Max dawg a grumpy old ninja he should be driving a Cadillac Brougham
5 things no one tells you about owning a used luxury car
- Thread starter bajanbadman
- Start date
Max dawg a grumpy old ninja he should be driving a Cadillac Brougham
first luxury car I purchased was a 2004 CLK. of course this was when I was a bachelor. It taught me a lot. depending on your situation, it might not be a good idea to buy a used luxury car. first thing that ever went wrong with the benz was one of the wiper blades started acting up. paid over $100 to replace it. I was like OK. got a flat one time. paid over $230 to replace it. I was like damn. got me thinking, If something else goes wrong with this motherfucker, I'm screwed. but the kicker was, I had a customer who told me, his buddy had a Mercedes. one door was acting up for some reason. he took it in. Mercedes told him it would cost $800 to replace the door but get this............................it was standard policy to replace all 4 doors. can't replace one without the other. a few months later, I traded the CLK in for Honda CRV.
2nd luxury car I decided to get was a brand new 2012 528 but I leased that through my corporation. 3 years free maintenance, and I get to write it off. doing it that way even saved on insurance since it was a company car, I bundled it with the company's insurance. lease will be over next year. I only got like about 19,000 miles on it. I will decide what to do with it when I return it.
2nd luxury car I decided to get was a brand new 2012 528 but I leased that through my corporation. 3 years free maintenance, and I get to write it off. doing it that way even saved on insurance since it was a company car, I bundled it with the company's insurance. lease will be over next year. I only got like about 19,000 miles on it. I will decide what to do with it when I return it.
perfect example of a driver that didn't learn about his car before purchase nor research the issues when things go wrong
You crazy. I park in the physician lot at my client site and its nothing but new brand new Gran Coupes, Panameras, 7 series, M-5s, CLS, etc. If its a Caddy its the new XTS joints. I"m sure they are all on lease. Shit one of em got an Aston Martin Rapide in the lot.
But they can afford to do that is what I'm saying.
german luxury cars are always much more expensive to maintain after 4 or 5 years or when the warranty expires. all cars are a bitch to repair now. except maybe the cheapest models. they all have parts packed tight and take more time to get to the part then actually replace it. no more cams in a day. engine rebuild in a weekend. manufacturers were well aware that people were doing lots of self maintenance. so they changed the game.
I hear good things about american cars now, but I'm still leery. it's my experience that japanese cars go forever. change oil. wash. 200k easy.
I hear good things about american cars now, but I'm still leery. it's my experience that japanese cars go forever. change oil. wash. 200k easy.
How's the range treating you?
Yeah the money is in repairs,
I tip my hat to you sir, I think it's all relative too, like you are lucky or doomed, I know cats with no trouble from their luxury car, and I know cats who have struggled
.
Well that's really great to find an electrician for the car, that's an ace in your hand
I own 2010 Infiniti and I cosign the member that said the repairs are a bitch. I've spent about 5k in repairs since I've had it. My dads an ace mechanic and even he says just take it to the shop.
They don't want to hear you dray, them damn infinitis when they good they good when they bad....or fucking up
I think I asked for a tune up price.....I blanked out when he told me lik thousands of dollars 1200-1500 I thinkEvoque is actually in the dealer (warranty ) first year production vehicle ghost problems.... Was thinking of Macon trade... Yes repeat potential ghost,
Sport is runnin fine, parked it was drivin to much ..
Research prior to purchase
And online forums after purchase
Def make a diff in used car purchase
A lot of that stuff can be diy with some patience, tools and space ...
Oil changes , spark plugs, air filters , brakes go along way.. Must people just hop in and drive never checking anything, letting a little problem become a huge pocket draining and then claim it's the car... Purchased an 01 bmw in 03 and it's still rocking strong , not in my hands directly anymore (Fam ) but a lil elbow grease goes a long way
And online forums after purchase
Def make a diff in used car purchase
A lot of that stuff can be diy with some patience, tools and space ...
Oil changes , spark plugs, air filters , brakes go along way.. Must people just hop in and drive never checking anything, letting a little problem become a huge pocket draining and then claim it's the car... Purchased an 01 bmw in 03 and it's still rocking strong , not in my hands directly anymore (Fam ) but a lil elbow grease goes a long way
Anyone here going to suggest taking an automotive course to save some headaches?
200K? that's it? naaahh, you need to keep on rolling...
1994 toyota 4-runner: 438,000 miles... body rusted a little, but still running.
1995 toyota land cruiser: 320,000 miles... but my Dad just 'killed' it by doing something to the engine himself.
1987 toyota pickup: 22R, 4 cylinder engine: 250,000 miles but lost it in a garage fire. salvaged the engine and tranny and put them in another truck. motor cranked on the 4th turn after sitting for almost 3 yrs. the other truck still running today.
2004 toyota tundra: i just turned 189,000 miles on it today. tires, batteries, timing belts, etc., NO MAJOR ISSUES. NONE. NOTHING. *knocks on wood. this truck accelerates like a lexus at almost 11 yrs old.
2002 honda civic: 305,000 miles been thru a few radiators, belts, tires, batteries, etc. power window cable popped on driver's side, and of course, it's a rough, noisy ride.
i see cars as a means to get from point A to point B, reliably, and safe. period. the 04 tundra and 02 civic are both recognized for their dependability. i'll vouch for BOTH.
some people get their self confidence and determine their self worth from what they drive. who does that based on the worst financial investment you'll ever make???
ive never heard of a lease where you didnt have to have $
due at signing! thats another thing to take into account when leasing,
along with the mileage. new cars have warranties & service for a certain
period as well. also equity at a certain point(after my 1st car, i havent had
a car i didnt get $ back from). but like it was mentioned,do what works best for you.
due at signing! thats another thing to take into account when leasing,
along with the mileage. new cars have warranties & service for a certain
period as well. also equity at a certain point(after my 1st car, i havent had
a car i didnt get $ back from). but like it was mentioned,do what works best for you.
As a car dealer. The right luxury car can be just as affordable and reliable as your basic Japanese or American car. One thing everyone has to remember that cars are like people. Certain car makers are prone to having certain problems with the vehicles they build. Audi's/VW's are well know for their transmission issues, German cars in general are prone to leak oil from everywhere as the miles get up. S Class or CL Mercedes have air suspension / ABC issues.
The key is doing your homework ahead of time and knowing what to expect before you jump into the luxury car game.
If you like the S Class Mercedes, when your air suspension fails, maybe think about converting the car to a standard coil spring suspension instead of paying thousands to fix a problematic design.
If you like Audis, maybe you should get a manual gearbox instead of an automatic transmission because the automatic will break.
Dont always believe the Japanese hype either. Honda Accords, Oddyseys, Acura TL's all had transmission issues in the early to mid 2000's. Maximas, G35's love eating transmissions as well. Some Mazda engines a very sensitive to heat and love blowing head gaskets. Lexus had some transmission issues on the ES300. I could go on and on...
The key is doing your homework ahead of time and knowing what to expect before you jump into the luxury car game.
If you like the S Class Mercedes, when your air suspension fails, maybe think about converting the car to a standard coil spring suspension instead of paying thousands to fix a problematic design.
If you like Audis, maybe you should get a manual gearbox instead of an automatic transmission because the automatic will break.
Dont always believe the Japanese hype either. Honda Accords, Oddyseys, Acura TL's all had transmission issues in the early to mid 2000's. Maximas, G35's love eating transmissions as well. Some Mazda engines a very sensitive to heat and love blowing head gaskets. Lexus had some transmission issues on the ES300. I could go on and on...
W210 E Class is probably one of the most reliable cars Mercedes every built. The rest of the world uses them as taxi's. Rock sold. I bought one for my father. Same goes for the 5 series. Will last forever with a proper mechanic or a good DIYer as the owner. Both are pretty easy and fun to work on.
Yeah i owned the W210, that was my first benz. i loved that car. I got a good deal it was 1997, very clean with only 72,000 miles on it.
I said 200k EASY, max. I know them boys can do half mil you stay on top of em.
My wife has the same car. Sounds like you're getting jerked by a Lexus dealer? Do you have a good indy mechanic? My wife has the executive seating packing in hers... Rear seat reclines, massage, tv, desk in the back, 4 zone AC, cool box, wireless headphones, all factory... All ive done is brakes and tires, super reliable. A good indy mechanic is the key to owning a luxury whip. You need a mechanic that once in his life probably worked at a dealership, got tired of making the dealership money and decided to open his own spot. And find a indy mechanic that specializes in 1 or 2 makes only, that way its pretty much guaranteed that there isnt a problem he hasnt seen.
^^^
The Macan is a very good deal. You can get the v6 for mid$50k
Yup.... Thus the thought process
Fam you don't have to convert the air suspension on the S Class.. The aftermarket airbags are so cheap now at $150 a pop vs $500 plus from the dealer..
I actually like the 2000-2006 S Class especially the 01 S55 Amg
I agree, cars are horrible investments. Buying new cars almost does not make sense nowadays. I know, you are not buying somebody else's junk and you know that it has been treated right, but at the rate they depreciate buying a new car
does not make a whole lot of sense
does not make a whole lot of sense
I wouldn't covert either, but for those who are balling on a budget, you can buy a conversion kit for roughly 1200.00 and spend another 3-500 to get it installed and never have another suspension issue again.
The bags are cheap but if you don't know what you're doing or if you have a bad mechanic, you will be paying out the ass for labor, diagnosis, parts you don't need, combine that with if you don't diagnose the car properly then it becomes a domino effect and other parts of the system fail such as compressors, valve blocks, etc.
So you can spend 1500.00 or so once... or go to your mechanic every few months and drop 600.00 each visit...
Isn't that Lexus
wrong brand. thats lexus
Regardless, they have their own campaign which actually beats Lexus' deal. Back in December 2012 they sent me a certificate for an extra $5000 off any E-class to be applied to any negotiated sales price at any Atlanta dealership.
Isn't that Lexus
this... all damn day.
but some americans get their self confidence, determine their self-worth, and judge the 'richness' of other americans based SOLELY on what car they are (currently) driving.
that's PURE comedy to me... but to each his/her own. how da fuck do you measure 'richness' based on the WORST INVESTMENT you can possibly make?
With good credit, you never have to put anything down on a lease except your first payment. You can roll everything into the lease. People who put money down on a lease are doing it wrong. In fact, some manufacturers like , yes I said it, BMW, will pay your first payment for you.
LOL, you must have saved this quote somewhere so that you can keep copying and pasting it every time.
Ultimately, people will buy what feels good to them and what they can afford.
Similar threads
