New Cars Too Pricey for Many

[Merlin]

Have any of you ever owned an Audi or BMW? How expensive are they to maintain? I'm looking at their most reliable models, and I've found several 2018s and 2017s with low miles for less than $30k.

I've owned several BMW's. The old ones can be problematic and expensive to maintain, but the newer ones are generally pretty low maintenance. In fact, they usually come with free maintenance. Up until 2017 they used to offer 4-year/50,000 mile free maintenance, but I believe they lowered that to 3-year/36,000 miles last year. That is in addition to the standard warranty.

The BMW maintenance program even covers brake pads, rotors, and wipers; which is pretty cool I thought. So if you're looking at a 2017 or 2018 model year, you should be covered for at least the next couple of years. If you get a CPO vehicle, I believe that adds 2-years to both warranty and free maintenance. You can also purchase an extended warranty beyond that, but it doesn't come with free maintenance.

I've heard good things about Audi, and there are a few Audi vehicles I wouldn't mind owning, but unfortunately, I can't offer any hands-on experience there.

It looks like the maintenance program is non-transferable? That eliminates used vehicles as an option. I don't know if a new maintenance plan is given for CPO vehicles. It also looks like BMW cut way back on what it will cover. 

https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/bmw-value...tions.html

Well, that bites. I wonder if that is new? I remember the free maintenance coming up as a selling point when I was looking at CPO cars a few years ago. My last BMW was leased as a new vehicle so transferability never came up as a potential concern. I suspect they lowered the free maintenance to 3-years specifically since most people lease their new cars, so being non-transferable makes sense in that context.

In any case, it shouldn't remove them as an option. Most manufacturers don't offer free maintenance. They will still be covered by the regular 4-year warranty which covers most things. Without the free maintenance you'll just have to pay for your own oil changes and wipers like everyone else.