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Message
re: Are German cars worth the maintenance headaches and associated costs?
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:27 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:27 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Best I have ever heard it said is that "if you can work on them, buy anything you want."
A few objective examples that I know of:
BMW 325xi - dream to drive, but just out of warranty the cooling system fell apart at 68,000. Took a year of replacing this and that before it got anywhere near reliable. Many used BMWs have warped heads because wives drive them "another few miles" over-temp. It went thru both front axles, both control arms, sway bar end links etc., by 90,000 miles.
BMW X3, nearly the same experience, but sunroof never worked right.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 100,000 miles - with turbo water O rings at 60K under warranty. FCA blew it on this as these are great cars, but few dealers anymore.
05 Caddy Escalade 212,000 - nothing but air shocks at 200K
96 Toyota Tacoma 225,000 - nothing but T belt at 212K...(way long, don't advise)
2010 Toyota Tundra 212,000 - nothing!
A few objective examples that I know of:
BMW 325xi - dream to drive, but just out of warranty the cooling system fell apart at 68,000. Took a year of replacing this and that before it got anywhere near reliable. Many used BMWs have warped heads because wives drive them "another few miles" over-temp. It went thru both front axles, both control arms, sway bar end links etc., by 90,000 miles.
BMW X3, nearly the same experience, but sunroof never worked right.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 100,000 miles - with turbo water O rings at 60K under warranty. FCA blew it on this as these are great cars, but few dealers anymore.
05 Caddy Escalade 212,000 - nothing but air shocks at 200K
96 Toyota Tacoma 225,000 - nothing but T belt at 212K...(way long, don't advise)
2010 Toyota Tundra 212,000 - nothing!
0
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:32 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
If I want a POS that’s gonna depreciate rapidly I will take a Range Rover over any German car.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:35 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Have owned several german cars and never did more than basic maintenance with a local mechanic. Had an audi S6 for 7 years with no issues.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:46 pm to danilo
quote:
It is just a piece of metal to get you around bro. Grow up.
Sir, this is the OT where virgins brag about bringing multiple women to climax in threeways while other virgins post photos of their watches on wrist.
Everyone knows you ain’t Big Raggedy unless you have a 911 Porsche Carrera parked in front of a tar paper shack.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:46 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
One of my kids’ in-laws lease (for 2 year terms) new Porsches, MBs, or BMWs.
These people are both in their 70s and put about 15k miles per year each on their vehicles. Over the past ten years I have watched them suffer mercilessly while those vehicles repeatedly left them on the side of the road or wouldn’t start at their house or had all types of maladies.
Do they get loaners when they had issues? Yeah but the inconvenience simply isn’t worth it.
I’m on Jeep Grand Cherokee #3 in a row.
#1 was a 2014- the only time it needed a not ordinary repair was at around 190K miles when the alternator smoked itself. I ran it until 2020 and traded it in with 255k miles
#2 was a 2020- zero issues in 4 years 180K miles
#3 is a 2024- coming up on 80K with zero issues so far
I drive a bunch per year and I drive much harder than either of them.
I always rent BMWs from SIXT when I travel to anyplace they are located but I will not own one.
These people are both in their 70s and put about 15k miles per year each on their vehicles. Over the past ten years I have watched them suffer mercilessly while those vehicles repeatedly left them on the side of the road or wouldn’t start at their house or had all types of maladies.
Do they get loaners when they had issues? Yeah but the inconvenience simply isn’t worth it.
I’m on Jeep Grand Cherokee #3 in a row.
#1 was a 2014- the only time it needed a not ordinary repair was at around 190K miles when the alternator smoked itself. I ran it until 2020 and traded it in with 255k miles
#2 was a 2020- zero issues in 4 years 180K miles
#3 is a 2024- coming up on 80K with zero issues so far
I drive a bunch per year and I drive much harder than either of them.
I always rent BMWs from SIXT when I travel to anyplace they are located but I will not own one.
This post was edited on 1/30/26 at 1:47 pm
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:51 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:53 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Sell the TLX, use funds to turbo the k20 in the Si. Thank me later.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 1:58 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I bought an Audi A5 Convertible in 2021 and sold it about 15 months later. Loved it, but I went in intending to sell it before the warranty ran up. I wasn’t interested in all the after warranty costs it would incur.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:09 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Why try to fix something that’s not broken… Acura goat
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:09 pm to fightin tigers
quote:
Get a private driver?
Pretty sure he drives himself.
This post was edited on 1/30/26 at 2:10 pm
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:09 pm to Pax Regis
No, such a pain in the arse just to change the light bulb on our Volkswagen SUV. Burns through oil really fast also.
This post was edited on 1/30/26 at 2:12 pm
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:19 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
2020 BMW 3 series, drive 100 miles a day, 94k and counting, gets 35mpg
Other than going through tires faster, it has only required routine maintenance + one replaced fuel injector
Oil changes, brakes, etc are more expensive but this car has been very reliable coming from Civics and Accords
Other than going through tires faster, it has only required routine maintenance + one replaced fuel injector
Oil changes, brakes, etc are more expensive but this car has been very reliable coming from Civics and Accords
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:20 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Every 5 years - I change my mind.
I buy a used German vehicle and love it and then when I have a few repairs, I get frustrated and sell it.
Then a few more years go by, and the pain fade and I do it all over again.
Fortunately, I know how to work on vehicles in my garage and have acquired a good stable of tools and a small lift. So it mostly costs me time.
Final answer - I can’t make up my mind
I buy a used German vehicle and love it and then when I have a few repairs, I get frustrated and sell it.
Then a few more years go by, and the pain fade and I do it all over again.
Fortunately, I know how to work on vehicles in my garage and have acquired a good stable of tools and a small lift. So it mostly costs me time.
Final answer - I can’t make up my mind
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:23 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Had a 3 series BMW. Loved that car. Sweetest engine of any car I've ever owned. However, when they break, or it needs maintenance, no matter what it is, it's a minimum of $1000. German cars are notoriously over engineered, so nothing is easy or cheap to replace.
Currently own a Mercedes with a turbo four. Has 125k miles on it. Only time in the shop was to replace a water pump with a very tiny leak. Cost me $3500 for that. (The pitfalls of front wheel drive turbo fours.) I do all minor maintenance myself (oil, filters, plugs, brakes) Saved thousands doing all that.
German cars can be fun to drive, but you have to be prepared for the higher expenses, including insurance.
Currently own a Mercedes with a turbo four. Has 125k miles on it. Only time in the shop was to replace a water pump with a very tiny leak. Cost me $3500 for that. (The pitfalls of front wheel drive turbo fours.) I do all minor maintenance myself (oil, filters, plugs, brakes) Saved thousands doing all that.
German cars can be fun to drive, but you have to be prepared for the higher expenses, including insurance.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:24 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I have a 2022 Audi S4 that's been completely maintenance free (knocking hard on wood right now) and it's such a great little car. It's a lot faster than people realize, handles great and the all wheel drive pushes the acceleration off the line. Launch mode is a lot of fun.
It's got almost 60K miles and it's running as well as it was when I drove it off the lot.
It's got almost 60K miles and it's running as well as it was when I drove it off the lot.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:34 pm to ClientNumber9
Gonna give you advice from experience …
Start saving up for 90k… look for low interest loan for when you hit 105k
Start saving up for 90k… look for low interest loan for when you hit 105k
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:36 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
My experience, no. We had a Jetta with a turbo, it was great... up until it wasn't.
It really depends on what your intent is. I view a car as an investment, I get something I like, and want to maintain it until I find something I like more. To that end, my opinion on German cars are they can be great, but when something goes wrong, it becomes a huge financial headache and you won't get it back to where it was. I actually ended up signing the car's title to the shop just to get out from underneath it. Total loss. What little I heard afterwards, they sold it to someone who ended up doing the same thing.
I have family with BMW's. They are nice cars, and when something goes wrong it's basically time to get a new one.
It really depends on what your intent is. I view a car as an investment, I get something I like, and want to maintain it until I find something I like more. To that end, my opinion on German cars are they can be great, but when something goes wrong, it becomes a huge financial headache and you won't get it back to where it was. I actually ended up signing the car's title to the shop just to get out from underneath it. Total loss. What little I heard afterwards, they sold it to someone who ended up doing the same thing.
I have family with BMW's. They are nice cars, and when something goes wrong it's basically time to get a new one.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 2:38 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I've had my VW for 5 years now. No issues. Do my own oil changes and use actual EU oil vs idiots using Amer blend. Adjust my own CPU with scan tool. $350 battery was overkill, idk how yall are spending $1000. Coolant systems fail due to ppl using G40 to top off G13 (OP error). IQ goes a long way in making good vehicles last. VW, BMW, and Audi are easily the best driving experience on the road.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 3:00 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
I drive a German car and have had no repairs in 7 years. I change the oil because I use high end oil and it's much quicker to do myself. Other than oil, all I've done is coils and brakes.
Posted on 1/30/26 at 3:07 pm to VolsOut4Harambe
Personally, it’s worth it to me. I currently have a ‘23 A5 sportback. Had an ‘18 A4 and a ‘16 GTI before that. All are/were great cars. You can do nearly all the maintenance yourself, and it’s no more expensive than any other car.
That being said, when you need a repair, it’s not cheap on the Audi’s. I had motor mounts and wheel bearings changed, and a new battery thrown in on the A4, and that set me back $4k. And that was at an independent shop. The dealership would have been much more.
BUT, I still think it’s worth it. These cars are a fantastic drive. I’ve never been disappointed with them. You’ll look forward to driving every day.
Word to the wise, do your homework on the B8 S’s prior to ‘21 or ‘22. I think some had a lifter or valve issue. If it were me and I wanted a performance Audi on a budget, I’d find the newest S3 I could afford, drop in a tune, intercooler and downpipe, and enjoy your 400-475 hp AWD go-cart.
That being said, when you need a repair, it’s not cheap on the Audi’s. I had motor mounts and wheel bearings changed, and a new battery thrown in on the A4, and that set me back $4k. And that was at an independent shop. The dealership would have been much more.
BUT, I still think it’s worth it. These cars are a fantastic drive. I’ve never been disappointed with them. You’ll look forward to driving every day.
Word to the wise, do your homework on the B8 S’s prior to ‘21 or ‘22. I think some had a lifter or valve issue. If it were me and I wanted a performance Audi on a budget, I’d find the newest S3 I could afford, drop in a tune, intercooler and downpipe, and enjoy your 400-475 hp AWD go-cart.
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