Sat in one of the LS500 at the showroom the other day. It’s built solid but man the tech is ancient. The backup camera quality is only slightly better than my old 2014 accord, whereas my current Mercedes’s is crystal clear.
The higher the mileage the more maintenance required. I was paying 5k a year on maintenance at one point. (Audi B8)
I’d say 400 a month for payment, 450 a month for repairs.
You are one of the lucky ones. The 3.0T was based on the 3.2L FSI that had been around a while at that point. There were still issues such as terrible carbon build up when driven at low RPM, but over all solid motors.
Get ready to do the chain guides in 20k miles and the motor mounts if you haven’t already…
Also, the engine should not be leaking oil. Do the valve and head gaskets. Where is it leaking?
I didn’t wanna scare the guy so i was being conservative…
Last Benz i had (used, 4 year old CLK500) had lost 2/3 of it’s value in 3 years, had about $200/mo average in maintenance and was about $9k (transmission, seat belt, window motor, seat tear, soft roof tear and motor, dash buttons) to fix at the time i traded it in. What a piece of crap!
I think the best days in used German car ownership are the day you buy them and the day you sell them.
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Not surprised. Toyota has been behind the curve with their tech and general refreshes of their vehicles for years. I recommended the Lexus for it’s build quality and reliability.
I was also speaking to the 460, which has the old school, naturally aspirated V8 engine. I imagine the 500 will be fine, but it is a turbo engine, which increases the possibility of issues…
You need to know the full mainetance history of any car (especially a German car)
Have a German indie mechanic since German dealer labor rates and parts are sky high
Know the maintenance schedules and follow online forums for your brand/make for insight into repairs, tips, tricks, do-it-yourself advice, etc.
I’ve had ok luck with an older VW Passat (VW forums were big $$ repair advice savers) and knock on wood… currently a 2014 Audi A6 with 80K+ miles that went off CPO last November
The A8 and S-Class are essentially $100k cars so maintenance is in line with that original sticker, NOT what they resale for out of warranty. They’re lease only cars imo.
I base this on my limited experience of running some of the cheapest Audi’s (A1 & A3) The costs were high, but more annoying for me, was not having the car for extended periods of time, waiting for parts or whatever. Plus the worry of wondering what the next thing to break would be. Nope. Not for me, but to each their own.
One day I’m going to get myself a champagne color Merc R129 and live my best 90’s basic bitch fantasy, but I fully recognize I can’t do that until I’ve got fuck you money to deal with the maintenance.
Thank you for the insight!
Will be sure to sell before it needs chain guides and motor mounts, plus I got breaks and tires coming up for replacement here in about 12-15k miles away!
Going to enjoy the quattro for the current snow season, then probably sell it!
I haven’t fully investigated since its a small leak, You can smell it a little bit when you park after long drives
Also do the comparison on how much you’ll lose on depreciation and taxes over something like a 5 year period.
The thing with those big $100k+ full size sedans is that they just don’t level off unless 10+ years old. Even a 2-3 year old one is still going to easily lose $10-15k a year in depreciation alone.
Also the sales tax up front on a $50-60k purchase isn’t anything to sneeze at either.
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I agree with Jim.
I’ve seen enough YouTube videos from a guy who tries to flip Beamers and MB it now scares the heck out of me to even consider buying them used. The repairs (cost) and even routine maintenance is absolutely insane.
If you really wanted a used German car buy one Certified or newer to be included with manufacturers original warranty then be prepared to sell it when you are at or slightly over warranty coverage.
Leasing within warranty coverage makes most sense.
In states where you don’t have to pay entire sale tax upfront on entire MSRP, leasing makes even more sense.
If you HAVE to buy a luxury car, buy a Lexus. There’s a reason why late models in used market are fairly sparce. Smooth as butter.
A whole category of indie horror films I didn’t know existed! Thanks for the tip.
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Lol 10char
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I’ve heard (I live in the Tristate area) both, that german cars, specifically Audi and MB are expensive to fix, and that MB in particular are more difficult to perform for the mechanic in question.
I stumbled across this thread and will offer my 2 cents as the owner of a 2011 BMW 328i for the last 2 years. I own the vehicle, my college aged son drives it daily. First off, I am cheap. I will also DIY most car repairs (because I’m cheap and there is a feeling of success of repairing something compared to pushing paper around at my day job). Paid $4200 for the vehicle (salvage title - hail damage) but otherwise in good shape in Feb 2021. 132k miles. It has the N52 inline 6 engine which some will say is the last reliable engine BMW ever made.
Total repairs have been under $750 including fluid changes in 2 years of ownership. 3 oil changes, 2 transmission drain and fills, 1 transmission filter, 2 coolant hoses (hose burst while 200 miles away) + $60 to rent a flat bed Uhaul so I could tow it home. Windshield wiper motor, battery, and 2 used tires so it would pass inspection last month. The last repair, the pulley on the AC compressor grenaded in October. I deleted the AC with a shorter drive belt (since it was heading into winter and AC wasnt mandatory) and then this past weekend put on a new pulley/clutch ($50 on Amazon) to restore the AC. It also needs valve cover gaskets due to an oil leak and vehicle age (and new spark plugs), ~$200 in parts and 4-6 hours of my labor. I will do that before I sell the car.
My son graduates college in May and decided he wants something more reliable than this vehicle, but he will buy that one when he starts working.
Would I do it again? Absolutely, but not to have as my only vehicle and only because I do most of the work myself. The key is to buy low (of course) and be selective of which of the models you get as that can impact whether you will be replacing engines and transmissions or just dealing with minor repairs.
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone accuse the N52 of being reliable.
The B-series of I4 and I6 engines are far more reliable than the N-series really ever were. I suppose if you took the cooling and VANOS issues out of the equation then yes, the N52 is dead reliable… but the engine needs cooling and valve timing…
I have had several german cars with over 100K miles each and if you like the car enough and drive it a lot. It sometimes makes a lot of sense.
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I agree.
The key is to find a well-maintained car with all records if possible or have owned it from the get go. Also need to have a good indy mechanic as well because unless you are a full mechanic yourself some things you will need help on when it comes to repairs.
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Another important question to ask is, “Is it wise to lease a new car every 2-3 years because you get a free warranty?” 
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Yep, this too.
Can be a hard balance to strike, but the guy above with the kid in college makes a compelling argument for the ownership on the 2011 BMW. Not everybody wants to do that kind of out of warranty maintenance themselves though for sure!