Mister B you are talking about the older BMWs which were umm not as reliable. The previous BMW that I've owned 95 E36 and the current 00 M coupe and E46 330i have no such problems. (except the M coupe and the fuel gauge thingy).

318i has 125K miles and no oil leak.

The E39 5-series is one of the most reliable 5-series (and most successful) if not the most reliable BMW of recent date.

Your E32 735iL is probably a wront stardard to judge the more current lineup of BMWs.