Am looking to buy a used car what I wanted was either a bmw x5 or ml, but my money only permits me to look for up to 2004 models. Problem is everyone keeps sayin they are very expansive to maintain and very unreliable, is this true? And which one is tha cheaper and gives more value to money and are there other types of SUVs that r cheaper easier to maintain but not to far off tha status of mls and x5
If status and cheap went together, everyone would own a BMW. They are great cars, but expensive to own. If you can’t afford to maintain one, I suggest you not buy one. When I was younger, I would go through great pains to remove all the decals and plaques from a car and replace them with fakes. A v8,turbo, ohc Civic gets a lot of attention from those who don’t know and laughs from those who did. You get the best of both worlds, while faking the easily impressed and enjoying a good innocent laugh At yourself.
Go find yourself some BMW logos and put them on a black stripped ford Explorer. Most people out there won’t notice the difference anyway. If it’s illegal, you didn’t hear it here.
If you want real “status” plus reliable inexpensive overall performance, get a used navy blue or powder blue Crown Victoria and put a ski rack on top. You’ll get more second looks than any other car on the road, especially from Speeding BMW owners.
Acura or Infinity comes to mind. The Mazda CX-7 and CX-9 look more expensive than they really are, too.
Without knowing your budget though, we can’t make any real recommendations until then.
My 1998 BMW 328i sedan has been rock steady reliable for its entire life and 104,000 miles. I was getting my oil changed at my independent BMW shop when a lady came in regarding her X5. The shop owner asked her to sit down and explained that she needed a $7,000 transmission at 60,000 miles!
I’ve owned many BMW, Audi and Mercedes cars and love them. I would not, however, buy an SUV from them (add Audi and Porsche to the list). IT’S A TRUCK! Get a Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai or Subaru and save yourself a lot of time, money and worries.
Twotone
You should be able to get a much newer, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander for the same money.
Pursuing ‘status’ through your belongings leads nowhere good. I have much more respect for someone who spends their money intelligently.
You’d be making a big mistake getting a car like this on a limited budget.
Let me suggest you get a Consumer Reports New Car or Used Car Buyer’s Guide at the local bookstore and select something affordable with a good reliability record. You’ll feel a lot classier in a shiny, well-waxed vehicle with some cash in your pocket than with BMW psrked in your driveway while you save up for a needed repair and nothing but a hole in your pocket.
What about a 2005/2006 Cadillac SRX? Test drive one and see if you like it. It is reliable and will be less expensive to repair or maintain than a BMW.
Money only permits. Not true. Only the power of reason permits. You may have other reasons that I don’t know. Generally, you need more money. You may say “no kidding”.
Ten percent of what you earn is yours to keep. It’s a great thing to think about.
If you can’t save that ten percent until you get rich, do what you have to do in order to get at least that ten percent. I want you to get rich and you should want the same thing.
The first step is to take good advice from the experts in the field. I am an expert at saving money from low income. That is the only thing I know. If I had not had a few really lucky breaks, that ten percent saved would have been the only money I have today.
Don’t be home without it.
Status symbols are over-rated. Don’t think so? OK, quick, without going outside to check, what make and model cars do your neighbors own?
Here’s another test. Next time you see an expensive car going down the road, name the person driving it.
One thing I have learned over the years is that the rest of the world could care less how much your car costed or how fast it can go.
At parties attended by local status aware university professor friends, the conversation, when about cars, always gets back to that of “John’s” rusted old clunkers. It’s never about the new “BMW” or what ever anyone of them has. Reverse status is more memorable and makes for better conversation. “John” is still proud of the old Schwinn clunker bike that I put together for him from junk yard parts nearly 30 years ago that he still rides from one on campus building to another . It needs no lock and is readily identified by all his students and faculty.
The late chairman of Wal-Mart drove a 20 year old pickup truck to convey the image that the company was a frugal, no-frills outfit.
Our city recently elected a frugal mayor who owns a Toyota Corolla, and refused the city limousine, instead opting for a Camry Hybrid. When the city has visiting dignitaries they rent a limo for the occoasion; much cheaper.
The late dean of my alma mater business school drove a Range Rover; which raised a lot of eyebrows among thoughtful alumni with respect to his 1) business judgement, 2) vehicle knowledge, and 3) buying something not made in your own country, even though at least 4 such vehicles were available.
The prime minister of Malaysia did not want to be seen in a car not made there. He drove a mid size car made there (a Proton), and although from a reliability point of view, it was no Toyota, it reinforced national pride and his popularity.
Yup, those Mercedes Benz SUVs ride like they are on rails. Does not look like any of the 2WD cars are having as much trouble.
They seem to be people who knew what image was really about and how to project that image in a way that’s relevant. Empathy does that for the more successful in ways that the “status seeker” will Never Understand.
4WD vehicles have four wheel brakes, same as every 2WD vehicle on the road, a fact that is lost on a lot of 4WD owners.
Well put; there is also the college president who raised large amounts of money for his school and drove a stripped 2 door American car to drive homne the point that the college did not waste money.
A can’t recall a single homeowner on my street who bought a car to “show off”. One guy has 3 cars, one of which is a late 80s Mercedes E Class diesel, which he has owned since new. Others own a variety of vehicles from loaded Chevy Suburban with HD towing package to a sporty 2 door Infiniti.
One couple with no children (German with Japanese wife) own a VW Rabbit and a Toyota Corolla. Guess who drives what?