My son just bought a 2003 BMW 320i from a dealership and had me check it out prior to purchase. Car is in great shape with reasonable mileage, and the price was excellent. A friend of mine works at the dealership. The car drove very well...pulled right to redline smoothly and the handling and braking were great. My only concern was that the oil filler cap had signs of sludge on it. I have an older 7-Series ('99) with 340,000km on it and the oil filler cap is still shiny, as are the camchains etc that you can see through the oil fill opening. Unfortunately, on the 3-series there is an internal plastic shroud that prevents getting a good look in through the oil filter opening. I mentioned the possibility of sludge to my son, although BMWs are not known as "sludgers" and the in-line 2.2 litre 6 cylinder engine is a little jewel. The price we paid is about $3-4000 below market value so my son figured even if we needed to do some engine work/cleaning it was worth it. I've always run German Castrol in my 7-Series but I'm wondering about using Penzoil Platinum or Ultra in the 3-Series for improved cleaning. Auto RX is not available locally (mail order only) and I was also thinking of using Seafoam and doing a quick 300 mile first oil change and then going with Penzoil. Again, not sure about sludge and will check the oil filter, etc when we get the car, but it there is some just looking for recommendations.