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Luxury Performance Sedans

10339 messages,  Last post on May 30, 2013 at 3:26 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 1030 of 1034

#10289 of 10339 Re: E63-worth it? [graphicguy] by txsco

Jul 15, 2012 (11:38 am)

Replying to: graphicguy (Jul 15, 2012 8:03 am)
Good point; I guess I should have been more specific. Does anyone have any short or long term experience owning/driving an E63? I'm leaning toward buying the car-would like the power-but am given pause-ok, only a bit-as I haven't owned a RWD car in 25 years.
So what's the driving experience like?
Thanks.

#10290 of 10339 Used 5 series transmission by mad_chicken

Mar 13, 2013 (9:23 am)

Was researching 2011 2012 5 series. Read a lot about the transmission problems in the 2011 model. Has anyone had any problems with the 2012 model? Also, if the car learns how the driver drives and the transmission adjusts for it, how does it work out when buying a used car? Thanks in advance for any help.

#10291 of 10339 Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 by mad_chicken

Mar 13, 2013 (9:57 am)

Was told by a mechanic before that the maintenance cost of MB is noticebly greater than that of BMW. Would like opinions and experiences. Thanks much.

#10292 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [mad_chicken] by graphicguy

Mar 14, 2013 (5:18 am)

Replying to: mad_chicken (Mar 13, 2013 9:57 am)
Which mechanic told you that? Maintenance is higher with both BMW and Benz, when compared to a Ford, for example.
 
Might want to look here to get an idea of the cost to own one over the other....
 
http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

#10293 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [mad_chicken] by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Mar 14, 2013 (6:45 am)

Replying to: mad_chicken (Mar 13, 2013 9:57 am)
Well, this might be true if you were buying new, as BMW includes the first two years of maintenance - so your first two years of true maintenance cost on the BMW would be $0. If you look at following years 3-5, there's not an appreciable difference in maintenance costs.
 
Repair costs? Not sure about that one, but fluids and wear & tear items don't seem to be vastly different.

#10294 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [kirstie_h] by graphicguy

Mar 14, 2013 (6:56 am)

Replying to: Kirstie@Edmunds (Mar 14, 2013 6:45 am)
kirstie...just from my small sample size and experience, aside from free maintenance on BMW, oil changes at the dealer ran about $70/ea. Why? Well, for one, BMWs (as well as Mercedes) require the use of synthetic oil. Other, more traditional cars still use "regular" (and cheaper) oil. That said, the extra costs for oil changes might be offset by the longer recommended oil change intervals.
 
But, you're right. During the "free" maintenance period for BMW, you really pay nothing except for tires. That should be tallied as part of the cost of owning any of these brands, too.

#10295 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [graphicguy] by qbrozen

Mar 14, 2013 (7:04 am)

Replying to: graphicguy (Mar 14, 2013 6:56 am)
oil changes at the dealer ran about $70/ea.
 
Damn, that's cheap. Even when I called to ask what they would charge for our E30, I was told $100. I haven't even bothered to ask what they would want to do my 135i. It costs me about $85 just to buy the oil and filter from the store.

#10296 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [graphicguy] by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Mar 14, 2013 (8:00 am)

Replying to: graphicguy (Mar 14, 2013 6:56 am)
Yeah, even our Crossfire has about a $100 oil change.
 
If a consumer is looking to buy a used vehicle with relatively low maintenance costs, neither BMW nor MB is likely to be a great choice. Buying any luxury marque generally involves higher maintenance and consumable costs (e.g., tires), as you know.
 
Related to the original question, my point was that the BMW 2-year free maintenance will not be a factor since the vehicles being considered are 2-3 years old. And, for vehicles in that price range, I don't consider a couple hundred bucks per year in maintenance difference to be a significant amount - at least not enough to sway me toward one vehicle over the other.

#10297 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [kirstie_h] by graphicguy

Mar 15, 2013 (6:54 am)

Replying to: Kirstie@Edmunds (Mar 14, 2013 8:00 am)
kirstie....Q....I must be WAAAAAY BEHIND THE TIMES. I thought $70 for an oil change was about 2x-3X what it should be.
 
I know I got coupons from my BMW dealer stating how they're oil changes, brakes, tires, batteries, tune-ups etc were competitively priced. I guess they were right.
 
Then again, I haven't been to an outside mechanic (other than the dealer) for service in quite some time.

#10298 of 10339 Re: Maintenance cost BMW 5 vs MB E350 [kirstie_h] by mad_chicken

Mar 15, 2013 (8:40 am)

Replying to: Kirstie@Edmunds (Mar 14, 2013 8:00 am)
What I am starting to hear from people is that since the free maintenance portion will be over, BMW will have smaller problems more frequently and the MB will have fewer problems, but will cost somewhat more when it does. So in the end, it kinda evens out. Of course this is all in general trends.

Messages Page 1030 of 1034

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