Mercedes or BMW 10k

StephenRy30

Well lads got a run around car awhile ago Renault fluence. Now imblooking what Mercedes or BMW is worth getting for around 10k diesel 5 door 2liter or higher automatic & comfortable

User1998

This seems to be coming up a lot lately. By all means you can buy a BMW or Mercedes for €10k but you should expect to spend another €2k a year maintaining and repairing it as you are buying a 10+ year old car luxury brand of car which won’t be the most reliable or cheap to repair

Gerrymandering reborn

When not get something like an octavia or passat?

goochy

If not doing much mileage . Would a petrol low mileage car be better ? I don't mean one of the big engined petrol models.

keithb93

if you know how to do some diy mechanic work yourself then I say go for it. I own a 16 year old big engine bmw for 2 years and have put 2k worth of parts into it. Easily double that if I paid someone else to do the labour rather than doing it myself.

goochy

A petrol 3 series or c class / clk with low miles could be a good buy but only if doing low enough miles

McGrath5

There’s plenty luxury German cars going for that price, try find one that doesn’t have crazy mileage and with a decent service history. Like another poster said keep a decent 4 figure sum to hand for maintenance and repairs.

goochy

I saw a 2008 318 with low tax . Low miles and leather at lambe and o Connor. A good dealer for €3950 . Talk about alot of car for money if u aren't bothered about the reg plate

bazz26

The engine in those 318i can be just as troublesome as the diesels of the same vintage. Timing chains rattle/stretch on them too. Injectors give trouble and the cooling systems fail on them also. Don't expect much sympathy from a dealer selling you a 14 year old one either.

Buying an old German premium brand car is just like going to a posh club. The purchase price is only the entrance fee, you still have to splash the cash once you get in there. People think because these cars are affordable to buy when they get to a certain age, that they are also affordable to own.

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122346840#Comment_122346840

My motor running costs decreased by so much when I went from an 15 year old Mercedes 2l petrol to a 12 month old Avensis 2l diesel my accountant raised it as a query… about 60% iirc… and I went from doing all my own maintenance on the merc to the main dealer with the Toyota!

djan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122346882#Comment_122346882

Ah now but you have to account for the tens of thousands euro cost to change and much higher depreciation rate.

No harm going for an older German car as they're not that much more to service/parts as its made out. Just watch out for the timing chains on the most affected engines and get it done before it goes bang.

goochy

A small high spec volvo or a passat / superb with leather etc

maidhc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122347143#Comment_122347143

I only had a w203 c class. It had the unbreakable m111 engine and 5sp auto. It never gave any major problems to be fair, it just cost a lot more with tax, petrol, suspension bits and other little things. It cost 3k to buy and did 70k miles and 6 years, so yes; all good on that front.

The Toyota lost 9k in the following 6 years from 2017 to 2023, but of course the cost to change in 2023 for a new car was quite astronomical:- while you could buy a 12 month old avensis cleared from the uk for 23k in 2017; a similar car might be almost twice that now.

I’d still buy a old German, but I’d want it fresh with an folder of receipts.

goochy

A high spec passat could give a small merc or bmw a run for its money