German cars are notoriously unreliable (well, a common refrain among owners is -- they are reliable as long as you spends lots of money maintaining them, and in

German cars are notoriously unreliable (well, a common refrain among owners is -- they are reliable as long as you spends lots of money maintaining them, and invariably anecdotes of a BMW 19xx still running like a champ will be offered. But on average, this is not true. You can ask mechanics.) German cars are designed to be fun to drive -- and they are! But their reliability to a layman -- not a car enthusiast, but a layman who doesn't have the inclination to baby their cars -- is not the best. Italian cars like Fiats are even worse. But boy are they beautiful. Different design goals. p.s. also if you baby any car, it will be reliable. But your mechanic bills will be substantial.