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...

Faults:

Water-pump, radiator, and thermostat re replaced every 30,000 miles at £250 a time. I live with very hard water apparently!!

New shock-absorbers, coil springs and brake disc's every 25,000 miles. cost £800 a time.

General Comments:

Having gone from a small 3-series 323i BMW 2-door saloon to a 5-series automatic BMW tourer it took a while to adjust to the loss of power.

I spend £1000's on replacing parts that wear out, but I have the car screaming and crying non-stop.

If ever you wanted a very comfy shed on wheels with a surge of extras and some power then you'll love this car.

I still get 45 miles-Per-Gallon at over 100,000 miles on my engine now so need I say more?

Faults:

Head gasket blew (may have cracked head - still in garage)

Driver's door central locking motor not working.

Check control 'licence plate light' warning keeps coming on (somebody PLEASE tell me how to get rid of it)

Under heavy acceleration, engine seems to flat-spot a few times through the rev band (3, 3.5, 4k revs)

Engine vibrates at 2.5k revs for some reason?

Bit of valve-train ticking on cold start-up.

Cam-chain/vanos-chain chatter above 4k revs.

General Comments:

Overall a quality car for the money.

Supposed to be the most reliable BMW ever built - can't see it myself.

Note from 'zorst system sounds mint.

Drives very nicely.

Not impressed by coarse sounding engine and poor reliability (BMW reckon M50 engine is prone to cracking head)

When changing coolant PLEASE PLEASE only use BMW coolant. Spend few more pennies now - save lots of pounds later.

Faults:

Speed sensor went at 111,000 miles, cheap and quick to fix.

General Comments:

Fantastic car.

Great performance, comfort, refinement and handling.

Cost of ownership is the worst aspect. Fuel economy averages around 21mpg and servicing costs are slightly higher than the average vehicle.

Performance is very surprising for such a large car with an automatic gearbox, and the noise from the 3.5 litre straight six is fantastic.

Handling is very sure-footed and confidence inspiring.

Comfort and refinement is great for a 10 year old car. Quiet and smooth. Look for an SE with full leather and the onboard computer (very handy). More refined than most brand new cars.