I just got a new long term consulting gig, and have considered to purchase a newer vehicle while still keeping my 02 TL as my daily driver. I've come down to a few choices, but needs some opinions as to how reliable each vehicle is and the expected maintenance cost over the service life of the vehicle.

List is not in any particular order
1. BMW 335i 2007- 2008 (read a few horrible stories on the HPFP failures)
2. Audi A4 2009 2.0TSI (everything seems fine, motor is relatively weak though, and those LED light with additional hardware could be expensive to replace when time comes)
3. MB C350 2008 (Dont have much experience with MBs)
4. MB CLK550 (did this model just get replaced by MB E coupe?)
5. Take a finance and get C63AMG, then consume ramen noodle for couple months)

Okay those are my primary choices, I know owning a German car can be costly, but life is too short to waste driving boring vehicles.

I just completely my 105000 miles maintenance on my TL, new belts, water pump, plugs, replaced ball joint, new HID ballast and couple things, so hopefully my TL will allow me another couple years of worry free motoring.

 

335

 

Why not skip the BS back and forth and just buy the one you want? Each camp will try to convince you that their flagship is bulletproof and the best thing since sliced bread.

Just put a repair fund aside and keep your TL available. When/if you get tired of your vanity purchase just dump it and keep the memories or upgrade again. Good luck with the assignment and the new wheels.

 

I have only had two vehicles in my life, a 96 escort and 02 TL, and I drove the escort til the last bit of her life, then bought the TL and been driving it for 7 years and counting.

I would still drive the TL for many more years to come, and since I just bought a modest condo for my single mom, paid it in full $180,000, I don't have anything in the near future to save up for. That is the primary reason I wanted to get a second vehicle to spruce up my life just a tiny bit. I never took a single day off in my 4 years of consulting life, I rent a room in a house with couple roommates, while the condo I bought for my mom is in Ann arbor, Michigan, so I don't even get to enjoy the nice home >_<.

I don't want to be perceived to be financially irresponsible, since buying this 2nd car in cash would require me to sell most of my stock portfolio. So that is going from something that'll accumulate wealth to something that is going to depreciate in value over time.

So please share your honest opinions. Honestly I like all of them, so it's not like I made my decision already and just throwing out BS for discussion for the sake of discussion.

Thank you

 

Get the one you can afford + make you happy. If I could afford it:

1. C63
2. 335i

 

Go American, want cheap horsepower & quality, go with 04-06 Pontiac GTO, dont sleep zzzzzzz

 

Did you see my thread HERE?

Yes. The CLK Coupe and Cabriolet have been replaced by an E Class Coupe and Cabriolet for 2010. The price even went down a little.

I am still on the honeymoon with my 2008 CLK Coupe but I have no regrets at all and it comes with a great warranty.

I would vote against the C63. It's a baby Mercedes with a huge engine and huge appetite. You should drive a CLK550. I don't think you will want more power especially with the 7 speed auto and paddle shifters.

The C-class lacks a lot of the polish of the other MB models. They are nice but they had to cut costs to keep the price low.

 

Wow that CLK looks nice in white. One of my friend drives a white CLK and I've always loved it, the reason I would considered a 550 is because it is easier to find one that is fully loaded than a V6 model, and since it'll be a second car not a daily driver, mileage is not a problem.

I've also driven my gf roommate's BMW 335i and 328i, didn't really go full out on them but I bet the heavy steering will pay dividend when driven spiritedly , otherwise the steering is a little bit on the heavy side compared to my TL.

As for C63, I really wouldn't consider it, I bet it'll regret it later. Unless my stocks go up 50% from now till June, since I'm holding GS it probably is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

 

C63, Sunday morning I was making my way down to get coffee and I saw a cop pull over a C63 AMG, oh man I was breaking my neck looking at that beast...what a great car!

 

Option 1 or 4.

 

c63 or 335... 335d is what i want, but it'll take a few years before it can depreciate enough for me to afford
get whichever one you like the most tho, either way the cars are gonna depreciate like crazy and you'll lose money, so waste money on something you love
... there is no way i'd get an a4 for a fun second car, doesn't make much sense... RWD>AWD for fun IMO

 

...an SLK would give you some spice in your life... go to slkworld.com and ask around... they don't care if you're there just to talk... honest opinions from guys and gals from all over the world... very few, if any horror stories... I am DarkSithSLK over there... just a thought...

 

Maybe I'm reading into this but are you saying you would pay cash for options 1-4 or take out a loan on option 5? If this is the case (based off your comment about selling the stock portfolio) I would suggest option 5. It's not that I feel that car is better than the others, I just don't like the idea of liquidating an appreciating asset to buy a depreciating one. In the long run, you would be better off allowing the stock portfolio to grow and finance the car.

If you can finance the car using already liquid assets and leave the portfolio alone you will be better off in the long run.

 

335 or if you can dish out the extra coin C63, but remember the C63 will probably be a lot more expensive to maintain than the others.

 

+1

 

Option 5 would require me to sell of my stocks plus financing options, but really it's not realistic option unless my portfolio grows significantly in the coming months.

Thanks for all the honest opinions posted, I will put in more research into this and weigh my options.

Being financially responsible had helped me tremendously in the past couple years, and it allowed me to buy a nice condo in cash in a time when everyone else went into foreclosure. Hopefully I can make the decision by mid-summer.

 

Hmmm, that being the case, I would go back to options 1-4. Personally the only thing out of Europe I would buy is a Porsche so my opinion on your choices isn't useful to you.

 

My advice would be none of the above in regards to purchasing.

I would seriously consider new-car leasing in your situation. Your cash outlay would be way less, you would be driving a car under warranty and even with paid maintenance in some cases (BMW, Audi), and you get to drive a great car.

I just don't see the advantage at your age for taking on the purchase of an expensive German vehicle and all the depreciation and costs that come with it. I say look at leasing, which allows you to enjoy the experience and give back the car at the end with no harm or foul.

-Mirror

 

C63

it sounds MEAN.

 

08 C350 is a lot of rig.

 

335i...

/thread

 

^
I agree 100%. Things can change and cash is king. Why not lease especially if you can figure a way to write part of it off as a business expense? Minimum initial outlay, minimal risk, perserve investment! Win-win. I understand you may even be able to structure a single payment lease.

 

If you don't need the practicality of a daily go for something less practical and more fun, like a lightly used M3 coupe or a Cayman S.

C63 is too hot to pass up. That's what I'd do LOL.

 

For example -

$3,800 down, 36 months, 10K miles a year, $439 mo.

2010 BMW 335i Coupe 6-speed automatic