@@tonygundy7815 HERES A LIST THAT I HAD TO DO FROM 33K MILES TO 97K MILES New FRM(covered by BMW) New Cas Module Index 12 injectors 1a auto VC and oem gasket Ngk 1 step colder Plugs .022 gap Eldor coils New Tensioner/pulleys Serpentine belt New alternator clutch pulley Front main seal Crank seal cover plate Deivers side Engine Ground Motor Mounts Inner/Outter tie rods Transmission mounts Walnut blast intake valves Intake manifold gaskets Oil Filter Housing Gasket Oil cooler line o-rings Oil pan gasket New Radiator Water pump/Thermostat All coolant hoses replaced Engine Block coolant flange Ps reservoir/fluid replaced Clean out washer fluid tank Full transmission service(fluid, seals, solenoids.) Replace primary O2s (widebands) Rotors and pads front and back Brake fluid replaced Boost solenoids Hpfp Duralast Platinum H8-Agm battery LiquiMoly 5w40 oil every 3k miles
My 2019 Alfa Quadrifoglio had 64k miles on it at the time It was sold, and I had not one problem with it in the 3 years of my ownership. It was my daily and travel car for work, and made my drives from Miami to Tampa enjoyable and comfortable. As for servicing the car, it only needed routine maintenance and one set of front rotors and pads.
To be fair 64K isn't that much in terms of miles most these problems would pop up at like 80K or more on average so makes sense you had no real problems most cars that are built even half ass will usually make it to 100K without much issues this aint Dodge with automatic transmissions lol(joke is seen those go out as quickly at 40K on the clock)
64K miles Alfa?? 640k miles and still running Toyota..i own 2 Toyota beside Honda and 500k is just NORMAL 😂😂,regular servis is the answer..and replace normal wear n tear parts,no big deal,and yes,u can drive it forever😂😂
The alfa Giulia is no where near as bad as you have made out, most of the issues you mention have been resolved through recalls such as the brake hoses, the remaining are from ignoring part lives and a lack of proper servicing. The only issues tend to be with the infotainment and software update issues. I work on these regularly in the UK. These are genuinely great cars when given the proper maintenance through specialists and are reliable when cared for.
@@Comm0ut former motorsports engineer with years of experience working on Alfas as well as many other brands both road and race cars. The worst cars tend to be bmw / Audi due to being needlessly overcomplicated and then built cheaply. What’s your experience?
I've owned the TI Sport and now the QV, I have no idea why this car would be on this list. I owned the N54 335i and a RR HSE and those both definitely belong here, but the Giulia makes no sense at all. It's one of the most reliable cars I've owned.
I'm stoping at the SL, because the info is just exaggerated. 1. You're not getting an R230 SL600 for under $10k. (Especially when you showed a picture of base R129s. 2. The SBC brake-by-wire system is not only fantastic, it's covered under an unlimited milage warranty (still). 3. The suspension cost me a whopping $400 to replace the most difficult hydraulic line on the ABC system, and everything else still works beautifully. 4. They are, however, quite complicated. And really, the 55 is the perfect one. The 600/65 is far too front heavy and the 55 can be built to over 1000 whp (but realistically, around 600 is perfect). But what is correct: Most people don't know what they're getting into. I work on it, I have the dealership scanner in my garage, and if you don't stay a step ahead of the maintenance, then you'll forever be bitching about the cost to fix later. Otherwise, the M113k platform is bulletproof.
@@AlCapone-tr5lb I’d suggest reading it again. It was pretty clear that there’s a difference between the complicated R230 platform (the “SL” chassis), and the otherwise (other than chassis), bulletproof M113k (engine) platform. You can get the M113k in other chassis; W211, W220, etc. Those require much less maintenance than the R230.
@@manofwar577 I also had a couple of W211 E500s. The first one got taken out by a deer. That's what convinced my wife about the safety of MB. There was a thud at 65 mph, it took out the front right 1/4 (good size adult buck). We just lifted the air suspension and drove home. The 2nd one was only replaced because I wanted an update on the tech. One day we stopped by the dealership for an oil filter for the SL. As I opened the door to get in, my wife heard the new GLB250 running next to us and she freaked out "what the hell happened to the car?!?" She couldn't believe that a brand new MB was so loud compared to our '06 E500, which was virtually silent. Eventually I sold it and got a newer W222 S550. But yes, the M113 is very straight forward and solid.
I was a dealer tech for twelve years with Mercedes-Benz, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Ferrari too, but that’s not addressed in this video. The Ghibli is a Chrysler 200 with an Italian suit. The new Quatttroporte (2014 on) is a 300, and only the twin turbo V8 is an actual Ferrari engine. It’s a detuned 488 engine with a cross plane crank. The V6 is a Chrysler Pentastar with Maserati heads, ASSEMBLED by Ferrari, just so they could say “Ferrari built the engine”. And people believe it. Those cars are terrible, and an embarrassment to Italy. The SBC brake system in the Mercedes SL is also in the 211 chassis E-Class. The hydraulic suspension (ABC, Active Body Control) is on several models, and that twin turbo V12 has to come completely out of the car to change two o-rings on coolant lines under the turbos that WILL leak. All repairs that can run more than the cost of the vehicle. Have fun!
I 2nd this. I have a 2017 with 75,000 for 2 1/2 years now myself and none of these issues. Only normal wear and tear items (tires, brake pads, cooling hoses). Did have one emissions issue but that wasn’t too pricey to resolve. Glad to see I am not the only one!
The V12 powered SL goes for way more than 10k. Even a decent example SL600 with high milage goes for around 30k here in Europe. If you can get me a clean SL600 for under 10k in the mighty US of A, holla at me so we can become millionaires.😆
You showed R129 SLs for sale cheap and bring up the hydraulic issues from the R230, the R129 had standard suspension and no turbo engine, you also didn't mention how reliable the 503hp M113k is, and it's available in the same R230, also, I dare you, find a running and driving SL600 for "about $10k"
Yeah, the R230s are fraught with issues but not all of them are awful! The M113 is bulletproof, the facelift M272 (SL350) and M273 (SL500) have some issues but aren't horribly unreliable engines. The 350 is actually a pretty good entry level car because it doesn't have the ABC suspension either. Transmission is really strong too. Yeah, you'll end up paying a decent amount of money to fix things but they're absolutely lovely cars if you know what you're looking for and do regular maintenance.
The VW Phaeton never came with a W8, it was the 4.2 V8 commonly shared with Audi. This engine also had a belt driven timing system for reliability. It’s very common to see these cars well over 200,000 miles without problems.
in my country, a lot of Mercedes stuff has long been figured out by indie mechanics. You can simply remove the software limit from the SBC system or, if it fails, repair the unit, not replace it.
the brake by wire (aka sbc pump) on the Mercedes has a transferable 25 year warranty. Also the star diagnostic isnt needed, just a scan tool for a Mercedes (about $150)
The PSE Pump is much worse than the SBC anyway IMHO, since there's no warranty on it and it'll fail when (not if) water gets in the trunk. Add to that the fact that they're hello expensive to replace and aren't made anymore... Saying this as someone who absolutely loves my R230! 😂
I own a Maserati ghibili and have not had a problem. I love the car. Only issue I have is no one has oil for it. I have to buy it online at a whopping $150 for 8 quarts. It takes 10w 60 synthetic racing oil. Made for Ferrari engines
He’s referring to the e60 with the n54 not n55 with the f11. N55 is much more reliable, not as tunable. Better gas mileage too my n54 in my e60 didn’t get anything special for gas mileage. I could get better gas mileage in my cls550 I replaced it with when cruising on the high way. Well good for a twin turbo v8 so only high 20s. But I’ve had city mpg around 15 which was hurting
FULL STOP. I’ve been restoring a 2003 E class, and any Benz dealer will warranty out the SBC braking system in its entirety up to 25 years after the year of the car, and unlimited miles. Cost - $0
I have a 1989 Mercedes Benz 300ce and I love the car, fixing 3 issues it currently has now. Once I do that it’ll be a 100% road worthy, it’s at 70% as of now. Other than that it’s an amazing car, I just gotta button up the sound, paint and interior after it’s mechanically good, but after all, a 35 year old car!! Has survived way more than most new cars and has less than a 140k miles
My father, born pre-depression, used to complain about power windows, air conditioning, and cruise control. Too many things to go wrong. He'd also say that a team of engineers built the Titanic, one lone amateur built the Ark
I used to own a 2010 e92 335i. Most of the problems associated with high-pressure fuel pumps in earlier model years have been fixed in mine. However, the oil filter housing leak remains an issue. As for DFI carbon built-up, this problem is no different than other makes, like the Porsche, if you will. I also currently own a 2009 Mercedes R230 SL550 bought from new with relatively few issues. The key is to keep all maintenance up-to-date. For example, I flush the hydraulic suspension fluid every 30K miles, which prevents dirty fluid from clogging the valves & pipes. The cost to service the fluid at an independent Mercedes specialist shop is only a few hundred dollars. If you are willing to spend time & money on these maintenance items regularly, the Mercedes SL550 is a wonderful open-top GT cruiser that always puts a huge smile on my face every time I drive it.
Maintenance and upkeep costs are always calculated as a percentage of the new car price. If the car cost 100,000 when new, they are automatically 3x higher than for a car with a new value of 30,000. If a car is older than 10 years, you should calculate 5% of the new car price per year for maintenance and repairs.
Ah, the SBC braking system of the SL. That hydraulic unit is $1200 to purchase, but another $1000 to $1500 or so to install it, program it, and bleed the system. And they ALL need to be replaced eventually, because they do in fact have a service life, and the hydraulic unit counts it down. Benz stopped using SBC because folks were complaining about the cost to maintain such a system. Even though it’s a car that costs as much as a house, and the people know that going in……
Own a Lexus, lease German or Italian. Modern Era Jaguars/Land Rovers r OK for long term ownership -- if you have a good mechanic that can get parts nearby and have a spare car when it's in 'da shop waiting for parts. :)
The E90 M3 is an awesome car .. yes the throttle actuator can be an issue but you can fix for as little as $200.. only other possible issue are rod bearing .. you can replace for $2600 .. pricy but well worth it for this sweat V8 .. redlines at almost 9K and over 400hp .. or you can buy a Camry
Full disclosure: I changed all 8 wire harnesses and spark plugs on my 03' E500 Sedan, while in my driveway 3hrs tops. I also located a set of re-maned air struts from a spot down in Florida ($325 each). I then picked up Anti-Lock Break Pump ($199). I handled the light work and paid a pro shop to do the heavy lifting. It didn't quite cost me $1100, back in 2021.
Nice and interesting Video, well done!💪 Only a really small correction: VAG doesn't mean 'Volkswagen Audi Group', but rather 'Volkswagen Aktien-Gesellschaft', the german term for a company which is traded on a stock market, much like 'PLC' is for british companies and so on..
Concur with your assessment of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. A $3200 Stelantis extended warranty has saved me $$ on many, many occasions. The warranty required dealerships to provide loaner vehicles when in the shop. Issues with wiring, the intercooler, radiator, hood latches, seat latches had they not been covered would have set me back a about 6 thousand dollars at a minimum. That said, of the 26 cars I've owned over the years, nothing drives like this Alfa Romeo. Clearly it's the reason why the company has been in business so long.
I have an E9X with an N55. Not only has it been pretty reliable, it's also a very fun car and can make power so easily. You just gotta make sure you buy one with a good service history.
In the past Premium meant best quality. Nowadays Premium means less quality for more money. A cheap Kia is more reliable than a Mercedes. Tell that to owners of a classic Mercedes W124...
Not these but a 98 Murcury Mystique that needed its 3rd motor at around 114,000km for which Ford Canada told me their engines are a common replacement item at around 70,000km
SL55 I had one in 2014 for 6 years. Only bought it because it had the option of a Mercedes warranty @ £1500 a year. When I sold it (for peanuts) the total warranty bill was over £80,000. Dash (led failed) - £4500 Fuel tank (baffles loose) - £10,000 Central locking system - £3,000 Door handle - £700 Suspension struts x9 - £2000 each (£18000) Suspension pump - no idea Suspension oil pipes (had to have a new production run made @ mercedes so had an S-class for 4 months) - no idea. The roof, engine and gearbox never went wrong, though. Plus it was my favourite car. Still miss it.
If you were using your own money, using an independent specialist, doing some of the work yourself, using OE manufacturer parts from factors likes the German company Autodoc and breakers ,the cost would be a tiny fraction of that! My experience running a more humble older CL500 with abc was pretty painless. In eastern Europe with lower labour rates it would cheaper still, however older luxury cars are way cheaper in the UK to buy than anywhere else apart from Japan so swings and roundabouts.
8:01 - That same issue exists on the C7 A6 Audis with the 3.0T engine. The repairs are so extensive and involved that mechanics often refuse to do the work. Ask me how I know.
I hope people see this. I was going to mention it because I love Audi and still have my son drive my 2002 3.0 A6 because you just can't buy 2005 to 2015 because of this issue unless it was upgraded/repaired by the dealer under warranty. $15k repair. 😢
🤣 I have an 08 S4. love the car, but hate the bills. Never buy one unless the timing chain was done 90k. It also has a water-cooled alternator, but I have never had an issue with it. I need a small facia interior piece made of carbon, it's $400, the armrest center cover because the latch broke $500, and general maintenance is also pricey.
The only used luxury car you should buy is a Lexus. But if you are a "UA-cam Certified Mechanic" DIYer, like I am LOL, BMW is a good choice. There are tons of info on how to fix all the issues with BMW. They're really not that bad. I own a couple with the N54 Twin turbo engine. Lots of fun... HINT: There is no such thing as a "life time fluid". Change your transmission fluid every 40-50k miles. Just drain and fill. DO not flush. My E90 335i has 180K miles on the original transmission and turbo. Other than that I've replaced just about every component.
How about the best cars to own/buy? I did order a GR Corolla Circuit Edition based on one of your earlier videos. I miss a standard transmission and loved my old GTI 16V but was plagued with little problems. A rally-ish AWD Hot hatch will be a blast on the VT dirt roads. I also have a 800 WHP GTR for a summer car. I really like your videos.
LOL- I inherited a blacked-out, gorgeous D2 Audi A8L Quattro...it's actually been really great, we use it as a back up and it gets a lot of questions & attention
I owned a 2017 gulia qaud… bought it brand new and that thing had electrical issues and more from day one. Headlight washers would pop out to spray the light and basically self destruct whilst ejecting outwards. Had a check engine light for the entire first year of ownership due to low compression in one of the cylinders and was eventually replaced with a new engine under warranty which cost about $40,000. Lemon lawed that gulia asap after that couldn’t imagine owning one out of warranty especially with almost 50 pages of unmentioned service records from the first year.
I have owned the Mercedes 2003 500 SL bought it used for 30,000. With only 30,000 miles. Within 30 days cost me 20,000 to fix. I still had another 10,000 to go. 🤦🏾♂️ Needless to say 30 days later. I traded it in with my 2008 Cayenne to buy a 2013 cayenne 🤷🏾♂️ I’ve owned Range Rover. Also another decision. I’ve had the best experience with Porsche out of all the vehicles. I currently have a 2014 911 Turbo and also a 2022 Panamera 4SE hybrid. I’ve owned 18 Porsches. I’m Looking forward to buying a 2024 Cayenne coupe.
I have a 2012 TT 335i... Bought for about $12k with ~72,000 miles, and within 500 miles of daily driving I noticed: significant head gasket leak (onto the serpentine belt no less), radiator pipe leak spraying hot coolant into engine bay, break calipers wearing out significantly faster than expected, and the cherry on top, I accidentally cracked the --PLASTIC-- intake chargepipe while removing the engine.
I bought a W220 S55 AMG. Probably the most famous S-class known for being unreliable. It's not so unreliable if it was taken care of and mine was not in the past. Not cheap at all, but oh so worth it. No regrets at all
I have a face lifted e65 bmw 750i treating me pretty good. Granted it's not my daily. Lots of power and luxury for the price. Love the car even though it has allot of hate.
Former B5 Audi S4 owner... Had to do timing chain & tensioners, warranty covered all but the labour. Did the clutch too, & replaced the dual-mass flywheel with a light-weight. 😕 Wah wah wah...
I currently own a 2011 335i. I would not recommend buying any 335i with an N54. The N55 is much more reliable and you can still make great power on it. As long as you are prepared to to maintenance to the car, it’s a pretty great car for the price.
I have a Mark4 R32. 205k plus, most reliable car I've owned besides an 93 Cobra. No engine part will last a lifetime, especially chains and the plastic tensioners.tensioner. The wonderful bulletproof VR6 is easy to do the chains.
Have a 2014 M6. Zero maintenance so far aside from the scheduled. Key is that it only has 20k miles. If I ever get close to 40k, it’ll be time to trade in. Car has been paid off for over a year at this point, so I’m driving for free. Always start with a perfect example.
I got a 2005 E55 AMG wagon as a hobby car. Paid 20k for it with 160.000km. Its literally bulletproof. I didnt have to do anything except for normal maintenance. Thing eats tires and fuel like there is no tomorrow but its not unreliable. M139 is a great engine
Best he’s gone presence for budget is 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser prado XL, it’s stamped sheet metal panels and looks amazing in black like the G wagon, and I say G wagonesque presence because, everyone thought mine was a G wagon
Dont listen to this guy. Just get an extended warranty contract like Carsshield or Endurance warranty company. I own a 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG V-12 and I first had the Carshield warranty and now from recommendations from Mercedes-Benz of south Atlanta (where I originally purchased it), I am with Endurance warranty but plan to go back to Carshield next year. I had it covered from Carshield for 3 years and endurance warranty for two years. Yes the ABC suspension went out but it was a cable for $900. Now years later the shocks are leaking but I found two on eBay for $350. I did have transmission issues but Carshield replaced it. My window stopped working and Endurance warranty paid for it. The alternator and starter went out but Carshield paid for it. The control arms and brake caliper went out and Endurance paid over $3k. My Benz was a 1 owner lease return and I still drive it. The radio has been the only main problem but if you don’t car about music then you good. The warranty companies don’t fix most of the radio stuff.
You guys are doing a good job. I know exactly how many problems there are with the BMW 335i. Especially when the power increases. At the same time, it's my favorite car, even though I've stuffed so much money into it that it makes me sick. Interesting that in other videos you recommend the 335i as a cheap option to get high performance. Can you make a video recommending a car like the 335i that could get high performance, look good, not cost a million, and not cost twice the value of the car to repair? I'm guessing such a car doesn't exist, but you might surprise me... :)
As a previous owner of a 2011 335i it was reliable. I had the same exact engine in our X5 and it had nothing but problems all the time. We got rid of the X5 and now my wife has an 3018 Rx350. The only problem with that has been the stereo head unit literally died and would have been $3,500 to replace if we did not have the extended warranty.
Facts. I see young people in my industry buying 85K german cars. They make 110K per year. My salary needs to be double to purchase an M3 or Porsche. Maintenance after five years is ridiculous.
I almost purchased a used Range Rover back in 2014. I loved the style and the feel, but my dad (formerly the chief mechanic at one of the largest BMW dealers in the world) heavily cautioned me against the purchase to the point where I ended up passing on it and eventually settled on just an old reliable F150. The F150 lasted WAY beyond the abuse I put it through. Manufactured in 1999 and already abused by the kid who owned it before me, I took that F150 through hell, and it just refused to actually die on me even years after I stopped even trying to take care of it anymore. Rarely changed the oil, never checked on the transmission, only changing the alt and battery when they would fail every couple of years...while the first couple of years I treated her right, for most of the rest of her life I neglected her needs and then abused her driving in floods, ice, snow, mud, and often popping over curbs as "shortcuts" around heavy traffic. Eventually she had a big problem that took out one of her chambers use and basically made her a V7...but she still ran. For another 2 years, she kept going. Still no maintenance, just abuse. Then WHAMMY, another chamber stopped being useful. Now my Triton "V8" was a Triton "V6". But she still kept going. I saw the writing on the wall that she was finally in her sunset phase, and I bought a replacement vehicle just 2 months before she rode her last ride out into the sunset to finally be free of the abuse, just shy of 10 years with me. She then sat in my driveway for almost a year before I finally let myself send her to the scrapyard. All I know is, Im glad my dad talked me out of that Range Rover. For as much as I hated that F150 sometimes when it would give me a minor headache I didnt care to have, that SOB was more reliable than the average "how is it still going?" Honda. I treated her like a princess the first couple of years, then unfortunately was on the short end of the stick and had 2 back to back wrecks. The first destroyed the whole front end but luckily nothing mechanical, just all the outside parts and the bumper. Had good military insurance with USAA that covered all the damage even before the claim processed (back in the good old days when USAA was an outstanding insurance company), so she was in the shop for a week and I had my little rental car. Then I get a call that she is ready. I drop the rental off, catch a ride to my truck and drive her straight to work a shift. I get off work, and I dont hardly pull out of the parking lot before WHAM Im smacked by an SUV that bangs her up all over again. The lady was totally at fault for not paying attention and for speeding like hell in a 25 mph street, but the cop (who wasnt there, just showed up later) wrote us both a ticket (mine got dismissed by the judge when I challenged it and took it to court) and so our insurance companies ruled it 50/50, and USAA therefore refused to cover the cost of repairs due to them already covering my recent claim just a week and a half earlier. I couldnt afford to fix the F150 with my own funds, so that was the start of me no longer treating her like a princess and just treating her like an old truck. I did mostly try to take care of the mechanical side of things still, but then a half year later the transmission went and I had to beg my folks to help me out with finding a replacement. That whole ordeal and many little small things around that time just made me HATE that truck for awhile and I just stopped giving a damn about it. By the time I wised up and thought to take care of it again, it felt too late. Felt like it would be wiser to just save my money to be able to get something else down the road when it finally goes rather than invest in trying to help kick the can a few more months down the road for the inevitable end. If I had known then that even doing that it would last me to nearly the 10 year mark, I would have absolutely invested in proper maintenance again and I would likely still have the truck to this day, but hindsight is 20/20. Oh well. It was the first vehicle I ever bought myself (after the 1980 Chevy C10 my folks bought as my actual first car) and I was still too young and dumb to think long term properly. Now Im driving a 2012 Infiniti G25, enough luxury to feel fancy but not breaking the bank, and enough sport to feel like a cool kid but without getting myself into trouble. Seriously, dont discount Infinitis. The G series (later generations rebadged as the Q series) are built to be direct competitors against the BMW 3 series, and my Dad absolutely agrees they do more than compete, especially at the price you can get one for. My 2012 today in 2024 still looks like it rolled out the factory, even the black leather seats dont have so much as a crease in them. Just 2 very small scuffs on both sides of the front bumper where the previous owner obviously misjudged a couple of angles going in or out of a parking lot or something, and a crack in the drivers side fog light from a rock in the road getting kicked up into it. Thats it. I still live and mostly work out in the country, and because the G series is part of the Nissan Skyline platform, this JDM is an absolute beauty to take on these back-country roads deep in the woods. These winding curves are hell on most of my neighbors vehicles, from compact cars to trucks, but my G25 takes them **at speed** smooth as butter. I dont even touch my brakes on these 90 degree back to back S curve turns. Makes me feel like Im living in a NFS video game lol. And then when I do go to the city (one of the largest in the US) it handles the city and highway driving better than anything else Ive ever driven. This is my 5th car Ive owned myself, and Ive driven dozens of other cars in my time. This will be my million mile car if I have anything to say about it.
I have noticed, I wonder if other people have noticed, these expensive European luxury cars plummet in resale value when they are just a few years old. I’ve watched the television auctions when a Rolls-Royce, or a very expensive model Mercedes, or Bentley comes across the block. They usually sell for around $.10 on the dollar of their original sale price. my best friend since high school back in the 60s loves BMW convertibles. He has bought three of them over a ten-year stretch that were returned lease cars. He bought the extended warranties on them not from BMW, but from those warranty companies that are always advertising on television… every time he took those BMWs into the service department at the dealer, he never got out of there without spending at least $1200 for simple things like oil change, filter, change, some noise or rattle. None of which was covered under warranty. he did have four expensive things happen to those three BMWs over the years that he was paying $151 a month for that warranty coverage.. convertible top would not go up, not covered Control panel that controls the opening and closing of the door locks and controlling the windows going up and down went bad, not covered automatic transmission, shifter lever, that the driver could put into manual or automatic mode and drive the car, as though it was a stick shift by moving the lever through the pattern of shifting gears, they were all failing, and they were back, ordered to Germany, and even the salvage yards were out of them, because they were failing at such a high rate, not covered his driver seat frame broke, not covered. You think it would be not that tough to fix a broken seat frame, but that was a leather covered heated power seat. those four problems with his various BMW convertibles cost him over $11,000 out of pocket because they were not covered by the extended warranty. He was paying $151 a month for for over 10 years. over those 10 years, some little things were covered under warranty, but they were never items that a monitor more than a few hundred dollars. Over those 10 years that $151 a month for the extended warranty added up to over $18,000 that he paid in for that insurance that did not cover the big things. And, add that to the $11,000 he paid out-of-pocket to have the big things fixed. That is more money. more than $29,000 that he paid for that insurance, and the things that were not covered by the insurance. It dawned on him that he paid less than that for any one of those BMW cars when he bought them used… he finally grew up and went out and bought a new Chrysler minivan. He said it for six years now, and not had one single problem with it… And he didn’t buy the extended warranty either
I was on my way to work one morning and I saw a pretty nice looking car. It was on a flat bed and it was something I'd never seen nor heard of before. The car was a Karma Revero GT. It was from where I was sitting, it was a very nice looking car. It had a pretty blue paint job and it was a wide body like I love on sport cars. So I went home and started trying to find out what I could about this car. I was definitely interested in maybe buying one. But there was one thing holding me back. The first one I have ever seen was on the back of a flat bed truck. I wasn't sure if it was broken down or being delivered to someone. I looked the car up and the price tag brand new was $145,000..... Well, I need to see if I can find maybe a used one for sell. The price wasn't scary at first, but then when I dug a little deeper into this car, I find out that a 3 year old used car is selling for $30k to $35,000. This car definitely doesn't hold a resell value for crap. I thought about buying a used one and if I loved the car, then maybe I'd be interested enough on buying a brand new one. I went to 2 different city's to look at and test drive the cars. 1 car was $32k and the other one was $45k. I pulled up about an hour early at the dealership and I see someone working on the car. This to me is not a good sign at all, especially when you want $45k for a 2 year old car that doesn't hold its value. I talk to the service guy and he informs me that the car has been sold and he putting the finishing touches on it. Oh I got so mad 😠 😡 😤. I walked in and ask them why they sold a car when they had someone driving 15hrs to see the thing? They said oh your the guy coming to look at it? I said yes and I haven't bought anything yet. We walk back to the car and I opened the door. The inside looked pretty good and not very many miles on it either. Now time for the test drive. The guy tells me that it can't be driven yet, cause the battery pack is bad. They ordered one and it would be about a week before they could get it. I said ok, thanks and I left. The next car is a person's car at their house. I drive another 4hrs to go look at this car and I pulled in and was like wow. This car had a beautiful paint job on it. The car changed colors depending on how the light hit it. The owner informs me that the battery pack in the car is 3 months old and has a 1 year warranty. I took it for a spin and found out why they don't hold their resell value. I personally think the cars performance sucks!!! For $32k, I might as well buy a used Tesla. All that driving around for nothing. I spent 15 minutes driving a car I thought I might love and hated it. So be careful. I'll stick with my Camaro Exorcist that was built by Hennessey.
As much as everyone is warned of the S4 4.2 they will shell out all the money to repair them. That sound will make your inner caveman take over any sense you have, probably resulting in a divorce. However, the RS4 and the S5 have updated chain designs, so go ahead and slap that Milltek exhaust on, and get passed by that BMW that will break down soon enough probably
I would like to point out that you didn't mention the cayenne years to stay away from. 2011 and up replaced the plastic coolant pipes with metal and fixed that issue. The air suspension wasn't mentioned in any capacity which is really insane because of how reliable they are. I have a 13 GTS and I love it, facelifted and up to date on most of the issues the first gets have.
as someone who owns 2 BMW 335i at different years (2010/2011) let me just say any 335i prior to 2011 is better than any BMW 3 series 2011 and on. They came out with the twin scroll turbo which is kind of bs plus capping one of your exhaust with a flap. The reliability of parts also drastically decrease and prone to break compare to the prior models so be aware younglings :) More context: you can technically disable the flap and have it always open by disabling a cable by your taillight however that would some times trigger a false positive error. They started using rubber seal around your front windshield which definitely will deteriorate overtime, water won't get in because the windshield still has its glue but the seal is basically all gone in a few years if the elements beat on it. Finally the most bs of it all was the steptronic. I rarely use it but one day it failed out of the blue, it basically will not go back to your regular mode when you get out of it unless you break completely and the auto system will kick it off. When I took it to a BMW dealership they took it apart and in the end telling me they couldn't figure out what the issue is but they can only guess it's "wear and tear" of the wiring :/ needless to say its all bs. My 2010 335i was still a twin turbo, no cap, no rubber seal but plastic, and never had an issue with the steptronic and I own both relatively the same amount of time in the same environment.
The Mercedes v6 has a gear that drives the cam chain deep in the engine that fails the computer and variable timing mechanism hides it failure until the check engine light comes on . Then 6 grand tear down.
few things about mercedes SL , ABC suspension is a problem - TRUE (but there are smaller engines SL350/500 sometimes comes without ABC-solved) , Roof hydraulics can be an issue - true (but so do any other automatic convertibles) , SBC braking system hard to fix - true ( I owed 10 different Mercedes in SBC era and it never was at fault for me up to 300 000kms+) , R230 has a few engines , not just SL600, get SL350/500 but with M112/113 engines and 5gtronic gearbox to avoid most problems and enjoy the car
I heard a saying once "If you want a fast Volvo buy an Audi but if you want a reliable Audi buy a Volvo." May not be as true today but still probably accurate.
@@damilolaakanni My mouth waters with the possibilities of the T8 though. Especially in the S60. Turbo, supercharger and electric motor all on some conservative factory Volvo tune. I bet there is alot of untapped power.
Gernan cars are well engineered but they need their service...and americans often buy an expensive car and then cheap out on the service or even ignore the service. And after a while things get bad and repairs are getting expensive... That's an owners problem not a car problem...
The L322 is the peak Rang Rover IMHO. I should know...I have owned every RR from the Classic to the L405. No car is perfect, especially if you cant turn a wrench. But the L322 is special, especially the Jag derived engine ones. RE the 5.0 engines, they suffer timing chain failure due to worn tensioners. That was fixed in 2014 as its basicallyt he same engine as in my 2016. I still have the 95 Classic and the L405, but will add a L322 as im missing the utility of a good farm car with a beautiful interior.
"Carbon buildup in dci turbo engine" - Laughing with Suzuki K14c under my hood It does not buildup carbon while beeing torboed direct injection. I had several K14c opened in the shop, the buildup is same at 1k miles same as 30k miles.
The 350SL is a decent enough performer and it has the looks. You won’t have the expensive hydraulic issues . Avoid the 2006 models , which have the M272 motor ( balance shaft issues ) . By 2007 this was sorted out . Running costs are low in comparison to the V8. Although the V8 does have the noise ….and that is why you buy these after all …. If you buy a well maintained one and find decent specialist mechanic, it will not dent your wallet too much. Fix anything that goes wrong immediately or it will all mount up and kill you 😀
Well, i own a 325i e90 with the N52B25, and this thing is actually good. Aside from the valve cover oiling problem of course... The thing is, i had the last real 2.5l before they downsized the 3.0l one. Means: i don´t have the direct injection and the problems coming with it. No NOx converters, no failing injectors, no high pressure fuel system and stable 218HP. Its not plenty of power, but down the Fuchsröhre i reach about 205 Km/h wich is enough for me.
Yammering on about the flaws of the N54 335i…. Shows a purple M3. Also worth noting BMW swapped to N55 to address the N54 issues in 2009 except the 335is
The 2016- and up Q50 Red Spot this car has amazing power and is a thrilling experience when you push the car to its limits.The reliability on the other hand is subpar at best. I drove a 2012 G37 x sport and it was easily the best thing on the road when it came out absolute total package and extremely reliable 100 times better than the Mercedes C350 or BMW 335 back in 2012 you needed an AMG 63 or an BMW M3 to beat the G37 x sport, in my head the Q50 Red Sport was gonna be everything the G37 x sport was but just faster. Boy boy was I wrong needless to say I’m now driving a Lexus 350 F sport a man needs reliability!!!!!
*Learn To MAKE MONEY Buying Your Dream Car - **bit.ly/IdealCarStrategies130*
I would like to see the counterpart of this topic. "cheap, well-maintained luxury cars"
Ideal... make this happen
This would be interesting! What luxury's cars could be reliable and well to maintain. @ideal do this fan service!
@@jonathanpimentel3825 I heard the Ferrari California is good & reliable from UA-camrs
@@jonathanpimentel3825 Lexus
Lexus, Acura. Especially the Lexus ES.
If it has more spark plugs and coils than cylinders, it already sounds like a problem.
Yeah, just bought a cheap 535xi, and glad I'm a mechanic. Only thing I keep asking myself, why did I do this. Lol
I got the 335i help me water pump and high pressure pump already done still need help
@@tonygundy7815 I had a 2010 335i and learned how to do everything off UA-cam, Forums, and FB groups
@@tonygundy7815
HERES A LIST THAT I HAD TO DO FROM 33K MILES TO 97K MILES
New FRM(covered by BMW)
New Cas Module
Index 12 injectors
1a auto VC and oem gasket
Ngk 1 step colder Plugs .022 gap
Eldor coils
New Tensioner/pulleys
Serpentine belt
New alternator clutch pulley
Front main seal
Crank seal cover plate
Deivers side Engine Ground
Motor Mounts
Inner/Outter tie rods
Transmission mounts
Walnut blast intake valves
Intake manifold gaskets
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Oil cooler line o-rings
Oil pan gasket
New Radiator
Water pump/Thermostat
All coolant hoses replaced
Engine Block coolant flange
Ps reservoir/fluid replaced
Clean out washer fluid tank
Full transmission service(fluid, seals, solenoids.)
Replace primary O2s (widebands)
Rotors and pads front and back
Brake fluid replaced
Boost solenoids
Hpfp
Duralast Platinum H8-Agm battery
LiquiMoly 5w40 oil every 3k miles
@@Thatdude877 Holy mother of sweaty crying Jesus
@@tonygundy7815 I have a 2018 f30 335i, so far she is okay at 54100 km, hope she stays that way.
My 2019 Alfa Quadrifoglio had 64k miles on it at the time It was sold, and I had not one problem with it in the 3 years of my ownership. It was my daily and travel car for work, and made my drives from Miami to Tampa enjoyable and comfortable. As for servicing the car, it only needed routine maintenance and one set of front rotors and pads.
To be fair 64K isn't that much in terms of miles most these problems would pop up at like 80K or more on average so makes sense you had no real problems most cars that are built even half ass will usually make it to 100K without much issues this aint Dodge with automatic transmissions lol(joke is seen those go out as quickly at 40K on the clock)
American and Italian cars are among the worst in the world
64K miles Alfa??
640k miles and still running Toyota..i own 2 Toyota beside Honda and 500k is just NORMAL 😂😂,regular servis is the answer..and replace normal wear n tear parts,no big deal,and yes,u can drive it forever😂😂
Bro....that is a new car. Your experience has nothing to do with the subject. These cars are designed to fall apart after 100,000 miles.
The new giulias don't have as much problem as their first generation they have improved alot
The alfa Giulia is no where near as bad as you have made out, most of the issues you mention have been resolved through recalls such as the brake hoses, the remaining are from ignoring part lives and a lack of proper servicing. The only issues tend to be with the infotainment and software update issues. I work on these regularly in the UK.
These are genuinely great cars when given the proper maintenance through specialists and are reliable when cared for.
How long have you been an Alfa mechanic?
@@Comm0ut former motorsports engineer with years of experience working on Alfas as well as many other brands both road and race cars. The worst cars tend to be bmw / Audi due to being needlessly overcomplicated and then built cheaply.
What’s your experience?
I've owned the TI Sport and now the QV, I have no idea why this car would be on this list. I owned the N54 335i and a RR HSE and those both definitely belong here, but the Giulia makes no sense at all. It's one of the most reliable cars I've owned.
Most of these are no problems on what he mentions literally just a bunch of nonsense
@@picdar16I just bought an Audi A4. Audi making your list for worst cars to own hurts my soul lmao
I'm stoping at the SL, because the info is just exaggerated. 1. You're not getting an R230 SL600 for under $10k. (Especially when you showed a picture of base R129s. 2. The SBC brake-by-wire system is not only fantastic, it's covered under an unlimited milage warranty (still). 3. The suspension cost me a whopping $400 to replace the most difficult hydraulic line on the ABC system, and everything else still works beautifully. 4. They are, however, quite complicated. And really, the 55 is the perfect one. The 600/65 is far too front heavy and the 55 can be built to over 1000 whp (but realistically, around 600 is perfect). But what is correct: Most people don't know what they're getting into. I work on it, I have the dealership scanner in my garage, and if you don't stay a step ahead of the maintenance, then you'll forever be bitching about the cost to fix later. Otherwise, the M113k platform is bulletproof.
Just a shame you had to use "otherwise" and "bulletproof" in the same sentence.😂
@@AlCapone-tr5lb I’d suggest reading it again. It was pretty clear that there’s a difference between the complicated R230 platform (the “SL” chassis), and the otherwise (other than chassis), bulletproof M113k (engine) platform. You can get the M113k in other chassis; W211, W220, etc. Those require much less maintenance than the R230.
Had an M113 in e class, unbreakable, and straight forward to work on.
@@manofwar577 I also had a couple of W211 E500s. The first one got taken out by a deer. That's what convinced my wife about the safety of MB. There was a thud at 65 mph, it took out the front right 1/4 (good size adult buck). We just lifted the air suspension and drove home. The 2nd one was only replaced because I wanted an update on the tech. One day we stopped by the dealership for an oil filter for the SL. As I opened the door to get in, my wife heard the new GLB250 running next to us and she freaked out "what the hell happened to the car?!?" She couldn't believe that a brand new MB was so loud compared to our '06 E500, which was virtually silent. Eventually I sold it and got a newer W222 S550. But yes, the M113 is very straight forward and solid.
Perfect summary! From another SL 55 owner from germany
Ahh, the VW Phaeton, the chassis of a Bently, the body of a Passat. What could possibly go wrong?😅😅😅😅😅
Also some had either the bentley engine or the towareg one.
I was a dealer tech for twelve years with Mercedes-Benz, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Ferrari too, but that’s not addressed in this video.
The Ghibli is a Chrysler 200 with an Italian suit. The new Quatttroporte (2014 on) is a 300, and only the twin turbo V8 is an actual Ferrari engine. It’s a detuned 488 engine with a cross plane crank. The V6 is a Chrysler Pentastar with Maserati heads, ASSEMBLED by Ferrari, just so they could say “Ferrari built the engine”. And people believe it. Those cars are terrible, and an embarrassment to Italy.
The SBC brake system in the Mercedes SL is also in the 211 chassis E-Class. The hydraulic suspension (ABC, Active Body Control) is on several models, and that twin turbo V12 has to come completely out of the car to change two o-rings on coolant lines under the turbos that WILL leak. All repairs that can run more than the cost of the vehicle.
Have fun!
that is why as a mercedes tech i want to get a w215 with the m275 engine. just looking for a cheap mechanic special.
Have owned a Giulia for 5 years now and have had exactly zero problems. Guess I’m lucky.
I 2nd this. I have a 2017 with 75,000 for 2 1/2 years now myself and none of these issues. Only normal wear and tear items (tires, brake pads, cooling hoses). Did have one emissions issue but that wasn’t too pricey to resolve. Glad to see I am not the only one!
Love my Giulia. Had it for nearly a year, bought used. The AWD version is like a sexy version of a WRX.
I have a 2020 with no problems since I purchased it.
I have 2016 giulietta qv with 91k km on it, and honestly maintaining it has been very cheap.
The V12 powered SL goes for way more than 10k. Even a decent example SL600 with high milage goes for around 30k here in Europe.
If you can get me a clean SL600 for under 10k in the mighty US of A, holla at me so we can become millionaires.😆
Found one for 7k add says suspension doesn’t work or leaks
@@Over-kill1 for the next 1400miles then it’s a red ABC system malfunction
In the UK you can get them for 10k
@@michaelgakanga just replace it with coil overs. I have the SL500. The video didn't mention how awesome and reliable the V8 is.
@@respectingthewordpodcast I know it’s reliable I had a CL 500. Sway bars would also be necessary I believe
You showed R129 SLs for sale cheap and bring up the hydraulic issues from the R230, the R129 had standard suspension and no turbo engine, you also didn't mention how reliable the 503hp M113k is, and it's available in the same R230, also, I dare you, find a running and driving SL600 for "about $10k"
I’d wager 25k is where you’d start having peace of mind
I was just about to say the same thing, tells us the MSRP for an R230 SL65 AMG then shows standard R129 SL500s for sale.
Yeah, the R230s are fraught with issues but not all of them are awful!
The M113 is bulletproof, the facelift M272 (SL350) and M273 (SL500) have some issues but aren't horribly unreliable engines. The 350 is actually a pretty good entry level car because it doesn't have the ABC suspension either. Transmission is really strong too.
Yeah, you'll end up paying a decent amount of money to fix things but they're absolutely lovely cars if you know what you're looking for and do regular maintenance.
Also, the SBC system is something that gets replaced for free by Mercedes when it fails.
I have a Guilia TI sport and I just came back from the Alfa service from injector failure LOL. This car is definitely not for normal people
The VW Phaeton never came with a W8, it was the 4.2 V8 commonly shared with Audi. This engine also had a belt driven timing system for reliability. It’s very common to see these cars well over 200,000 miles without problems.
Without electrical problems?
it did, and it was the base version. it never sold well, though.
Thanks. Did/do you own one or know someone who has?
@@-hfsd, the OP said W8, not base V8 and he made a distinction. It came with a W12 option as the only W block engine.
They sold the Phaeton with a V6 as well...in Europe. I think it was a 3.0 diesel V6.
in my country, a lot of Mercedes stuff has long been figured out by indie mechanics. You can simply remove the software limit from the SBC system or, if it fails, repair the unit, not replace it.
the brake by wire (aka sbc pump) on the Mercedes has a transferable 25 year warranty. Also the star diagnostic isnt needed, just a scan tool for a Mercedes (about $150)
thank you for the info.
The PSE Pump is much worse than the SBC anyway IMHO, since there's no warranty on it and it'll fail when (not if) water gets in the trunk. Add to that the fact that they're hello expensive to replace and aren't made anymore...
Saying this as someone who absolutely loves my R230! 😂
I own a Maserati ghibili and have not had a problem. I love the car. Only issue I have is no one has oil for it. I have to buy it online at a whopping $150 for 8 quarts. It takes 10w 60 synthetic racing oil. Made for Ferrari engines
What year model is it? I'm interested in buying one.
I have a 535 f11 M performance for about 4y never had any problems. The motor is stock and always had services when needed by BMW.
He’s referring to the e60 with the n54 not n55 with the f11. N55 is much more reliable, not as tunable. Better gas mileage too my n54 in my e60 didn’t get anything special for gas mileage. I could get better gas mileage in my cls550 I replaced it with when cruising on the high way. Well good for a twin turbo v8 so only high 20s. But I’ve had city mpg around 15 which was hurting
Please make more videos like this the pros and cons of cars, trucks & suvs it’s much appreciated
FULL STOP.
I’ve been restoring a 2003 E class, and any Benz dealer will warranty out the SBC braking system in its entirety up to 25 years after the year of the car, and unlimited miles.
Cost - $0
I have a 1989 Mercedes Benz 300ce and I love the car, fixing 3 issues it currently has now. Once I do that it’ll be a 100% road worthy, it’s at 70% as of now. Other than that it’s an amazing car, I just gotta button up the sound, paint and interior after it’s mechanically good, but after all, a 35 year old car!! Has survived way more than most new cars and has less than a 140k miles
My father, born pre-depression, used to complain about power windows, air conditioning, and cruise control. Too many things to go wrong. He'd also say that a team of engineers built the Titanic, one lone amateur built the Ark
Never EVER buy a V12 SL.
I had one. Loved it. Spent 35k on maintenance over 8 years
Imagine trying to repair an "Infotainment system" car in 10 years. Yeah, nah. I'll go backwards to a pure mechanical car and just overhaul it.
There was this guy I knew with two range rovers of the same model. One to use and the other for spare parts lol!
I used to own a 2010 e92 335i. Most of the problems associated with high-pressure fuel pumps in earlier model years have been fixed in mine. However, the oil filter housing leak remains an issue. As for DFI carbon built-up, this problem is no different than other makes, like the Porsche, if you will. I also currently own a 2009 Mercedes R230 SL550 bought from new with relatively few issues. The key is to keep all maintenance up-to-date. For example, I flush the hydraulic suspension fluid every 30K miles, which prevents dirty fluid from clogging the valves & pipes. The cost to service the fluid at an independent Mercedes specialist shop is only a few hundred dollars. If you are willing to spend time & money on these maintenance items regularly, the Mercedes SL550 is a wonderful open-top GT cruiser that always puts a huge smile on my face every time I drive it.
Another BMW (Bayrischer Mist Wagen) is the M5 with the V10 in it. It costs an eye and an arm to maintain and it's an endless money pit as it ages!
Some cars are meant to be leased.
Maintenance and upkeep costs are always calculated as a percentage of the new car price. If the car cost 100,000 when new, they are automatically 3x higher than for a car with a new value of 30,000. If a car is older than 10 years, you should calculate 5% of the new car price per year for maintenance and repairs.
Ah, the SBC braking system of the SL. That hydraulic unit is $1200 to purchase, but another $1000 to $1500 or so to install it, program it, and bleed the system. And they ALL need to be replaced eventually, because they do in fact have a service life, and the hydraulic unit counts it down. Benz stopped using SBC because folks were complaining about the cost to maintain such a system. Even though it’s a car that costs as much as a house, and the people know that going in……
The SBC in my 2009 SL was covered by the dealer until 2035. Mercedes took full responsibility and replaced it for free.
Own a Lexus, lease German or Italian. Modern Era Jaguars/Land Rovers
r OK for long term ownership -- if you have a good mechanic that can get parts nearby and have a spare car when it's in 'da shop waiting for parts. :)
The E90 M3 is an awesome car .. yes the throttle actuator can be an issue but you can fix for as little as $200.. only other possible issue are rod bearing .. you can replace for $2600 .. pricy but well worth it for this sweat V8 .. redlines at almost 9K and over 400hp .. or you can buy a Camry
I have a B6 S4. Pulling the motor and trans out can be done in 2 to 3 hours max. The chain and guides actually pretty simply to do. Not hard at all.
Yeah, all those problems are why I only buy Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura.
Lmao me too. With all the problems I have, the last thing I need is my car breaking down
Toyota / Lexus are still the only bulletproof car brand in the existence.
Fr, I am not even financially sound to buy or maintain a mid-range car. Luxury is way too far
@@rohan_3128 you can pick up a good condition used Lexus with lower mileage for not too much.
Drive a 2008 GS450H with 230000km. Still goes like a rocket without any alarms on my dash.
Sorry but I'm 100% satisfied with my Alfa giulia (210hp diesel veloce 2018). At this moment 187.000 km and no problem at al.
I disagree with you about the Giulia.
I am the owner of the third quadrifoglio, and no one had a single problem that you described.
Full disclosure:
I changed all 8 wire harnesses and spark plugs on my 03' E500 Sedan, while in my driveway 3hrs tops. I also located a set of re-maned air struts from a spot down in Florida ($325 each). I then picked up Anti-Lock Break Pump ($199). I handled the light work and paid a pro shop to do the heavy lifting. It didn't quite cost me $1100, back in 2021.
I’ve owned a few BMW’s and Mercedes. I repaired both more than I drove them. Went back to Toyota and should have kept it that way.
Not all Q7's are created equal. My wife and I both have TDI Q7's with no issues, combined they're over 270k miles.
what year model do you have mine is 2016
Nice and interesting Video, well done!💪 Only a really small correction: VAG doesn't mean 'Volkswagen Audi Group', but rather 'Volkswagen Aktien-Gesellschaft', the german term for a company which is traded on a stock market, much like 'PLC' is for british companies and so on..
That's what it means in Germany, but not in the USA. He is correct.
Concur with your assessment of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. A $3200 Stelantis extended warranty has saved me $$ on many, many occasions. The warranty required dealerships to provide loaner vehicles when in the shop. Issues with wiring, the intercooler, radiator, hood latches, seat latches had they not been covered would have set me back a about 6 thousand dollars at a minimum. That said, of the 26 cars I've owned over the years, nothing drives like this Alfa Romeo. Clearly it's the reason why the company has been in business so long.
I have an E9X with an N55. Not only has it been pretty reliable, it's also a very fun car and can make power so easily. You just gotta make sure you buy one with a good service history.
In the past Premium meant best quality. Nowadays Premium means less quality for more money. A cheap Kia is more reliable than a Mercedes. Tell that to owners of a classic Mercedes W124...
These brands have absolutely no respect for the customer anymore. They have become like Gucci, fast fashion cars.
Not these but a 98 Murcury Mystique that needed its 3rd motor at around 114,000km for which Ford Canada told me their engines are a common replacement item at around 70,000km
The jaguar dealer tired talkin me into a project 8 XJ
But I went with a yugo instead......
Yugo 😍😂
SL55
I had one in 2014 for 6 years. Only bought it because it had the option of a Mercedes warranty @ £1500 a year. When I sold it (for peanuts) the total warranty bill was over £80,000.
Dash (led failed) - £4500
Fuel tank (baffles loose) - £10,000
Central locking system - £3,000
Door handle - £700
Suspension struts x9 - £2000 each (£18000)
Suspension pump - no idea
Suspension oil pipes (had to have a new production run made @ mercedes so had an S-class for 4 months) - no idea.
The roof, engine and gearbox never went wrong, though. Plus it was my favourite car. Still miss it.
If you were using your own money, using an independent specialist, doing some of the work yourself, using OE manufacturer parts from factors likes the German company Autodoc and breakers ,the cost would be a tiny fraction of that!
My experience running a more humble older CL500 with abc was pretty painless.
In eastern Europe with lower labour rates it would cheaper still, however older luxury cars are way cheaper in the UK to buy than anywhere else apart from Japan so swings and roundabouts.
8:01 - That same issue exists on the C7 A6 Audis with the 3.0T engine. The repairs are so extensive and involved that mechanics often refuse to do the work. Ask me how I know.
I hope people see this. I was going to mention it because I love Audi and still have my son drive my 2002 3.0 A6 because you just can't buy 2005 to 2015 because of this issue unless it was upgraded/repaired by the dealer under warranty. $15k repair. 😢
🤣 I have an 08 S4. love the car, but hate the bills. Never buy one unless the timing chain was done 90k. It also has a water-cooled alternator, but I have never had an issue with it.
I need a small facia interior piece made of carbon, it's $400, the armrest center cover because the latch broke $500, and general maintenance is also pricey.
The only used luxury car you should buy is a Lexus. But if you are a "UA-cam Certified Mechanic" DIYer, like I am LOL, BMW is a good choice. There are tons of info on how to fix all the issues with BMW. They're really not that bad. I own a couple with the N54 Twin turbo engine. Lots of fun... HINT: There is no such thing as a "life time fluid". Change your transmission fluid every 40-50k miles. Just drain and fill. DO not flush. My E90 335i has 180K miles on the original transmission and turbo. Other than that I've replaced just about every component.
How about the best cars to own/buy? I did order a GR Corolla Circuit Edition based on one of your earlier videos. I miss a standard transmission and loved my old GTI 16V but was
plagued with little problems. A rally-ish AWD Hot hatch will be a blast on the VT dirt roads. I also have a 800 WHP GTR for a summer car. I really like your videos.
Great choice! It's an AWESOME little car. Thanks for watching!
@@IdealMediaChannel Thanks for the reassurance! I just hope they can deliver one.
LOL- I inherited a blacked-out, gorgeous D2 Audi A8L Quattro...it's actually been really great, we use it as a back up and it gets a lot of questions & attention
Buying my 507edition was one of the best investments I've ever done. They keep going up in value 🎉🎉🎉
I owned a 2017 gulia qaud… bought it brand new and that thing had electrical issues and more from day one.
Headlight washers would pop out to spray the light and basically self destruct whilst ejecting outwards.
Had a check engine light for the entire first year of ownership due to low compression in one of the cylinders and was eventually replaced with a new engine under warranty which cost about $40,000.
Lemon lawed that gulia asap after that couldn’t imagine owning one out of warranty especially with almost 50 pages of unmentioned service records from the first year.
I have owned the Mercedes 2003 500 SL bought it used for 30,000. With only 30,000 miles. Within 30 days cost me 20,000 to fix. I still had another 10,000 to go. 🤦🏾♂️ Needless to say 30 days later. I traded it in with my 2008 Cayenne to buy a 2013 cayenne 🤷🏾♂️ I’ve owned Range Rover. Also another decision. I’ve had the best experience with Porsche out of all the vehicles. I currently have a 2014 911 Turbo and also a 2022 Panamera 4SE hybrid. I’ve owned 18 Porsches. I’m Looking forward to buying a 2024 Cayenne coupe.
I have a 2012 TT 335i... Bought for about $12k with ~72,000 miles, and within 500 miles of daily driving I noticed: significant head gasket leak (onto the serpentine belt no less), radiator pipe leak spraying hot coolant into engine bay, break calipers wearing out significantly faster than expected, and the cherry on top, I accidentally cracked the --PLASTIC-- intake chargepipe while removing the engine.
I bought a W220 S55 AMG. Probably the most famous S-class known for being unreliable. It's not so unreliable if it was taken care of and mine was not in the past. Not cheap at all, but oh so worth it. No regrets at all
That’s what I found to be with most cars. Do regular maintenance and most of them are fine.
I have a face lifted e65 bmw 750i treating me pretty good. Granted it's not my daily. Lots of power and luxury for the price. Love the car even though it has allot of hate.
80's to early 90's is peak reliability for most "luxury" brands.
Because that was before they prefected planned obsolescence.
Former B5 Audi S4 owner... Had to do timing chain & tensioners, warranty covered all but the labour. Did the clutch too, & replaced the dual-mass flywheel with a light-weight.
😕 Wah wah wah...
Omg that white 2006 sl was the epitome of my dream car when I was a kid
Now it’s someone’s nightmare!
I currently own a 2011 335i. I would not recommend buying any 335i with an N54. The N55 is much more reliable and you can still make great power on it. As long as you are prepared to to maintenance to the car, it’s a pretty great car for the price.
I have a Mark4 R32. 205k plus, most reliable car I've owned besides an 93 Cobra. No engine part will last a lifetime, especially chains and the plastic tensioners.tensioner. The wonderful bulletproof VR6 is easy to do the chains.
Have a 2014 M6. Zero maintenance so far aside from the scheduled. Key is that it only has 20k miles. If I ever get close to 40k, it’ll be time to trade in. Car has been paid off for over a year at this point, so I’m driving for free. Always start with a perfect example.
I got a 2005 E55 AMG wagon as a hobby car. Paid 20k for it with 160.000km. Its literally bulletproof. I didnt have to do anything except for normal maintenance. Thing eats tires and fuel like there is no tomorrow but its not unreliable. M139 is a great engine
If you are doing the work on the SL500 yourself it is cheap and better off getting rid of the hydraulic system.
So speaking shortly - do not buy German cars build after 2010.
Best he’s gone presence for budget is 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser prado XL, it’s stamped sheet metal panels and looks amazing in black like the G wagon, and I say G wagonesque presence because, everyone thought mine was a G wagon
The right mercedes conv is the 4 cyl SLK compressor, $11 for plugs and goes 200k miles
The warranty on the Mercedes electronic braking system was extended to 30 years from the origional date of purchase
I have a 2008 nissan fugo nismo edition. It's got 205000 on it now. Still running perfectly. I will never let her go...
The only Giulias with issues are those before 2018
The 4.2 is super reliable as long as you change the chain like a belt every 100 thousand miles.
Dont listen to this guy. Just get an extended warranty contract like Carsshield or Endurance warranty company. I own a 2010 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG V-12 and I first had the Carshield warranty and now from recommendations from Mercedes-Benz of south Atlanta (where I originally purchased it), I am with Endurance warranty but plan to go back to Carshield next year. I had it covered from Carshield for 3 years and endurance warranty for two years. Yes the ABC suspension went out but it was a cable for $900. Now years later the shocks are leaking but I found two on eBay for $350. I did have transmission issues but Carshield replaced it. My window stopped working and Endurance warranty paid for it. The alternator and starter went out but Carshield paid for it. The control arms and brake caliper went out and Endurance paid over $3k. My Benz was a 1 owner lease return and I still drive it. The radio has been the only main problem but if you don’t car about music then you good. The warranty companies don’t fix most of the radio stuff.
says B6 S4 in video, shows B7 RS4....keep up the quality work my friends
You guys are doing a good job.
I know exactly how many problems there are with the BMW 335i. Especially when the power increases. At the same time, it's my favorite car, even though I've stuffed so much money into it that it makes me sick.
Interesting that in other videos you recommend the 335i as a cheap option to get high performance.
Can you make a video recommending a car like the 335i that could get high performance, look good, not cost a million, and not cost twice the value of the car to repair?
I'm guessing such a car doesn't exist, but you might surprise me... :)
N55 more reliable than the N54
As a previous owner of a 2011 335i it was reliable. I had the same exact engine in our X5 and it had nothing but problems all the time. We got rid of the X5 and now my wife has an 3018 Rx350. The only problem with that has been the stereo head unit literally died and would have been $3,500 to replace if we did not have the extended warranty.
Sorry 2018!
Thing about these cars is you’re supposed to be a millionaire when you own them. The cost of ownership is far greater than just the purchase price.
Facts. I see young people in my industry buying 85K german cars.
They make 110K per year. My salary needs to be double to purchase an M3 or Porsche.
Maintenance after five years is ridiculous.
And still e90 gen bmw is more common than a Camry where I live
They aren't for millionaires. They are for tacky people who want to look rich, just like Gucci, Luis Vuitton, Prada, etc.
I almost purchased a used Range Rover back in 2014. I loved the style and the feel, but my dad (formerly the chief mechanic at one of the largest BMW dealers in the world) heavily cautioned me against the purchase to the point where I ended up passing on it and eventually settled on just an old reliable F150. The F150 lasted WAY beyond the abuse I put it through.
Manufactured in 1999 and already abused by the kid who owned it before me, I took that F150 through hell, and it just refused to actually die on me even years after I stopped even trying to take care of it anymore. Rarely changed the oil, never checked on the transmission, only changing the alt and battery when they would fail every couple of years...while the first couple of years I treated her right, for most of the rest of her life I neglected her needs and then abused her driving in floods, ice, snow, mud, and often popping over curbs as "shortcuts" around heavy traffic. Eventually she had a big problem that took out one of her chambers use and basically made her a V7...but she still ran. For another 2 years, she kept going. Still no maintenance, just abuse. Then WHAMMY, another chamber stopped being useful. Now my Triton "V8" was a Triton "V6". But she still kept going. I saw the writing on the wall that she was finally in her sunset phase, and I bought a replacement vehicle just 2 months before she rode her last ride out into the sunset to finally be free of the abuse, just shy of 10 years with me. She then sat in my driveway for almost a year before I finally let myself send her to the scrapyard.
All I know is, Im glad my dad talked me out of that Range Rover. For as much as I hated that F150 sometimes when it would give me a minor headache I didnt care to have, that SOB was more reliable than the average "how is it still going?" Honda. I treated her like a princess the first couple of years, then unfortunately was on the short end of the stick and had 2 back to back wrecks. The first destroyed the whole front end but luckily nothing mechanical, just all the outside parts and the bumper. Had good military insurance with USAA that covered all the damage even before the claim processed (back in the good old days when USAA was an outstanding insurance company), so she was in the shop for a week and I had my little rental car. Then I get a call that she is ready. I drop the rental off, catch a ride to my truck and drive her straight to work a shift. I get off work, and I dont hardly pull out of the parking lot before WHAM Im smacked by an SUV that bangs her up all over again. The lady was totally at fault for not paying attention and for speeding like hell in a 25 mph street, but the cop (who wasnt there, just showed up later) wrote us both a ticket (mine got dismissed by the judge when I challenged it and took it to court) and so our insurance companies ruled it 50/50, and USAA therefore refused to cover the cost of repairs due to them already covering my recent claim just a week and a half earlier. I couldnt afford to fix the F150 with my own funds, so that was the start of me no longer treating her like a princess and just treating her like an old truck. I did mostly try to take care of the mechanical side of things still, but then a half year later the transmission went and I had to beg my folks to help me out with finding a replacement. That whole ordeal and many little small things around that time just made me HATE that truck for awhile and I just stopped giving a damn about it. By the time I wised up and thought to take care of it again, it felt too late. Felt like it would be wiser to just save my money to be able to get something else down the road when it finally goes rather than invest in trying to help kick the can a few more months down the road for the inevitable end. If I had known then that even doing that it would last me to nearly the 10 year mark, I would have absolutely invested in proper maintenance again and I would likely still have the truck to this day, but hindsight is 20/20. Oh well. It was the first vehicle I ever bought myself (after the 1980 Chevy C10 my folks bought as my actual first car) and I was still too young and dumb to think long term properly.
Now Im driving a 2012 Infiniti G25, enough luxury to feel fancy but not breaking the bank, and enough sport to feel like a cool kid but without getting myself into trouble. Seriously, dont discount Infinitis. The G series (later generations rebadged as the Q series) are built to be direct competitors against the BMW 3 series, and my Dad absolutely agrees they do more than compete, especially at the price you can get one for. My 2012 today in 2024 still looks like it rolled out the factory, even the black leather seats dont have so much as a crease in them. Just 2 very small scuffs on both sides of the front bumper where the previous owner obviously misjudged a couple of angles going in or out of a parking lot or something, and a crack in the drivers side fog light from a rock in the road getting kicked up into it. Thats it. I still live and mostly work out in the country, and because the G series is part of the Nissan Skyline platform, this JDM is an absolute beauty to take on these back-country roads deep in the woods. These winding curves are hell on most of my neighbors vehicles, from compact cars to trucks, but my G25 takes them **at speed** smooth as butter. I dont even touch my brakes on these 90 degree back to back S curve turns. Makes me feel like Im living in a NFS video game lol. And then when I do go to the city (one of the largest in the US) it handles the city and highway driving better than anything else Ive ever driven. This is my 5th car Ive owned myself, and Ive driven dozens of other cars in my time. This will be my million mile car if I have anything to say about it.
I have noticed, I wonder if other people have noticed, these expensive European luxury cars plummet in resale value when they are just a few years old. I’ve watched the television auctions when a Rolls-Royce, or a very expensive model Mercedes, or Bentley comes across the block. They usually sell for around $.10 on the dollar of their original sale price.
my best friend since high school back in the 60s loves BMW convertibles. He has bought three of them over a ten-year stretch that were returned lease cars. He bought the extended warranties on them not from BMW, but from those warranty companies that are always advertising on television…
every time he took those BMWs into the service department at the dealer, he never got out of there without spending at least $1200 for simple things like oil change, filter, change, some noise or rattle. None of which was covered under warranty.
he did have four expensive things happen to those three BMWs over the years that he was paying $151 a month for that warranty coverage..
convertible top would not go up, not covered
Control panel that controls the opening and closing of the door locks and controlling the windows going up and down went bad, not covered
automatic transmission, shifter lever, that the driver could put into manual or automatic mode and drive the car, as though it was a stick shift by moving the lever through the pattern of shifting gears, they were all failing, and they were back, ordered to Germany, and even the salvage yards were out of them, because they were failing at such a high rate, not covered
his driver seat frame broke, not covered. You think it would be not that tough to fix a broken seat frame, but that was a leather covered heated power seat.
those four problems with his various BMW convertibles cost him over $11,000 out of pocket because they were not covered by the extended warranty. He was paying $151 a month for for over 10 years.
over those 10 years, some little things were covered under warranty, but they were never items that a monitor more than a few hundred dollars. Over those 10 years that $151 a month for the extended warranty added up to over $18,000 that he paid in for that insurance that did not cover the big things. And, add that to the $11,000 he paid out-of-pocket to have the big things fixed. That is more money. more than $29,000 that he paid for that insurance, and the things that were not covered by the insurance. It dawned on him that he paid less than that for any one of those BMW cars when he bought them used…
he finally grew up and went out and bought a new Chrysler minivan. He said it for six years now, and not had one single problem with it… And he didn’t buy the extended warranty either
I was on my way to work one morning and I saw a pretty nice looking car. It was on a flat bed and it was something I'd never seen nor heard of before. The car was a Karma Revero GT. It was from where I was sitting, it was a very nice looking car. It had a pretty blue paint job and it was a wide body like I love on sport cars.
So I went home and started trying to find out what I could about this car. I was definitely interested in maybe buying one. But there was one thing holding me back. The first one I have ever seen was on the back of a flat bed truck. I wasn't sure if it was broken down or being delivered to someone.
I looked the car up and the price tag brand new was $145,000..... Well, I need to see if I can find maybe a used one for sell. The price wasn't scary at first, but then when I dug a little deeper into this car, I find out that a 3 year old used car is selling for $30k to $35,000. This car definitely doesn't hold a resell value for crap. I thought about buying a used one and if I loved the car, then maybe I'd be interested enough on buying a brand new one.
I went to 2 different city's to look at and test drive the cars. 1 car was $32k and the other one was $45k. I pulled up about an hour early at the dealership and I see someone working on the car. This to me is not a good sign at all, especially when you want $45k for a 2 year old car that doesn't hold its value. I talk to the service guy and he informs me that the car has been sold and he putting the finishing touches on it. Oh I got so mad 😠 😡 😤. I walked in and ask them why they sold a car when they had someone driving 15hrs to see the thing? They said oh your the guy coming to look at it? I said yes and I haven't bought anything yet.
We walk back to the car and I opened the door. The inside looked pretty good and not very many miles on it either. Now time for the test drive. The guy tells me that it can't be driven yet, cause the battery pack is bad. They ordered one and it would be about a week before they could get it. I said ok, thanks and I left.
The next car is a person's car at their house. I drive another 4hrs to go look at this car and I pulled in and was like wow. This car had a beautiful paint job on it. The car changed colors depending on how the light hit it. The owner informs me that the battery pack in the car is 3 months old and has a 1 year warranty. I took it for a spin and found out why they don't hold their resell value. I personally think the cars performance sucks!!! For $32k, I might as well buy a used Tesla. All that driving around for nothing. I spent 15 minutes driving a car I thought I might love and hated it.
So be careful. I'll stick with my Camaro Exorcist that was built by Hennessey.
As much as everyone is warned of the S4 4.2 they will shell out all the money to repair them. That sound will make your inner caveman take over any sense you have, probably resulting in a divorce. However, the RS4 and the S5 have updated chain designs, so go ahead and slap that Milltek exhaust on, and get passed by that BMW that will break down soon enough probably
I would like to point out that you didn't mention the cayenne years to stay away from. 2011 and up replaced the plastic coolant pipes with metal and fixed that issue. The air suspension wasn't mentioned in any capacity which is really insane because of how reliable they are. I have a 13 GTS and I love it, facelifted and up to date on most of the issues the first gets have.
as someone who owns 2 BMW 335i at different years (2010/2011) let me just say any 335i prior to 2011 is better than any BMW 3 series 2011 and on. They came out with the twin scroll turbo which is kind of bs plus capping one of your exhaust with a flap. The reliability of parts also drastically decrease and prone to break compare to the prior models so be aware younglings :)
More context: you can technically disable the flap and have it always open by disabling a cable by your taillight however that would some times trigger a false positive error. They started using rubber seal around your front windshield which definitely will deteriorate overtime, water won't get in because the windshield still has its glue but the seal is basically all gone in a few years if the elements beat on it. Finally the most bs of it all was the steptronic. I rarely use it but one day it failed out of the blue, it basically will not go back to your regular mode when you get out of it unless you break completely and the auto system will kick it off. When I took it to a BMW dealership they took it apart and in the end telling me they couldn't figure out what the issue is but they can only guess it's "wear and tear" of the wiring :/ needless to say its all bs.
My 2010 335i was still a twin turbo, no cap, no rubber seal but plastic, and never had an issue with the steptronic and I own both relatively the same amount of time in the same environment.
The Mercedes v6 has a gear that drives the cam chain deep in the engine that fails the computer and variable timing mechanism hides it failure until the check engine light comes on . Then 6 grand tear down.
"German engineering" for you.
Wrong about the giulia after all… second year in a row most reliable ownership between all luxury cars.. love the video🎉
You missed the caddie, it's no good if it ever over heat's 😢
few things about mercedes SL , ABC suspension is a problem - TRUE (but there are smaller engines SL350/500 sometimes comes without ABC-solved) , Roof hydraulics can be an issue - true (but so do any other automatic convertibles) , SBC braking system hard to fix - true ( I owed 10 different Mercedes in SBC era and it never was at fault for me up to 300 000kms+) , R230 has a few engines , not just SL600, get SL350/500 but with M112/113 engines and 5gtronic gearbox to avoid most problems and enjoy the car
I heard a saying once "If you want a fast Volvo buy an Audi but if you want a reliable Audi buy a Volvo." May not be as true today but still probably accurate.
Some new Volvos are fast...at the cost of reliability. Just look at the XC90 T8 for proof.
@@damilolaakanni My mouth waters with the possibilities of the T8 though. Especially in the S60. Turbo, supercharger and electric motor all on some conservative factory Volvo tune. I bet there is alot of untapped power.
Ayy I love Alfa Romeo nothing wrong with it!!!
10-12 L322's also have the same 5.0 supercharged 8speed as the L405, the L322 is about 900lbs heavier tho.
Great content and presentation. Great channel. 🇦🇺 😊
Gernan cars are well engineered but they need their service...and americans often buy an expensive car and then cheap out on the service or even ignore the service.
And after a while things get bad and repairs are getting expensive...
That's an owners problem not a car problem...
The L322 is the peak Rang Rover IMHO. I should know...I have owned every RR from the Classic to the L405. No car is perfect, especially if you cant turn a wrench. But the L322 is special, especially the Jag derived engine ones. RE the 5.0 engines, they suffer timing chain failure due to worn tensioners. That was fixed in 2014 as its basicallyt he same engine as in my 2016. I still have the 95 Classic and the L405, but will add a L322 as im missing the utility of a good farm car with a beautiful interior.
"Carbon buildup in dci turbo engine" - Laughing with Suzuki K14c under my hood
It does not buildup carbon while beeing torboed direct injection. I had several K14c opened in the shop, the buildup is same at 1k miles same as 30k miles.
The 350SL is a decent enough performer and it has the looks.
You won’t have the expensive hydraulic issues .
Avoid the 2006 models , which have the M272 motor ( balance shaft issues ) .
By 2007 this was sorted out .
Running costs are low in comparison to the V8.
Although the V8 does have the noise ….and that is why you buy these after all ….
If you buy a well maintained one and find decent specialist mechanic, it will not dent your wallet too much.
Fix anything that goes wrong immediately or it will all mount up and kill you 😀
Well, i own a 325i e90 with the N52B25, and this thing is actually good. Aside from the valve cover oiling problem of course... The thing is, i had the last real 2.5l before they downsized the 3.0l one. Means: i don´t have the direct injection and the problems coming with it. No NOx converters, no failing injectors, no high pressure fuel system and stable 218HP. Its not plenty of power, but down the Fuchsröhre i reach about 205 Km/h wich is enough for me.
Yammering on about the flaws of the N54 335i…. Shows a purple M3. Also worth noting BMW swapped to N55 to address the N54 issues in 2009 except the 335is
I have a 18 year old SL and nothing broke yet. I must be very lucky.
owned 2 b6 s4’s , spot on on that one , great sound, feel and power , nightmare engine !!!
Absolutely true about these cars! Thank you!
The 2016- and up Q50 Red Spot this car has amazing power and is a thrilling experience when you push the car to its limits.The reliability on the other hand is subpar at best. I drove a 2012 G37 x sport and it was easily the best thing on the road when it came out absolute total package and extremely reliable 100 times better than the Mercedes C350 or BMW 335 back in 2012 you needed an AMG 63 or an BMW M3 to beat the G37 x sport, in my head the Q50 Red Sport was gonna be everything the G37 x sport was but just faster. Boy boy was I wrong needless to say I’m now driving a Lexus 350 F sport a man needs reliability!!!!!