Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My mechanic just says, "Don't buy a European car. The parts cost a fortune and can be hard to get." Japanese, Korean or American cars cost much less to maintain.
My mechanic just says, "Don't buy a European car. The parts cost a fortune and can be hard to get." Japanese, Korean or American cars cost much less to maintain.
Yup.
Our family has Subaru and Fords. Both are reliable and cheap to maintain.
Wow, according to that the cost to maintenance a Chrysler Sebring over 10 yrs is $17,000!
What turds! lol Why do people buy these things?
I have a 1999 300m which is similar. 400k miles and the only thing ive had to do to it besides oil changes and tires and 5 brake jobs is replace the hood release.
Neighbor purchased a new Mercedes 500 sedan. A decade ago.
All scheduled maintenance 3 years 36,000 free.
So he had his first oil change in first year of ownership.
I asked how much did the first oil change cost.
His answer was What part of free don't you understand.
I repeated the question. How much did the first free oil change cost.
Final answer: $376.00.
You see, the dealer recommended "other" things should be done. This was his wife's car and he wanted all to operate properly without issues. He paid the $376.00 for the first "free" oil change.
Neighbor purchased a new Mercedes 500 sedan. A decade ago.
All scheduled maintenance 3 years 36,000 free.
So he had his first oil change in first year of ownership.
I asked how much did the first oil change cost.
His answer was What part of free don't you understand.
I repeated the question. How much did the first free oil change cost.
Final answer: $376.00.
You see, the dealer recommended "other" things should be done. This was his wife's car and he wanted all to operate properly without issues. He paid the $376.00 for the first "free" oil change.
In reality is also paid for all the "free" when he bought the car
A few years ago, we bought my mom a brand new 13 MbC350 off the truck. The car didn't even get unload yet. Today it probably has less than 10k miles on it.
Last week, my father called, said the AC was not working..
Turns out the AC blower was not spinning.. Total disappointment.
I had a mechanic buddy, come over take a look at it and made it work.
I will never take my car to the dealer, unless it's a recall.
My parents, beater a 1995 Honda Accord v6. Bought in October 1994.
We are the original owner. To this day.
It will start up and go at any given time. It has never broken down or left stranded.
In over 20 years of owning, I am confident to say, I spent less than 3k in maintenance.
My mechanic just says, "Don't buy a European car. The parts cost a fortune and can be hard to get." Japanese, Korean or American cars cost much less to maintain.
I daily drive a European car, and have had many. In this day and age, OEM parts are cheap and easy to get on the internet from many sources. Hell, this is true even for older European cars that were hard to get parts for when new, now they are everywhere. My old '81 Fiat 124 was a case in point. Every part for that car is available online and can be had next day if you need it. My father's '61 Renault 4CV is also in a similar situation. Hard to find parts when he bought it new in '61, but only a day away now with multiple online sources.
Maintenance to me is things like oil changes and plug changes, and occasionally doing something preventative to make sure it doesn't break. And in that regard, even my BMW 7 series is cheap to maintain. I recently changed the oil and the oil filter, even bought though the dealer, was only $10. Other than the oil change, I've spent nothing in maintenance or repairs in the year that I've had it. It has 161k miles on it and is still an excellent daily driver.
Well, an associate had a MB convertible. He once told me that his oil change costs $1200. When my eyes popped, he said - yes, it's every (whatever high miles) and only dealer can do it as drain plug is locked and dealer only has key.
That's 10% of that $12K maintenance cost right there.
calling BS on that. My buddy's Lambo Gallardo's oil change doesn't even cost close to that
I daily drive a European car, and have had many. In this day and age, OEM parts are cheap and easy to get on the internet from many sources. Hell, this is true even for older European cars that were hard to get parts for when new, now they are everywhere. My old '81 Fiat 124 was a case in point. Every part for that car is available online and can be had next day if you need it. My father's '61 Renault 4CV is also in a similar situation. Hard to find parts when he bought it new in '61, but only a day away now with multiple online sources.
Maintenance to me is things like oil changes and plug changes, and occasionally doing something preventative to make sure it doesn't break. And in that regard, even my BMW 7 series is cheap to maintain. I recently changed the oil and the oil filter, even bought though the dealer, was only $10. Other than the oil change, I've spent nothing in maintenance or repairs in the year that I've had it. It has 161k miles on it and is still an excellent daily driver.
Cheap is relative. You can say all non-super cars are cheap to work on, but OEM parts for a Toyota/Honda is still cheaper than what it would be for a BMW/Audi. For example an oil change for my BMW straight-6 costs me $70 in parts, whereas my Honda V-6 costs $25. The parts for my BMW's brake job will cost me about $100 more in parts over what Honda charges.
Cheap is relative. You can say all non-super cars are cheap to work on, but OEM parts for a Toyota/Honda is still cheaper than what it would be for a BMW/Audi. For example an oil change for my BMW straight-6 costs me $70 in parts, whereas my Honda V-6 costs $25. The parts for my BMW's brake job will cost me about $100 more in parts over what Honda charges.
And the OEM radiator for my last 7 series was $150 while the one in my Honda CRX was $325. On your Honda oil change, how much was the oil filter and oil to do it yourself? Mobile 1 synthetic is $9/qt and I know the Honda uses more than 2 qts. My oil change was $70 total as well, using Mobile 1 Synthetic and that $10 OEM filter.
Akebono Euro performance brake pads are the same cost for my BMW as they are for a Civic. My stainless steel brake line set was $90, which is the same as it would be for a Toyota or Honda, too. And the cost of doing a brake job on a, say, early 2000s Accord is much higher than the brake job on a BMW of that era as well, due to the Honda needing it's bearings changed (or at least repacked) when you do the front brakes, and the need to disassemble much more of the front of the car due to a worse caliper design and the fact that it's FWD and doesn't have a replaceable rotor hat.
Simply put, my last 7 series cost me $1500 in repairs and maintenance over a 5 year period, and so far my current 7 series has cost me $70 in maintenance over the last year.
Point is, staying away from a Euro car due to the maintenance scare is silly. Especially if you can DIY.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
