Buying a new car.

[kellen]

Have you priced the extended warranty for a bimmer? It's really very expensive. When I bought my E46 M3, it would have been around $4K to get both warranty and maintenance extended.

Thats what the forums have said, maybe a little less if you get it from some of the forum sales people. Its a gamble for sure, but $4000 in repairs isn't that much on some of these machines, especially the M versions.

It would be a tough decision for me if I had to sit and think about it. The maintenance I would probably forgo after research, but the 2 years of warranty I would give it a good piece of mind.

 

[greygray]

Guys thanks for all your inputs so far! I'm now in the midst of deciding between the above-mentioned vehicles and I'll keep you all updated! Thanks once again!

 

[Paronella]

My personal opinion having owned BMW and Merc:

1. BMW
2. Q7
3. Mercedes

Never had any problems with my BMW in the past. Have had some reliability issues with the Merc, mostly electronics.

Don't know about Audi, but next to BMW it shares the #1 spot in my company. We have lot's of A4's and 3-series driving around and other French and Italian cars. Most of the complaints are coming from the French cars(Renault/Citroën).

One of my friends owns a Range Rover. First issue he had was the air-suspension. These where very pricy to replace. I like the Range Rovers but I wouldn't like to own one because of the reliability issues it can have and the expensive parts. My friend sold it a year ago and now owns a Suburban (not very common in European...Eco dieseling country).

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I hate the people who jive in with the solid rear axle crowd (and people who like Mustangs in general ), but I agree with the body on frame assumption. It's the same reason police cars are body on frame, you can batter things with them, and then hoist them up and fix all the damage must easier than a unibody. It really lends to the "utility' stamp in SUV. Not to mention body on frame vehicles can tow substantially more.

Most police cars are unibody now, and once the Crown Vic slips into eternity all police cars will be unibody, except for the SUVs.

It's true that body-on-frame vehicles generally have an advantage in towing capacity, and a frame can be repaired more easily, but I don't consider those to be critical advantages in an SUV that, 90% of the time, functions simply as a passenger vehicle. I'm not saying nobody should own an SUV, but far too many people convince themselves they need something with a lot more towing/offroad capability than they will ever actually use - forcing the driver to needlessly tolerate all the design compromises inherent in the SUV concept.

Also consider that since rust is a much more critical issue on unibody vehicles, as the whole body is integral to the structure of the car. Then combine that with the dreaded "your Range Rover's door has rusted away, sir" and you have a pretty serious issue.

This was a much bigger issue 20 years ago than it is now. If you have rust problems these days, it's either because

• You got a lemon
• You don't wash your car after offroading/driving on salty roads
• You have improperly repaired body damage

I disagree. Calling an SUV -- any SUV -- is the most complete affront to the ///M brand. The E92 M3 is kicking ass all over the GT2 field in ALMS. That's what the ///M brand is.

I really wish I could agree with you. I really, really do. ///M used to be a focused performance car division. But, unfortunately, ///M now also stands for rich yuppies towing a pair of personal watercraft to their cabin at an overdeveloped lake, urban professionals who think they need AWD/4WD for big potholes, and insecure men who think a taller BMW with the same 0-60 time as an M5 is somehow better because it's *bigger*.

SUVs are killing my love for the automobile.

 

[iJohnHenry]

SUVs are killing my love for the automobile.

You're preaching to the choir, brother.

Can't see over them, can't see around them, can't see "through" them, and 90% of the time there is only one person in them, the driver.

"Darling, I want an SUV, so I'm higher than the cars." Get a road tractor, girl.

 

[i4Collin]

What about an Acura MDX?

 

[navindralr]

out of the SUV's listed, the X5 is an amazing vehicle. The power-trains on those are great, and the newest models have really good reliability. They are super sporty, and in my opinion, look gorgeous.

That being said, it's def too small for what you're looking for. The 3rd row seat is basically an afterthought by BMW. The best thing for you is a Q7. It has a real 3rd row seat, and trunk space. The Audi will have better reliability than the Range Rover. You mentioned the Audi not being that good off road. I mean what are we talking about when you say off road? Going through 2 foot streams, and 3 feet of snow? I'd be inclined to say that the Q7 and Range Rover will be both capable at anything you throw at them in "real life" situations.

If anything, I'd say the BMW would def have the worst off road abilities. Again, a lot of it will come down to the tires though. Get some dedicated wheels/tires for the bad stuff, and not much will stop you.

 

[lisaalther]

Hey guys, yet another 'help me choose a car' thread.. But I need help with regards to buying a new SUV. I am currently driving a Range Rover Sport 3.0 Tdv6 HSE, and I'm planning to have an upgrade to either a BMW X5, Range Rover, Audi Q7, Escalade or a Mercedes GL. I have a family of 3 kids and I frequently fetch my elderly parents around too. I don't mind SUVs with a sporty edge but they must have enough space for 7 and some groceries..

Suggestions? Thanks in advance!

I would suggest you to go with BMW X5, its really awesome!

 

[Kentochan]

Have you considered any minivans? I know they're obviously not as utilitarian as an SUV, but they are very roomy and comfortable for both the driver and the passengers. And the Sienna SE looks very sporty in my opinion. If you're still deciding on a new car, don't count them out!

 

[RaceTripper]

Have you considered any minivans? I know they're obviously not as utilitarian as an SUV, but they are very roomy and comfortable for both the driver and the passengers. And the Sienna SE looks very sporty in my opinion. If you're still deciding on a new car, don't count them out!

Sporty minvan. Now there's an oxymoron.