The BMW brand is the most reliable brand that I or my family have ever owned. If you complain about the little issues these cars have because of lack of preventative maintenance then I suggest you go take a look at ANY Chrysler made product. You'll be guaranteed to throw a rod or two and drop a transmission and watch it skip down the highway. Chrysler products are truly absolute garbage so in the end I can put up with a cooling system and other minor easy fixes here and there. This is my 3rd BMW and second X5 and both have been dead reliable from day one because I take care of them. My current 02 E39 M5 has been bullet proof as well.