7/24 Looking to buy a new car. I'm going to buy a luxury car this time
to replace my 10 year old Toyota Camry. Thinking of spending around
40-50K. I'm looking at Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, and Acura. I know the
reliability and quality of Lexus and Acura cars, but I don't have much
info on Mercedes or BMW. Have their quality improved in the past
10 years? I keep hearing about problems with the lower end MB or
BMW cars like the C class or the 3 series. What about the MB E series
or the BMW 5 series? Also I've been reading the discussion forum
messages on Lexus RX and GS series. A lot of people have problems
with rattle noises or other small problems. How much should one
believe those stories? Can one dismiss those messages as coming from
vocal minorities? I really liked the GS series but some of the
messages I read are worrisome. Thanks.
\_ Get a Lexus SC430. Why? Because if you're looking for a luxury
car and have had your oh-so-boring family car for a while,
chances are, you've been married for a while, had kid(s), and
stopped having sex. You're looking for a luxury car to spice up
your life, ya? Get a SC430, you're guaranteed to get attention
from mature women (late 20s) and upwards.
\_ They should all be ok. I think safety, handling, looks, resale
value all outweigh reliability concerns with these cars. I would
expect MB to have more problems related to electronic doodads
(based on hearsay).
\_ Fuck Lexus. get this
http://www.dovebid.com/assets/display.asp?ItemID=xjd3207
\_ Which luxury car model has the best gas mileage?
\_ I have a 2006 Lexus IS350 and a 2000 BMW 3 series. The Lexus needed
a new transmission after just 3 months of driving. It had 2800 miles
on it. It's a nice car that gets good mileage, but it's
worrisome to have such a major problem so soon. The BMW hasn't
had such a major problem, but it has had a litany of small
problems like window regulators. I have put 100K miles on it.
Stay away from Audi and MB. That leaves Acura. Only problem with
Acura is that it's a rather boring car. Is this a car you are going
to keep another 10 years or a car you will get rid of once the
warranty expires?
\_ Just stay away from MB. I know a foreman who runs a dealership
repair shop and according to him, they're crap. They have too
many electrical problems.
\_ They were the best cars made 15-20 years ago, but not anymore.
My mother-in-law has an S-class and my sister's bf has a CLS
and they constantly have problems. Latest is that the air
conditioning stopped working. In a 2004 car! It was fixed
under warranty, but what a PITA. What happens when the
warranty runs out?!
\_ Then you pay $2k to fix it just like any other car.
\_ Hah! Dude, you pay $2K to fix something small and like
$6K to fix a real problem - and there are going to be
more of them than for the average car. I once took my
Accord in and had everything done to it - water pump,
radiator, CV boot, plugs, brakes, timing belt, etc. It
cost $1K. For a BMW you will spend $450 just to fix a
window regulator. I am sure Mercedes is the same. A
typical car is not $1-2K every time you bring it in,
but a BMW or Mercedes sure is.
\_ In the last few years, MB has been battling it out with Volkswagen
for the very lowest spot in the Consumer Reports Reliabilty survey.
BMW is better. My 2000 MB E320 has been uber reliable (now at
84,000 miles) but I treat my cars very gently. Note that 2000 was
the one of the last years MB had good reliability. Both BMW and
Lexus are going to get clobbered by Acura and Lexus in reliability.
BMW has the "iDrive" system which is universally loathed.
\_ Have you looked at Infinity G and M series? |