German Car Ownership
 

Trying to get all the info that I can before I decide whether to keep my car or foray into the world of German cars. I have a year and a half until my lease on my FRS is up, and I'll either finance the remaining 17K or move on.

The cars that get me most excited are all German. Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi. I'd cap my price range at around 40k, and that's at the most. I love coupes, so I'd be looking at something like a new 4 series/A5 or a used Cayman/E550/S5/6 series/etc.

I'm looking for input from people who have owned these types of cars in the past or do currently. Did you have a lot of problems? Were maitenance or repair costs so outrageous that you regretted buying the car? Ever made a decision similar to mine as far as buying your leased car or getting a new one? Just any input is appreciated.

never owned a German car, but never buy a used BMW

7-9 quarts of synthetic oil isn't cheap.

Overnighting parts from Germany isn't cheap, either.

Fixt.

Coil Packs, Coil Packs everywhere

Because obligatory:

http://ts3.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4686025287732598&pid=1.7

No shit an acquaintances brand new Audi came from PDI with a CEL.

I'm in the exact same boat. Finance this asap or get a used Cayman at the end...hmmm. I've owned 2 VWs (still have my 10' Golf TDI) and I must say they are worth every penny.

Fully direct injected cars = massive carbon deposit build. Audi/VW 2.0TFSI "cough cough"

I used to drive 2006 A4 2.0T. It was a great car. Quality, performance, looks were all plus. Major issues I had was fuel pump malfunctioning, coilpacks and torque converter. There were lots of stuff that were on recall and dealer replaced it. Fuel pump was out of pocket.. $930 for replacing fuel pump.. The reason I took it in dealer is due to computer programming after replacing the pump. Whatever. Some misc. check engine light, but I wasn't really worried. Coilpack was replaced under recall, but it decided to go bad again. Dealer only covers once -_-... Torque converter... that's the major reason why I sold the car. Not sure if it was resolved, but quattro automatics were equipped with torque converters and many had the same issue. RPM will fluctuate on cruising speed. talked to local vw/audi shop and they quoted $2500 (Parts itself were around 1800). So imagine what the dealer will charge.

I would've kept the car if it was a manual. Engine was still strong at 138k miles.

German cars has quality, aesthetic and performance.. it will at some point hunt you down with expensive maintenance, but it'll perform strong once it is resolved.

Although my experience was not on the level of German cars you are looking at, I traded in a 2011 GTI for the BRZ.

LOVED the solid build quality of the German car, and really thought the whole check engine light had to be a myth in the modern day...I was wrong. 1 week into owning the car...CEL. 1 month into owning the car...another CEL. 4 or 5 CEL's later and I got the picture.

I haven't had any major problems with my 2011 GTI which I still own. One of the windows used to squeel on the way down (fixed) and the rear washer nozzle leaks (I don't use it anymore), but that's not too different from the issues I've had with my FR-S.

My parents have also owned a C-class for the past 5 years. As long as you find a cheap mechanic or do it yourself, routine maintenance is only slightly more than with Japanese cars. Be warned though - major repairs will cost you an arm and a leg.

I've had pretty good luck with my Cayman - so far, I've put about 10k miles on it (bought it with a bit over 40k), and I've only had 1 problem (broken shift linkage, which wasn't too expensive to fix). Brakes are expensive though (I had to do the front brakes/rotors not too long ago), and they wear faster than they do on most other cars, and oil changes are expensive too (but the interval is pretty long). Overall, I think it's well worth it, but if something significant does go wrong, it'll be expensive.

Just wait until you put another 40K on it :D

I'm not concerned - Porsches do prety well in that regard (especially compared to older BMWs/VWs/Audis).