The Car Thread ... !

[Apple fanboy]

any one got tips on buying a used car? In my mind a used car (10+ years) is just a money pit that is "fix or repair daily". I am planning to buy an older bmw and looking for any help on the topic.

I know people look at higher mileage as a "worse car" but is a well maintained "150K miles" car really worse than a "50K miles" one that has been roughly driven with bad maintenance? any signs to look for maintenance quality?

So what model? The trouble with expensive cars that are now affordable due to age is often the price of the parts.

So for example if your car cost £100,000 new and you can pick it up for £10,000 10 years later, if you have to buy parts they can often be more expensive due to it still being considered a part for a £100,000 car.

Of course for more popular models there will be other manufacturers options or second hand items which helps.

Also what is your confidence level with repairs? Do you have the required tools and space to work on a car? What if your car was off the road for a week or two? Do you depend on it for work?

That said older cars can still be reliable depending on make, age and how it’s been treated.

If you buy new you have the reliability but you lose through depreciation (and possibly interest on any loan).

So there is no win. Cars cost money.

If you have a knowledgeable friend or relative that can assess the condition of a car prior to purchase (or pay a 3rd party to do a car inspection), that can help.

When you view a car don’t let your heart rule your head. Do your research. Know what to expect for the price you want to pay. Remember if it looks too good a deal to be true, walk away.

Get underneath the car. Look for any signs of damage. Or check the condition matches the mileage.


Be realistic about what you can repair yourself.

If buying from a salesperson remember they will be better at negotiating than you. It’s their job! Go on the last day of the month. They might need your sale to hit a target.
Walk off the lot and try not to look too keen. Don’t tell them you have been searching for that model for ages. Or you drove 100 miles to see it.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[rb2112]

any one got tips on buying a used car?

Bring a knowledgeable friend along for their judgement and also as a 2nd set of eyes.

 

[keksikuningas]

You don't need track lessons, you need driving lessons. That car with that engine you can drive in third gear full throttle all day long around a track....

Seriously I find this rather scary how you are reacting to that car.

dunno maybe im overestimating the car due to not being used to driving it and being cautious due to being on public roads

 

[MacBH928]

So what model?

bmw 5 series early 2000's , i think its called e39

The trouble with expensive cars that are now affordable due to age is often the price of the parts.

I saw ads for range rovers from 10 years ago for like $20K/£15K and it really makes me scratch as they are $100K models new. But looking at insurance evaluations they are not far off, it is decreasing 10% of original price every year.

Also what is your confidence level with repairs? Do you have the required tools and space to work on a car? What if your car was off the road for a week or two? Do you depend on it for work?

i have spare car but i do 0 work myself.

(or pay a 3rd party to do a car inspection), that can help.

thats what i am planning. I heard now they connect them to a computer that writes a full report on the condition of the car, but i am not sure how can a computer asses the condition of the parts. Maybe best it can do is to tell you what works and what is faulty.

Know what to expect for the price you want to pay. Remember if it looks too good a deal to be true, walk away.

🤣🤣🤣

If buying from a salesperson remember they will be better at negotiating than you. It’s their job! Go on the last day of the month. They might need your sale to hit a target.
Walk off the lot and try not to look too keen. Don’t tell them you have been searching for that model for ages. Or you drove 100 miles to see it.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

thanks for the help man, i appreciate it! good tip on the end of month thing.

 

[MacBH928]

but my previous car I drove for almost 10 years had 70 something horsepower and it was a hoot to row gears while getting up to 80-100 on the curves with my favorite tunes blasting on the econobox speakers.

ill honest and say i never know they made cars that were less than 120hp

 

[Reverend Benny]

Testdrove a Tesla 3 and Y 2026 version yesterday for the first time. Flippin hell what a pleasant experience it was. Have never been a Tesla fan and always looked at other cars but I can see now why people do love them.
Also made me realise how much other carmakers have copied Tesla in terms of driving experience.

Just the fact to not having to visit a garage every year (like you need to if you get a VW or whatever for some random checkup) and OTA updates that actually seem to be quite flawless does sound very appealing.

It's annoying how much I did liked it, really didn't think I would based on reviews (before facelift) and so on.

 

[diamond.g]

The Mercedes-AMG CLA45 Has Returned with 670 Horsepower, but the U.S. Is Going to Miss Out

The luxury sport compact sedan ditched its turbocharged four-banger for a much more powerful trio of axial-flux electric motors.

www.caranddriver.com

Coupled with Nvidia's point to point, this would be on the list to replace my current car when that time comes. Sadly it appears us US folk won't get to play with this. 😭

 

[JT2002TJ]

Testdrove a Tesla 3 and Y 2026 version yesterday for the first time. Flippin hell what a pleasant experience it was. Have never been a Tesla fan and always looked at other cars but I can see now why people do love them.
Also made me realise how much other carmakers have copied Tesla in terms of driving experience.

Just the fact to not having to visit a garage every year (like you need to if you get a VW or whatever for some random checkup) and OTA updates that actually seem to be quite flawless does sound very appealing.

It's annoying how much I did liked it, really didn't think I would based on reviews (before facelift) and so on.

It really is something...

I'm on my 4th.

2019 TM3 LR AWD (traded in)
2021 TMY LR AWD
2026 TMY Premium
2026 TMY Performance

All 4 the buying and living with experience has been awesome. Only vehicle that was great from day 1 AND has gotten better after owning it. Every other car, when you find an issue with the software you basically live with it for life...

 

[Reverend Benny]

It really is something...un

I'm on my 4th.

2019 TM3 LR AWD (traded in)
2021 TMY LR AWD
2026 TMY Premium
2026 TMY Performance

All 4 the buying and living with experience has been awesome. Only vehicle that was great from day 1 AND has gotten better after owning it. Every other car, when you find an issue with the software you basically live with it for life...

Since you have had a few, would you say it has been some major updates/improvements on the Y and 3 since the first one you got?
I do have a thing for perfection (love German cars) and after reading early reviews about rattles, bad fitment and a typical US car standard I did expect to find piles of annoying things. But I didn't. Body parts were fitted very well and no rattles or feeling of cheapo materials. Tbh, compared to a similar priced Mini countryman, the Tesla had nicer materials with soft touch pretty much everywhere.

 

[JT2002TJ]

Since you have had a few, would you say it has been some major updates/improvements on the Y and 3 since the first one you got?
I do have a thing for perfection (love German cars) and after reading early reviews about rattles, bad fitment and a typical US car standard I did expect to find piles of annoying things. But I didn't. Body parts were fitted very well and no rattles or feeling of cheapo materials. Tbh, compared to a similar priced Mini countryman, the Tesla had nicer materials with soft touch pretty much everywhere.

Juniper/Highland are entirely different from the early legacy TM3/TMY. The ride quality, interior insulation. People think they are just a facelift, but they are basically a true 2nd generation. Later legacy models had improved suspensions over the early (like mine), so jumping from a 2021 to a 2026 is night and day difference.

Tesla follows the continues improvement cycle to their manufacturing. So, if you buy 2 vehicles of the same generation within 6 months of production, you might not notice a difference, but they are.

I still have my 2021 legacy TMY, it is my daily driver (I commute into NYC), so I go between the legacy and Junipers every week. I miss the Junipers when commuting.

But I still have not had any problems with the legacy. I still like it over all my other vehicles I've had my entire life prior. But I would 100% take a Highland/Juniper over the legacy models.

I had no build quality issues with any of my models.

 

[MacBH928]

It really is something...

I'm on my 4th.

2019 TM3 LR AWD (traded in)
2021 TMY LR AWD
2026 TMY Premium
2026 TMY Performance

All 4 the buying and living with experience has been awesome. Only vehicle that was great from day 1 AND has gotten better after owning it. Every other car, when you find an issue with the software you basically live with it for life...

does battery life worsen over time and lose capacity like laptops and phones? what is estimated life time? how much for replacement?

I do have a thing for perfection (love German cars)

given how often they break and expensive to repair, i wouldn't call it perfection.

 

[Apple fanboy]

does battery life worsen over time and lose capacity like laptops and phones? what is estimated life time? how much for replacement?



given how often they break and expensive to repair, i wouldn't call it perfection.

So the battery degradation on most EV’s is incredibly small. They have very complex cooling systems that manage a battery much better than you get in an iPhone or laptop.

My BMW i3s is 6 years old. I’ve had it 5 years. I’ve not noticed any change in range since I bought it.

Most come with at least an 8 year warranty.

As for replacing the battery it happens so rarely. The prices you see banded around on the internet are the cost from a main dealership to make EV’s look bad.
For example if you had a 15 year old ICE car you would not get a replacement engine from the dealership. You’d get one from a breakers or find a reconditioned one.

Most battery faults just have an issue with a call and you can just have that bad cell replaced. But like I said it’s very rare. I speak to a lot of EV drivers and I’ve never spoken to anyone that has had a battery problem.

I can’t say the same for ICE drivers I know.

 

[JT2002TJ]

does battery life worsen over time and lose capacity like laptops and phones? what is estimated life time? how much for replacement?



given how often they break and expensive to repair, i wouldn't call it perfection.

To add to what was just said, the early days of batteries failing, it was due to improper battery thermal management. These early vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, basically hoped and prayed that the battery would keep itself cool. Now, especially with the long battery warranties, these manufacturers treat the battery with the respect it needs by managing the temperature properly. So much so, that for example Tesla specifically designed something called the Octovalve (look up videos if you have time) for battery and cabin thermal management as efficiently as possible.

This includes heating the battery to take charges and cooling the battery when too hot. If you hear an EV preconditioning, you will think a jet plane was landing.

With that said, yes, there will be battery range loss with time and use. It rapidly losses then slows down in loss. In the first couple years one will lose about 10% and in several years, it will max out to 10%-20%. With the capacity of batteries these days, you really won't notice it. In the early days when you went from <100 miles range down to 80 miles that could make an EV unusable during the winter because you also had to deal with a 20% loss due to cold temperatures.

My 2021 TMY LR with about 68k miles (that rarely gets supercharged) has a battery health of 86%. This is using the long test where you drain the battery down as low as possible (I got it down to 2%), then the test fully charges the battery. You have to have L2 or higher charging to perform this test and it takes about 10-12 hours. I have not made any changes over the years, in fact, I actually lowered my max charge from 80% down to 70% because I still get home with 30%+ after my 3 hour + commute, sentry mode + cabin overheat protection on all day.

A trick some manufactures use is they hide a battery buffer, so you don't even notice the battery degradation. Let's say you buy the vehicle with a 100 kWh battery but only have 90 kWh useable from the start. The software can keep the range appear the same with up to a 10% loss. So, they can have you carry around extra battery that you can't use, or give it to you up front and let you know that you will lose range over time. I prefer option 2, so I can actually see what is happening to the battery, without it being hidden behind a buffer.

At Tesla, in the US a battery change on a TM3/TMY is around $12k. It is not the norm to need to do a battery swap, but it does happen. The early TMS/TMX were more prone to battery failures, the TM3/TMY have them dialed in. If you have to change the battery once in 15 - 20 years, that's honestly not a big deal. I would still come out ahead with all the savings. I've spent plenty on engine work on vehicles I've owned. My Teslas just keep driving.

*Sorry for the long-winded response, but hopefully this helps people get a better understanding of EVs.

 

[diamond.g]

REO — Built Like It Used To Be

The Runabout. Gas, mechanical, body-on-frame — engineered for 500,000 miles. Starting at $21,500. Reserve yours for $25, fully refundable.

reotrucks.com

Any takers?

 

[MacBH928]

So the battery degradation on most EV’s is incredibly small. They have very complex cooling systems that manage a battery much better than you get in an iPhone or laptop.

My BMW i3s is 6 years old. I’ve had it 5 years. I’ve not noticed any change in range since I bought it.

Most come with at least an 8 year warranty.

As for replacing the battery it happens so rarely. The prices you see banded around on the internet are the cost from a main dealership to make EV’s look bad.
For example if you had a 15 year old ICE car you would not get a replacement engine from the dealership. You’d get one from a breakers or find a reconditioned one.

Most battery faults just have an issue with a call and you can just have that bad cell replaced. But like I said it’s very rare. I speak to a lot of EV drivers and I’ve never spoken to anyone that has had a battery problem.

I can’t say the same for ICE drivers I know.

coming to think about it, owning a car without having to worry about malfunctions and maintenance is something to consider. I have been scared to buy a bmw/mercedes because i know they are more on the sensitive side and their repairs are astronomical. Getting an electric one will save me the worry about that. I checked the prices and its seems around $67/£50 K which is cheaper given the luxury brand+electric (more expensive) and current inflation rate. Am I missing something?

1-I am skeptical of manufacturers going the electric route. I know they make a ton of money from repair so I do not see them pushing away from the traditional combustion engine, they gold laying goose.

2-I am bothered by the charging time. I can't imagine going to a power station and waiting for 45min for a refill, or plugging in over night.

3-If you drove a combustion engine bmw, i heard a huge reason to get a bmw is the fun driving experience. Does the electric models share the same experience (i never really drove a bmw)

 

[diamond.g]

coming to think about it, owning a car without having to worry about malfunctions and maintenance is something to consider. I have been scared to buy a bmw/mercedes because i know they are more on the sensitive side and their repairs are astronomical. Getting an electric one will save me the worry about that. I checked the prices and its seems around $67/£50 K which is cheaper given the luxury brand+electric (more expensive) and current inflation rate. Am I missing something?

1-I am skeptical of manufacturers going the electric route. I know they make a ton of money from repair so I do not see them pushing away from the traditional combustion engine, they gold laying goose.

2-I am bothered by the charging time. I can't imagine going to a power station and waiting for 45min for a refill, or plugging in over night.

3-If you drove a combustion engine bmw, i heard a huge reason to get a bmw is the fun driving experience. Does the electric models share the same experience (i never really drove a bmw)

Sounds like you would be better off with a hybrid. Especially if you cannot charge at home.

 

[Apple fanboy]

coming to think about it, owning a car without having to worry about malfunctions and maintenance is something to consider. I have been scared to buy a bmw/mercedes because i know they are more on the sensitive side and their repairs are astronomical. Getting an electric one will save me the worry about that. I checked the prices and its seems around $67/£50 K which is cheaper given the luxury brand+electric (more expensive) and current inflation rate. Am I missing something?

1-I am skeptical of manufacturers going the electric route. I know they make a ton of money from repair so I do not see them pushing away from the traditional combustion engine, they gold laying goose.

2-I am bothered by the charging time. I can't imagine going to a power station and waiting for 45min for a refill, or plugging in over night.

3-If you drove a combustion engine bmw, i heard a huge reason to get a bmw is the fun driving experience. Does the electric models share the same experience (i never really drove a bmw)

1. In the UK at least the car manufacturers have to sell a % of electric cars each year. That % increases each year. If they miss the target they get big fines. Probably more than they make servicing.
2. Newer cars charge very quickly. I charge at work for free. I arrive in the morning and plug in. I then drive home with a full tank. I also have a home charger but I rarely use it. Much easier than going to a petrol station. You just plug in and go do something else. Takes seconds.
3. No not the same amount of fun as a BMW ICE. Much MORE fun. Acceleration is super quick and still handles like a BMW on the corners.

 

[MacBH928]

REO — Built Like It Used To Be

The Runabout. Gas, mechanical, body-on-frame — engineered for 500,000 miles. Starting at $21,500. Reserve yours for $25, fully refundable.

reotrucks.com

Any takers?

vaporware as far as i am concerned

 

[MacBH928]

Sounds like you would be better off with a hybrid. Especially if you cannot charge at home.

i hear hybrid is more prone to failure than combustion or EV, its the worse of 2 worlds. but idk...

 

[Apple fanboy]

i hear hybrid is more prone to failure than combustion or EV, its the worse of 2 worlds. but idk...

I think exactly the same. Once you go full EV you never go back. I’m done with annual oil changes thanks.

 

[MacBH928]

1. In the UK at least the car manufacturers have to sell a % of electric cars each year. That % increases each year. If they miss the target they get big fines. Probably more than they make servicing.

I see, they were FORCED into it. haha

3. No not the same amount of fun as a BMW ICE. Much MORE fun. Acceleration is super quick and still handles like a BMW on the corners.

awesome! I am considering.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I see, they were FORCED into it. haha



awesome! I am considering.

Well to a certain degree. But the more people that switch the better it is for ALL of us.

 

[diamond.g]

i hear hybrid is more prone to failure than combustion or EV, its the worse of 2 worlds. but idk...

I'd just assume you were talking about plugin hybrids. A regular hybrid is fairly reliable (as far as I can tell). Otherwise Toyota wouldn't have basically switched their whole fleet over to it.

I think exactly the same. Once you go full EV you never go back. I’m done with annual oil changes thanks.

If you couldn't charge at home or at work would you stick to an EV?

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'd just assume you were talking about plugin hybrids. A regular hybrid is fairly reliable (as far as I can tell). Otherwise Toyota wouldn't have basically switched their whole fleet over to it.

If you couldn't charge at home or at work would you stick to an EV?

No. But I’d never buy a house without a garage and driveway.

It can be done. It also largely depends on your lifestyle and location.

So if you eat out weekly or go to the gym and they have charges that might work for you. But I go into town no more than 2-3 times a year. We don’t ever eat out. You just have to do your research and make it work for your lifestyle.

 

[diamond.g]

No. But I’d never buy a house without a garage and driveway.

It can be done. It also largely depends on your lifestyle and location.

So if you eat out weekly or go to the gym and they have charges that might work for you. But I go into town no more than 2-3 times a year. We don’t ever eat out. You just have to do your research and make it work for your lifestyle.

When I first got my Model 3 I drove from Virginia Beach to Orlando (was like a 12 hour drive) back in 2018, I think it cost me 40 or 50 bucks to drive down there at the time (I'd have to see if those SC records are still on my account). I think it would be like double or triple the price now.

Leads me to not really charge at fast chargers these days. I think the last time I went to one was in 2024. I either charge at home or I charge at places around town that gives free access to patrons.