Luxury Lounge

jlbl

I did a working tour through Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Madrid and back to Bilbao. Extremely rough weather. Heavy winds, rains or snow overall. Still out of topic: no thing to be said on cars, a lot on delayed or cancelled flies. I am now in Barcelona with my family.

Merry Christmas or whichever solstice or festivity any one wish celebrate. And, a happy, healthy and prosperous Year 2010 to every member of the largely-missed LL Band!

Regards,
Jose

circlew

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Best of New Year's to all!



Regards,
OW

anthonyp

Hola Jose

And a Merry Christmas to you......You might want to join us over on the stock market forum...I get to it by going to the forum board, and just hit the `s` and it pops up , then I enter.....I really do love a good `weather` side, along with some stock market stuff---to while away the long time between cars....Tony

jlbl

Thanks, Tony; I'll follow your advice. All for the best.

Regards,
Jose

lexusguy

Any special presents this year? I just got my wife a set of keys, for her new Q5.

tagman

Merry Christmas gentlemen. My prayers are for a healthy, prosperous, and fun-filled 2010.

TM

laurasdada

Tag said it for me. I truly hope that 2010 is the best year yet for everyone!

And to all a good night.

LD

blckislandguy

Borno,

You've raised an interesting question and then, like all good negotiators, threw in a change-up at the the very end.

1) You don't mention resale and you should consider it. The Cayenne is due for a major refresh the next model year and this might hurt the resale on an 09 down the road. On the other hand you seem to be "keepers" not traders. IMHO you will get better service from a Porsche dealer than a BMW outlet.

2) It seems to me that you have a son coming into driving age, that your wife is in all probability not going to put another 100K on the Sienna and the family will need to buy her a car sometime fairly soon, maybe within 20K miles. (I can't imagine a woman anywhere who would put up with a tired, old Sienna while her husband's Audis, Bimmers and other cars cluttered up the driveway.) Additionally, you seem very money conscious comparing discounts from list etc. (I wish you were less discounted oriented though and more net/net oriented. The bottom line drives sales taxes, excise taxes, property taxes, insurance, resale, etc. etc.)

The what-to-buy decision seems clear: a Cayenne V6 with stick shift

Rationale: It will cost significantly less money than the GTS or Bimmer and so won't soak up as much of your car buying budget. You will save some money for your wife's next vehicle and your 15 year old son's post secondary schooling, both of which happen in the next two years. Additionally, you love the stick shift and you can get one on the Cayenne and your son could ease into later a lot more safely than a V8 Cayenne.

clembo

Merry Christmas to all, maybe Santa will deliver a new car to one of our members.

PS - Dewey, happy Boxing Day.

dewey

Nope, no boxing day specials on that Audi S4.

All I found was a piece of coal, oops I meant my Prius on my driveway on the 25th of December.

But seriously I am content with my Prius. But yes I do intend to buy something more spicy but at least not yet.

Maybe next year's Boxing Day.

dewey

Wow you are better than Santa.

A Audi Q5? Congratulations to your lucky wife.

I was going to buy a Samsung LED TV but I listened to your warnings and at this stage I will wait until something more sophisticated comes along.

Only our kids watch TV. My wife and I rarely watch a DVD on TV since we prefer going to the cinema. Somehow the popcorn tastes so much better over there (dont ask me why?)

The consumer electronics industry would be bankrupt if everyone was like myself. In fact the luxury auto business would be bankrupt if everyone was like me today.

dewey

OK here's the criteria I used to replace my lemon BMW 335i.

The highest possible reliability ratings from both JD Powers and Consumers Report.

Back in July the most compelling choice was a Prius.

And what happens since my purchase of a Prius?

A whole slew of reliability issues for Toyota since July. Including the headline below. And yes a few times I did notice some braking issues with my Prius but not yet anything fatal otherwise I would not be writing this post. If I have one more issue I will definitely go to the dealership.

My wife's BMW 5 series is beginning to look real good now.

NHTSA reportedly eyes loss of braking power in 2010 Toyota Prius

link title

lexusguy

I was going to buy a Samsung LED TV but I listened to your warnings and at this stage I will wait until something more sophisticated comes along.

Sony will probably have a proper replacement for the XBR8 this year or next, and Samsung will probably go 1.5-2 years before replacing the current top 8500. The tech will be basically the same, just the usual slight improvements in contrast, processing, viewing angle, that sort of thing. Big screen OLED TVs for under $10K are 7 years out, at least.

The consumer electronics industry would be bankrupt if everyone was like myself. In fact the luxury auto business would be bankrupt if everyone was like me today.

The luxury auto business isn't in fantastic shape as there's a lot more people like you than there were say 3 years ago.

lexusguy

And what happens since my purchase of a Prius?

These days it seems that nobody is immune from 1st MY troubles, Honda and Toyota included. It's why I'm not as concerned about reliability stats as I used to be. I still take them into consideration, but I'm more interested in styling, comfort, and performance. The risk of problems is there with any car, so I might as well enjoy driving it.


My wife's BMW 5 series is beginning to look real good now.

If it makes you feel any better, the 535xi is a total piece of junk according to CR. So is the Lexus GS AWD. Still.

dewey

Well here's how the CR worked for me:

My 99 BMW 323i had subpar CR ratings but was a reliable gem.

My 89 Acura Integra had good CR ratings but it was a piece of junk

My 07 BMW 335i has pretty good ratings and was the worst lemon imaginable

My wife's 06 BMW 535xi touring is junk according to CR but has been quite reliable so far.

My mother's 01 MB C240 has horrific CR ratings but has been very reliable so far.

My 10 Prius was tops of the tops according to CR and now the unreliability rumblings are starting.

Next time when I use CR I will pick the car will the most black spots. By doing that I may actually end up owning a reliable car.

In fact my next car will be the Audi S4 or next generation A6 no matter what CR says.

lexusguy

In fact my next car will be the Audi S4 or next generation A6 no matter what CR says.

CR says the A6 is Audi's most reliable model, so you may have to disregard that and buy it anyway.

I am very interested to see what Audi comes up with next year on the C7 car. Handling should be improved quite a bit due to the more balanced platform, and it will get Drive Select and presumably the new active diff as on the S4. The new A8 is their assault on the state of the art, but I expect that the A6 will get at least some of those new technologies.

tagman

LG,
Must install a 65" flat panel in the Malibu remodel, in two to four weeks. I have a couple ideas... But would really appreciate learning your very top picks. Thanks!
TM

pat

Here's where you, lexusguy, dewey and anyone else interested can continue this thread: Home Theater.

See you there!

circlew

Audi, based in Ingolstadt, and a unit of Volkswagen AG, said it plans to spend that amount from 2009 to 2012 and will increase the number of models from its current 34 to a planned 42 by 2015.

Of the investment, about euro5.9 billion will go toward new products and future technologies, or about 80 percent of its planned spending.

"With our planned investments in new products and mobility concepts -- for example, electric propulsion -- we are creating a basis for our company's future growth," said Axel Strotbek, who oversees finance and organization at the company.

Investors agreed, pushing Audi shares up nearly 4.2 percent to euro500 in Frankfurt trading.

The company also wants to expand its model line, adding the A1, A7, A8 and R8 Spyder to its production portfolio in 2010, along with the Q5 Hybrid, slated to reach the market in the beginning of 2011.

Euro7.5B

TM, hope you get a fantastic Home Theater System! :P

Regards,
OW

lexusguy

Must install a 65" flat panel in the Malibu remodel, in two to four weeks. I have a couple ideas... But would really appreciate learning your very top picks. Thanks!

I have posted my suggestions in the Home Theater forum.

pat

Thank you LG. Happy New Year to you and everyone here!

tagman

Thanks for the link Pat. I can get good info there, and looks like the gang is already starting to post there as well. Also, FWIW, the Stock Market forum is working out as well.

I have bookmarked both of the other forums.

Happy New Year to you, too.

TM

blckislandguy

The new Mercedes E350 is touted by MB as "...perhaps the most technologically advanced production car ever." The US car books hype its new, lower MSRP to go after the BMW business. So, I took a look over the weekend.

The E350 especially with the no cost, sports package does look great. Its lower, rides on 18" wheels and has a nicely aggressive front end with chin spoiler. Whats not so nice is how they bundled the pricing. You see, in order to get the lower MSRP they played some games. Did you want NAV? Yep, I know its an E Class, but NAV is an option. Not only that, it is a bundled option and can't be purchased separately. Just pony up $4000 for Premuim Package No. 1 and MB will throw in the Zagat Survey of restaurants in the US, heated seats and a better radio with the NAV. This started me to think, whats all that wrong with a Garmin NAV for $150?

Do you want xenons? Well, they come only as part of Premuim Package No. 2 and you have to also purchase Premium Package No. 1 to get that. Premium Package 2 will set you back $2300 on top of the $4000 for Premium 1. MB will throw in a trunk closer, keyless ignition and a head lite washer plus what you really want, the xenons, for the $2300. So, if you are like me, i.e., not a travelling salesman nor a gourmand, who doesn't want NAV nor a restaurant guide, xenons will cost $6300!

While MB isn't anywhere nearly as bad a Porsche at this they are learning quickly from Porsche and BMW that how the option list is constructed can determine final pricing as much as the MSRP. Caveat Emptor.

As a side note, I think that one could easily option up an E Class to have the same V8 engine and all the same options (night view assist, seat massagers, Parktronic, rear seat entertainment, etc) as an S Class and only be in the mid 60's. While admittedly the car would have a lousy resale, you would have all the features and less bulk than a 95K S Class. Or on the other hand, rather than fight with the options list on a 2010 E Class for the same money, ie., 54K +-, you could buy a low mileage 2007 S Class with CPO.

tagman

Hey BIG...
Better yet, skip the older used S-Class and simply wait just a little while and buy a barely used 2010 E-Class equipped with the NAV and xenons (premium packages 1 & 2) for a lot less than new.

TM

circlew

I thought the options packages were formed for value to the customer!! :sick:

That pricing will keep out any poseurs but it should also keep sales on the low side. In this economy, the premium brands should reflect this pricing to boost margins considering the lower sales expected for years to come.

I'd just pick up a 2007 A8 and be done with it. $55K (38K miles) - $60K(under 20K miles) if it were me.

Regards,
OW

lexusguy

Or on the other hand, rather than fight with the options list on a 2010 E Class for the same money, ie., 54K +-, you could buy a low mileage 2007 S Class with CPO.

That's what I would do if I wanted a Mercedes. The new E just does nothing for me, and its rather embarrassing that it can't hack it against BMW and Audi designs from 2004 and 2005. The new 5 and the upcoming A6 will just stomp on it that much harder.

As for the most technologically advanced production car ever, the new A8 owns that title hands down, end of story, no contest.

fintail

How does the W212 fail to "hack it" against the E60 and the A6? I'll admit the exterior design isn't exciting - kind of a "German Acura" as I like to call it...but it's pretty nice inside, and from my experience and everything I have read, it drives very nicely. The A6 is a nice looking car, but IMO the E60 is not a good looking design. I don't see how either of these older designs are really better than the new E.

blckislandguy

Tag, you are right. The E Class has some depreciation with a MY2008 now down around 36K for a private party sale according to Edmunds. Thats a big hit considering that the 2008 had a higher base MSRP than the 2010 and M B dealers work on a thin margin and can't discount much. (Translation: most MB buyers pay close to MSRP.)

The new 2010 E350 though witht the no charge sports suspension and the new agressive nose is to my eye good looking and has a nice interior. A "stripped' one for 50K with the longer wearing M B tex and the no charge sports suspension may be a good deal and fun enough to drive with a zero to 60 of well under 8 seconds. But it galls me that you don't get SIRIUS no charge as you do on any GM pickup and that if you really, really want xenons they are going to cost north of $6000 as part of two functionally unrelated packages.

lexusguy

How does the W212 fail to "hack it" against the E60 and the A6?

I'm just going by its recent dead last finish against the XF, M, 5, and A6 in C&D. In other comparos I've seen, the new E also hasn't placed well. The interior is better than the last one, but I feel like it's only competitive with the outgoing BMW and A6. I don't like the column shifter at all, or the stubby little HVAC controls, or the seat switches buried under your thigh. The worst bit though is the steering. Pretty much every review I've seen of the new E has slammed it for being lifeless, dull, and utterly without feel. It's not luxurious like the S-class, and its not fun to drive either. What's the point?

fintail

You are probably right... a new 5er would be better to drive in a sporty manner...I don't know about an A6 though...I did drive an 07 A6 when it was nearly new, and it was very nice...but nothing jaw-dropping. The W212 I recently drove had normal seat controls on the door and a normal shifter...but it was a Euro spec car. I do know the E63 did come in first in a recent C&D comparo, so it can't be a complete heap...I look at it is as trying to emulate the W124 after a couple less than stellar E generations. MB is usually going to be a little more conservative than machines from Bavaria, in both styling and handling. For non-tuned cars, sport has never come first for MB.

reality2

I don't think Lexuguy meant it doesn't hack it, but in the latest comparisons (Car & Driver and Motor Trend) which looked at the players in this segment, Audi and BMW both took either 1st or 2nd with the "new" E-Class coming in at third and in on survey and dead last in another being beat by other makes as well. Both the very old A6 and 5-Series were considered more complete luxury vehicles for their segments. How is that a completely new E-Class cannot hold its own against old farts like the A6 and 5-Series? It is very likely that the new 5-Series (if one reads the reviews) will be quite impressive. And if one takes cues from the new A8 and the upcoming A7, the A6 should be equally impressive. So, if the new E-Class cannot "hack" it against the current A6 and 5-Series, how is it going take on the new versions? Luckily Mercedes-Benz has a blind following, so its buyers will keep up its volume. Ignorance is bliss as they say. Though not sure what is says about Mercedes-Benz as a company when one its flagship cars cannot win in a comparision against 6 year old models of its main competitors. It just seems that momentum has shifted towards Audi and to a lesser degree BMW globally. I think Mercedes-Benz does not carry as much cachet as in the past (unless your are from Iran living in Los Angeles) as some its cars have not lived up to expectations, and Audi and BMW have risen based simply from having strong product. In Europe, this is very visible these days.

blckislandguy

Nice post. In some ways the E Series seems like neither fish nor fowl when compared to the newly vibrant C Class down below and the S Class, above. In another words it gets no respect, neither a good value with some cache thrown in nor the Uber sedan for those that need the world to know where they fit in. Will the middle hold?

lexusguy

.I don't know about an A6 though...I did drive an 07 A6 when it was nearly new, and it was very nice...but nothing jaw-dropping.

In order to perform well, the A6 really depends on the sport suspension (or S-line package when it was still offered in '07). The standard setup is passable, but the car isn't nearly as responsive and there's too much body roll.

The E63 is a completely different animal than the E350. It's got a proper shifter, but the annoying seat controls are still there. It's definitely a better car than the M5, but it doesn't make me want to sell my S6. The Audi has the better interior, and is plenty fast enough.

circlew

Happy and Healty New Year to All!

Let's start off with some innovation today. This is a start and is far from pretty but seems like a technology we all could use sooner or later.

Airborne in 2011

Have a great day!

Regards,
OW

tagman

That's cool! ... But I'm not compelled to get my pilot's license yet.

Video would have been better if it included some street driving. Perhaps the driver could have pulled out of his garage, driven to Starbucks, and then proceeded to the airport. What about airport security?... Hmmm.

I agree that 2010 can certainly include innovation. Thanks for the link.

TM

circlew

Glad you enjoyed it. I think that all of us dreamed of flying over those PITA traffic nightmares! Getting the country's infrastructure ready for something like this would keep our economy going for thousands of years!!

If I only had a brain....a heart...the nerve...a flying car!!!

Regards,
OW

dewey

How i envy you Americans who can get ED (European Delivery of their cars).

I would love to tour all the auto museums by driving on the Autobahn in my spanking new yellow Audi S4.

In the NY Times there's a great article on Auto Museums in Germany.

link title

Unfortunately in Canada ED means the kind of thing you get RX pills for.

tagman

Coming to the Detroit Auto Show?... from our friends at Audi... something new in concept form.

No pics or other information just yet. This is top secret stuff.
You'd have to be killed if you know too much.



Quote by Fortitude:

A rumor internally pointed to a second reveal – a concept car that is a showcase for technology… hybrid? electric? hydrogen fuel cell? flux capacitor??? No one would say.

Rumor?

TM

lexusguy

In the NY Times there's a great article on Auto Museums in Germany.

I read that this morning, it was definitely an interesting read. The Audi museum in particular would be neat to see because those vintage Horch cars in particular are so rare. In the old Auto Union days Horch was the top brand above Audi, they competed with the best Mercedes cars and the Maybachs.

anthonyp

My what a beautiful era and picture to go with it......Wasn`t it Dewey whose grandfather owned one of these----someone posted a long time ago---I forget who ? Tony

tagman

A true masterpiece.

+1

TM

abarmard

I understand you have an Audi A8 2004. I have a few questions for you if you don't mind.
I am a new comer. I am very close/about to buy an Audi A8L 2004 with 65K miles on it, very clean and nice! I Never owned an Audi before. Currently drive a BMW 530i 2001 and BMW 330ci 2001 Convertible. In order to buy this Audi I have to sell my BMW 530i. In one hand I have very hard times selling my Bimmer in the other hand I feel getting this Audi is an upgrade in many respects. The reviews online say lots of horrifying things about the reliability and repair costs of this car. Is this true? How bad is this problem? If you guys are so nice to give me your input and share your experience with the Audi A8 2004, I really appreciate that.
Thanks a lot,

A.

dewey

Mercedes Benz Museum would be my favorite since vintage-wise I think they have a produd legacy of the most fascinating cars in automotive history.

dewey

Wasn`t it Dewey whose grandfather owned one of these

Nope not mine.
My grandfather would have loved to drive that Horch car but he was too young and World War Two killed him before he could even realize such a dream.

In fact I believe it was Realty's grandfather who owned such a car

dewey

Toyota led all automakers with most recalled vehicles in 2009

link title

Also the quality differential between Lexuses and German marques are narrowing to the point of irrelevance.

My Toyota Lexus dealer has a slogan: "We service our cars as well as we make them." Based on my dismal dealerlship visits I couldn't agree more with that slogan.

dhamilton

From selling Audi's for almost 2 years and talking to techs who were friends I believe the 04-05 had MMI and air suspension glitches. The 06 to current is pretty bullet-proof as far as I know.

dhamilton

I hate for you that my 335 has been a gem and your's has been a nightmare. FWIW I've always been more partial to Audi's for daily drivers over BMW's and I think your choice of the 09 S4 as your next ride is genius. I'd have it in a New York minute for my next car if a divorce and going back to school weren't recent life changes for me.
Since it's lease is up in July it looks like I will take a page out of the Tagman playbook and will go with the GTI.

tagman

Toyota led all automakers with most recalled vehicles in 2009

True, but to be fair, the vast majority of those recalls was related to a single problem... namely the spontaneous acceleration issue. This problem was initially attributed to floor mats causing the gas pedal to stick, but then subsequently evolved into questions about the throttle-by-wire electronics, as more owners stated that they didn't even have floor mats in place at the time of the sudden acceleration. As far as I know, the true cause of this problem is still unresolved... which is certainly unsettling, to say the least.

I still believe that Toyota vehicles are reliable, for the most part. But, as I've always posted, I never make auto purchases based solely upon that type of information anyway... and the data is flawed to an extent, IMHO.

TM

tagman

Since it's lease is up in July it looks like I will take a page out of the Tagman playbook and will go with the GTI.

Truly, you will not regret it. You will enjoy reading Automobile Magazine's review of the 2010 GTI... which they crowned as their "Automobile of the Year".

The GTI is a great car... now even better... I sometimes wish I still owned one.

Hope things pick up on the personal front!

TM

reality2

In fact I believe it was Realty's grandfather who owned such a car

Yes, thanks for remembering. My grandfather on my dad's side (he owned several liquor distillaries in eastern Germany and also at that time the German Sudentenland in Czechoslovakia) owned one of the Horch Phaetons. Being Jewish as they were, everything was confiscated during the war and after. After the war the Horch was stolen by the communist regime in Kosice (Slovakia) to become a volunteer fire truck. Don't know anything after that. But what a shame to have lost one of these great cars. Horch was the leading seller of luxury V8s in Europe. Owned over 50% of the market in its day. Too bad my grandfather couldn't sneek it out of Germany before the war as he tried to get it to Switzerland I am told but ran out of time.