or smaller engines if that is a concern. The 2.5 petrol has a nice balance of power however, and is very refined.

SE model has plenty extras and a comfy interior.

Overall I like it, an appreciating classic I now plan to keep. Modern enough to use, yet not old enough to cause me any major problems, ideal second car for anyone!

Faults:

A couple of very minor rattles. The seat belt handover mechanism sometimes misses the seat belt.

General Comments:

The engine is a revelation, combining really useful "grunt" with fantastic economy (50mpg+ being easily attainable), but without ever sounding too much like a taxi or being intrusive.

The run-flat tyres give a rather sharp ride. Given the choice (which one isn't) I'd go for conventional rubber.

The i-Drive system is complex, but not as annoying as some critics would have you believe. I'd have preferred a touch-screen system, though.

The seat belt handover arms look a bit flimsy to me and sometimes get tangled in the belts. They also get a bit confused if you jump out of the car with the engine running (for instance, to post a letter) and try to pass the belt to a non-existent driver!

The adaptive Xenon headlamps are very effective, and the high beam assistant feature is quite surprisingly effective.

The DAB digital radio struggles to find a signal in rural areas, but that's not a fault of the car - simply a symptom of the current level of coverage.

The live traffic information, which updates the satnav route, is a bit erratic - again, probably because of the nature of the system itself rather than anything particularly Bavarian.

The styling is far more attractive than the E90 saloon, but I wish I'd opted for the 18" 5-spoke alloys as the standard-fit 17" 7 spokes look a bit weedy by comparison.

I chose the camel coloured nappa leather and walnut trim options, which lightens an otherwise sombre interior.

Faults:

Too early yet, but it is exceedingly well built.

General Comments:

This car is absolute heaven.

Fully loaded it is not cheap, but the performance and road holding are stunning.

Acceleration is top class 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and the 6 speed auto changes seamlessly.

But its overriding advantage is its non lag twin turbo engine which on a recent 120 mile run over country roads with some very quick bits!!! Averaged 39.7 mpg. I was staggered by it.

Well done BMW: the rest of you have a long long way to go to equal this car let alone beat it.