sell it. if you are hot happy with a car of any brand just sell it. bmw is just another brand. if i can't afford fixing it, i will sell mine too. vehicle for wife should be more reliable than the x. bmw doesnt guarantee you that everything works right after $50k. its your choice to either keep it or sell it. here is the tip, 1 brand new 4-runner, 1 brand new x in the house if you live in snow area or 1 brand new camry, 1 new 5 series.

What is surprising to me is that this entire thread started with a seized brake caliper, and moved on to a discussion of BMW reliability.

Brake calipers don't just seize. They seize because there is moisture in the brake fluid. That usually happens because the brake fluid isn't changed according to the manufacturer's schedule, which is every 24 months, from the build date (not the in-service date). Would be interesting to know when the brake fluid was last changed for the OP, and if the cap was left off the brake fluid reservoir at any point, admitting moisture.

I am with lo-jack. What you pay for with a BMW is the driving experience. Engineering, yes, but IMO it is experience mostly. If that experience doesn't mean anything to you, you shouldn't waste your money on a BMW. Those who do value that experience are willing to pay for it, just look at the sales statistics. There is absolutely nothing in the brand promise that implies reliability; purchasers who equate the higher price with reliability deserve what they get for not researching.

I don't think it is as simple as saying the parts are less reliable, it is just that complexity is engineered in for the sake of the driving experience. Look at a BMW suspension with multi-links. It is designed to handle better. It has a lot more links to wear out. A McPherson strut would be cheaper, more durable, and would provide 90% of the handling. BMW just makes a design choice to go after that last 10%.

I make sure I sell my BMWs when the warranty runs out. I had two friends who asked to buy my last two cars, knowing how I had maintained them. I declined to sell them the vehicles, as they weren't going to anyone I knew and wanted to stay friends with. If you can't afford a new car every 3-4 years, then fine, I empathize, but it seems to me that buying a used BMW is a poor second choice. That is not so true of the E46, but it is very true of the current line-up.