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Re: high mileage BMWs in the USA and Germany

Henri and others have been wondering why Germans only keep cars for
60,000-100,000 miles, while Americans will drive the same or similar model
cars 100, 200, 300,000 miles and more. I believe the root causes lie in
some fundamental differences between German and American car owners. I've
listed some of them here. If I've made any factual errors, I welcome
corrections. If you think I've made any analytical errors, then you're
probably wrong.

*****************

Safety Inspections:

Germany -  German safety (TUV) inspection is tough. Everything has to work
the way it was designed to, no rust, no leaks. Plus, all the accessories,
add-ons, and modifications must be TUV-approved and documented.

USA - Safety inspections, in those states that have them, run the gamut
from sort of okay to joke time. The inspections are cursory and the
standards are minimal.

Conclusion: The older a car gets in Germany, the bigger pain it is to pass
inspection. In the US, an older car just gives you and the mechanic
something to talk about as he phonies up your inspection form.

******************

Car-buying

Germany - The price is the price. You got the cash, you get the car.

USA - Did I get the best deal? Should I have negotiated more? Did I get
taken? Was that no-hassle price the best price? Should I use a buying
service? Did I get a good price on the car and a rotten deal on the
options? Should I have shopped around?

Conclusion: In Germany, car-buying is a task. In the US, it's a traumatic
event that many people put off as long as possible, usually when the spouse
says "Either that hunk of junk goes, or I do."  "I'm thinking, I'm
thinking."

*********************

Car-Selling

Germany - Private car owners who sell their cars must disclose past
collision damage and (I could be wrong on this) provide a limited
short-term warranty to the new owner whereby they must either fix something
that was bad at the time of sale, or buy the car back. (Can any
Deutschlanders help me out here?)

USA - Caveat emptor ("Let the buyer beware" for our younger drivers who
haven't finished Latin I yet.)  "Hot damn! I finally got rid of that beast
before it started costing me some real money!"

Conclusion: The sooner a German sells his car, the less chance that it will
come back to haunt him.

*********************

Mileage

Germany - Germans don't put the same kind of mileage on their cars that
most Americans do. This could be for many reasons, but it's probably
because a German driver will park in the first available parking spot he or
she sees that's within a reasonable (oh, say, a kilometer or two) distance
from where they want to go. The American will put 5 miles on his car in the
parking lot just to get a spot four spaces closer to the mall entrance.
German mass transportation (bus and rail) is so superior to ours. Germans
don't mind walking.

USA - Bigger country, longer commutes, fewer and worse buses, little
reliable intra- and inter-city rail, more mall parking lots, and of course,
Americans, in general, are lazier. (Don't bother flaming me, you know it's
true.)

Conclusion: Both Germans and American will average 10,000 miles per year.
The difference is that the German will put 6,000 of those on his car, and
the other 4,000 on his P.F. Flyers. (That's Air Jordans to those of you who
don't know what an LP record album is.)

*********************

Car Nuts

Germany - Owners take pride in their cars, keep them clean, put on the
requisite aftermarket mods (air dam, spoiler, and for Citroen 2CV's, the
mandatory Donald Duck decal). They really like their cars, but they don't
actually fall into the car nut category.

USA - Look up the definition of car nut in the dictionary, and it will tell
you that this term is only applicable to the USA. If it's got four wheels
and a motor, an American will buy it, wax it, tune it, mod it, brag on it,
conduct most of his social life in it, occasionally live in it, eat in it,
conceive his first baby in it, and then miss the birth of his first baby
because he had to go in for an Inspection II on it. Where else in the world
could you put a show on TV wiith a talking car, and the people not only
watch it, but they also think a Pontiac would ever have something
intelligent to say?

Conclusion:  Germans develop an economic attachment to their cars. That's
why they make them so good. Americans develop an emotional attachment to
their cars. That's why they still buy Chevrolets when GM makes them so bad.

*********************

The Competition

Germany - When Germans think about replacing their not very old (about
60,000 miles, remember?) car, they look around and what are their
alternatives? More German cars. (Yes, and some Japanese and French and
British, and Swedish and Italian, and maybe in the distant future a former
Yugoslavian) but mainly -- German.) It keeps the decision to get rid of
your fine German car a little easier to make, when the odds are that it
will be replaced by a newer fine German car.

USA - Hmmm. Should I keep my paid for, it still runs great, burns no oil,
looks showroom new except for the worn seats 1987 325is with 110,000 miles
on it, or maybe buy a new 325is for $33,000, or should I finally take the
big plunge and switch to that new Mercury Mystique I've had my eye on?
Hmmm.

Conclusion:  Unless you spring for a new BMW, (or Mercedes or maybe, just
maybe, one of those Asian-American, made in Ohio or Kentucky but the
corporate profits go back to Japan cars), there really isn't a good reason
to give up a well-running, good shape BMW.

********************

The Big Picture.

So, after reading all this, what does it mean? It means that when it comes
to discussing these cars and reading the Digest, I've got adult attention
deficit disorder and I really need to get back to some bill-paying work.

Scott Blazey

(I'd apologize for taking up so much bandwidth, but you all know me well
enough by now to know it would be a lie.)