Getting car shamed :(

[Viper GTS]

How's the transmission holding up on that RS? Almost bought one some time back but the transmission issues kinda soured me + the Recaro seats just plain did not fit my body.

I've been watching the Rivian too. Amazing looking. Wonder if it'll live up to the hype. Mid-engined Vette is exciting too...said they start at $60K but betting they'll be marked up to $80 🙁

I assume you mean PTU? I've had no issues yet, but I only have ~8500 miles on it now. Having the engine out for the head gasket recall at 2500 miles was fun but otherwise it's been fine.

I tend to agree, but I can't help but judge people who drive lifted trucks on monster tires with political/raunchy bumper stickers and black smoke coming out of vertical exhausts.

Those things are safety disasters, judge freely and without shame.

Viper GTS

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I got the same flak for buying my Camaro back in '10, despite the fact half my co-workers had like 50k pickup trucks.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I thought Buick and Mitsubishi were defunct brands in the US, ... but nooo. Could've sworn they pulled out of the market a several years ago.

Haven't been paying much attention to the auto industry lately.

 

[Fritzo]

I assume you mean PTU? I've had no issues yet, but I only have ~8500 miles on it now. Having the engine out for the head gasket recall at 2500 miles was fun but otherwise it's been fine.



Those things are safety disasters, judge freely and without shame.

Viper GTS

Sorry, said transmission, meant head gasket. Thought they were talking about a recall on them...looks like they took care of yours.

 

[repoman0]

Every other car where I live is a BMW or other fancy German automobile so haven't gotten any shit for owning one ... but I have gotten some for owning two. I usually point out that despite being awesome, they're 15 years old and less than $30k purchase price combined. And WAY less yearly vehicle excise tax combined than the average new-ish car.

The thing that irritates me more is driving my car at a perfectly reasonable 20-25 mph through a neighborhood and having idiots yell at me to slow down. The bright blue paint and clackety valve train + sexy induction noise just drives them into a moronic rage, leaving them unable to judge speed.

 

[Mai72]

When I'd visit my uncle I got to drive his Mercedes. His Mercedes was over $80k and he always paid cash for his cars. Yea, he had that type of cash. Anyway. whenever I drove his car I'd get the oddest looks. Maybe the people viewing me thought I was loaded? Who knows. i always thought that it was amusing. That's about it. People are always going to talk, and TBH it doesn't faze me anymore. I'm currently driving a 2005 Hyundai. Zero car payments and it's reliable. I just don't care. In 50 years it ain't gonna matter any way.

 

[brianmanahan]

But...this outperforms M3's from a few years ago!

alky would disagree, i'm sure

Plus I need AWD in Ohio. Had RWD in my last BMW and moving from a full stop in the snow was a hit-miss operation.

oh yeah, i've driven in 20 ohio winters so far and had rear wheel for a couple of those and it sucked. so i went to front wheel drive cars and it is so much better. i may even get an all wheel drive next time - came really close to getting a subaru a few years ago, but ended up cheaping out and getting a civic instead.

 

[skyking]

I tend to agree, but I can't help but judge people who drive lifted trucks on monster tires with political/raunchy bumper stickers and black smoke coming out of vertical exhausts.

That's a caricature, not a statement 😀

 

[dr150]

The fact that you got a BMW means you don't value money, your peer's feelings or patriotism....so I would NOT speak to you again.

YOU ARE DEAD TO ME MISTER!

 

[Scarpozzi]

BMW's can be had pretty cheap like that because quite a few people choose to lease them. It generates quite a bit of inventory in the used market. This is mainly because their maintenance costs run really high compared to many other cars. People that do spend money freely often don't do the service themselves...and leasing may make a lot of sense on front end when the car is the most expensive if they're trading up in 2-3 years anyway and losing so much equity. I think BMW is close to the top when it comes to maintenance cost compared to other major brands. Kia/Hyundai aren't the cheapest, despite their low MSRP either because parts are expensive...but Toyota/Lexus usually hover low on the list.

Personally, I think life's short. If you want to spend money on a car and get them used, sounds like you're doing it right.

 

[Captante]

People are always going to talk, and TBH it doesn't faze me anymore. I'm currently driving a 2005 Hyundai. Zero car payments and it's reliable. I just don't care.

Agreed ... And I'm currently driving a 2012 Honda Fit which somewhat unexpectedly I really like a lot.

I think BMW is close to the top when it comes to maintenance cost compared to other major brands. Kia/Hyundai aren't the cheapest, despite their low MSRP either because parts are expensive...but Toyota/Lexus usually hover low on the list.

Problem with used BMW's is that most of them are extremely complex and as a result can be prone to very expensive repair bills if out of warranty.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Interestingly I don't really have or see this problem where I work. Maybe because it is mostly technical folks who can appreciate either a nice / cool car or a more frugal choice without getting their wiener caught in a vice.

 

[Fritzo]

BMW's can be had pretty cheap like that because quite a few people choose to lease them. It generates quite a bit of inventory in the used market. This is mainly because their maintenance costs run really high compared to many other cars. People that do spend money freely often don't do the service themselves...and leasing may make a lot of sense on front end when the car is the most expensive if they're trading up in 2-3 years anyway and losing so much equity. I think BMW is close to the top when it comes to maintenance cost compared to other major brands. Kia/Hyundai aren't the cheapest, despite their low MSRP either because parts are expensive...but Toyota/Lexus usually hover low on the list.

Personally, I think life's short. If you want to spend money on a car and get them used, sounds like you're doing it right.

The maintence stigma isn't correct- 10-20 years ago US mechanics didn't have some special tools to work on Euro cars, so you were forced to go to the dealership for repairs. Since the 2012+ redesigns, BMW's have actually been pretty reliable (even reaching top 10 status with JD Powers this year):



A lot of the reliability stories come from the bro' community too: "I just installed a stage 3 turbo with a Japanese tune and converted to run E85 and I'm pulling 600HP!"

two weeks later

"My car broke, going to be $10000 for a new engine. BMWs ARE CRAP!"

 

[Fritzo]

Agreed ... And I'm currently driving a 2012 Honda Fit which somewhat unexpectedly I really like a lot.






Problem with used BMW's is that most of them are extremely complex and as a result can be prone to very expensive problems if out of warranty.

Again, this isn't true. Well...it's not technically "correct"...

BMW's are performance-focused cars. They're designed to be driven hard, fast, and take punishment. The problem with designing a car like that is it's going to stress parts much more than a car like, say, a Buick Verano that's designed for comfort. The Buick's parts aren't going to be as stressed, so in theory it will last longer.

That being said, German designs have gotten MUCH better since 2012 or so. Porsche has always been top-notch in reliability, but Audi, Merc and BMW have caught up significantly. They're honestly no more expensive to maintain than any other luxury car. A good example: I just ordered tires for it recently and the cost for 4 high-end Michelins was $800. I had a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and 4 Cooper brand tires for it were $700.

Brakes, oil changes, parts...everything costs about the same as a normal car. The trick is knowing how to fix things yourself, otherwise you'll be giving well-paid dealership techs your money.

 

[Captante]

Idk I've owned a couple BMW's, 3 Volvo's and an Audi over the years and while I at least liked all of them (especially my '78 320i), none were even close to as reliable as say my 2005 Corolla. That thing had about as much personality as a dishwasher but it also went over 287k miles without a single major repair beyond stuff like brakes, survived TWO daughters learning to drive in it and then fetched $1800 on the used market a few months ago. (sold in 3 days!)

I know BMW has gotten much better in terms of initial build quality and reliability for new cars, however while I would consider buying a Lexus with 100k on the odo to use as actual daily transportation, I would have to think long and hard before doing the same with any German car.

 

[Fritzo]

Idk I've owned a couple BMW's, 3 Volvo's and an Audi over the years and while I at least liked all of them (especially my '78 320i), none were even close to as reliable as say my 2005 Corolla. That thing had about as much personality as a dishwasher but it also went over 287k miles without a single major repair beyond stuff like brakes, survived TWO daughters learning to drive in it and then fetched $1800 on the used market a few months ago.

I'm the same way with my 2006 Scion xA. It just turned 170K miles on it. I bought it new and it's never been garaged. The only work besides maintenance I've had to do is change the alternator at 130K miles. It has 102HP and goes 0-60 eventually, but it's like an old labrador retriever...it's loyal and it's always there to help. Like I said above, performance cars put stress on parts, so they'll be less reliable due to plain physics, but it seems they're reaching a middle ground with newer gen cars.

 

[LikeLinus]

I have to say, I LOVE my Infiniti Q50 Redsport. I've added a few performance parts, but it is a terrific vehicle. It is AWD but I added a stronger front and rear strut bar to help tighten it up. It's a lot of fun to drive.

I generally keep my cars for about 1-2 years after being paid off. I look forward to seeing what is available when I'm ready to find a new car.

All of that said, worrying about "car shaming" is stupid. Enjoy your car. Fuck anyone who says something. Doesn't even make sense.

 

[Captante]

I'm the same way with my 2006 Scion xA. It just turned 170K miles on it. I bought it new and it's never been garaged. The only work besides maintenance I've had to do is change the alternator at 130K miles. It has 102HP and goes 0-60 eventually, but it's like an old labrador retriever...it's loyal and it's always there to help. Like I said above, performance cars put stress on parts, so they'll be less reliable due to plain physics, but it seems they're reaching a middle ground with newer gen cars.

Wow the xA is even smaller then my Fit and that's a freaking go-cart!

And I still love BMW despite costs involved with owning one ... if I had the money I would be driving something like this myself!

 

[lxskllr]

Problem with used BMW's is that most of them are extremely complex and as a result can be prone to very expensive repair bills if out of warranty.

Yup. BMWs are engineering marvels when they work, but stuff gets wonky, and then who knows?! Initial purchase price isn't the bad deal. It's maintenance and upkeep that's tough if you aren't loaded with money.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I used to get teased when I had my 98 buick Lesabre. "old man car!" I mean, it was an old man car, but I got it for cheap! I drove it to the ground then got an Alero. I kinda got shamed for that too because it's still kinda a "meh" car, but got it cheap too! I bought a used truck (like literally today) so now I'll join the club lol. Almost everyone at my work has a truck. Except now I'll get flak for not buying new. 😛 While I was looking for a truck lot of my coworkers tried to convince me to just buy new, but I just can't justify that kind of money.

There is something cool about older luxery cars though, if I had a big garage and extra money I would have kept my old Lesabre and used it as a car to mess around on and learn how to work on cars.

 

[lxskllr]

I used to get teased when I had my 98 buick Lesabre. "old man car!" I mean, it was an old man car, but I got it for cheap! I drove it to the ground then got an Alero. I kinda got shamed for that too because it's still kinda a "meh" car, but got it cheap too! I bought a used truck (like literally today) so now I'll join the club lol. Almost everyone at my work has a truck. Except now I'll get flak for not buying new. 😛 While I was looking for a truck lot of my coworkers tried to convince me to just buy new, but I just can't justify that kind of money.

There is something cool about older luxery cars though, if I had a big garage and extra money I would have kept my old Lesabre and used it as a car to mess around on and learn how to work on cars.

What kind of truck did you get?

 

[Red Squirrel]

What kind of truck did you get?

2009 F150 4x4. Quite the upgrade from my 2004 Alero. Hopefully I won't ding stuff in the bottom anymore when I go in the bush. I brought my car places I really should not have lol.

 

[Sgt. York]

2009 F150 4x4. Quite the upgrade from my 2004 Alero. Hopefully I won't ding stuff in the bottom anymore when I go in the bush. I brought my car places I really should not have lol.

Sounds like a righteous ride for the far north territories.

 

[rh71]

I bought my BMW over 10 years ago new. I bet people have spent more than that amount in the time with any brand because they always buy a new car soon again. I love this car, styled it to make it mine. I earned it, I treasure it. Judgmental people can suck it.

 

[highland145]

I bought my BMW over 10 years ago new. I bet people have spent more than that amount in the time with any brand because they always buy a new car soon again. I love this car, styled it to make it mine. I earned it, I treasure it. Jelly people can suck it.

fixed