[Duff]

I'm not sure that I agree with everything here.

Buy a used Benz - Luxury cars are great, until they aren't. Someone who doesn't realize what luxury car parts often cost will cry when they get a bill for a $750 spark plug wire kit.

Craiglist - Selling a car on Craiglist is great, except that people you'll subsequently dealing with are folks who buy cars on Craiglist. Have fun with that.

To truly "hack" the used car purchase, you need to buy the cars that nobody wants. "Honda" and "Toyota" shouldn't be in your vocabulary. If you want a Honda, get the certified used one with a better warranty than the brand new one.

[ssharp]

> Craiglist - Selling a car on Craiglist is great, except that people you'll subsequently dealing with are folks who buy cars on Craiglist. Have fun with that.

This depends entirely on your asking price, and you're going to deal with the ramifications of that on Craigslist, or putting the car for sale at the front of your house.

If you're selling a car for 20k, you're going to get buyers who have 20k to spend on a car. These people are likely to be less aggravating than people who are looking to buy a 1.5k car, regardless of where the cars are being marketed.

[tptacek]

I didn't get the idea from this post that the author was recommending buying a luxury car, only that you should look for steeper discounts on used luxury cars.

You're right, though: Euro import cars in particular cost significantly more to maintain; you can safely expect to spend 50% more per year on them (I say, ruefully).

[owenmarshall]

If you're going to purchase an expensive import, be sure to look around for good independent mechanics.

I drive a Saab, and several months ago it experienced a fairly common failure related to the cabin blower motors. The dealership wanted to replace with all new dealer parts from Sweden, and provided a ~$1400 estimate.

My independent mechanic, who tells me he deals with this particular issue on a near weekly basis, told me that the part I needed was identical to a part found in earlier Cadillac Cateras. Just by using that part, he was able to fix my car for $680 -- over 50% savings.

Maintenance by the dealer can often be significantly more expensive, and there's almost always a competent independent shop nearby that specializes in your car.

[ssharp]

I had this same issue last year. I bought a replacement fan for around $200-250 online and just did the job myself. It was kind of an awkward repair since you have to squeeze into the cabin and work on your back, but I did it with a ratcheting driver, torx bit, and extension in about 2 hours.

Online Saab communities are awesome and common problems usually have step-by-step instructions from others who have done the repairs, most even have pictures.

I've had pretty good luck with my Saab. It's on '04 with 140k miles and that blower fan has been my most expensive unexpected repair.

[owenmarshall]

:fistbump: what up fellow Saaber :)

I acquired a copy of Saab's WIS. You should as well, especially if you do your own repairs & maintenance. It's insanely helpful. You can acquire it via the typical channels.

My '03 NG 9-3 has been a joy so far. I just need the parts freeze to thaw out a bit so I can get a replacement key made, because I've only got the one and am terrified of losing it.

[Duff]

I always like to pass on hard-learned lessons about cars. After I bought the $750 spark plug wire kit, I decided to save money by doing the job myself.

It turned out that spacing between the plug wires and the climate control blower motor was critical -- I'd didn't pack the wire tightly enough, and my $750 wires broke the $950 + $400 labor blower motor. :(

It was a great car though.

[vaksel]

another thing is that German cars tend to be a bit more complicated, since they want to screw people on maintenance costs.

For example, I just bought a used Audi a month ago.

1-Bulbs - changing bulbs on regular cars, you just screw them out inside the engine bay and replace them with the new one. Not with Audi...you have to unbolt and remove the entire headlight assembly just to be able to change some bulbs. And the screws aren't normal, they use torx screws that you need a special adapter for(most tool kits don't come with these).

2-Wipers - for that generation, you are required to buy Audi wipers...since no aftermarket manufacturer sells that type of wiper. For that one, I ended up buying new wiper arms from a modern Audi and installing those, so that in the future I can buy aftermarket wiper blades.

3-Plastic bits, to access the engine there are a bunch of minor plastic bits that you need to take off. Sure it's not a big deal, but every minute a mechanic spends taking it off, and putting it on, is more money you are paying for the job at $100+/hr rates.

Because you are paying high maintenance costs, it helps to look for a perfect car, since even minor things will cost you. i.e. I bought my Audi from an ex-audi mechanic, who spent the equivalent of $4,000 worth of maintenance before selling it.

[larrys]

"German cars tend to be a bit more complicated, since they want to screw people on maintenance costs"

Where do you make the connection between German cars being more complicated and that they "want to screw people on maintenance"?

[vaksel]

complicated = harder to work on = takes more time to do ecah tasks = if you go to dealer you pay more

[gcb]

that's how the german engineering joke goes.

they are just trying to make your bulbs more waterproof, but in the process, they make you use twelve tools to replace it ...but it never gets a short because of water.

[Arelius]

Speaking as someone with 4 Audis in the family, and a lot of experience working on them, the bulb replacement difficulty really only exists on the HID headlamps anyways, which if you treat well should never actually burn out. The projectors for the standard halogens are in the engine a bit tight, but the whole assembly does not need to be removed.

[gcb]

i don't think someone who get a used benz at craigslist will take it to a dealership for service.

[encoderer]

No, they'll probably take it to the local Pep-Boys or whatever. Which is even worse.

Far worse.