For me, it was two words only...RESALE VALUE...I sell more cars than I buy, so this is the first thing I look at when buying a car...NO car sells like a Bimmer..Hondas sell fast, but for retaining value, nothing beats the Ultimate Driving Machine!! I just drove my E46 for a year, and sold it for 1000 more than I bought it for...Just something to keep in mind...