As a 7 year old (70s) on my road, the father of my biggest enemy had a 2002 BMW. Since then I have owned 5 Mercedes out of spite (except 1 Volvo, 1 Saab. 1 Fiat, 1 Alfa) The new 3er is the first BMW I had, since the 850 Coupe. Especially as a combo the car is kind of awesome. Of course, the 93 Sportcombi also feels good for me. However, in order to make the 3er the Saab had to be at least 3-4k Euro cheaper. Because of the quality superiority of BMW and the better engines.