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Comments
For the rest of us, there's the Edmunds forums.
We can argue on this and that, but that's the REAL question: what car to buy? The only way I found myself out of this question almost impossible to answer was to put in a spreadsheet the list of criteria that value to me (reliability, gizmos, safety, exterior design, price, etc.), along a "weight" for each criteria: 1 (not really important) to 5 (important big time). And then I just entered my own ratings (1 being poor, 5 being excellent). Adding each rating times their respective weight gives the final score. The one with the highest should be your next car! What works about this is that those are one's personal ratings in terms of what really matters (the criteria), how important they are against one another (their weight) and one's take on them (the ratings). In my list (M45, GS430 and 545i), the GS lost due to it's lack of sport performance and the 545i, to lack of reliability.
just felt right.... not the fastest, but for the bucks I think, the best choice.
OH...also test drove on a track the 06 BMW 330....quite cheap looking, and the TL would run circles around it...the MAINTENANCE which is free is given at horrible intervals, like changing oil (synthetic) every 15000 miles....not a good idea in my opinion.
March-May Sales
GS = 9,548
M = 6,711
A6 = 4,629
RL = 4,084
The GS should sell more than the M because of greater previous owner recognition and the fact that Lexus shipped over a much larger supply of cars. Will be interesting to see what happens after the initial euphoria wears off. The GS has a history of tapering off big time. The M has no history (except for that old M45) although the G35 has increased in sales every year since it's introduction.
That is absolutely LAUGHABLE!
I also wonder how important "Driver Excitement" really is to the Lexus owners?
This is the kind of stuff you will not ever read about in the auto rags. They only care about driving it for 1000 miles. Then they rid themselves of it. Nothing about reliability issues in their reviews.
The Next 3 Is Still the One to Beat
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=104670
Note the tag line. "The Next 3 Is Still the One to Beat"
Also note the comment in the review: "Interior is beyond reproach
Huh? Where? There are a total of 5 posts in the M35/M45 Problems & Solutions thread on Edmunds. I think there have been a few complaints on FA; there are hardly any complaints on Infinitiowners.org - there are so few reported problems on the various M boards that it concerns me - can a new model really be that problem free :confuse:
I have always considered car purchases to be a compromise of sorts due to at least two reasons; one I do not have an unlimited budget (see above) and two there is no such thing as a perfect car anyway. So at any given time a vehicle purchase is a compromise between what I need, what I desire, and how much I can afford. I generally always desire more than I need and rarely can afford what I desire - hence the compromise.
Lexus' plan to keep GS sales afloat is the launch of the GS350, 460, 450h, and I think several years from now a 400+hp GS500 is a possibility.
If any car is going to at least match the 330i if not beat it, the TL is not that car. The IS350 has a shot, as does the next G. We'll see.
The way the folks down here in Florida are driving, excitement seems to be the main virtue!
Well, unfortunately, there is no perfect car out there. One drives great and has reliability problems. Another is very reliable but is too refined to generate any excitement, etc; etc;
And then cash becomes part of the equation.
Many of us, including me, feel your pain. It can be very frustrating.
But you do as much research as you can. These boards are a great help.
I have learned so much from many of these posters.
That way you and I hopefully can avoid buying or leasing a :lemon:
The M board has a lot of posts. From just anecdotal evidence, the people who are having some minor issues are in the distinct minority.
Okay...after 4 test drives you couldn't get yourself to like it....but you still came 99% of the way to buying it. I don't understand why you would even think about buying it after 4 test drives if you didn't like it.
I am negotiating for a 545i lease but I might back out of that too. The potential for problems with the software in this car is causing me more than a little anxiety. Yet I absolutely love the car.
Do I go with a car that isn't much fun to drive but will let me sleep at night or one that is fantastic to drive but makes me nervous about potential problems?
And you know what? I really dont have an answer. I may pick a BMW that is trouble free but then again...
My conscience says Lexus. My heart says BMW. My watch says I'd better decide soon or I'll be
driving my road bike as my main vehicle.
That's why I drove the Lexus 4 times. I wanted it to be my car. Badly.
But you should always follow your heart so I do believe the 545 will be the one.
Yea I have read them all then; I thought you were referring to a lot of real and serious issues. From what I've read and reserched here on Edmunds and elsewhere the new M is remarkably trouble free and a lot more so than the RL. It almost seems too good to be true.
What would bother me is you bring the car back to Infiniti and a Japanese engineer cannot fix the problem or even worse, says that there is no problem. It's normal.
Normal. Yeah. Right!
Hey, why doesn't anyone mention the Chrysler 300 Hemi on this board. It is a Luxury Sport Sedan. Everyone is talking about speed and such. I did drive one of those...pretty quick car. The new SRT 425HP is even quicker.
What would bother me is you bring the car back to Infiniti and a Japanese engineer cannot fix the problem or even worse, says that there is no problem. It's normal.
Normal. Yeah. Right!
No need for sarcasm or borderline racist remarks. :confuse:
I am debating between the Acura RL and the Infiniti M and thought that you had indicated that you had some info where the M had more reported problems than the RL - obviously you do not. I have owned Toyotas, Nissans, Oldsmobiles, Fords, Acuras, Infinitis, and Chryslers and I swear that I have no clue what nationality the mechanics were or why it would matter :confuse:
Hey pal read the M35/45 board. I was just repeating what someone else wrote.
As far as the sarcasm goes, if I bring a car to Infiniti with a problem and the head engineer from Infiniti tells me "it's normal," my response is gonna be "normal, yeah right!" whether you like it or not!
Also do not make the assumption that I am not Japanese.
I only talk about BMW, Lexus and Infiniti which are the 3 brands of cars I have driven recently. I have never driven the RL so I wouldn't venture an opinion on it.
The M has virtually no issues from what I have read here and dialogs with you have helped me confirm that - so thank you. :shades:
Anyhow, I drove the M35 and M45 sport and non-sport and even the M35 has so much power off the line that most people probably wouldn't need the M45.
I would consider the M35 luxury as a "best buy."
If you get the M you will have a very sharp vehicle inside and out and I'm sure you will love it.
I checked out the interior photos of the Acura RL in an auto magazine and it did get me thinking that I should drive this vehicle because those photos show the interior as gorgeous.
Peace!
Prepare to be disappointed.
The RL's interior does not "age" well to me - by that I mean that the more I sit in it and test drive it the less I like it. To that extent I must agree that the interior is disappointing. I do not like the center portion of the dash, nor the placement of the "joystick" On the other hand the M35 interior did not overly impress me at first; however the more I sit in it and test drive it the more I like it.
Still no decision but as time marches on the M is clearly in the lead.
The fact that CR hates the RL is a distinct plus as far as I am concerned.
But like I said, I have never sat in it or driven it.
The M was a lot of fun-really quick acceleration.
right now i have a 2003 525i, bought new. it is truly wonderful to ride in, except it leaks water into the rear floor, and the dealer cannot fix it after 4 tries.
my favorite car would be exactly the same car except one as reliable as my old hondas.
does such a car exist? i.e. with the visibility, comfort, safety, and driving feel of a bmw, but as reliable as a honda?
Since when? It seems to me like they gave it a "meh", which is what I would give it. The RL isnt fast. With 300hp it should be fast, but it actually brings up the rear with the A6 3.2 and GS300 (I'm not counting the S-type 3.0 here).
The RL doesnt handle particularly well. Its got 4,000lbs and 60% of it up front. SH-AWD does its best to control the amount of understeer poor weight distribution like that brings, but it still feels like a FWD car.
The RL is actually smaller than the old one, and thus it has interior space problems like the GS. Other than that, I love it.
Like I said, I haven't driven it, but it seems to come up quite frequently in the #2 position in auto rag comparos. There must be something to like about it.
Sounds like this is a candidate for the Lemon Law. The mold resulting from the water leak could pose a real health issue.
Martin
if i notify them now they get 2 weeks and one alst atempt to fix it or must replace it or refund the price of the car adjusted for use. sounds almost too good to be true. I need to check into this. it is not clear how they can replace a 2003 5 series with a car i agree is equivalent. :confuse:
In other words, its not necessarily bad, but its not necessarily good either. Its a resounding "meh". However, now that they are selling at $5K off sticker, it finally is a pretty good value. It should've cost $45K to begin with. Frankly, I dont get why the RL has been rated so highly in the automags.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
2. RL (215 points)
3. GS430 (208 points)
4. E350 (202 points)
5. A6 (199 points)
6. 530i (198 points
7. STS (191 points)
8. S-type (181 points)
Car & Driver usually puts fun to drive factor on its 10 best list and the RL is on it. Nothing to sneeze at here about the RL. When you slam and open the door (Thunk!) on a new RL you'll see why Honda/Acura builds a better product construction wise than Nissan/Infiniti. Fact is the new M cars are absolutley wonderful performance and design execution wise but Acura's look more buttoned down compared to G35/TL,TSX material wise. Cost cutting at Nissan is much more visible to the average untrained eye than Honda/Acura. But, both these cars are leaps better than the new Pontiac(designed for action) 5 series and taxi/police cruiser in Europe E class. Now the new GS just reeks of quality in&out but that's no surprise given their standards. The others on list are pretty much irrelevant market share wise other than those cheering for GM to somehow prevent Toyota from putting them outta business. You can still get that $60K STS for $42K now with the GM club card dicount to all.
Inquiring minds want to know.
I cannot sleep tonight without the meaning of "MEH!" :surprise:
"Meh" (or "eh") is the reaction one might make to something that is not impressive, average, etc. (See: Acura RL) This phrase may be accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders.
Now, who knows what "salty mashed potatoes" means?
I will drive a GS300 today because from the reviews, it seems to have better steering and brakes than the GS430, if you can believe it.