Cars We Drive!

[JayJay]



Between Mrs. Piob and me a collective twelve years of MB driving in the last six years. Not a single issue.

My previous two MB's had more than their share of issues, particularly the last one. I've had my current one for a year and a half without a single issue whatsoever.

 

[GreenFrog]

Went out for a cruise while the sun was setting.

Hot, but dry and tolerable; didn't sweat with the windows down.

God I love driving, but I need to find some better driving roads around here.

 

[thekunk07]

i'm not a big enough asshole yet to drive a bmw

 

[Gus]



i'm not a big enough asshole yet to drive a bmw

Please, don't underestimate yourself.

 

[jet]

If you drive an audi chances are you are at the top of the asshole hierarchy these days.

 

[Superfluous]



bmws are junk man so many problems with mine it's not even funny

problem is there's nothing i want except a 997 gt3 in black dumped

tesla gets a free pass in hov lane in ca where older priuses no longer do

Which model and what year?

 

[idfnl]



If you drive an audi chances are you are at the top of the asshole hierarchy these days.

Be aware. A *** member is saying blacks suck.

 

[thekunk07]

what does that even mean?

 

[UnFacconable]



Between Mrs. Piob and me a collective twelve years of MB driving in the last six years. Not a single issue.

My previous two MB's had more than their share of issues, particularly the last one. I've had my current one for a year and a half without a single issue whatsoever.

I think both of these comments speak to initial quality (or in jayjay's case lack thereof). The concern I have with German cars is owning them outside the warranty period and facing extremely steep maintenance for both consumables and things that should never break but do in German cars. Maybe it's because they try to squeeze too much performance out of their powertrain, who knows.

By anecdotal comparison, my wife and I have had almost no powertrain issues after about 225k combined miles on two older cars - one Japanese sedan and one Amurrican SUV. We have had our fair share of maintenance, primarily typical consumables plus emissions related - oxygen sensors and the like, but never anything transmission or engine related. Probably 5 or 6k total maintenance over the years including tires and brakes. German cars seem to have high pressure fuel pumps that disintegrate or other items which are either design defects or otherwise under engineered parts (plastic where you would expect metal given the stress the parts are under) which leads to significant expense after the warranty expires.

I've had zero issues with my 2012 MB after 18k miles, fwiw but have very little interest in owning a German car (except a Porsche because as Hroi points out, they are built to last) whereas the rest all seem built to lease.

 

[Find Finn]



what does that even mean?

Me thinks it's an audi bmw hate thing.

 

[HRoi]



I think both of these comments speak to initial quality (or in jayjay's case lack thereof). The concern I have with German cars is owning them outside the warranty period and facing extremely steep maintenance for both consumables and things that should never break but do in German cars. Maybe it's because they try to squeeze too much performance out of their powertrain, who knows.

By anecdotal comparison, my wife and I have had almost no powertrain issues after about 225k combined miles on two older cars - one Japanese sedan and one Amurrican SUV. We have had our fair share of maintenance, primarily typical consumables plus emissions related - oxygen sensors and the like, but never anything transmission or engine related. Probably 5 or 6k total maintenance over the years including tires and brakes. German cars seem to have high pressure fuel pumps that disintegrate or other items which are either design defects or otherwise under engineered parts (plastic where you would expect metal given the stress the parts are under) which leads to significant expense after the warranty expires.

I've had zero issues with my 2012 MB after 18k miles, fwiw but have very little interest in owning a German car (except a Porsche because as Hroi points out, they are built to last) whereas the rest all seem built to lease.

this is a fair point, and i am interested in hearing about out-of-warranty quality as well. Mercedes' poor post-2K reputation seems to be priced into their residuals, where depreciation hits hard early and continues to kill MB owners to the point that you can get 8-10 year old Benzes that retailed for $180-200k for the price of a slightly used Accord these days. but who cares about that if you're a lessee, i guess.

 

[thekunk07]

yeah i am glad i paid for the 7 yr/70k warranty. the ac alone would have been a $1600 fix.

 

[Piobaire]

Yeah, I have no plans to actually own an expensive vehicle by any maker at this point. I have our lease payments in our budget, bumper to bumper warranty, complimentary MB loaners if needed. Given our busy lives it's the perfect solution.

Since Mrs. Piob refused to drive a pick up for any reason, if I did buy a third vehicle just to have a spare and something for utility purposes, it would probably be a Honda Pilot or Toyota 4Runner.

 

[Find Finn]



Yeah, I have no plans to actually own an expensive vehicle by any maker at this point. I have our lease payments in our budget, bumper to bumper warranty, complimentary MB loaners if needed. Given our busy lives it's the perfect solution.

Ferrari has free service or maintenance on all cars sold after a certain date (2012).

 

[rocks]



i'm not a big enough asshole yet to drive a bmw

I guess it's time to dump mine (not)...Greenfrog drives an E60 M5, Jet, well I thought he sold his car a long time ago...Oh well, problem is there's hardly anything out there exciting to drive with a manual these days except Porsche which is out of my price range. GT3 is a dream car, a 997 which is years away from actual ownership. The little 4 bangers that Subie and Yota makes aren't for me so I'm stuck with an E46. Maintenance isnt too bad and the car is still fun to drive after 10 yrs. I'm currently at 153k and it has never left me stranded and I've done multiple trips between Sofla and ATL without a single issue.

There's the new comer Lexus ISF but I'm just not ready for an automatic car as my only car, besides that the styling can be off putting. Still it is a capable contender to a V8 M3 but it's just not for me. Oh and as for Audi and the rest, I'm just not fond of their cars despite what reviews say. Then again, driving an E46 is not a bad thing; it's still one of the best affordable drivers car one can get with a manual today.