My X5 has been a dream but the air suspension went bad so I had to replace it for a few hundred bucks but other than that, she's been fine.

 

Older Audis have alot of issues with the electronics. I drove a friend's 2002 audi s4 quite a bit and within a two week period the moon roof, power windows, and the trip computer broke, and many other things were already broken (radio, turn signals, etc). A month after this his transmission blew at only 55k miles and he sold it as is after that since it was not worth fixing in his opinion. I heard these problems were pretty common among Audis, but you do get those stories of ones that are as reliable as a Japanese car, but if the person is selling it chances is it is not of those.

 

Honestly service for a Mercedes is really not that bad. It's usually like $200 for the first ten thousand miles and then $450 for the next ten thousand miles and then it cycles like that. They also always have service coupons. I really don't see how Lexus is cheaper. When things break, then it gets costly with Mercedes. But the new ones are quite reliable. My 09 c class has been flawless

 

My Aunts 06 S600 hasn't given her any problems what so ever. Never MB's are indeed reliable.

 

I never had any issues on my two ex-Mercedes' and no problems so far with my BMW 118d and my second hand high-mileage Volkswagen Golf.

 

agreed. if anything breaks, euros will be problems. but if just maintenance, lexus is no where cheaper, if at all.

 

I don't know about bimmers and audi's but 3 MB's we had were fairly reliable. I see it like this.. If you have warranty you don't have to worry. Maintenance on these are not bad at all. It's after warranty period you have to worry about. Any unscheduled trip to dealer for repairs will be financial disasters.

 

Don't wanna sound like a life coach, but I agree with rominl. Should just focus on getting your life back together before thinking about throwing money down the drain.

If you really insist on getting a car though, here's my take. I've read a lot of your threads, the cars you're looking at, and you're bouncing off the walls on all sorts of different cars. FOCUS on your priorities and what you want out of the car in your given price range. Consider repairs and such in your equation of costs. Cost of repairs alone should axe out any thought of owning a used German car.

Why looking to own such a baller car when you're not ballin? Just gonna end up broke....

 

I don't get why people bother with used luxury limos. They are cheap for many reasons.

I'd get a new corolla and be done with it.

 

You mean it's wrong to drive an s320 or 740il or A8L with 180k+ miles with the check engine light still on while sharing an apartment is wrong???
I want people to think I have money

 

Your 1990 LS will be more reliable and cheaper to maintain than any German car over 5 years old.

 

I think its too simple of a question to ask. Theres alot of differences between various models for each brand. I would say that my 328i coupe daily driver is pretty reliable. Whereas, a more high end BMW is going to be alot less reliable.

 

In my condo complex I am living while attending college, there is a guy who drives a new Bentley continental gt, but the condo itself is worth at max $400k, half the price of his car.

 

Another OUTSTANDING post... GREAT advice all

Just another example why CL RULES the internet....

 

Bentley Continental GT = $190,000

Perhaps you miss-typed, but you're suggesting that the Bentley is nearly $800K.