the 300 series are BMWs big sellers and finding a good price on lease return is usually pretty easy so you can get into a lightly used vehicle for the same price a new lesser make.

Maintenance intervals are very long (averaging around 20,000 kms between service) so the high cost of a service (synthetic oil etc.) is offset by the length of time/mileage between each. I have found the total cost of regular service over a given distance to be no more expensive than my Toyota Tundra.

We have had this car for six years and 75,000 km (it is mostly driven in the winter). The car is great fun to drive and has been quite reliable, the few repairs needed (front wheel bearing, brakes and coolant reservoir tank) have been reasonably priced. In an emergency I had it repaired at a garage associated with a low price national chain and they appear to have handled the reapir at a reasonable cost with no problems.

Well made, fun to drive and not significantly more expensive than a run of the mill car - I will definitely buy another used 300 series when this one goes.