BMW luxury cars and racing cars have long been known to the public. It didn't take the use of BMW in Hollywood films like James Bond to entice car buyers to purchase a BMW; the history of the company basically says it all. Founded in 1916, BMW has been setting the precedent for precision-conscience automobiles from the word go. The now renowned headquarters in Munich were built to architectural applause in 1968 and have come to be considered a national landmark.

Bavarian Motor Works now owns both the Mini and Rolls Royce trademarks. They have come a long way from making aircraft engines. Though they enjoyed lucrative contracts to build plane for the Kaiser's air force prior to World War I, BMW had to rethink its business model following Germany's defeat. They began building automobiles and motorcycles in 1923 and 1928 respectively.

Currently, BMW has several popular models encompassed in their Series 1 to 7 lines, especially the X, M, and Z models. The Z4 is the most notable of the BMW automobiles from James Bond movies. What makes this car a dream for any buyer is its sensors, which remember all previous seat settings, will dial any phone number for you, and can find any location with its internal GPS system.

It is interesting to note that a portion of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games were held on the grounds of the distinctive BMW headquarters. The uniquely designed towers had just been completed prior to the beginning of the games. Though the games were marred by political violence, the city and BMW, in particular, have gone on to enjoy immense prosperity. Munich is now ranked 8th in the top 10 cities with the highest quality of life, according to the 2007 Mercer HR Consulting survey.

Munich is between the River Isar and the Bavarian Alps. It is the third largest city in Germany, with 1.35 million residents, and enjoys a sizable amount of automotive sales, sales that BMW is more than happy to accommodate. But you need not be a resident of Munich to enjoy the power and performance of a BMW. Finding a certified preowned BMW is as easy as getting online. The power, performance, and history of a BMW are only a click away.