i read just a few of those stories, sounds like bs and some seem like typical dont know how to turn a wrench types.
they dont take into account the following:
my family drove american cars for years and swore by them, even tho my dad or my uncle were out there one weekend of every month (or more) fixing that damn thing. many stories i have of this, yes.
Bought my previous bimmer. in the 5 years i had it, only once did it ever not start up on me, and it was my fault. standard service, timing belt every 60k miles, and of course brakes, oil, etc. next to what they paid on keeping those damn things running, i paid next to nothing, and had a nice sports sedan to boot.