Pros and Cons of buying a used 2012/2013 BMW X5 or MDX
I'm planning to buy an used X5 or MDX. If someone owns or recently bought 2012/2013 X5 or MDX can you please comment on the pros and cons and what maintenance cost I'm looking at? Cost when we take the car to local dealer instead of BMW dealership. I know if we don't own these premium cars it's easy for anyone to say that maintenance is too high but it's preferred to hear from those who actually owns it. Seems they have a clear picture regarding the maintenance and the cost associated.
Do NOT get the BMW. Old BMW SUV’s are a nightmare to maintain. There’s a reason you don’t see these cars on the road after a few years of age.
^ this. Older BMWs are not reliable and expensive to maintain, even at the neighborhood shop. I had an MDX that was really reliable until about 200k miles. Them it started having transmission problems. Also expensive to fix but not as bad as the BMW because it shared a lot of drivetrain parts with the Honda.
^ inaccurate, I have a 2004 X5 to haul my race bikes around with 250k miles on it and you know what problems I've had with it? None ever. The key to all of this is that you actually have to maintain your cars throughout their life. That X5 drives the same as it did when I drove it off the lot. Lol, you don't see them on the road because people buy new ones after 5 years because 'new'
All luxury used cars are terrible everything breaks on them and each little thing is expensive as fuck. Watch YouTube videos on used cars before you do thisz
Not Lexus though
I’ve had luck with used Audi’s if you’re trying to stay in that range. Look for CPO’s
Here’s a rabbit hole : https://youtu.be/nYNF0BOh0T4 https://youtu.be/rMgcxO8FvtE https://youtu.be/BsUPlNlNhi8 https://youtu.be/97GPJ0lkcIU Scottys videos helped me research and fix on a new car as well as help me understand car maintenance
Buy a Toyota
Or a Lexus
Bought an Audi Q5 from 2014, so a comparable segment of SUVs, but I cross shopped. Definitely wouldn’t go BMW, but that’s mostly personal preference. If you did, I’d look for a one owner car, rather than a lease -> sale as a used car-> third owner as you, makes it more likely you see good service records. MDX is good, Acura cost of ownership isn’t as high as BMW’s. Like someone above mentioned, shares some parts with Honda, so it’s cheaper for fixes. Maintenance for either will be relatively expensive - I’d make sure you get a model with recently changed tires, else a good set can run you up to $1000. Also depending on the engine, you likely will need synthetic oil for oil changes, which can be expensive.
Get your Acura MDX - used German cars in general, unless u know how to work on it and will work on it, are a pain in the butt
More boring blind SUV-posters 😴😴 just get a cheap hatchback, it's practical and will be more fun than a boring bloated hatchback on stilts that can't even off-road. If you are gonna buy a BMW/Audi, get an M/S car or just don't even bother.
For most of the people, comfort and smoothness are more important than being sporty and fun.
A lot of cars are comfortable and smooth today, you are just making excuses to waste your money on something your peers also waste their money on. They can't go off-road, and there are plenty of non-luxury examples, so they don't do anything other cars can't.
My primary purpose is to get a 7 seater car Don't want to buy a brand new or 3-year old Certified pre owned car because if the price tag. Best bet is to buy an used with 60k-70k milage on the car. Budget - max $20k. The only thing I am worried is the maintenance cost per year. If someone experienced can tell me what to expect in terms of numbers per year on maintenance if will opt for non company service station.
If you want low maintenance 7 seaters, look for a used Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus LX. There’s a reason everyone drives a Land Cruiser in the middle of no where Africa, Australia, South America, etc. Also can try Toyota Sienna is you’re okay with a minivan. Every other brand you will have to worry about significant maintanence.
Why wouldn’t you look at the cost of ownership for the 5th 6th years on Edmunds or something like that