What issues have you had Dave? I thought those engines were pretty bomb proof.
I heard a tubi exhaust on an E39 M5 once, amazing sound!!
No serious issues. ONCE I had a leaky injector...the car went into limp mood and I took it to the dealer for a fix.
The demos aren't all bad (hey, they're free!). I had a 2011 328xi a couple weeks ago when I was in for a free service. Time before that I had an X3 sdrive30 (??). Hate. Time before that I had a 2011 323i. Meh.
My brother's 335i coupe is first gen 07. Had the whole engine replaced.
Willis, you can keep your reliable and underpowered car. I would say my car has been near-perfect (except above noted injector issue).