8th Jul 2006, 15:17
I can understand both views, really. The people who buy Toyota's or Honda's just want reliable, cheap transportation. If you're not into cars very much, and just want transportation, there is nothing wrong with buying a Japanese car. A lot less trouble than a BMW. I myself drive a BMW because I love cars, and need the little extra. I think it's worth paying a little extra money to keep it running. My BMW is reliable, but has a lot of minor problems that are not so common on Toyota's, but it has more style and more appeal than a Toyota, and it drives better than most Toyota's. It all comes down to what you appreciate in a car. BMW's is for people who want a lot more than just transportation. Not everybody needs more than transportation. So I can understand why not everybody want a BMW.
13th Aug 2006, 19:25
I always thought I would be driving German cars. I've owned 4 Mercedes since 91 and 2 BMWs. I loved all the cars, but German cars nickle and dime people. I was always replacing little things like window switches or light bulbs.
The only major problem I had was on my 91 Mercedes 560SEL. The a/c went out and was close to 3 grand to fix.
I bought a Lexus for my wife in 2000, but I ended up driving it because it was such a nice car. The GS400 performs just like my old BMW 540i. I now have about 70,000 on the GS and have done nothing but routine maintenance. 6 months ago we bought the RX400h and couldn't be happier. I'd give Lexus a try although it's not a German car, it's as close as you can get.
20th Jan 2009, 20:47
Well I used to have 2 BMWs and I love the cars, but they were just too expensive to maintain, and something is always breaking; nothing major, but always have to spend money on it.
Now I used to have a Infiniti QX4, Lexus ES300 and Infiniti I30t; they perform great, they are luxury and I just spend money on routine maintenance.
And BMWs, when they got old, they keep breaking all time.
If you want luxury and re sale value, go to Lexus.
2nd Apr 2006, 12:36
Large German cars are incredible used car values if you can afford the maintenance. The ultimate values are the 12 cylinder cars.
Used car lots around here (Silicon Valley) are littered with thousands of S Classes, 7 series, XJ's, A8's and so on at rock bottom prices. Even insurance is low since the target market for these cars isn't young hot blooded 20 somethings like my WRX is.