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surprising vehicle costs per year report

AbitNutz

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 19, 2021
376
444
SW Ohio
Consumer reports listed the most expensive vehicle brand to own and the least expensive. It turns out, that Caddilac was the least expensive and BMW was by far the most expensive. I think I saw it was over 10 times more expensive than Cadilac. Now while I don't have any arguments with BMW being a money pit. I had an ex-wife that drove a BMW and both she and the car were money pits. That car cost a mint to own and repair. It developed a leak in the alternator bracket. Yep, the bracket. Apparently, the alternator is liquid-cooled and they run the coolant through the bracket and an O-ring started leaking. You had to destroy the car to get to it and replace the 5-cent part they charged you $5 for. That was only one of a string of stupid expensive things that went wrong with that car. I'm not sure which I was happier to get rid of, her or that car. No, definitely her. I could always have the car crushed.
I was surprised by Caddilac but I don't know as I've never owned one. Although those CTS-V's look sweet! I don't feel that nuclear costs to own BMWs extend to their motorcycles because I have owned a few in the past and currently own a R1250RT. Of course, I maintain all my bikes like they were Swiss watches. Although I ride it like I stole it. Perhaps if I neglected it more it would explode. Nope, can't even think about it.
If I could have some faith that it wouldn't eat me alive I would happily own a Caddilac Blackwing. Not sure I can call it a Blackwing with a straight face though.
 
My old CTS was super reliable.

Black wing? Stupid fucking name, but I'd drive the shit out of it.
 
Consumer reports listed the most expensive vehicle brand to own and the least expensive. It turns out, that Caddilac was the least expensive and BMW was by far the most expensive. I think I saw it was over 10 times more expensive than Cadilac. Now while I don't have any arguments with BMW being a money pit. I had an ex-wife that drove a BMW and both she and the car were money pits. That car cost a mint to own and repair. It developed a leak in the alternator bracket. Yep, the bracket. Apparently, the alternator is liquid-cooled and they run the coolant through the bracket and an O-ring started leaking. You had to destroy the car to get to it and replace the 5-cent part they charged you $5 for. That was only one of a string of stupid expensive things that went wrong with that car. I'm not sure which I was happier to get rid of, her or that car. No, definitely her. I could always have the car crushed.
I was surprised by Caddilac but I don't know as I've never owned one. Although those CTS-V's look sweet! I don't feel that nuclear costs to own BMWs extend to their motorcycles because I have owned a few in the past and currently own a R1250RT. Of course, I maintain all my bikes like they were Swiss watches. Although I ride it like I stole it. Perhaps if I neglected it more it would explode. Nope, can't even think about it.
If I could have some faith that it wouldn't eat me alive I would happily own a Caddilac Blackwing. Not sure I can call it a Blackwing with a straight face though.
Link to report?
 
BMW is class, it has always been expensive and will always be expensive. Please can you forward the link to the report? thanks.
Found it.

 
Would love to see remainder of list.
Image 8-11-22 at 4.31 PM.jpg
 
I think it is more a reflection of who wrenches on them too. Id have no issue taking my F250 to a Jiffy Lube or just changing filters, oil, tranny seals, etc. On my own but Id only bring my MB GLS450 to the dealership. They raped me for sure but never messed anything up.

Higher prices = higher maintainence but doesnt correlate with reliability, you think Ferrari doesnt know as much as Honda on timing belts? That is why you see seedy dealerships buy up early-mid 2000s Bentleys, Rolls Royces and the like which have 5 owners on the Carfax with minimal maint. items
 
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M cars used to be built on a different line altogether, and built to a much higher spec than regular. I still have an old V10 M5 that I bought new - supposedly unreliable - same as everything else, people are idiots. The car is bulletproof when properly maintained. I also had an '05 Range Rover back in the day, and also never a hiccup. I did have some issues with an X5 50i, but all were taken care of under warranty - turbo oil line recall, and some coil packs dying before the maintenance schedule. Not sure I would want to own any new BMW (lease would be fine) except maybe an M2 Comp in manual - otherwise, they are certainly not what they used to be.
 
I think it is more a reflection of who wrenches on them too. Id have no issue taking my F250 to a Jiffy Lube or just changing filters, oil, tranny seals, etc. On my own but Id only bring my MB GLS450 to the dealership. They raped me for sure but never messed anything up.

Higher prices = higher maintainence but doesnt correlate with reliability, you think Ferrari doesnt know as much as Honda on timing belts? That is why you see seedy dealerships buy up early-mid 2000s Bentleys, Rolls Royces and the like which have 5 owners on the Carfax with minimal maint. items
The last MB I had got sold when the price of repairs was twice the value of the car. Nice rides when they work, but..............
 
The last MB I had got sold when the price of repairs was twice the value of the car. Nice rides when they work, but..............
I always wondered how they (Mercedes Benz) were used as taxi cabs when I was overseas, even the base models were catastrophic to repair.
I really do like the notion of owning a Caddilac with almost 500 horses and not being terrified of some random warning light popping up on the dashboard. If a warning light popped up on my ex's BMW it automatically withdrew $2,500 from my bank account.
My ex's BMW X6 was up in the air more than a Boeing 757. I think they charged just to run it up their two-post lift. I told the service manager I had a Bendpak in my garage. We should use it and it wouldn't cost me anything, not that I could comprehend anything that was going on underneath that SUV. After the alternator bracket developed a drip I gave up any hope of trying to fix the car myself.
 
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I always wondered how they (Mercedes Benz) were used as taxi cabs when I was overseas, even the base models were catastrophic to repair.
I really do like the notion of owning a Caddilac with almost 500 horses and not being terrified of some random warning light popping up on the dashboard. If a warning light popped up on my ex's BMW it automatically withdrew $2,500 from my bank account.
My ex's BMW X6 was up in the air more than a Boeing 757. I think they charged just to run it up their two-post lift. I told the service manager I had a Bendpak in my garage. We should use it and it wouldn't cost me anything, not that I could comprehend anything that was going on underneath that SUV. After the alternator bracket developed a drip I gave up any hope of trying to fix the car myself.
Leave it to BMW to have a oil cooled alternator bracket and mag ride motor mounts. Like no one would ever want that in their cars. Just like the stupid ass heated wiper blades on a Lincoln. Engineers can go eat a big fat one for thinking up of stupid shit to put on a car to make it way more complicated then it should be. The other day I had a call in for alignment on a WV. it costed 3x the price of a normal alignment because "Germans" Turns out you had to calibrate the front camera too when doing the alignment.
 
Leave it to BMW to have a oil cooled alternator bracket and mag ride motor mounts. Like no one would ever want that in their cars. Just like the stupid ass heated wiper blades on a Lincoln. Engineers can go eat a big fat one for thinking up of stupid shit to put on a car to make it way more complicated then it should be. The other day I had a call in for alignment on a WV. it costed 3x the price of a normal alignment because "Germans" ;) Turns out you had to calibrate the front camera too when doing the alignment.
Yeah, the windshield replacement on most cars is $400 or so. On my Mercedes with rain sensor it was nearly a grand.:mad:

Sold that and got a Toyota Corolla that gets 53 mpg.:cool:
 
A grand is cheap for a Mercedes. Most of them I see are closer to 2 grand, and way more if it has the polarizing film on them. I approved a G Wagon windshield the other month that was around 4k.
 
A grand is cheap for a Mercedes. Most of them I see are closer to 2 grand, and way more if it has the polarizing film on them. I approved a G Wagon windshield the other month that was around 4k.
Thats taking it in the ass for sure.



 
95% of what Cadillac sells currently are rebadges of the Equinox and Tahoe. I bet those are pretty reliable, and affordable to repair when something does break.

I'm not sure what we mean by "Blackwing", but if we're talking a CT4-V or CT5-V, yeah, those are going to be reasonably bombproof even with a regular dose of track mileage. You'll spend some money on brakes and tires if run hard, but otherwise they'll run just about forever with just normal maintenance. No way in hell that represents the cost of keeping the CT6-V Blackwing on the road, unfortunately. I think Cadillac only built 1500 cars with the 4.2L DOHC TT engine before shit-canning the whole project, so it's not like you're going to wander down to the local Advance Auto in 10 years to buy a new water pump.
 
Consumer reports listed the most expensive vehicle brand to own and the least expensive. It turns out, that Caddilac was the least expensive and BMW was by far the most expensive. I think I saw it was over 10 times more expensive than Cadilac. Now while I don't have any arguments with BMW being a money pit. I had an ex-wife that drove a BMW and both she and the car were money pits. That car cost a mint to own and repair. It developed a leak in the alternator bracket. Yep, the bracket. Apparently, the alternator is liquid-cooled and they run the coolant through the bracket and an O-ring started leaking. You had to destroy the car to get to it and replace the 5-cent part they charged you $5 for. That was only one of a string of stupid expensive things that went wrong with that car. I'm not sure which I was happier to get rid of, her or that car. No, definitely her. I could always have the car crushed.
I was surprised by Caddilac but I don't know as I've never owned one. Although those CTS-V's look sweet! I don't feel that nuclear costs to own BMWs extend to their motorcycles because I have owned a few in the past and currently own a R1250RT. Of course, I maintain all my bikes like they were Swiss watches. Although I ride it like I stole it. Perhaps if I neglected it more it would explode. Nope, can't even think about it.
If I could have some faith that it wouldn't eat me alive I would happily own a Caddilac Blackwing. Not sure I can call it a Blackwing with a straight face though.
There are definitely two different mindsets of engineers between BMW cars and BMW motorcycles. I put 140k miles on a 2005 R1200RT motorcycle and it was still in excellent running condition when I sold it. I currently ride a R1200GS with 50k miles and its just broken in.

I once had a friend that asked if I could replace the electric water pump on his BMW 3 series. I took the splash pan off the bottom and saw what a shitshow it would be to change it. Those engineers couldn't have fucked the technician over any more on that one if they tried. The owner said it was pretty common for the electric water pump to go out about every 50k miles.
 
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95% of what Cadillac sells currently are rebadges of the Equinox and Tahoe. I bet those are pretty reliable, and affordable to repair when something does break.

I'm not sure what we mean by "Blackwing", but if we're talking a CT4-V or CT5-V, yeah, those are going to be reasonably bombproof even with a regular dose of track mileage. You'll spend some money on brakes and tires if run hard, but otherwise they'll run just about forever with just normal maintenance. No way in hell that represents the cost of keeping the CT6-V Blackwing on the road, unfortunately. I think Cadillac only built 1500 cars with the 4.2L DOHC TT engine before shit-canning the whole project, so it's not like you're going to wander down to the local Advance Auto in 10 years to buy a new water pump.

I think the Blackwing is the one with the Z06 motor in it.
 
I think the Blackwing is the one with the Z06 motor in it.

The LTA twin-turbo DOHC V8 that was exclusive to the CT6V got nicknamed "Blackwing", and then the name later got used for the hottest variants of the CT4 and CT5 after Cadillac repositioned the V-Series brand to cover fancy trim packages on lower-end models. It's the same confusing "let's rename everything but the Escalade every five years" game that the company's been playing for the past 20+ years.
 
The LTA twin-turbo DOHC V8 that was exclusive to the CT6V got nicknamed "Blackwing", and then the name later got used for the hottest variants of the CT4 and CT5 after Cadillac repositioned the V-Series brand to cover fancy trim packages on lower-end models. It's the same confusing "let's rename everything but the Escalade every five years" game that the company's been playing for the past 20+ years.

Just googled to make sure I wasn't that senile... https://www.caranddriver.com/cadillac/ct5-v-blackwing

"Even though Cadillac is calling it the CT5-V Blackwing, it isn't powered by the newly developed twin-turbo Blackwing V-8 from the now discontinued CT6-V. Instead, an updated version of the CTS-V's supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 making a whopping 668 horsepower pairs to either a six-speed manual or an optional 10-speed automatic."
 
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M cars used to be built on a different line altogether, and built to a much higher spec than regular. I still have an old V10 M5 that I bought new - supposedly unreliable - same as everything else, people are idiots. The car is bulletproof when properly maintained. I also had an '05 Range Rover back in the day, and also never a hiccup. I did have some issues with an X5 50i, but all were taken care of under warranty - turbo oil line recall, and some coil packs dying before the maintenance schedule. Not sure I would want to own any new BMW (lease would be fine) except maybe an M2 Comp in manual - otherwise, they are certainly not what they used to be.
I have an x5 35i with 130k. Oil changes only. 25mpg and just stacks miles with ease. Only mod I did was DVD hack so kids can watch movies while I drive.
 
When most of the cars are using electric motors it's going to be really interesting to see how reliable they ultimately are. The basic electric motors will run almost indefinitely without being touched. It's the ancillary systems that will have issues. Mechanical things break. Electronic systems degrade.
 
When most of the cars are using electric motors it's going to be really interesting to see how reliable they ultimately are. The basic electric motors will run almost indefinitely without being touched. It's the ancillary systems that will have issues. Mechanical things break. Electronic systems degrade.

No green Electric POS Chevy puts out, going to inspire me to be ..." Drivin' all night, my hands wet on the wheel, and hear a voice in my head that drives my heel ".

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When most of the cars are using electric motors it's going to be really interesting to see how reliable they ultimately are. The basic electric motors will run almost indefinitely without being touched. It's the ancillary systems that will have issues. Mechanical things break. Electronic systems degrade.

How many cars go in for service because of a problem with the engine or transmission, vs an issue elsewhere (body, HVAC, chassis/brakes, infotainment, electrical, etc.)? That's your clue as to the future of automotive repair.

It's not the 1950s or even the 1990s anymore. Core powertrain reliability is pretty damn good in modern vehicles, so it's not like EVs are removing particularly problematic parts.

Although EVs have the potential to be more reliable due to simplicity, I expect problems in the short term as the industry is forced to discard a half-century of lessons-learned on the architecture and operation of something stamped from steel and powered by an IC engine through an arrangement of planetary gears and wet clutches. The specs to which I've spent a career developing parts were defined by gentlemen who are no longer in the industry, and so we'll have to rewrite the rulebook as to how EV components will be constructed and operate. This will not be a flawless process (especially not with an ever-changing economic and regulatory environment).

Fun times ahead.
 
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When the latest Chevy Suburban just came out, I thought it looked nice and wanted to pick one up to replace my current large SUV.

Was behind a local Chevrolet dealership mechanic in line at a chicken joint. I asked his opinion on the new Suburban in terms of reliability and his thoughts overall.

He said something to the effect of:

"It's a Suburban, it's not all that different from the last model and is going to have the same level of reliability." he said this with a 1/2 grimace, trying not to trash the brand he works for kind of way

his next statement I remember clearly:

"Get a Toyota."

I burst out laughing and he told me he just picked up a used Accord that he likes a lot, but would get a Toyota next time around.

Anecdotal, but definitely useful coming from someone that works on them for a living.
 
I just looked up the Blackwing because I think Cadillac styling used to look pretty sharp.

Uh... to my eyes, the Blackwing looks like a large Kia.
 
When the latest Chevy Suburban just came out, I thought it looked nice and wanted to pick one up to replace my current large SUV.

Was behind a local Chevrolet dealership mechanic in line at a chicken joint. I asked his opinion on the new Suburban in terms of reliability and his thoughts overall.

He said something to the effect of:

"It's a Suburban, it's not all that different from the last model and is going to have the same level of reliability." he said this with a 1/2 grimace, trying not to trash the brand he works for kind of way

his next statement I remember clearly:

"Get a Toyota."

I burst out laughing and he told me he just picked up a used Accord that he likes a lot, but would get a Toyota next time around.

Anecdotal, but definitely useful coming from someone that works on them for a living.

Toyotas aren't bad, and I'm certainly not going to counter a suggestion to get one. It's like saying "buy an AI" - it's about as safe as recommendations get.

Wait until 2040, and see how many of those 2022 Suburbans are still on the road, chugging along with minimum maintenance. Yep, the rear AC won't work, and multiple interior panels will be held together with duct tape, and I bet there's some part like a wheel bearing or caliper bracket that will have needed replacement every 50,000 miles until Dorman develops a slightly better replacement part. But it will still be getting a single mom and her three kids to work and school. There's something to be said for that type of reliability.
 
Difference between a BMW and a porcupine?

On a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside.
 
my complaint about recent vehicles is the fact that you HAVE to buy all the electronic shit that always fails,is hard to diagnose,is essentially useless and expensive to fix. i refer "warning" lights like tire pressure,engine maintenance,elect windows,seat adjustment,door locks etc. i blame this on american's increasing laziness and stupidity. checking the basics like tire pressure,oil,radiator are easy even for a mech retard like me. but,per my mechanic,youngsters are more concerned about the temp in their seat heater than funny noise in the suspension. they don't pay attention to that because they think everything is going to be done for them by the machine. for the last 30 years there is no way an individual can economically deal with most service issues and most general shops are falling behind due to increased complexities as many mentioned above.
had trucks and mostly SUVs since '79 and they have become more and more expensive,failure prone and needlessly complex which makes the manuf and dealer a lot more money and costs consumer a lot more.
 
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Are these dealership costs? If it is, I’m not surprised at all. The cost of ownership gets considerably closer if you can do some pretty basic maintenance yourself.
 
A grand is cheap for a Mercedes. Most of them I see are closer to 2 grand, and way more if it has the polarizing film on them. I approved a G Wagon windshield the other month that was around 4k.
Yup. $3500 for our S 560 cabrio coupe.
 
Last December I bought my first foreign car.
I bought a 2022 Toyota RAV4 AWD (I know it's a panty dropper and the fat chicks dig it)
Was kind of surprised to find out that it takes 0-16 engine oil.
Tend to keep my vehicles for a long time did a lot of research and hope I have chosen wisely.
 
Last December I bought my first foreign car.
I bought a 2022 Toyota RAV4 AWD (I know it's a panty dropper and the fat chicks dig it)
Was kind of surprised to find out that it takes 0-16 engine oil.
Tend to keep my vehicles for a long time did a lot of research and hope I have chosen wisely.
 
When the latest Chevy Suburban just came out, I thought it looked nice and wanted to pick one up to replace my current large SUV.

Was behind a local Chevrolet dealership mechanic in line at a chicken joint. I asked his opinion on the new Suburban in terms of reliability and his thoughts overall.

He said something to the effect of:

"It's a Suburban, it's not all that different from the last model and is going to have the same level of reliability." he said this with a 1/2 grimace, trying not to trash the brand he works for kind of way

his next statement I remember clearly:

"Get a Toyota."

I burst out laughing and he told me he just picked up a used Accord that he likes a lot, but would get a Toyota next time around.

Anecdotal, but definitely useful coming from someone that works on them for a living.

The problem being Toyota doesn't make a large SUV.

Every Toyota mechanic I talk to says they're not reliable.

They get paid to fix the same cars every day. They see the occasional other make because it's a trade, but people generally don't take their Toyotas to the Chevy dealer.


I can tell you every Chevy will need a $150 radiator at about 200k. Front unit bearings maybe 200k (I have replaced the right front on my Denali 2x, front left is stock at 252k), I do water pump, fan clutch, and hoses when I do the radiator because Dex-cool is getting spendy.
$200 fuel pumps at around 200k. My truck was nice enough to quit working while it was inside on a -40* day. I figured 15 years and 230k miles it deserved to fail at some point.

I've seen stupid stuff also like a Buick that the heater didn't work. Antifreeze was 15 years and 200k miles old, and had turned into jelly. A flush with the garden hose and fresh coolant had it working fine. The owner was insistent it had to be electronics causing the heater not to work though.
 
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Last December I bought my first foreign car.
I bought a 2022 Toyota RAV4 AWD (I know it's a panty dropper and the fat chicks dig it)
Was kind of surprised to find out that it takes 0-16 engine oil.
Tend to keep my vehicles for a long time did a lot of research and hope I have chosen wisely.

Fuel economy. Go ahead and run 0-20 when you can't find 0-16, since every Ford has needed 0-20 for 15+ years now it's fairly easy to find.
 
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I guess Lexus and Porsche are the way to go. KIA if you can't come off that kind of money. BMW is a little above average; MB also ran.
 
Gonna stick with my Tundra. Almost 7 years old, and the only thing I’ve done to it is one set of tires, at 65,000 miles, one battery, at 5 years, and a few sets of wiper blades. That’s it. My Tundra is solid as a rock.
 
have bad luck with jap cars. 4 runner on 2nd engine when it got totaled in a wreck. 1st honda pilot on 2nd engine leaking power steer fluid. sold it and was broke so got a 2nd one cheap. it has cost me more than i paid for it to get it 1/2 relaible. shitty gas mileage on both hondas. years ago had a nissan PU that blew a head gasket @ 80K miles. would never know what to do when current honda dumps. i see the big US 70K trucks in the shop freq when i have mine in for oil change etc. only good luck i've had with US cars was a '71 chevy way back when before the .electronic,computer shit got started. and yes i am obsessive about timely maintenance.
 
Seeing the list above reminded me I had 4 Subarus when I was young, 1 80's and 1 90's wagon and then an '02 wrx and '04 STi. All of them were bulletproof. Now I think they are mostly CVT, but a couple of manuals left. Wouldn't hesitate with a manual Subaru especially with the EJ turbo motor if they still make it. Last I followed they were moving to the FA series I think, also in the Toyotas. Unsure how that panned out as I stopped following cars around 2010.