Timing for repairs for luxury used SUV

Hello all,
I am debating whether to get a new 2014 Honda or Mazda SUV, OR a used luxury SUV, like the Acura RDX or the BMW X3 (I have seen 2011-2013 in my price range). I would spend around the same price either way. Full disclosure, I am not particularly car savvy, so I would have to go to a mechanic to get anything done that needs to be fixed.
I am trying to estimate what the costs would be if I chose to go the luxury car route, and am trying to figure out when the big maintenance will start to kick in. About what mileage do they start to require big expenditures? (Is there any website I can go to in order to find out for various vehicles?) Do people generally not recommend getting luxury SUVs used?
Any insight would be helpful--I would like to upgrade to a more luxury vehicle with my next purchase, but not if it will be likely to break the bank in a year or two replacing major items. I intend to keep the car until it dies, most likely, so longevity and costs of repair are my main concerns.
Thanks in advance!
Answers
You'll probably get quite a few varying answers to this, depending on the point of view--but I'll throw in my two cents.
As a bold generalization, I would say that right around 80,000 miles is when many of the "expendable items" will be kicking in (timing belts, rear brakes, suspension parts), and it's also the time when some components could fail without having to brand them as 'factory defects". I mean, is an alternator that fails at 80K, or a battery, really defective, having traveled more than 3X around the world already?
You can look up the service schedules for each of the cars you are interested in, and see what's coming up at what mileage.
Naturally, any used vehicle you could find with some remaining factory warranty would be a good thing. I think a BMW out of warranty completely is a bit risky, for example.
Edmunds Maintenance Schedules:
http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/guide-page.html
Thank you for your response and the website link is also incredibly helpful.
Cheers!
What are you driving now? Some of the trims on "ordinary" cars are pretty spiffed up these days.
I'm currently driving a 200 Honda Civic EX, so anything is a step up, although I really enjoy driving my zippy little civic. I also drive my mom's BMW a fair amount, so I can appreciate the difference in the feel of a luxury car.
I really thought I would love the CRV, and the specs are nice--definitely has all the bells & whistles I would be looking for (moonroof, bluetooth, backup camera, etc), with the added benefit of lasting forever and not being expensive to maintain, but TBH, I didn't love it when I drove it. Hated the mirrors (would have to replace somehow) and I didn't think it responded as well as I would have liked (Mazda was superior in that regard, but I didn't like the feel of the interior, it was a less comfortable car to sit in, even though it handled really well).
So, now I have opened up the list of possible cars to include luxuries, and I will admit that I am partly motivated by the "I would like to drive a luxury car" feeling--they look nice (especially the X3--that is the best looking SUV, to me) and I like that little extra status--especially since my neighborhood is full of Audis and BMWs and Range Rovers.
I still might end up going with the CRV, but I was wondering if I went down that road what my cost of ownership for the long haul would really look like, and when the big costs would start kicking in. Will I at least get 2-3 years of trouble-free ownership before I have to shell out large amounts of cash?
Any thoughts generally on the durability and costs of ownership past 5 years for the used luxury SUVs (Acura, BMW, and Benz mostly) would be appreciated.
Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting a luxury ride. Depending on your finances, you may want to try to find a certified used car. I'm not convinced the inspections are all that good on a CPO car (that depends a lot on the dealer), but usually the warranty is pretty good. That would help allay some of your repair concerns, although it'll cost you a bit more upfront.