My first car was my Dads old 1990 525i, 5 speed. He was the original owner, he/I put 273,000 miles on it before i had to say bye-bye, but it went 255k before its first engine rebuild (a valve stem broke), IMO thats pretty damn good considering it took a beating in New York winters etc. Yes, repairs can br pricy, but as long as you maintain the car it shouldnt be bad, as kyle said. Trust me, own a BMW then own any other car, and youll want the BMW back. I know I did.