As far as the finished product is concerned, The Consumerist is a big fan of BMWs. Sure, there are the occasional hare-brained mistakes like iDrive, but even those missteps seem to be born of an attempt to improve the driving experience. Plus their cars go really fast around corners, our favorite variety of road.

But we will never own one. Maintenance costs are maddeningly expensive. Many newer models essentially tie you into service at the dealership, due to cryptic, hard-to-troubleshoot electronics. And even if one is willing to interact with the dealership, they can often take three months just to replace a wheel.

As hurt as we are that we will never drive a jewel like this M Coupe, we do find some consolation that the level of service from a BMW dealership can be just as bad as that of a lesser brand.

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