Anti-Mustachian Car Choice for Chicago

[chesebert]

I am making a new thread to get some advice on where to buy used luxury car in Chicago area. I previously had a thread about car choices for Chicago and I have decided I would rather drive an older luxury car than a newer (not new) economy car.

I am leaning torward BMW. Which model year (newer than 2005) should I be looking at and which model? I will use snow tires so no need to suggest AWD models. I am not against Audi or MB if you feel there is a particular model with good quality that will last a long time.

I have not had a car for 5 years and I do miss driving very much. Before that, I had a 5 series for 10 years and it was great. I will be using the car mostly on weekends to visit family and get groceries. I don't plan to drive to work.

I would like to know, in addition to the car choice,  (i) where in the greater Chicago area should I shop for the car and (ii) where can I find a good honest mechanic with knowledge of European imports?

I have a budget of 20k or thereabout (I typically save this amount in 2 month or so). I have decided to move into my current rental rather than buying another place in Chicago (the value of the current rental is less than 2x my salary).

Thanks!

[KD]

Craigslist.  Even if you don't buy from anyone advertising there it can give you a fairly decent idea for what vehicles in your price range, model and year are going for.

[Capsu78]

I always thought that this place was pretty hoighty toighty , but I actually got pretty good deals on my current 2 vehicles, which I purchased with low miles as the second buyer:

http://www.motorwerksbmwbarrington.com/?gclid=CL_ct9_w5sMCFdcWgQodgTgAdA

[GoCubsGo]

I've bought a couple of Audis from Continental Audi in Naperville.  Great staff, great service department, I've sent a few friends and family there that have been happy.  The salesmen are good to deal with and pretty much cut to the chase without the typical crap (Gonzalo is the person I would use).  It's also a plus if it was a local trade in that they serviced which helps with the history of the car.

There are multiple German auto specific mechanics in the suburbs but I use Gearhead in Glen Ellyn (theres another good one in Downers Grove).  If you could stretch your price a bit I would recommend getting a certified pre-owned model of the German brands.  Extends the full warranty two years and generally pays for itself as little repairs add up quick with the cars you like. The certified pre-owned car I bought cost roughly $1,000 more and it definitely paid for itself.

[joat]

http://best4wheels.com/home.html

He doesn't have a huge inventory but will definitely give you a fair price and great service. I have purchased a car from him and am totally happy with it. If you don't like what he currently has available he offers a find-a-car service where you can tell him what you want and he'll find it for you.

Full disclosure: he was my neighbor for the last 10 or so years before I moved.

[chesebert]

Thanks for the suggestions. Any recommendations on brand/year/model?

[kendallf]

Would you consider Lexus?  IME the Lexus models have vastly lower rates of niggling repair issues and the luxury is at least as high.  I buy at a lower level than what you're considering (typically 10+ years old cars, 100k+ mileage) and my 1994 Lexus SC300 is at 210k miles currently, running like a top with no major repairs ever.  One of my friends at work buys ~5 year old BMWs and I get to hear the regular litany of which small item is broken and what it cost to fix.  :-)