BMW or Mercedes - 10K budget
02-24-13, 12:17 PM
#34
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Obviously, its not worth the money and I'm sick of the car.
02-24-13, 12:34 PM
#35
Instructor
we bought a 2006 750Li years ago. It handled great and was very luxurious. We got the most compliments with that car. However, it became very expensive to maintain once the warranty expired. Used BMW's are unreliable and costly to fix. Select your used BMW VERY cautiously. In fact, I wouldn'd recommend buying a used BMW without factory warranty.
Lexus is far more reliable. However, in my humble opinion, recent Lexus vehicles are so ugly and cheap-looking. So we replaced our problem-prone 750Li with a new Mercedes GL450. We dont plan to keep the MB beyond its factory warranty.
On a different note, we have a plea to Lexus: please bring back the elegant designs that made Lexus famous in the first place. We love the Lexus reliability, and miss the beautiful interiors of older Lexus. In our opinion, recent Lexus cars and SUVs look so hideous. They dont look sporty or classy; they just look plain and rediculous. Sorry if my comment offends anyone. Unfortunately, that is our opinion. We would love to buy another Lexus when/if a classy design comes along. We are waiting and remain optimistic.
Lexus is far more reliable. However, in my humble opinion, recent Lexus vehicles are so ugly and cheap-looking. So we replaced our problem-prone 750Li with a new Mercedes GL450. We dont plan to keep the MB beyond its factory warranty.
On a different note, we have a plea to Lexus: please bring back the elegant designs that made Lexus famous in the first place. We love the Lexus reliability, and miss the beautiful interiors of older Lexus. In our opinion, recent Lexus cars and SUVs look so hideous. They dont look sporty or classy; they just look plain and rediculous. Sorry if my comment offends anyone. Unfortunately, that is our opinion. We would love to buy another Lexus when/if a classy design comes along. We are waiting and remain optimistic.
02-24-13, 01:02 PM
#36
If you are set on a BMW, get a newer one. I almost got a 2002-03 5 series, but ended up with a gs instead. The mechanical stuff in that is solid, especially the 530, but its everything else that will drive you nuts. To be honest, its not just BMW, but just about any Luxury brand car that is 12 years old will probably drain your wallet. Unless you are dead set on that body style of car, get as new of a car as you can, and if you are struggling to do so, maybe a non premium brand car is a more reasonable choice. I hate to say it, but to many people are stepping into older Mercs, Beamers, Lexus, ect. and have no idea what they are getting into. Not everyone, just a lot of people.
02-24-13, 01:13 PM
#37
Lexus Champion
This is what you do OP, just buy a GS for that money. Not trying to sound biased but it will be a lot less of a headache. Save yourself some money you'll be spending on maintenance.
02-24-13, 02:24 PM
#39
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If you are set on a BMW, get a newer one. I almost got a 2002-03 5 series, but ended up with a gs instead. The mechanical stuff in that is solid, especially the 530, but its everything else that will drive you nuts. To be honest, its not just BMW, but just about any Luxury brand car that is 12 years old will probably drain your wallet. Unless you are dead set on that body style of car, get as new of a car as you can, and if you are struggling to do so, maybe a non premium brand car is a more reasonable choice. I hate to say it, but to many people are stepping into older Mercs, Beamers, Lexus, ect. and have no idea what they are getting into. Not everyone, just a lot of people.
Newer models are also more computerized and require dealer servicing to reset all the computers/codes.
I had a light come on that I ignored on my 2006 E90 sedan, steering wheel lock warning. I didn't think much of it, but when I researched it I found BMW put a sensor in the guts of the steering rack to tell the computer when your steering wheel was in a "locked" position. How this adds any value to the driver is beyond my comprehension. Anyhow, once that warning goes into failure mode, your car is disabled and must be towed. I live 100 miles from the nearest dealership. The only fix was to replace the entire steering rack @ $700.00.
Engineering and technology are great when the make practical sense. In this case, not so much....
Just one example, but if you get into an older model you won't run into this type of issue as the cars are far more DIY friendly.
02-24-13, 05:19 PM
#40
Yes but for the same money the op could buy a Toyota, Honda, ect. That would be just as DIY friendly, newer, less miles and in some cases under warranty still. I'm not against the BMW, it's just that many people (not all) get rocked by the costs of maintaining and fixing such cars.for example 2000-2003 s500s are going for nearly nothing, but service costs are still extremely high whether you go to the dealer or and indy mechanic
02-24-13, 09:38 PM
#44
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One other observation from an ex BMW owner, I used a very honest and good Indy mechanic for 15 years on three separate cars. They were a BMW only shop, and I would recommend them, and did, to many people. They were not the only BMW only shop.
When I was considering alternatives, I looked around for Lexus Indy shops. There aren't any! And this is in northern CA, where there are plenty of both makes on the road.
Pretty telling...
When I was considering alternatives, I looked around for Lexus Indy shops. There aren't any! And this is in northern CA, where there are plenty of both makes on the road.
Pretty telling...
02-24-13, 10:46 PM
#45
E38 7 series or an E39 with a v8 is going to drain your wallet QUICK!!!!
If you want a BMW on the cheap, with reasonable maintenance costs, get a 3, 5, or Z3 with a six cylinder engine, no M models either. Also stay away from the weird E60 5 series or E65 7 series, anything you find in those body styles for $10,000 is going to be a turd and horrendously expensive to service.
If you want a BMW on the cheap, with reasonable maintenance costs, get a 3, 5, or Z3 with a six cylinder engine, no M models either. Also stay away from the weird E60 5 series or E65 7 series, anything you find in those body styles for $10,000 is going to be a turd and horrendously expensive to service.