Car gurus answer me this question PLEASE

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

Enjoy being in a great market for buying a used car?

I started out wanting a 4 door GMC 4x4 truck or Tahoe or Yukon, for $15K they have 200K+ miles. I am not going to do that.
I don't want a Hyundai or Kia SUV.
The main things for me is to be able to seat 4 or 5 people while having AWD or 4x4.
I don't mind the idea of a car. It would be awesome to get a Mercedes or BMW. I am just not familiar with them at all so I wanted some info from those that are in that profession.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I started out wanting a 4 door GMC 4x4 truck or Tahoe or Yukon, for $15K they have 200K+ miles. I am not going to do that.
I don't want a Hyundai or Kia SUV.
The main things for me is to be able to seat 4 or 5 people while having AWD or 4x4.
I don't mind the idea of a car. It would be awesome to get a Mercedes or BMW. I am just not familiar with them at all so I wanted some info from those that are in that profession.

I'm not a real fan of GMC vehicles in particular and I am probably in the minority, but I think nearly every Mercedes is ugly.

A nice BMW will be a good get if you can handle doing your own repairs.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

I'm not a real fan of GMC vehicles in particular and I am probably in the minority, but I think nearly every Mercedes is ugly.

A nice BMW will be a good get if you can handle doing your own repairs.

The C-Class and E-350 are pretty sharp. I also like the 535i that I have seen.

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

I'm not a real fan of GMC vehicles in particular and I am probably in the minority, but I think nearly every Mercedes is ugly.

A nice BMW will be a good get if you can handle doing your own repairs.

100% correct. With the exception of 82-95 pickups, Chevys are ugly. European cars are a nightmare to work on and absurdly expensive to repair or have repaired

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Naptown Chief

100% correct. With the exception of 82-95 pickups, Chevys are ugly. European cars are a nightmare to work on and absurdly expensive to repair or have repaired

I have price matched several parts, that I could change easily, alternators, etc. They are $20 to $50 higher than the same year of a GMC/Chevrolet. That is not that much difference.

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I have price matched several parts, that I could change easily, alternators, etc. They are $20 to $50 higher than the same year of a GMC/Chevrolet. That is not that much difference.

Oh, I generally buy maintenance parts from the dealership... Even stupid shit like coolant and wiper blades. If it's not performance, it's from the manufacturer. Always been a stickler for that

[New World Order]

If you want a luxury brand go Asian (Infiniti, Lexus, Acura). I've had a G37 for 6 years and I've had absolutely no problems with it.

If you buy a Mercedes or BMW your wallet will take a pounding (unless you can do your own repairs).

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by New World Order

If you want a luxury brand go Asian (Infiniti, Lexus, Acura). I've had a G37 for 6 years and I've had absolutely no problems with it.

If you buy a Mercedes or BMW your wallet will take a pounding (unless you can do your own repairs).

You're not going to get a discount buying those...well except for probably Infiniti because they're ugly cars.

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

You're not going to get a discount buying those...well except for probably Infiniti because they're ugly cars.

When you factor in maintenance costs he will (in comparison to the european luxury models).

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I have price matched several parts, that I could change easily, alternators, etc. They are $20 to $50 higher than the same year of a GMC/Chevrolet. That is not that much difference.

Eh, depends on the part. The cost to repair and own is simply higher. BMW is, iirc, the most frequently traded in cars so the market gets a little flooded with the 3-series etc. They're also considered as a sporty car and get driven as such.

I wouldn't do it, man. I wouldn't purchase a pre-owned benz or BMW with 100K. You're just begging for trouble. There's going to be parts/costs that you're unaware of that WILL rape you. I got a buddy who runs a BMW/Porsche wrecking yard and he makes a killing stripping and selling parts off these cars because they're simply too expensive new.

No offense, but i don't believe you've done enough real research on your cost comparison. For example, a new water pump on a 3-Series is upwards of $400 because it's an electric water pump. On these domestic brands with mechanical water pumps, those pumps are $150 or less. That i know for a fact, as at one time i considered buying a cheap german sport coupe as well.

Here, look: 2014 BMW 328i A/C Compressor from NAPA, is $680 new. https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...Qualified=true

2014 Honda Civic A/C Compressor: $370.99 new https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...Qualified=true

Don't kid yourself. It's more expensive. Don't try to convince yourself otherwise because you WILL pay for it one way or another. I know those German cars are sexy, but be honest with the evaluation here and don't look the other way because you want the sexier car.

Things that people dont consider but chip away: Tire size. Those 18", wide, low profile tires cost considerably more than a standard 17x7 or whatever they're running on basic passenger cars.

Spark plugs. Minor, sure, but it costs more to buy 6 or 8 plugs and wires, vs 4.

Fuel. Do you HAVE to run 91 octane now, instead of the 87 on a standard passenger car? That shit add up.

Oil capacity. Does it cost 5-6 qts to do an oil change or 3-4 qts? My little Nissan Sentra takes 2.7qts of oil to do an oil change. A 2014 Benz C-Class takes 6.5qts. And the filter likely costs more.

It costs me $17 to do an oil change on my little Nissan commuter. It costs over $60 to do on my LS1. Things to consider is all...

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Eh, depends on the part. The cost to repair and own is simply higher. BMW is, iirc, the most frequently traded in cars so the market gets a little flooded with the 3-series etc. They're also considered as a sporty car and get driven as such.

I wouldn't do it, man. I wouldn't purchase a pre-owned benz or BMW with 100K. You're just begging for trouble. There's going to be parts/costs that you're unaware of that WILL rape you. I got a buddy who runs a BMW/Porsche wrecking yard and he makes a killing stripping and selling parts off these cars because they're simply too expensive new.

No offense, but i don't believe you've done enough real research on your cost comparison. For example, a new water pump on a 3-Series is upwards of $400 because it's an electric water pump. On these domestic brands with mechanical water pumps, those pumps are $150 or less. That i know for a fact, as at one time i considered buying a cheap german sport coupe as well.

Here, look: 2014 BMW 328i A/C Compressor from NAPA, is $680 new. https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...Qualified=true

2014 Honda Civic A/C Compressor: $370.99 new https://www.napaonline.com/en/search...Qualified=true

Don't kid yourself. It's more expensive. Don't try to convince yourself otherwise because you WILL pay for it one way or another. I know those German cars are sexy, but be honest with the evaluation here and don't look the other way because you want the sexier car.

Things that people dont consider but chip away: Tire size. Those 18", wide, low profile tires cost considerably more than a standard 17x7 or whatever they're running on basic passenger cars.

Spark plugs. Minor, sure, but it costs more to buy 6 or 8 plugs and wires, vs 4.

Fuel. Do you HAVE to run 91 octane now, instead of the 87 on a standard passenger car? That shit add up.

Oil capacity. Does it cost 5-6 qts to do an oil change or 3-4 qts? My little Nissan Sentra takes 2.7qts of oil to do an oil change. A 2014 Benz C-Class takes 6.5qts. And the filter likely costs more.

It costs me $17 to do an oil change on my little Nissan commuter. It costs over $60 to do on my LS1. Things to consider is all...

I haven't looked at all the parts but the FEW Benz and BMW parts comparison I have done have been comparable. I do not use NAPA as they are the highest parts distributor out there. I also don't buy NEW parts. I buy the remanufactured parts that have a 5 year warranty through O'Riellys.

You guys are also part of the research process. There are a lot of people on here that give good feed back about personal experiences as well as friends experiences.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I have price matched several parts, that I could change easily, alternators, etc. They are $20 to $50 higher than the same year of a GMC/Chevrolet. That is not that much difference.

I discovered that years ago when I had to replace the alternator in a Pontiac van. The damn replacement was made in France and cost me $180. This was probably 12-15 years ago so I'm sure they're probalby over $200 now. Maybe I'm just getting old but I remember things like alternators costing about $40.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Naptown Chief

100% correct. With the exception of 82-95 pickups, Chevys are ugly. European cars are a nightmare to work on and absurdly expensive to repair or have repaired

I currently have a 97 GMC short bed regular cab 4x2. I can do anything to that truck. Those Chevy/GMC trucks are the most popular trucks short of the 69-72.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by Naptown Chief

100% correct. With the exception of 82-95 pickups, Chevys are ugly. European cars are a nightmare to work on and absurdly expensive to repair or have repaired

If you're taking it to a dealer, yes they can get stupid expensive to maintain. If you're shopping around and do your own repairs, it's very manageable.

I like a proper Euro as I think overall they are more well put together and designed than American counterparts.

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

If you're taking it to a dealer, yes they can get stupid expensive to maintain. If you're shopping around and do your own repairs, it's very manageable.

I like a proper Euro as I think overall they are more well put together and designed than American counterparts.

I hadn't seen his post about doing routine maintenance when I posted that. I thought he was talking about taking whatever his car would be into the dealership. I just remember an early 90s Jag my uncle had that he had to pull the engine to do the distributor or some shit? Maybe AC evap canister to change water neck? Perhaps I shouldn't have made a broad statement on such limited experience.

I'll eat my crow