Looking for some help with European cars Benz/BMW/Audi

Cool06 · January 31

Hi Experts,

I'm planning to buy a European car like Benz/BMW/Audi, I don't have any experience with these models. But definitely It will be second-hand car. Most of the people says not to buy second hand car since there will be lots of issues and maintenance will be high.
Would you kindly give me some suggestions/advise about these? Also if i'm buying what would be the best models and the year.

alpha17 · February 2

Hi. Just point out your requirements and budget. Otherwise no one can advice on any car.

Cool06 · February 3

Hi,

The budget will be less than 17 mil. Just wanted to select a less maintenance car.

Noobdriver · February 5

On 2/3/2025 at 11:05 AM, Cool06 said:

Hi,

The budget will be less than 17 mil. Just wanted to select a less maintenance car.

Expand

From my very limited knowledge about European cars, they're very expensive in terms of repairs and spare parts. If 17 million is not a significant amount for you, go for it, but if it is all you have, I would advice against it unless you have a very high income.

A friend of mine had a minor accident and it costed him half a million to replace the front grill, etc.

alpha17 · April 2

I have not personally owned any Euro car but a few of my close people do, so I could give some pointers generally which would be useful for YOU.

Just make sure to stay away from Euros which are more than 10 years old. But, if you can manage to source out one which is less than 5 years old, better.
Always go for a one which has proper service records (preferably agent maintained) with low mileage.
Will be better if the car has been imported through agent
Interior parts will wear out faster in most of the Euros and you will hear more creeks and rattles when the car is older.
Go for entry level models such as Audi A3, Audi Q2; since they would not have very complex components.
At all costs avoid air suspension (will only come with the top spec E classes and full size cars such as 7 series, A8 and S class)
Based on my friends' experiences, stay away from BMWs. They tend to have more reliability issues than other 2 brands.
Among the big 3, BMW, Merc and Audi, it is considered that 2011+ Mercs are more reliable, specifically the 2011-2016 E class (W212), but there will be some engine versions to avoid.

So, based on your requirements, I would highly recommend you a Lexus or a high end Toyota, since reliability is a priority. Else keep an Euro as your secondary vehicle to ride on the weekends and for special trips.

Hope this help. Cheers!

Quiet · April 3

I have been using a W212 W118 and an Audi A5, latter two are fairly new cars bought brand new, all three are maintained by the agents and done over 120K with timely preventive maintenance done. i have owned several Japanese models high end to low end. so obviously the maintenance cost of Euros are much higher if you go to the agents, but the vehicle will be reliable, there are several third party importers who do a fair job in replacing parts at a lower cost.

But i do not think maintenance costs are exorbitantly high as many perceive if you can find a properly maintained car.