BMW v. Mercedes Benz

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thanks for the input. I've read several comparison (C-300 v. 328i xDrive) articles and BMW 3 series seems to be the winner of the comparison.

Dh knows how to drive in the snow, but we would get 4wd on either.

How is the maintenance / mechanical on both of the cars? We had our honda for over 150K miles and only now are starting to get problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and DH and where do you live? If you're under 30 and live in MD or DC, go for the beemer. Over 35 in Virginia, it's Benz for sure. Any other combination is a coin toss. Really, start looking at the drivers.
(BTW, I love the "DH was looking for a Honda but I told him to get a Mercedes." Funny.)

I live in Arlington and am over 35 and I don't know anyone who has a Mercedes except those little SUV ones. I agree with the BMW comment for sure, though, and this is true in VA as well. I do see a lot of Audis around my neighborhood and Volvos as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you and DH and where do you live? If you're under 30 and live in MD or DC, go for the beemer. Over 35 in Virginia, it's Benz for sure. Any other combination is a coin toss. Really, start looking at the drivers.
(BTW, I love the "DH was looking for a Honda but I told him to get a Mercedes." Funny.)

I live in Arlington and am over 35 and I don't know anyone who has a Mercedes except those little SUV ones. I agree with the BMW comment for sure, though, and this is true in VA as well. I do see a lot of Audis around my neighborhood and Volvos as well.

I'm over 40 and live in McLean. It's Mercedesville.

[Anonymous]

both are a complete waste of money. I so admire people that are NOT into cars. Its actually a turn-off for me. Just get nice reliable transportation. Look at Hyundai, their cars are awesome now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:both are a complete waste of money. I so admire people that are NOT into cars. Its actually a turn-off for me. Just get nice reliable transportation. Look at Hyundai, their cars are awesome now.

Sure. If you don't have the money then don't spend it.

[Anonymous]

I love my 3 series with all wheel drive, most of the time. I bought it used (2 years old and 10k miles), and I love the way it drives. My biggest complaint is the run flat tires that come standard on most BMWs. I hate them. If you search around online, you'll find that it's a common complaint. In the 2.5 years I've owned the car, I have bought a total of 7 new tires. The run flat tires do not last as long (so I've been told) and are more susceptible to blowing out. I got my first flat about 8 months after I bought the car. I was told that I needed new tires anyway so I replaced all 4 tires--$2000. Since then I've had 3 additional flats at $250 each--although one was a screw in the tire. I am not a hard driver--never been in an accident or had a speeding ticket--but the rough roads around here are rough on the tires. I've been told that you can switch out the tires for conventional tires but you also have to change the wheels (I believe) so it can be costly, although I plan to look into it eventually. The run flats are great in that, even when they blow, you can drive 150 miles on it, so, aside from cost, it's not a huge deal when I'm driving locally. However, because there is no spare, we never take the car on long trips as we would be forced to find a place that sells run flats (and has the needed tire in stock) to replace it, instead of just taking out a spare and changing the tire. I love, love, love the car otherwise (and have had no mechanical issues--knock wood), but I agree with several PPs, if you want a cushy, luxurious ride, the BMW may not be for you.

[Anonymous]

Maintenance on a MD is very expensive and frequent. It cannot be denied.

[Anonymous]

We had a BMW 528 for 11 years and DH now drives an E350. The 3 series, broadly speaking, is a much better vehicle than the C class. It is sportier, better designed, better handling, etc. I don't think there is a single car enthusiast who would prefer a C class to a 3 series.

Both cars can be expensive to maintain vs. cars with larger sales volumes and economies of scale on parts and competition for labor. But many new MB and BMWs are coming with free maintenance, free loaners, etc. so the maintenance costs are not as steep as they used to be.

Run flat tires are just a bad idea. I don't know anyone who has them and likes them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:both are a complete waste of money. I so admire people that are NOT into cars. Its actually a turn-off for me. Just get nice reliable transportation. Look at Hyundai, their cars are awesome now.

Sure. If you don't have the money then don't spend it.

no, its not that at all. Its a question of priorities. the equity partners at my law firm drive minivans and chevrolets. They make probably $1.1M/year. I admire that attitude a lot more than the South Beach attitude where everyone has to have a flashy car. My personal opinion is its silly.

[Anonymous]

MB quality/service has gone way down in recent years, do not buy. Plus it is way expensive to have work done.

I'd go BMW, but, a 35 yo male should not be caught dead in a 3-series.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MB quality/service has gone way down in recent years, do not buy. Plus it is way expensive to have work done.

I'd go BMW, but, a 35 yo male should not be caught dead in a 3-series.[/quote]

Why is that? (not trying to be sarcastic)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MB quality/service has gone way down in recent years, do not buy. Plus it is way expensive to have work done.

I'd go BMW, but, a 35 yo male should not be caught dead in a 3-series.[/quote]

Why is that? (not trying to be sarcastic)

my husband and i are 34 and we have a BMW 3 series. Do we need to sell before either of us turns 35? My birthday is october, so that would be pretty soon. Just wanted to check with you, PP, on the rules of owning a 3 series. thanks, in advance.

op, i don't have much experience with MB, but we have 3 BMWs in our family - my parents have 2 and we have 1 and the included maintenance/service plan is great (although my husband points out that the cost is probably included in the sticker price), but we have found them to be so very helpful at all points - at our dealership, they even have a craseat technician who has installed all our seats. we have had problems with the run-flats - 2 flats required full changes of the tire - can't patch them. not a big deal to me, because they run flat - aka, DH could drive around for four days before going in to the dealership.

[Anonymous]

Honda. Much lower maintenance cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:both are a complete waste of money. I so admire people that are NOT into cars. Its actually a turn-off for me. Just get nice reliable transportation. Look at Hyundai, their cars are awesome now.

Sure. If you don't have the money then don't spend it.

no, its not that at all. Its a question of priorities. the equity partners at my law firm drive minivans and chevrolets. They make probably $1.1M/year. I admire that attitude a lot more than the South Beach attitude where everyone has to have a flashy car. My personal opinion is its silly.

Please report back when you earn >1M/year, have >3M in the bank, and are debt-free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:both are a complete waste of money. I so admire people that are NOT into cars. Its actually a turn-off for me. Just get nice reliable transportation. Look at Hyundai, their cars are awesome now.

Sure. If you don't have the money then don't spend it.

LOL we have $3 million and drive a Honda and a Prius.