Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

High End Luxury Cars

1…5681011…463

Comments

  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    Lexus must not be very up to date with their owners if they dont know that...even more confusing on the first ones, with no model designation. many people didnt even know 400 was part of the name for a few years. of course, bentley and lincoln must still be at odds with each other, since they both have a continental. imagine a bentley owner getting confused with a lincoln owner. major dissapointment for a 400000 car. but both names are very old and so i guess it wont change anytime soon.
  • hello26hello26 Member Posts: 62
    kappaman,
    I never remember whether it's hear hear or here here but I second your wishes that all have a safe holiday.

    merc1,
    Your post made no sense to me. He wanted to race under the name Mr. Mercedes therefore his daughter was named Mercedes? What? I thought the daughter was named Mercedes and Mercedes was chosen because it was believed to have market appeal in South America or somewhere because it did not sound German. It is improbable that Daimler and Benz invented the car and the real story is that one name was dropped in favor of anyone's daughter's name. If I made your point for you I am glad to have done it.

    ferrari11,
    Thanks.
  • mjvargomjvargo Member Posts: 11
    The LS designation is the single most over used designation in the car buisness. The new saturn LS, the lincoln LS, the LS 400, LS is used as a trim pkg on Chevy trucks, Caddy has the STS and SLS, Camaro uses the LS1 V8. LS is the single most unoriginal designation in the car buisness.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    yeah it is used a lot, though only LS 400 and Lincoln LS owners call their cars the LS
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    here- refers to the place, as in righ here
    hear-listening, i hear you

    please remember this, mixing up homophones gives other people bad impressions of the offender... :)
  • hello26hello26 Member Posts: 62
    But I didn't mess it up! I said I didn't know.
    And you still didn't answer the question :)
    If we are in a crowd of people and someone says
    something and another person says ________,________ is it hear hear?
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    I doubt if those two "Continentals" will ever get confused, since Bentley only sold about 30 last year compared to thousands of Lincs sold last year. That Lexus point is very intersting, because just as people began to call the LS the LS400, Lincoln would have had the LS8 and LS6, totally different, but Lexus made them call theirs the "LS" too.

    Hello26,

    No the point was that the name Mercedes actually came from something other than a think-tank at a car company. Like most if not all Euro and American car they have a person or an entire family behind it. Even Toyota has that much.

    M
  • hello26hello26 Member Posts: 62
    It could have been think tank or board meeting but it was people sitting around a table thinking about business. Romanticizing Mercedes Benz isn't hard but why be so hung up on the Lexus name. Audi means "harken unto" or something. There's no rule cars have to be named after industrialists.
    I've been looking at Volkwagen Passat GLX 4 Motion. It wipes the snot off the face of a Lexus ES300 but it's branded "Volkwagen." An ES300 is branded Toyota in Japan. Daimler changed the name of its car so can Toyota. I think you have lexusphobia. If you don't get help at Edmunds, please get help somewhere.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    here, hear; or hear, here (just kidding); I do appreciate your confusion though; until someone explained it to me, I never understood the phrase, "the king is dead, long live the king"; a little non-automotive nonsense on a Sunday afternoon.
  • hello26hello26 Member Posts: 62
    I think it's "hear, hear" because I think it's
    hear [ye], hear [ye], but I'm open to being corrected:)
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    i dont mean the outsides. when perhaps some person asks you what kind of car do you drive, and you say a continental (it could happen to 30 people:) )and they think you have a lincoln, but you correct them and say it is a bentley and they wonder what that is.
  • dave203dave203 Member Posts: 13
    As an engineer & car buff I think this is an excellent topic of discussion. Is it correct to say that one is better than the other because its more expensive ? I have driven all three and bought one of them. Also I did not make my decision based only on the test drive, but also on other research.
    I went with the most reliable of the three. I will say this though. The BMW 740 has excellent performance and handling for a car its size. What drew me away were horror stories I heard about 7-Series complex electrical systems. For the most part these cars are trouble free however electrical problems on a 740 is something I wish on no one. A friend of mine bought a preowned "certified" '94 740 and within weeks the dashboard was all lit up like a Christmas tree with problems and the starter motor went bad. The cost to fix all the problems would have added up to nearly $3000. Great engine & powertrain & performance but the electrical system can be a nightmare if you happen to be unlucky.
    Mercedes Benz is very solid, vault like construction, long lasting car again reliability is not the best contrary to many peoples' opinion, again due to problems mostly with the electrical system. My fatherhad an older ('90) Mercedes 300E. It broke down once - the thermactor pump (ie smog pump) seized up at 110K miles while driving, caused the serpentine belt to pop off & the car died within minutes (no alternator)so much for the Mercedes brand. Again these cars have excellent engines & powertrains but the problems arise in the peripheral systems and they can be very troublesome and difficult to fix right. If I'm spending a lot of money on a car, it better be trouble free and it better last.
    I own a '96 Lexus LS400. Never had a single problem, not the smallest thing. After 40K miles its still dead quiest and rides just like the day it was new. Very quick and smooth though I would like the suspension to be firmer/sportier. When I take it in for service the guy asks me " Sir would you like coffee & danish while we rotate your tires" ? Customer service reigns supreme. Lexus is the hands down winner of reliable, TROUBLE FREE luxury. Sure, if you have money to burn and like to brag, buy an S500 and good luck with the electrical system down the road or trade it in after 3 years for a new one if you want to avoid headaches. I plan on owning my LS400 for many trouble free years.
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    I have owned the S-class,740il,ES300 and SC300. Never owned the LS400, but my Lexus experience was not as rosy as yours. True, the S and 7 have electrical problems,and moreso the 7. True, the 7 is the best handling and sportier of these cars. True, for bragging rights, one should by the S-class over the 7 and LS. But reliablity and customer service in my Lexus experience was not at that good. ES had seat memory problems, and the a/c shunk like hell after about 3 months of ownership. After about 6 additional months of bad service and Lexus refusing to fix the a/c, I sold the car for a major loss. My SC300's only major problem was condensation in the headlights. I had a wreck in the car and they could not fix is right. The transmission was messed up after that. Some times it would take me a couple of minutes to get the car in reverse. I didn't want to deal with Lexus not handling errors well again so I got rid of the car.

    Lexus for the most part is more reliable than the others. The way they handled their errors was not acceptable though. The best customer service I've had has been from Mercedes and Jaguar(which I own presently:Vanden Plas and XK8). The Jags have been fairly reliable to.

    You make good points about the cars and why you chose the Lexus. Makes sense. Most people who buy luxury cars though, are not thinking reliablity first. They are thinking prestige first. A short (2 to 3 year) lease handles the reliability issue for the most part. Although I enjoyed driving the Lexus products, they're not S-class, 740il or Jaguar. Prestige and heritage. People still look for these intangibles in automobiles. My Lexus experience was horrible, but most people seem to have good experiences. Logically, the Lexus should be the no.1 choice, if you exclude prestige and heritage.

    For all of us who send 60k plus on a car, we're burning money. Reliability can be had with an Accord or Camry at 20k. We really want the prestige that goes with driving an LS, S, 7 or Jag. Excluding my experience, if I was going to buy one of these cars to keep for the long run, the Lexus is the choice, hands down in engineering.

    Basically, all I am saying is that they all have major shortcomings. I would advice anyone to buy what the like, period. They all have disappointed me in some way, but I will probably always own a luxury car. Good luck with the LS.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Ok, now we're reaching just a bit aren't we? The point was that the Mercedes name from more than a group or marketers. There is actually a story behind it. Weren't you the one that said Audi and VW products were "nightmares" a little while back? However the Passat is my number one choice of sedan for under 30K. What exactly is "lexusphobia"? If it's a dislike of a copycat then yes, I have it.


    ferarri11,

    I guess I understand what you are trying to say. However I don't know about the Bentley's name recognition, I don't know anyone with a Bentley, much less their top 2-door model.

    M
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    i dont know any bentley continental drivers myself, though my boss used to drive a Bentley "8" in the 80s. he died though. nice guy, and extremely rich. rare.
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    We have a couple Bentley's in the town I live in, and yes, a couple meaning 2 or 3, no more.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    here in houston, there are quite a few but there are 7 million people.
  • jwarnesjwarnes Member Posts: 2
    First, a sad story. My MY 2000 S-430 has only 6500 miles on the odometer. It has incurred over $10,000 USD of warranty repairs - for example: the struts have been replaced multiple times, sway bars too, other parts of the redesigned suspension system, the instrument cluster (the numbers 10 20 30 for mph were flaking off), 2 steering wheel sensors, seat belt retractors, sun roof resynchronization, cell phone attenuators, cd player twice etc. I understand from my repair technician that MB is having lots of problems with the new suspension system.

    There is one remaining problem which is rather vexing and I was wondering if any other S-430 owner has experienced the same problem.

    I have a 6-disc cd changer in the trunk. Whenever I reinsert the magazine into the player (because I changed the discs) the car forgets were it was over an engine restart. Example: when I shut off the car, disc 4, song 5 is playing. When I restart the car it resets to disc 1, song 1. After a couple of days (and not removing or reinserting the magazine) the car remembers where it was when the engine was turned off and will not fail again until the magazine is ejected and reinserted.

    MB acknowledges the problem and has replaced the cd player twice. This has not corrected the problem.

    I told them that the new cd players did not fix the problem and asked them to diagnose further. They are not willing to look into it anymore - essentially saying to me "learn to live with it, it's working as designed" which of course is not true. They also said the MB engineering is aware of the problem in a subset of cars and its very low priority with respect to fixing it. I am contemplating contacting the our state's consumer protection board or pursuing the lemon law (I believe that my aggregate set of problems might qualify me for relief).

    Any other S-CLASS owner having this same problem. Have you been able to have it resolved?

    It does seem that I found a work around - after reinserting the magazine, I sequentially choose disc 1, let it play for a few seconds, pick disc 2, .... pick disc 6 and then the car remembers where it was from the 'get go'.

    Thanks in advance for any responses. Objectively, this is my last Mercedes. (Just picked up a BMW X5 SAV as a second car and it is incredible!)
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    Let me see if I understand this problem:

    Thu have 6 Discs in the magazine. You pull the magazine out, to replace the discs, and then the CD Player starts over at Disc 01, Track 01.

    If this is the problem, then you have no problem. The CD Changer is supposed to start over at Track One anytime you remove the magazine.

    However, if this isn't your exact problem, pleace clarify.
  • jwarnesjwarnes Member Posts: 2
    Let me try again - I put in 6 new discs. I start the car and playback begins at disc 1 song 1 as expected. When I get to Dunkin' Donuts, disc 2, song 1 is playing. I shut off the car to get that glorious cup of java. Restart the car (holding my coffee because the cup holders will not hold a DD coffee cup) and disc 1, song 1 begins playing from the beginning, not disc 2 song 1 (from the point where it was when I shut off the engine)
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    Okay, I understand. I've never driven a S-Class, but obviously this is not right. Sorry, I misunderstood the problem.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    That series of event is most unfortunate. Is Mercedes willing to replace the car?

    M
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    Thought of something. The CD changer has to have a wire which keeps the CD changer runing in a "standby" mode, so it can retain things like current playback time for the CD Changer. Maybe it isn't the CD player, but a faulty wire.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    is aston martin coming out with a new Lagonda sedan in the new future? i heard the Vantage V8 will be replaced by the project vantage show car, but I hope that a new sedan from Aston comes out in a few years. anyone knows anything?
  • scongroscongro Member Posts: 80
    All good cars. Since you need a car in November, it looks like waiting for 2002 is not an option now (maybe later). I'm sure you're aware, that the new Lexus LS 430 will be coming in October (or there about). Excellent car, from what I've seen. S500 and 740i are both nice. I wouldn't get a X5, personally because an SUV is nice, but I like to have one sedan, to go to nice things with.
  • aimanaiman Member Posts: 61
    kappaman,

    a while ago you mention reliability as a no factor for rich folks with money to burn. I'm not rich but I think yes, it matters even for rich folks. While money to repair is not the main issue, putting up with going to the dealers often and driving their loaner car is not the lavish lifestyle one dreams about.

    Having a 60-70k luxury vehicle that needs repairs often makes you think is it prestigious or a sloppy workmanship? Prestigious items has excellent workmanship as well. Unless, of course, prestigiousness only applies to sheet metal shape, dash design, and brand recognition.

    I'm not implying that non-lexus luxury brands are totally unreliable, but just pointing out importance of reliability.

    Just my humble 2 cents.
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    I think you missed my point. I'm not saying that reliability is a none factor. It is quite important, and is part of what makes luxury luxury. However, you have Jaguar enthusiast, Mercedes enthusiast,BMW enthusiast, and so on. None of these car are as reliable as Lexus is SUPPOSE to be. My Lexus experience did not prove that Lexus was anymore reliable than my Benz,Bimmer or Jag way really. I would say that I had a few less problems with the Lexus than the others. On the other side, customer service is also part of the luxury experience. It was here that Lexus came in 3rd place. BMW's customer service has worst than Lexus. Jaguar and Mercedes have given the best customer service.If was quite familiar with the Lexus lobby, and their loaner cars, which at first were Toyota Corolla. Later they gave my Lexus loaners.

    Aiman, I'm not rich either. 60k-70k for a car is still expensive to me to, but I've been fortunate to be able to afford them. Honestly, it is more prestige than anything that lured me to these cars. Not reliabilty, not safety, but luxury and prestige. Each of these car companies and products have advantages and disadvantages over the others. It really what you like. For anyone that whats the car for the long run, I would recommend the Lexus, period. For prestige, the Jaguar or Benz, and for the experience of driving a excellent piece of machinery, the BMW is the "ultimate driving machine". Thats a fact.

    By the way, your 2 cents is always welcomed.
  • stealth7stealth7 Member Posts: 3
    Dear Gentelemen and Ladies!

    Please don't think that I'm rude - I'm just trying to be fair.
    Personally, I'm a BMW fan and I'm 6'4" tall. I'll tell you later why this is important.

    1. Image.
    MB - just about everything - image! Never saw MB drivers pushing hard! From this point of view - S500/S600 just the matter of prestige. Moscow itself has more S600 than REST of the world combined! Why? Because new Russians want to show that they are rich! That's it! Nothing else matters! "MB drivers want to be seen behind the wheel, but BMW drivers want to drive". True!
    So, if you want to show others how rich are you - buy a MB, if you want a car to drive - buy BMW.
    Jag - even Vanden Plas can't accomodate me! I was out for XJR 2 times, but not even a chance to fit! So, if you are taller than 6' - forget about Jag.
    2. Performance.
    MB - do not pay attention to performance data!
    MB always posts the data which could be possibly squized from the car at ideal condition with super driver behind the wheel!
    Example? Just some latest from Automobile magazine. MB claims that ML55 does 0-60 in 6.5 sec. BMW claims that X5 (regular with 4.4 engine) does this in 7.5. Actual test shows that acceleration wise they are basicly the same! So, ANYBODY in X5 can make it in 6.8 and NOBODY in ML55 in 6.5! And this is a point.
    BMW claims 740i - 6.9 and Sport Package in 6.8. Actual results for Sport - 6.1 auto and 5.8 if you push it hard!
    However, I never checked for latest S500. But I tried 740 vs. S500. On paper they are identical. But we almoust CRASHED Mersedes trying to perform simple for BMW ride.
    3.Power.
    Who told you that S600 is most powerful? By absolute quantity of horse powers? Well, 389 for latest SL600 and 0-60 in 5.7 for the coupe. XJR has 370 (and not from V12) and 5.4 for the sedan!
    BMW M5 has 400hp. So, what? What about hp/lbs ratio? Conclusion - power is not a point. Torque maybe, but not power! Actually, power is just amount of heat prodused by engine when burning a fuel. Nothing about ability to spin the tires.
    4.Reliability.
    Nothing is perfect. German cars are famous for mechanical superiority and ... electrical problems. Which is TRUE. But that was BEFORE. Not NOW. You can experience some - but not likely and those problems are not crucial.
    These days NOBODY BUYS luxury cars! They are all leased! Who cares about broken bulb if everything covered by warranty and you have excellent service, complimentary ride or a free car (I enjoy driving 328i with Steptronic during regular maintanence stops) to play with?
    5. Which one?
    MB - if you want the image and prestige.
    BMW - if car is for you, but not for gawkers. Looks like for now much more people prefer BMW over the MB. Or should I say DC - Daimler Chrysler? Ford killed the Jag, don't you think same could happen to MB? BWT, Daimler trademark belongs to Ford, am I right?
    JAG - I have no clue. Old style was good. New one looks and, probably is, the clearly Ford. To me it's hard to imagine somebody who wants to pay 70K for the Ford. I never tried to drive XJR which is only one I ever wanted from Jag's line, but believe me, Jeep Crand Cherokee handles and performs better than XJ8! Amazing but true!
    LEXUS - buy it if you are a broker or Real Estate agent. Car is good, fast, reliable, not overpriced. So, if you want to show how SMART are you paying only 50K for the "same" car, if you don't need visual impact of a MB, if you don't need superiority of a BMW, if Japanese car for 50K doesn't hurt you budget - Lexus is for you!
  • stealth7stealth7 Member Posts: 3
    About month ago I faced the same problem.
    I leased 740iSport for several reasons.
    1. 2002 7 series most likely will be available only in about 2 years.
    2. I don't want to get just released car. I want a polished one. So, after a year in production.
    3. Just arrived cars are always way too expencive. No special leases, no ability to nagotiate.
    4. 740i Sport 2001 is a SUPERB car. Nothing comes even close. Maybe I'll extend my lease after 24 month. This car is SOOOO GOOOD!
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    what are your thoughts on audi. to me this car is much more a car for you and not for impressing people on the street. better interiors than either BMW or MB, more functional than Jag. same performance as MB and BMW give or take a few tenths for all (MBs are usually the worst of these three in handling). Audi costs thousands less too.
    i have to disagree about the Jag comments, the new S type looks and feels like a jag, though the interior is a bit anonymous, less wood and more plastic.
    BMWs are also about impressing people, as much as MB. also, MB hasnt released the S600 yet so you must be refering to the old body. where did you get this statistic, it seems so obscure. i'd like to find info like this too.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    it seems silly to buy a car based on its prestige. you should buy a car that you like, regardless of what others think. i personally would not buy a car that i didnt love just because it is the latest BMW or MB. that's silly and shallow. you should have your own prestige, a car cant give that to you. people who do things like this have low self esteem, and vicariously feel powerful and important through the car. most people can see through this. anyways, if you buy a car based on prestige, you are a fool to marketing. that's all prestige is, really, just good marketing. and only the vulnerable succomb to this.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Interesting post. However Mercedes performance figures have traditionally always been on the conservative side. Are you saying that there is no substance behind a MB and it's just a nameplate/star? Chrysler and MB will never share platforms for a Mercedes-Benz badged car. That was part of the agreement from the beginning. If the ML55's numbers were off (and there is some question to that) it will be the first time that has happened, because usually MB cars test much faster in regular road tests (no super driver) than MB factory numbers indicate. Don't get me wrong. BMW is also a favorite of mine, but over the long run they have way more problems than Mercedes cars, and they are more expensive to repair. How do you figure more people prefer BMW over Mercedes. Mercedes sells more cars in this country and all over the world than BMW does.

    M
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    And post #411 is correct also. BMW has just as much image power as Mercedes today. Many people buy BMWs and are clueless about what their car can really do. Don't think people don't buy BMWs for image too.

    M
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    Maybe I'm silly, maybe I'm shallow, maybe I have vunerable to marketing(actually I'm a marketing guy myself), but call me blessed to while your at it. While it is true that prestige played the major role in my buying these cars, I've experienced owning the top level luxury cars(S-class,740il,Jaguar Vanden Plas and XK8, and Lexus ES and SC). Not many people can say that, or that they would not like to experience that. When I see what people write about these cars, I know if they are being truthful, or if they are defending a car just because they bought it.

    As far as self esteem is concerned, I probably have one of the biggest egos of anyone I know, and with good reason. Your comments kind of remains me of what poor people say about what rich people buy and do. "I wouldn't do this, that, or the other, if I had that much money". You said that people should buy what they wanted. Well, I wanted a Benz,Bimmer,Lexus, and Jaguar, so I bought them. Why I wanted them is irrelevant. Don't really see what that has to do with you.

    As far as a feeling of power is concerned, I have a black belt and can bench press over 350lb. Thats powerful enough for me. The cars didn't make me money. Money made me able to buy to cars. The power is in having the money. The Golden Rule. To the feeling of importance thing, I've been in the spotlight in one way or another see I played little league baseball. My feeling of importance draws me toward luxury items. I feel that this is what I deserve. Shallow, maybe. Silly, maybe.

    Since, I've been on edmunds, I've never out and out insulted anyone. I have defended myself own several occasions however. We are talking about cars, and even shallow little me knows that this conversation does not warrant insulting anyone character. Its all good though. Peace.
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    That's not the Golden Rule, no matter how much you want it to be.
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    We tend to make our own rules as we go along. He who has the gold rules their destiny in the real world more so than those who don't. Money give you freedoms that nothing else does, except spirituality. Its money that allow you to retire, travel, and actually get away with murder sometimes. It allow you to pay people off, get the best seats, etc...Pros and cons. No its not the answer to life, but it can make it a lot more enjoyable. You don't hear very many people with money complaining about it, but those without often do. And if you are wondering, I'm far from what I call rich monetarily. Success is a journey not a destination, and money make the journey a little sweeter. Just my way of looking at it. Thats my Golden Rule. Just I customized it to me my needs.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. I think Kappaman has it straight and true. He has apparently made money, and money was meant to be used, as long as it does not become your God, philosophically speaking (I am not preaching religion to anyone). Kappaman is also right when he (?) speaks about poor people who comment on what (relatively) rich people do with their money, as though they had any qualities to criticize those who have more than they do. Kappaman enjoys his money, spends it on cars, and is apparently blessed to do so. Money buys you freedom from material want, and I hope to be in that situation someday myself.
  • stealth7stealth7 Member Posts: 3
    Right! Audi! Beautiful Car! Actually first Audi Coupe was the first car I was crazy about. And than...
    1. I've red a lot about. Technological marvel. Aluminum body, space frame, all-wheel drive, unique design, 300hp... I started to fond...
    2. I checked the car at expo. Impressive! Fit and finish, materials, front seat space - outstanding!
    3. Friend of mine purchased cabrio, I believe '97 with 172hp. Supposed to be more than enough for such a small car, but actual driving experience TO ME was extremely dissapointing. Mostly because of lack of power, especially at low revs. I started to criticize... Oh, BTW, later he was trying to improve performance by tuning and even got it S badged. But to me, only the badge was actual improvent. He sold the car after about 6 months.
    4. New A6 came on the market. I visited dealer and took car for a ride. Even worth! With such lack of power (200hp on paper) even Tiptronic was absolutely useless. And when I tried back seat - I got TRAPPED! No kidding! I barely was able to get out!
    5.My wife was crazy about A8. So, we went to get one. I tried and ... WOW! What a car! Everything was just right, but only from the driver's seat and that's why:
    a)That car was black on black and to me interior was even more spartan that on old MB.
    b)Sound was terrible.
    c)Don't remember exactly now, but something was wrong with a/c.
    AND FINALLY - that car was the WAY more expensive than S420, 740 or Vanden Plas! Surprise? Not really. In 1999 Audi sold less then 2300 cars (A8) in USA and this with very aggressive advertisement campaign, free cars for celebrities etc. I think that only relatively successful A4 allows Audi to stay in business in the US.
    SO, LEASE COST on Audi was about 30% higher than for the equally priced car (68K) from MB, BMW or Jag!
    Now comes decision making process:
    1. Is Audi better looking? Not really.
    2. Is Audi faster? Not really.
    3. Does it have the appropriate prestige recognition? Definitely not.
    4. Does it have more power? Better handling? Better safety? Again not really.
    5. Am I crazy about interior? Not really.
    6. Do I want to pay 30% more for it? NO!

    MY CONCLUSION - no more Audi! I emphasized this intentionally - this is ONLY MY opinion!

    Everything is a matter of personal preferences, blonds or brunettes, Canon or Nikon, MB or BMW ...
    Actually, such kind of discussion has no point at all. I'll never be able to convince MB owner that BMW is better and otherwise..., so I'm just expressing my OWN perception, just because somebody may find this interesting or useful...

    And new Jag's S-series, again to me, looks just like a slightly polished latest Taurus. Take a closer look - you'll notice!
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    You seem to be one of the only people on edmunds who understand where I'm coming from. Money give you certain freedoms, and I believe you should enjoy them. Waiting for the million that you will have at retirement from IRAs,401ks,etc is not the answer to me. What is a 62 year old man with a million dollars going to do? Spend it on a 20 year old slut probably. Of course you can appreciate money at any age, but probably a little more in your youth and middle age. Besides, who knows how long we are going to be on earth. Today may be that rainy day. Planning for tomorrow, but enjoying today.

    My true happiness comes from my beautiful and pregnant wife,and 2yr old daughter. Family has always been the thing that meant the most to me. I believe family is what life is really all about.

    Back to cars. I think that most people who buy luxury cars are doing so for prestige as well as luxury, safety and so on. Peace.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    the A8 costs so much because aluminum construction is pioneered on the car, and the research put into the car is vast. it seems overpriced, but audi loses money one every A8 they sell. i dont understand, at the beginning of you comment you loved the interior but at the end it is spartan. and the new A6 biturbo which is cheaper will beat a 528i or E320 in acceleration so the 2.8 is really a moot point.
    i dont see why you think the new MB S is much better than the A8, check the CandD comparo, and the A8 does place it ahead, and their complaints about lack of leg space is remedied in the A8l. also it had the fastest acceleration. but enough about the A8. i dont think any of these cars are bad. it troubles me when people only buy things because they like to impress others or try to put on an image that really is hollow. if you like an MB, get it. if you like the jag, get it. but dont buy one because you want to impress the neighbors. i can tell if someone buys a car because they like it and a person who buys a car and wants to show everyone how rich they think they are. why do you think many of the richest people drive ordinary vehicles. bill gates drives an LS400. i doubt he drives it because it is prestigious or will impress the neighbors. they dont buy a car to put them into some esoteric league obtained by only a few, they dont care. it's a car and it made them happy.
    kappaman-don t kid yourself into thinking that you've obtained some exalted status by driving the world's finest vehicles...for one thing, there are so many other things to do with your money. find a cure for cancer. feed the starving. and 6 different cars over the span of what 10 years, isnt that excessive esp when you obviously dont buy them because you like them but buy them because you think the neighbors will think you are rich. people so obsessed with self image and worth suffer from the narcissist complex. it's treatable. you could start by pleasing yourself and buying whatever you like regardless.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    you all have to remember that audi's name was falsely tarnished by 60 minutes, and they later apologized for their poor reporting. in Europe, audis sell the same as MB and more than BMW. audi is still recovering from this, but with such good cars as the A4 and A6 and A8, they have created car that are better than MB and BMW. look at autosite, and for luxury pics, the A8 gets the ultimate pic twice, same as S class. and it is older. no 7 series. the A8 doesnt impress as much as the S class to people who dont know cars. it is class without flash and mass. the S class is a great car but has questionable interior plastic and a weird COMAND system. the A8 does have a better quality interior. MB and BMW quality are also not exactly stellar compared to audi...in consumer reports, the A6 and the E class had the same reliablility. it was only average. they dont mention the S class or A8. the S has horrible problems with the suspension and electricals now. the E has glitches after 4 years. the A6 has glitches too. the 5 has glitches. no cars have incredible reliability. all are good.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    While Kappaman can certainly defend himself without my help, I must add to your comments. I personally get annoyed at people who tell those who have money "find a cure for cancer" or "feed the starving." While those are noble causes, it appears that Kappaman wants to do something else with the money that, I assume, he earned. An old friend, a minister, (I am still not preaching religion to anyone) once told me, "the best way to help the poor is to NOT be one of them." He always spoke of prosperity to whomever he met. If I want to spend my money on a homeless shelter, I will. But if I want to spend that same money on a Jaguar, it will be just as well spent, because the money is mine, and spending it on ME is just as noble a cause as the shelter. It is one thing to be selfish. It is another to first take care of one's SELF (and family, if such exists).
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    It ain't that serious man. I ain't Bill Gates, so I don't have enough money to find the cure for cancer. By the way, no amount of money has yet. As far a feeding the homeless is concerned, I do. It is part of what I do as a KAPPAMAN. We also do voter registration, bone marrow donation drives, muscular dystrophy drives, toys for tots and so on. I also mentor the youth and college student. I'm not the super selfish guy you seem to think I am. Just because I like to buy expensive cars doesn't make me an a** hole. I'm really a nice guy...until I'm pushed.

    Bill Gates driving a LS400 does mean much to me. Ophray driving an A8 does mean much to me. My driving a Jaguar mean a lot to me. You see I've want a Jaguar since I was about 15 years old. The only reason I waited to get the Jag is reliability concerns. When J.D. Power and Intellichoice gave them excellent report I took my chance with them, and they have been no less reliable that the other brand that I've owned.

    ferrarri11, I am a legend in my own mind. I was that way when I was driving a Cutlass. My head was already pretty large. Remember, I told you I have the cars because I belief I deserve this type of luxury. Now I can afford them, so I have them. As far as seeking help, I married a woman with a psychology degree, and she helps me buy them. I know, we both need help.

    One question for you ferrarri11. If you think luxury car buyer are crazy, why are you chatting about high end luxury cars, and what makes you think that I would pay this type money for a car that I didn't initially like?
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    Correction. Bill and Ophrah driving what they drive doesn't me much to me.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    i dont have anything against buying expensive cars, i have an A6 2.7t. you said that you owned or leased 6 luxury cars in a 7 year span. correct me if i am wrong. if you bought each one and sold them in succession, you lost over 40000 though depreciation. it is wasteful, and the warranty is not even up. i could only justify this excess if i had a large nest egg. if the economy turns sour, could i support my family still if i loose my job? i hope you can answer yes to this question before you make a dealer happy selling back a perfectly good car for another. most cant say they can. during the 1980s in houston, many people on my street were buying excessively and when the economy turned sour they had to foreclose. it was a good part of town. we werent poor, but in a few months we had only half the number of neighbors. i only speak because of experience. you said that it's better to spend money when you are young rather than old. while this sounds good when times are bright, it will put you in the poor house quickly when the economy crashes. and it will. my family has had money for more than a century and we still have it because it wasnt wasted. we live well, but not excessively.
    stick with a car you like and dont even bother what everyone else says, you dont need to impress somenoelse to be happy only yourself.
  • kappamankappaman Member Posts: 47
    You are still making assumptions. I plan for tomorrow, but I enjoy today as much as I can. What you call waste I call an experience in luxury. 7 cars was in about 5 years between me and my wife. Didn't lose but about a fourth of what you think. I've got ways and means. Don't ask how. Ancient African secret. :) Not really worried about the economy, I have contingency plans for that. Besides, I put my faith in God, not the economy. I'll be alright, but thank you for looking out for me. "Those who can do, those who can't teach". I'm about doing what I want and can.

    The cars are not where my happiness lay. I've had some problems with all them. They are material wealth. While nice, I understand they are not the keys to life. I have not had the fortune of my family having money for a century, but then again, "God bless the child thats got his own". We've done fairly well, and our offspring will benefit for years to come.

    ferarri11, its obvious that we look at things differently. Thats cool with me. It takes all types. I'll accept you calling me shallow, silly, and all that other stuff. Hell, I can laugh at myself and actually may agree with you. Its all good, I ain't mad at you. I still will do my best not to insult you like that though.

    Well, don't much more we need to discuss about the luxury car thing. When I look at it, we really haven't talk much about cars at all. Anyway, peace.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    that's good. i just wouldnt like what happened to the people down my street and other acquaintances to happen to other people, even people i dont personally know.
  • swiftmswiftm Member Posts: 68
    Bill drives a lexus sc 400 and Ophrah drives a Toyota camery. I am sure they have many others.
  • ferarri11ferarri11 Member Posts: 91
    bill gates also owns a lamborghini that is impounded usually, and oprah drives a JGC also.


    when will the XJ8 be redesigned?
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Now, I can't see Oprah in a Camry.

    M
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles