Manufacturers News
More car manufacturers build in free maintenance
Wednesday, 26, May 2010
Automakers offering free-maintenance programs used to be few and far between, with BMW being one of the most well-known. Other luxury brands such as Jaguar are now adding them, but so are niche brands like Mini and, perhaps most impressive, Volkswagen.VW has a reputation for being more expensive than the Hondas and Toyotas of the world, so offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles narrows the total price gap.
A 2010 VW Tiguan, for example, starts at $23,200 ($24,300 when equipped with an automatic transmission) versus a Honda CR-V starting at $21,545 which comes standard with an auto.The same could be said for someone shopping for an efficient compact car. Mini is now offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles as well. If you compare a Mini Cooper hatchback and a Honda Civic LX (the model with typical standard features like power windows and air conditioning), the Cooper's MSRP is $18,800 and the Civic's is $17,605.