After reading your post imho the only thing slow is the poster.
german parts cost more because quality is better. i would put a german “low range” part at a mid to lower high range domestic/jap part quality wise.
couple that in w/ the fact that there may be 1 to 3 companies who make an oem replacement part, unlike a honda where you have 100 different companies making shit. less companies means price is somewhat set. difference between cheap and high end part is minimal cost wise. example-- a brembo rotor may cost 35, an ate 38, and a zimmerman 40. anyone of them is a good brand–just a matter of what one you prefer.
labor wise–lets face it. you pay more because not every shop can work on it. that denotes a skill must be used to perform the task at hand. you dont go to work and do your job for less money do you? why should i?
price goes up for maintenance as shit is more complex. scan tools are not cheap. the usual tool truck scan tool doesn’t do shit on german cars. it will pull a code and that’s about it–same thing a 50 dollar code reader will do. after you update tool truck scan tools to the European package will it work. even then, they lack in diagnostic abilities as compared to oem level software. to program ecus, set readiness monitors, or run output tests–you need to have the tools. so figure 1k for vw audi shit, another 1200 for bmw gt1, another 1200 for mb benzstar. volvo softwae is f’d up, i only have until 2000 b/c i refuse to buy shit that costs 3k for stuff i dont work on often enough…
my tool collection is vastly different than that of a domestic mechanic. a lot of specialty tools (cam clamps for timing belts, special sockets for alternator pulley clutches, etc etc) as well as bit/drivers that a domestic/jap tech wont ever use. that cost gets passed on to the customer. every new model presents the possibility of a new tool is needed. hell, they have tamper proof triple squares now when most people dont even know what a triple square is…
top it off, you pay for experience. as mentioned, a normal shop can work on the european car. it may take them 3 hours to diagnosis the problem. this may be something i can diagnosis in 1 hour or less. a typical western pa shop rate is 60 bucks out of the city. so 180 for 3 hours. typical german shop out of the city is at least 70 i would hope. that 70 bucks an hour seems like a bargain compared to the 180 at the other shop…
They’re not tamper-proof, they’re close enough looking to a torx that they’re strip-gauranteed 
Sweet you have the smug wanna be yuppie BMW attitude to go with the BMW. 
Jeff I may be driving a “much shittier car” than the 135, but I figured you are not smug and can find it in yourself to look past it. I personally think a G37 would be a fun choice. If you are gonna keep it stock it will perform just as well as a 135 and I personally think it looks a lot better. Looks wise the 135 is terrible, no doubt it does perform well but it looks like a wannabe yuppie metro mobile. If you are spending around $40why not consider a used C6 Z06 I am sure you could fine one around that??? Bit that would be a terrible choice for a DD…
edit…here is one in the $40K range (there are a few more very similar)…I would take this (even though it is shittier) anyday over any car mentioned in this thread
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS CAR BEFORE YOU JUST MENTIONED IT, BUT MY EXPERT ADVICE IS TO GO AHEAD AND BUY IT BECAUSE IT IS BADASS.
Jeff, if you want a good winter car that has some grunt and can handle why not look at an Evo or WRX?
Mustang in snow? 
I considered the Evo, but at the time I didn’t quite have the go ahead on the stick. I should probably revisit that if I can find one around, and if it’s available without the ridiculous wing. I’ve heard insurance is pretty bad on them but I need to check that. Camaro is +$22/month, Mustang is +$30, G37 is +$27.
I know the Camaro/Mustang/rear drive is a dumb idea for winter, but we never seem to have that many bad days. I’m kind of banking on that and snow tires with some weight in the back.
I was planning to let this go until spring, but the tax incentive and the latest pricing that I’ve seen is making it tempting. There’s a AAA price on the Mustang that’s $750 under invoice and $1500 in incentives. Probably because no normal person would buy one in December!
Yeah the past couple of winters have been pretty mild. But it only takes one bad day to end up in a ditch or stuck on the side of the road… Plus AWD gives you the advantage to avoid getting smashed into by retards trying to drive Mustangs in the snow. 
I’m looking for a used Grand Cherokee right now to use as a daily.
G37 would be an awesome car for a DD, i think. i def like the '10 Mustang GT and of course the Camaro. dunno how practical they would be tho. My next car will probly be an Evo X but it will have to serve double-duty as a DD / performance car. Since you are purely lookin for DD, then id say G37 but i think Evo is a great choice too.
Have you checked out the new Subaru Legacy yet? They have a GT with a 2.5 Turbo engine in it or they have a limited with a 3.6 6 cylinder. Pretty nice looking cars for ~30k, tons of features.
I put a remote starter in a 2010 Imfiniti M35x over the weekend. I spent some time driving it too. It is a sweet ride. I was kinda on the fence about them beforehand. It has a price tag to go with it, though (50K +). There are some used ones out there with more reasonable prices.
I have an '04 Limited that I plan on selling soon. Only 58k on it. Inferno red, AWD, V8, Leather, etc, etc.
PM me if interested.
I test drove a 3.6 when my wife got a new car. they are nice, but the electronic parking brake is lame especially for winter driving