[MRM]

I think it depends a lot on the make and model. My impression is that the cheaper versions and some of the high performance versions of the European near luxury cars are all less reliable than the core models. For instance, people on the board complain incessantly about BMWs, but I had a 2011 535 that I put 140,000 on with little more than wear items and maintenance. The 3 Series gets a lot of good press as drivers cars, but I think a lot of the problems with the brand fall to the entry level cars or the high performance Ms or luxuriously complicated 7 Series. The bread and butter cars seem pretty solid.

I'd still have my 535 but my wife made me get rid of it in order to get our third Mercedes E Class. Also flawless cars, going back to a 2008 E350/ They have been even more reliable and less maintenance than my 535.

But I also had an Audi RS6 that would have made a Ferrari look cheap to maintain. It was the fastest car I'll ever own by far, but it cost dollars per mile I put on it. I will never buy another Audi again, by the way. (And I paint VWs with the same brush.)

But I think and relatively late model mid-level Mercedes E Class or BMW 5 Series will prove reliable and very capable grand touring cars. AMG Mercedes have a reputation for reliability as high performance vehicles, in line with Matt's experience. BMW's Ms and 7 Series in general are too complex and sacrifice reliability for performance and electronic wizardry, but the 5 Series and E Class both seem to enjoy good records.