There is much to be learnt from the story of Martin Hunt and his BMW 330Ci Sport Convertible, and most of it dates from before he even got the car. Having decided he wanted one almost exactly a year ago, he rang his local dealer, Sytner BMW, of Parsons Green, London, and left a message saying what he was after. Being a keen technophile, once the extras were added the order would be worth over £40,000.

Nobody returned his call. He rang twice more, failing to elicit the smallest response. By December he presumed Sytner didn't want to sell him a car and went to a dealer in High Wycombe. They said they'd be delighted: would delivery in 10 months — just in time to miss the spring, summer and autumn — be all right?

He made his excuses and left. "So I got online," Martin recalls, "and went to every internet broker I could find. I wanted a UK-sourced car for its three-year warranty and searched until I found www.findmycar.com.

I knew I wouldn't get a discount off BMW's list price for a car in such demand but I hoped at least to cut the wait a little." He tapped in his requirements down to the last detail, hit 'send' and hoped. "Within minutes the phone rang and on the other end was a pleasant and intelligent human being asking if I'd mind waiting four weeks for delivery." He paid Findmycar a £500 deposit and was told his car would be available from Haworth of Staffs in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Four weeks later, Martin was on the train. "They'd have delivered it to me in London free of charge," says the 40-year-old fund manager, "but I wanted the journey back to get to know it." He handed over the balance to Haworth, received a BMW umbrella for his trouble and headed back to town.

At first the car was faultless and with its Steptronic transmission, television, satellite navigation, xenon headlights and £1,000 stereo upgrade, Martin was in heaven. "Then one day, on my way to work, the alternator light started flickering on and off; simultaneously I started to smell fish." Then smoke started billowing from under the bonnet. Fortunately, he was able to limp into his office and call BMW's emergency number from there.

"I was told that, because of preparations for the Queen Mother's funeral, nobody could reach me until lunchtime. Had I been stranded at the side of the road, I'd have been fuming. In fact, I got on with my work until, 15 minutes rather than four hours later, an immaculate 5-series Touring loaded to the roof with tools appeared."

The problem was traced to a loose battery terminal arcing and melting its plastic cover, hence the smoke and smell. The procedure took 10 minutes and, while he was annoyed that his car had let him down within its first month, Martin was deeply impressed by the standard of service, particularly as the warranty extends for an unlimited mileage over three years.

Then the alarm started going off for no reason. The car went to Sytner who, after
much cogitating, diagnosed too many £1 coins in the centre console interfering with the system's microwaves. The money was removed and the alarm has been silent ever since.

Since then the car has run perfectly, apart from the occasional need to reboot the multimedia system. "So far as the car itself is concerned, I'm not sure I'd have an automatic again," says Martin. "In London it's fine but out in the country it just feels gutless. It also has this allegedly sophisticated electronic stability control, but all I've found that it does is cut the power just when you need it most, pulling out of a junction onto a busy main road."

Despite these faults, Martin is generally pleased with the car, would recommend it to others and, at a pinch, would order another himself. "I love its solidity, the fact that my two children are completely comfortable in the back, the decent-sized boot and a rear screen made from glass, not flexible plastic. I think it looks great, handles well, and given that I can't afford a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, which is what I really want, it is absolutely the next best thing."

Verdict: Recommended, just.