10 used car clunkers to avoid/By Forbes.com

[theblue]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

My '03 4.4 sport with 155k miles has only needed a waterpump, belts, upper hose ass'y, FSR and coolant tank along with regular maintenance items.

I have a friend with a civic with 180k and it's had brake pads, tires, and oil.

so I'm sure you can see how such an owner would look at an X5 like your one and think that's extreme.

Big heavy luxury automobiles will always be high maintenance. I still love the X5, but for the person who's going to the repair shop for everything it's going to be a nightmare.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by theblue

I have a friend with a civic with 180k and it's had brake pads, tires, and oil.

so I'm sure you can see how such an owner would look at an X5 like your one and think that's extreme.

Big heavy luxury automobiles will always be high maintenance. I still love the X5, but for the person who's going to the repair shop for everything it's going to be a nightmare.

I had a new, unmodded Civic CRX in the mid-80s that would pop main fuses and leave me strranded in the winter (over a dozen times), usually at the Whitestone Bridge toll on my way to work in College Pt, Queens. My GFs '05 Accord (purchased new) with 65k miles has already needed 3 sets of tires, rear wheel bearings, 3 batteries, belts, 2 sets of brakes and alternator (NIGHTMARE!!! Went to Honda for the part, got one that had a bad internal regulator that would cut off output when up to summer underhood temp. Honda would check the part cool and tell me it operates fine, causing me to do the job 3 times and troubleshooting the entire system for days!!!!!! Finally wore down the parts manager and got it swapped, problem solved!) Bad OE parts in a sealed box from a dealer is total BS in my book. Needs R134a topped off each summer too.

NONE of my BMWs (four to date, with around 3/4 of a million miles) have EVER left me stranded!!! Just the 2 Hondas above have had me roadside over 15 times.

There's also the fact that Jap cars are made with machined parts and sheet metal stampings that are not deburred (razor sharp edges) and plastic molded parts with sharp edges and mold flashings. BMW deburrs machined parts and molds radiuses on all plastic parts, also molds that flash are removed from production and repaired. My hands and arms look like I was attacked by a pack of wild ferrets after DIYing on Jap crap!

The CRX even left me stranded 2 miles from the Honda dealer because they "forgot" to fill the tank with fuel after charging me on the purchase aggreement. You can keep their sales/service experience too, it SUCKS!

[theblue]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

I had a new, unmodded Civic CRX

I had a beat 91 CRX Si that I got for a $1000 as my winter beater when I have my Lancer Evolution. It had 140k on it and ran great for the couple years I had it. I replaced the shocks because they were so cheap and easy to do.

Loved that car, wish I never sold it. what a go cart.

I currently have 3 BMWs and while non have stranded me on the side of the road, they all are always need something no matter how much I do. It's just comes with owning expensive cars as they get old.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by theblue

I had a beat 91 CRX Si that I got for a $1000 as my winter beater when I have my Lancer Evolution. It had 140k on it and ran great for the couple years I had it. I replaced the shocks because they were so cheap and easy to do.

Loved that car, wish I never sold it. what a go cart.

I currently have 3 BMWs and while non have stranded me on the side of the road, they all are always need something no matter how much I do. It's just comes with owning expensive cars as they get old.

Did they fix the 2nd gear synchro issue by the '91 model year? After proper break in the 1-2 shift would grind if done swiftly on mine, hated that. I've driven dozens of 3 pedal BMW and never beat the synchro while going into 2nd gear.

I ordered my 1.5 5 spd in red with black interior before Honda had even produced the first one for the US, paid sticker for the car and options without a test drive or even seeing it in person. Dealers put $2000 markups on the 1.5 manuals once they realized the massive demand here, the dealer proceeded to deliver cars to those who paid the markup while I had a signed purchase aggreement that predated the markup buyers contracts and I called them on it. I was told my car was ready for delivery and went to the dealer only to be handed the key to a blue on powder blue 1.3 auto CRX, told them that is not my car and was told the salesperson that did my contract made a mistake and I needed to give them another $2000 if I wanted my contract car. A call to Manmouth Honda from my lawyer finally got me the car I signed the contract for, after almost 2 months of later buyers receiving their cars. I will NEVER set foot in another Honda Showroom after the BS they put me through!