MERCEDES BENZ

Over the years Mercedes have had a reputation as a very reliable brand of car and the luxury car remains one of the most popular in its class. German engineering, safety and quality are the hallmarks of this car. On the flip side some of the models are way overpriced and if you get the car serviced with the dealership you can expect to pay a lot more than most brands. In other words, you pay for the badge.

BMW

This German build luxury car claim to be the ‘ultimate driving machine’ it has a sport pedigree and is at the top end of the market. While there are quite a lot of BMWs around they are nowhere near as popular as they are in Europe were they significantly cheaper.

Like most cars BWM are great when they are new and very generally very reliable, however once they start to age repairs and maintenance can be very expensive, depending on how they have been driven breakdowns and problems are can happen more frequently than you think.

VOLKSWAGON

The Volks Wagon is the most affordable of the German brands but its generally still more expensive than other Japanese and Korean cars. Traditionally the build quality and safety of the VW has been superior to its rivals and over the years cars like the Buggy, Combi and Golf have been a much loved part of the Australian car scene. In more recent years the brand has not been without problems and the diesel models have copped a lot of criticism for not living up to the claims. If you have VW you will find parts and repairs are at the top end of the budget.

AUDI

Audi is of course German, so it comes with German engineering and a generally reliable track record. There are a huge number of different Audi models from an entry level small car to a supercar. People who buy Audis expect a car with sporty performance which means the mechanics of the engine can be less robust than some cars. Like all German cars they are expensive to buy and cost more for parts and maintenance.

PORSCHE

The most famous Porsche is the 911 a car that has been developed over half a decade and for lovers of the German sports car it’s the best in the world. These days most Porsche sales are for the SUV range. Although the cars are 4WD they are not built for the off conditions drivers face in Australia. Although the Porsche engineering is superb the cars are not without their faults and when they do break down the cost of parts is eyewatering.