Well I just sold my 2001 325i 5 speed, steel grey, sport, premium, H/K CD. It was 49 months old with 73.4K miles. THat is an average of around 18K miles a yr. If I look at my total cost = down payment plus all my loan payments including interest and subtract the selling price, the car cost me exactly $400 a month to own....not bad! Now If I add in all the maint and repairs I had to pay for...brakes, rotors, one window regulator, and 2 sets of tires, the total cost is around another 40 dollars a month. I did much better than if I leased the car. Not only was the lease cost much higher than that, but I would of been over the miles! I think I did pretty good. Hope this helps.