> The paint on my 14 year old 325i looks as good as new with only an occasional coat of wax and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the paint on my e53 other than some stone chips in front.

I don't doubt that the 14 year old paint is better -- that was still solvent-based paint. As for the current paint, check it for orange peel on the clear coat, and then compare to a new Ford or Chevy.

I'm quite serious. BMW paint jobs almost always have much more orange peel that Ford or Chevy.