Need "new" car.

[Sawin]

BMW's are cheap to buy because they're expensive to maintain... I looked seriously at a couple 3 series ones before getting the Infiniti G37x. You might also want to seek out a G25x. They're a smaller engine, more fuel efficient and cheaper to buy.... looks like a 2011 starts around $8K. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...=G25&zip=80602

[MrPrena]

Why does she need AWD to stay on the road? My wife has driven this FWD Kia for 5 years now without a single issue. FWD is more than sufficient.

Besides, AWD isn't going to make you stop any sooner which is the important part. AWD will cost you more money up front and will cost you more money per mile to drive due to added drivetrain to maintain and lower fuel economy. I used to think that AWD was required in Colorado and we spent too much money over the years because once I realized FWD worked every bit as good (especially for the wife who doesn't drive "spiritedly" when the roads are messy like I tend to) I doubt I'll go back to AWD. I certainly wouldn't put a premium on it for my wife to drive as it doesn't make her any safer the way marketing would have us believe.

AWD only helps for acceleration and half the time either 1) you can't accelerate quick due to conditions 2) you can't accelerate quickly because everyone else has 2wd or the one that is most likely 3) both. Same applies to my pick-up, sure I can throw it in 4-hi to accelerate faster but I find that I never do and leave it in 2wd since I can't use the 4-hi with everyone accelerating slowly anyway. I feel as though I'm an above average driver but my wife has put about 70k miles on that car in all conditions and has never once said she misses our Audi cars that we've had due to being AWD.

As for 100k mile BMW wagons... super pass. They're cheap because the maintenance costs will bury you man. Don't do aging European sedans/wagons as they still have the same absurd price tag for parts as when they were $50k it's just that you have to buy the parts more often now. That's why their value falls off of a cliff once that warranty expires. Nobody wants to pay the horrendous price tag that comes with servicing them. Even oil changes require special canister filters and all sorts of crazy crap that makes them expensive for basic things even if you do the work yourself which you will have to do because if you take it to a shop every other week when something comes up you'll have to sell the house to pay for it all.

That's why you see $215k AMG cars that are selling for $25k 5 years later because the maintenance costs are through the ceiling. The suspension on them alone is about $3k and needs replaced every other year or so. What about a simple plug change on that AMG V12, think it's what... 12 plugs? Maybe 24 if it has two per cylinder which you see sometimes? Nope... 48 plugs!!! I'll let you take a guess as to what that simple maintenance task costs. ROFL

Even if you don't buy our car my personal opinion is you really don't need AWD in Colorado. Narrowing your search to only AWD will probably keep you from testing out some really great cars. You also REALLY don't want an aging import that didn't comes from China, Korea or Japan. Those are the ones that still keep a high level of reliability and the parts for them is a fraction of their European competition.

Let me know. I am extremely interested in $25k AMG which MSRP was 215k. My guess is SLS.

[Irving]

While I completely agree with the AWD vs FWD, often times we do things to make our wives happy, even though it doesn't make sense.

[MrPrena]

If someone is going to get European, especially M, AMG, RS, etc, they must know some DIYs beyond average Joe Lexus or Acura.
First thing to do after purchasing the vehicle is to join all the forums as you can.

BMW charges
280 for 10w-60 oil change for M (130 diy)
300+ for differential fluid with friction mod ($40 diy with royal purple, which is better than OEM imo)
500ish for spark plug change (90-140 diy and with or without tool).

It is still expensive diy.

Now,if we talk about GTR brake rotor.....

[Gman]

While I completely agree with the AWD vs FWD, often times we do things to make our wives happy, even though it doesn't make sense.

/End Thread

You can be right, or you can be happy. Choose.

[Grant H.]

/End Thread

Agreed.

[Zundfolge]

I don't know if this is true, but according to some VW forum members the 2015 TDI exhaust costs $9500 to replace if you run it out of diesel exhaust fluid.

Diesel Exhaust Fluid? that sounds like one of those faux products dishonest mechanics sell, like muffler bearings or blinker fluid (yes I know its real but still sounds sketchy).

Didn't VW have to buy back all the TDIs?

[Gman]

Nearly all, but some were able to pass with re-programming.

[BushMasterBoy]

The VW's at Pike Peak International Raceway are all diesel buy backs. I think most are not back on the road again because there are so many locally and not enough repair stations. When folks found out VW was going to buy them back, they quit maintaining them properly.
Rockauto at present has zero inventory of fuel injectors for these cars. That's a bad sign. VW Dealer in COS only had 6 oil filters in stock when I went there. I bought half his inventory. Another bad sign.
The upside is you can go 600 miles on 14 gallons of diesel. More miles if you can hypermile it. And it drives really nice. I like it, but I am really leary of being able to maintain it. My plan is to baby it with frequent fluid/filter changes. And also keep the DEF tank full. It is heated to keep the DEF from freezing.

[Grant H.]

Diesel Exhaust Fluid? that sounds like one of those faux products dishonest mechanics sell, like muffler bearings or blinker fluid (yes I know its real but still sounds sketchy).

Didn't VW have to buy back all the TDIs?

It's a real thing.

Thanks to the EPA we get to pour refined piss in a tank on newer diesels, that gets used to "eliminate harmful exhaust elements"...

If you manage to run a DEF requiring diesel COMPLETELY out (to the point of causing damage) of DEF, you deserve a $9500 repair bill... They have warnings, and dingers, and signs, and flashing lights, and count downs with mileage ranges, etc...

Edit - nevermind...