[DJ's left nut]

Be very careful with a German out of warranty.

The motors can last awhile, yes, but they're also built towards performance which means higher precision, lower tolerances and an increased chance of something small going wrong. And when something small goes wrong, it's a big problem in a German.

They're expensive as hell to have worked on and they can just be finnicky. Again - think of them as thoroughbreds. When they're running, they're fantastic. But it doesn't take a hell of a lot to convince them not to run that day.

I'd almost always steer clear of extended warranties but if you're looking at one that you can get another couple of years added to it for a reasonable cost, I'd do it. There's a reason so many people lease those cars AND there are so many available right at/after their warranty periods. The folks that have owned several of them are understandably wary of their records after the warranty expires.

Worse still, they just made their no-cost warranty worse; from 4/50k to 3/36. Why? Because they were losing their ass on basic maintenance costs because again, it's just expensive to own one of those damn things.

Just be very very prepared to deal with the cost of ownership. You're right - there's just about nothing more enjoyable to drive on the road. I LOVED the X5 I tooled around in for a bit and every time I end up in a rental sedan or something it's a dream. I've just never convinced myself to own one because I've known too many people that have. At worst, I'd find a year old model with plenty of warranty left that's already taken the 'new car' depreciation hit.