Thanks guys for the honest advice. When I bought the 135i, it was either that or a MY2006/2007 Porsche Cayman S. After reading about the horrible problems with the M96 (or is it M97) engine (Intermediate shaft failure = $15k new engine) I really was biased towards the 135i. I test drove a few Cayman S cars and the clutch pedal was harder than I card to deal with in the horrible traffic I deal with every day. The shifting mechanism that was praised by every car mag I could find, felt rather floppy to me. I even tried two different (used) Caymans, and both felt the same so I'm guessing they all feel bad after a few miles are on them. I drove the 2009 new DI engine (Without a intermediate shaft) and the excellent PDK, but there was no way I was going to pay $65k for a used car.
Other than a few VW's, I am new to German cars. I know on average they are not as reliable as others, and I even knew about the HPFP problems before I bought it. I didn't expect other stuff to break so often and cost so much to fix. I also own a Lexus IS350, and Lexus charges a tonne for parts, but the BMW is even higher.
I still have the itch for the Cayman S, but that isn't as practical as a 997 Carrera S. But I would be a fool if I thought that would be any more reliable. The catch is that I also have my eye on a c6 Z06, which is extremely reliable. A little rough for daily driving, but that's how I roll
I don't reget buying it, like I said I really love the car, but I'm miffed about the reliability issues. I'm leaning towards keeping it because I really don't like most of whats out there right now.