BMW or Mercedes - 10K budget
02-27-13, 05:24 PM
#94
Lexus Test Driver
OP may have been turned off by the critical response, so I will provide a factual anecdote to help him with his decision to go with an older German luxury car.
I had a 7-year-old CLK430 not too many years ago. Over a year and a half, the following issues came up:
Spark plugs due at 100k mi. 16 of them. I tried doing them myself but the engine bay was too tight. $1200 to replace
Steering link wore out. About $1k, don't remember too clearly
Catalytic converter cracked. $1100 to replace with OEM
Oil changes $90+ per, requires a pump to drain oil
Front and rear summer tires on the AMG wheels only last 12-15k mi. Staggered, can't rotate. $900+ for a set of decent performance tires
CD player failed, crippling the thumping sound system. Needs to be keyed to the car
Some window & seat motors beginning to fail
Suspension alignment required camber kit to restore. I sold the car without fixing this.
Clearly, a $12k car in this case was actually much more, and you don't really know what's next to fail. I had the resources to take care of this car (I sold it because I got a more fun car), but someone with a hard $10k budget will likely run into more trouble than these cars are worth.
I had a 7-year-old CLK430 not too many years ago. Over a year and a half, the following issues came up:
Spark plugs due at 100k mi. 16 of them. I tried doing them myself but the engine bay was too tight. $1200 to replace
Steering link wore out. About $1k, don't remember too clearly
Catalytic converter cracked. $1100 to replace with OEM
Oil changes $90+ per, requires a pump to drain oil
Front and rear summer tires on the AMG wheels only last 12-15k mi. Staggered, can't rotate. $900+ for a set of decent performance tires
CD player failed, crippling the thumping sound system. Needs to be keyed to the car
Some window & seat motors beginning to fail
Suspension alignment required camber kit to restore. I sold the car without fixing this.
Clearly, a $12k car in this case was actually much more, and you don't really know what's next to fail. I had the resources to take care of this car (I sold it because I got a more fun car), but someone with a hard $10k budget will likely run into more trouble than these cars are worth.
and I am a CLK fan, makes a same era SC a bargain in comparison !I still think you can get a nice german car for under 10k, just leave some of your budget for upkeep and maintence.
So with that said for BMW, my choices are e36, and e46 3 series , e36 M3, and e39 5 series, especially the 530i..
For Mercedes, try to find limited edition AMG models, C36 , C43 , E55 , SLK32, CLK 55, and even ML 55 !
02-27-13, 08:56 PM
#96
I love the CLKs i almost bought one instead of the gs. While they have their issues, they were by far the most reliable car mercedes was making at the time, maybe with an exception to the 01-02 e class's, which in 03 went back down the ****ter. Problem was, especially around here, was the rust. The paint was to blame i guess and not only that, the spring perchs (s/p?) would rot away. That and most here had high mileage, the low mileage ones were all convertibles and i really wanted a 430 coupe
02-27-13, 10:18 PM
#97
coming from a RX, Any decade old german car will change your driving life for ever 0_o unmatched!!!.....u will not loose, just head on over to bimmerforums, very well respected crowd, just like CL, the more u research the less u will spend.....
03-06-13, 05:44 PM
#98
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Going to get a '03 BMW 325 i friday
$5K for 76K miles, seems like a good deal and I checked out the Carfax and it was clean as well.
I heard the 325 i is really reliable, is this true?
$5K for 76K miles, seems like a good deal and I checked out the Carfax and it was clean as well.
I heard the 325 i is really reliable, is this true?
Last edited by MnM24; 03-06-13 at 07:15 PM.
03-06-13, 06:47 PM
#99
Ya they are pretty solid cars. Just watch for window regulators (they break often) and watch the cooling system. I think it was an issue with the older ones more so. but even this gen. had some issues because certain parts that were made of plastic become brittle or something? I'm not sure if it was the 3 series, or just the m3, but some had subframes that would crack, but that could just be an m3 thing. Also watch for rust, especially in the quater panels, bottom of the doors, and where the door molding meets the door. Almost every car i see in my area with that has those rusted out. It says youre i IL, and this is just rwd in general, but buy snow tires, obviously not now, but for the upcoming season. Otherwise enjoy the car, it seems like you got a good deal, ca car with that mileage here would be around 10k
check out e46fanatics and you will find all the info you need.
03-07-13, 01:56 PM
#102
Super Moderator
My '00 323i, more or less the same car, was the most reliable vehicle I've ever directly interacted with. Still ran like a top when I traded it for the 335d a few months ago.
03-07-13, 03:54 PM
#103
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For those recommending AMG series Benz, you're high. Go look around at the cost of parts on the AMG cars, it's a small fortune to replace anything on one. Buying a 10 year old german car is one of the dumbest moves you will ever make, if your budget is only $10k, start applying for a second job so you can pay for the repairs.
03-07-13, 04:49 PM
#104
For those recommending AMG series Benz, you're high. Go look around at the cost of parts on the AMG cars, it's a small fortune to replace anything on one. Buying a 10 year old german car is one of the dumbest moves you will ever make, if your budget is only $10k, start applying for a second job so you can pay for the repairs.
However, if the OP is insistent, the e46 3 series seems to be the least likely to give him trouble.
03-08-13, 09:18 AM
#105
Hey it is not my car or my money 
It is always awesome to take home a V12! You don't have to fix everything on it either, worse come to worse, you can push it home, the 750 would always looks better! (It is nicer to push a 325 though since it is much lighter
)
It is always awesome to take home a V12! You don't have to fix everything on it either, worse come to worse, you can push it home, the 750 would always looks better! (It is nicer to push a 325 though since it is much lighter
)
Last edited by BNR34; 03-08-13 at 09:23 AM.