Cars We Drive!

KBW · Apr 10, 2011

Originally Posted by yjeezle

anyone know how expensive a G25/G36 is to maintain?

I had an 05 from new for 4 years and I never had to do anything other than routine maintenance. I drove right at 90K miles with basically zero problems. Only thing I noticed was that the paint seemed ****** but I waxed it every 3-5 months and did some other things to maintain the paint and it ended up holding up pretty well considering it was parked out in the sun every day while I was in college.

L.R. · Apr 10, 2011

To be honest, I hate most cars. They're either boring, or cool in such a way that they'll only be cool until the next version comes out. Thus I'm stuck looking for affordable, classic cars.

I love the BMW 2002, and plan on tracking a solid one down as my first real car.

yjeezle · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by KBW

I had an 05 from new for 4 years and I never had to do anything other than routine maintenance. I drove right at 90K miles with basically zero problems. Only thing I noticed was that the paint seemed ****** but I waxed it every 3-5 months and did some other things to maintain the paint and it ended up holding up pretty well considering it was parked out in the sun every day while I was in college.

so how much does did routine maintenance cost on average? do you, by any chance, know if this is more or less than luxury cars in the same class (surprisingly, Lexus' are pretty expensive to maintain) did you do it at the dealer or did you go somewhere else and get it taken care of?

infiniti is supposed the be the "japanese bmw" is a g35 pretty fun to drive?

so the reason why i'm asking is because i used to drive a 350z then traded that in for something a little bigger in the altima coupe but now i'd really like to drive something with 4 doors.

Originally Posted by L.R.

To be honest, I hate most cars. They're either boring, or cool in such a way that they'll only be cool until the next version comes out. Thus I'm stuck looking for affordable, classic cars.

I love the BMW 2002, and plan on tracking a solid one down as my first real car.

i generally agree with you but maintenance costs are killer for bmw's.

Navi · Apr 11, 2011

'97 2 door imsprezza which has had way too many problems for my wallet to handle

L.R. · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by yjeezle

i generally agree with you but maintenance costs are killer for bmw's.

You see, I didn't know this. This is why I need to watch this thread haha.

In my area, everyone, and I mean everyone get their liscence on their 16 b-day. Cars and vehicles are so needed here, it's practically impossible to not own one. I'm not really a normal person sometimes, and didn't get one until I was 22..... I feel I've missed out a lot on car culture and knowledge.

uhurit · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by UnFacconable

Thinking about leasing a car and looking to the forum cognoscenti (and Piobaire as resident lease pimp). Have been thinking about A5, Q5, 5 series or E-class for a 3 year lease. I'm fairly unrealistic, so I've been hoping to get a 5-series, A6 or E-class if I could get one for around 500-600 a month (with no cap reduction), although that looks to be all but impossible. Failing that, I'd probably jump into an A5 or Q5 which I know can be had for about $500. Having done a modicum of research, I realize the most important factor for me is the residual value, which is the only reason the E-class is in the running (seems like Mercedes often have much better residual than BMW and Audi although right now it looks to be only about 1% better over 3 years).

Is it basically the case that the money factor and residual are non-negotiable and I have to do my best to get them on purchase price? I can live with 10k miles a year, so I'll be going in that direction to increase the residual. To be clear, my goal is to have the lowest 3-year total cost - don't care if that means big upfront payment or not. I honestly wouldn't mind paying the full 3-year amount up front if it would save me a decent amount of money, I just don't want to pay more than $18k for the full 3-year term.

I'm in the bay area, so any advice on dealers/folks to contact would be appreciated.

I suggest going to Mercedes financial website and running the payment calculator to get an idea. Keep in mind that MSRP prices listed there do NOT include options. Actual payments would be around $20.00 per thousand in options more expensive

csoukoulis · Apr 11, 2011

Those E30 M3s are the ****!

UnFacconable · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by uhurit

I suggest going to Mercedes financial website and running the payment calculator to get an idea. Keep in mind that MSRP prices listed there do NOT include options. Actual payments would be around $20.00 per thousand in options more expensive

Thanks - the MB and BMW websites just confirm the baseline - and the answer is that right now the prices generally available are high. $775 for a 3-year lease on an E350 ($50k MSRP, 10k per year). A 535 is $700 for a 3-year lease ($53k MSRP, 10k per year). Both those payments assume you walk in off the street and pay full price. Neither of those cars is worth $150-$200 more than an A5 to me (which I think I can walk in off the street and get for $550 a month) - so I guess I'm hoping someone knows something that I don't about this game.

Time isn't really an issue for me right now, so if it's a bad time to lease, I can wait. I don't really need a new car right now, but it would make my commute just a bit more comfortable. If I can find a decent car for the right price, I'd jump on it.

csoukoulis · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by UnFacconable

Thanks - the MB and BMW websites just confirm the baseline - and the answer is that right now the prices generally available are high. $775 for a 3-year lease on an E350 ($50k MSRP, 10k per year). A 535 is $700 for a 3-year lease ($53k MSRP, 10k per year). Both those payments assume you walk in off the street and pay full price. Neither of those cars is worth $150-$200 more than an A5 to me (which I think I can walk in off the street and get for $550 a month) - so I guess I'm hoping someone knows something that I don't about this game.

Time isn't really an issue for me right now, so if it's a bad time to lease, I can wait. I don't really need a new car right now, but it would make my commute just a bit more comfortable. If I can find a decent car for the right price, I'd jump on it.

Where are you located? If by any chance you're close to Dallas, i have friends who work at Mercedes and BMW stores...

UnFacconable · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by csoukoulis

Where are you located? If by any chance you're close to Dallas, i have friends who work at Mercedes and BMW stores...

I'm in San Francisco, but I appreciate the thought.

uhurit · Apr 11, 2011

There seem to be no great leases in the present time, i.e. no subsidized residuals (except on E350 bluetech models) + money is expensive

The only car with extremely cheap money factor (under 1%) is 2011 Volvo S80, but like many other things, you get what you pay for

Beckwith · Apr 11, 2011

The MB ML350 is a steal right here. New body style coming out in a few months, if that doesn't bother you then those could be had low $500's with no money down. A steal for a very nicely appointed car. Also, if you are in NYC Tri-State try MB manhattan. They are moving showrooms and blowing out cars. PM me if you need a sales contact.

UnFacconable · Apr 11, 2011

Originally Posted by Beckwith

The MB ML350 is a steal right here. New body style coming out in a few months, if that doesn't bother you then those could be had low $500's with no money down. A steal for a very nicely appointed car. Also, if you are in NYC Tri-State try MB manhattan. They are moving showrooms and blowing out cars. PM me if you need a sales contact.

That's good to know. I like the current ML, although it's not an ideal replacement car for me since it's not really a great commuter or a good city car. I'm in an SUV now and really want to get into a normal car.

I like the Bluetec suggestion above - the residual appears to be about 6% better than on comparable cars which makes a pretty big difference in payments. I might actually be able to snag one for my $500 price.

Bananafish · Apr 12, 2011

Originally Posted by Navi

'97 2 door imsprezza which has had way too many problems for my wallet to handle

Just leased a 2011 Touring model (5-door) the other day... it was a demo with 0km and a steal at $340 tax-in with $500 down. Doesn't even make sense to buy at those prices! Admittedly, I wish I lived in a different climate so I could fix up a classic, but it's impossible to maintain with our roads and winters.

Jbreen1 · Apr 12, 2011

Posting these up because someone on here wanted to see the car after the sport springs and spacers were put on. Crappy pics but I took them in the rain right after I picked the car up from AWE. I'm liking the drop, although I was expecting it to be a little lower. Handles much better.

Thinking about putting these wheels on. Couldn't find them on a B8. How do you guys think they would look on my car? They are 18's. My current wheels are 17's.

Cars We Drive!

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Featured Sponsor

Definitely full canvas only

Half canvas is fine

Really don't care

Depends on fabric

Depends on price

Forum Sponsors

Forum statistics

FOLLOW STYLEFORUM ON: