Thread: Service and running costs Merc vs Jag.

I love European cars, I grew up with them. They were also damned reliable too, the "problem" arose for two reasons. When cars started incorporating more electronics in the early to mid 90s, the Japanese had the drop on everyone else. Germans attempted to play catch up but unfortunately their efforts were combined with their insatiable love for building things complicated - more often than not, needlessly so.

German cars in particular, quite unlike their Japanese counterparts, do not tolerate neglect. In true Teutonic fashion, one needs to replace things according to the schedule, otherwise they fail which then sets off a chain of events leading to even larger repair bills. They are cheap here for a reason, nobody wants to buy them because they are comparatively expensive to maintain - especially when neglected.

In summary, if you can source a car with a good service history, are particular about maintenance and - perhaps most importantly - have a fighting budget, they are enjoyable.