We are starting to look for a newer car for Danise that has an automatic. Her injuries from the accident 2 years ago have made her right arm and shoulder not work as well as it used to and shifting the manual tranny in her Accord is difficult and painful. The logical choice is a ~4 years old Camry or Accord, to get something in the mid-teens. But while at a used lot, the sales guy showed her a 2003 330i. Danise loved it. I like what I hear about BMW related to the driving experience but don't have a clue about quality, dependability and reliability (QDR as Toyota refers to it). I drove it. It was nice. Lots of power. Seemed to handle well for the short distance I took it. We've had our '98 Accord for 10 years. It's only had some minor issues but it does burn more oil than I think it should, now with 130K miles. The mid-2000's Accord is very familiar, with just a newer look and controls. I think it might be slightly bigger. The same age Camry seems more like a Buick, with a more cushy ride and less attractive exterior. I haven't considered Nissan or Hyundai.
I do agree though, a regularly maintained European vehicle is superb indeed. It's a mindset that one needs to fall into.
