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High End Luxury Cars

24700 messages,  Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:24 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ-Series, Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Volkswagen Phaeton, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class, Sedan



Let's try to define this forum as being limited to luxury performance vehicles where the mainstream version in a typical configuration has an MSRP of at least $60k.

A luxury vehicle with a base price of $59k qualifies because it would typically be bought with some additional equipment, bringing the MSRP over $60k.

Vehicles like the E, 5, A6, M, or GS, even if available in certain versions over $60k, don't qualify because they are cars from companies that have higher end cars in their lineups.



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#24180 of 24700
Re: Breaking News [lexusguy] by brightness04
Mar 07, 2007 (8:30 pm)
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Replying to: lexusguy (Mar 07, 2007 4:13 pm)

MB switched from Inline6 to V6 in the early 1990's in order to address the packaging issue.
#24181 of 24700
Re: Breaking News [blkhemi] by brightness04
Mar 07, 2007 (8:35 pm)
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Replying to: blkhemi (Mar 07, 2007 7:21 pm)

Does every discussion have to turn into some kind of phallus length comparision? Read the previous posts again, it's on a very specific topic about packaging, as in engine space vs. crumple zone space. MB switched from I6 to V6 in the early 90's to address this very issue. BMW has been the lone hold-out. It becomes an issue when cylinder bore size makes the engine unwieldily long for modern sedan packaging efficiency.
 
BTW, the 200k boast is so ludicrous. If it's so easy, why isn't BMW offering 200k warranty? For what it's worth, both my 5 series developed engine oil jellying problem shortly after 100k miles.
#24182 of 24700
Re: Please [esf] by brightness04
Mar 07, 2007 (8:39 pm)
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Replying to: esf (Mar 07, 2007 7:51 pm)

Vehicles based on A4 and 5 series platforms are all too small to be in HELC. A $200k V10 motorcycle is not HELC, regardless how well it handles. HELC is not about handling. Read the tagline of the forum.
#24183 of 24700
Re: Wow! [tagman] by brightness04
Mar 07, 2007 (9:17 pm)
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Replying to: tagman (Mar 07, 2007 7:46 pm)

The two are one and the same if the cars are already built . . . well, actually if the production lines are already built to make that many cars. The BMW dealer lots are indeed much fuller nowadays than I remembered a decade ago. Back then, you order a BMW, it will come in a couple months. Nowdays, for most models, the salesperson can go to the back "warehouse" and pull up the car exactly to your requirement and in the color you like. How many cars are parked back there anyway? I certainly hope BMW's gamble on currency plays out okay: by the time the cars come back on lease returns, hopefully dollar is worth more in terms of Euros so that the accounting in Euros will look okay and the company can pay back debt. Having an aggressive competitor around certainly benefit the consumers. It's hard to beat some of the deals on BMW's nowadays: 10+% off with Euro delivery on the front end, and 70-75% residual at the back end, leaving only 15% MSRP to pay for two years of drivig pleasure; life is wonderful for us consumers.
#24184 of 24700
Re: Please [brightness04] by tagman
Mar 07, 2007 (9:22 pm)
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Replying to: brightness04 (Mar 07, 2007 8:39 pm)

HELC is not about handling.
 
Gee whiz, when I tested the S550 and the LS460L, I must have made a big mistake when I made references to the cars' handling. And I guess Car and Driver and Road and Track and Motor Trend and Automobile and Edmunds and AutoWeek all must be out of their minds to ever discuss handling when they review a HELC... after all YOU have declared that HELC is not about handling.
 
Sorry to pop your balloon, but ALL cars are about handling. It just so happens that handling is an inherent characteristic of every car, including low-end cars, high-end cars, and everything in between.
 
TagMan
#24185 of 24700
Re: Please [tagman] by brightness04
Mar 07, 2007 (11:48 pm)
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Replying to: tagman (Mar 07, 2007 9:22 pm)

So did you end up buying the S550? Nope. People who are looking for handling as #1 priority in a car don't end up buying HELC. Selling HELC on handling is a non-starter. There is no "handling" in "High End Luxury Car"; the word "Luxury" however is there as the defining quality. Emphasizing handling on HELC makes about as much sense as emphasizing cargo space or seating count on HELC . . . sure it can be a bragging point for some gearheads, but seriously, is that the reason why people sign checks for the car? Nope.
#24186 of 24700
Re: Please [brightness04] by houdini1
Mar 08, 2007 (6:19 am)
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Replying to: brightness04 (Mar 07, 2007 11:48 pm)

Maybe where you live has something to do with whether or not handling on a luxury car is the dominant factor.
 
There are very few twisty mountain roads in the Kansas City area. Virtually 100% of my driving consists of 35 mph suburban driving, bumper to bumper freeway driving, or 75 mph freeway driving. Mostly all in a fairly straignt line. Hair trigger steering and twitchiness and even manual transmissions are not condusive to this type of driving. Quiet, comfortable serenity is.
 
I have had to resign myself to finding excitement and thrills in other venues.
#24187 of 24700
More Excitement And Thrills From BMW by hpowders
Mar 08, 2007 (6:28 am)
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Reuters-9:05AM ET: "BMW, the world's largest premium carmaker, is raising its dividend by more than 9% after record 2006 earnings."
"The past year has been the best financial year so far in the company's history," CE Norbert Reithofer said. "
 
#24188 of 24700
Re: Please [houdini1] by brightness04
Mar 08, 2007 (10:31 am)
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Replying to: houdini1 (Mar 08, 2007 6:19 am)

Very good point. Handling is of paramount importance to some drivers, sometimes, not all drivers at all times. When I shop for a roadster, luxury compact (e.g. M3) or convertible, handling is very high on the priority list. On the other hand, handling is way down the list of priorities when I shop for HELC, minivans and trucks. If someone puts handling as #1 priority, a 5 series with identical V8 beats the 7 series any time of the day; a car on a 3 or A4 series platform would handle even better.
#24189 of 24700
Re: More Excitement And Thrills From BMW [hpowders] by brightness04
Mar 08, 2007 (10:33 am)
Reply

Replying to: hpowders (Mar 08, 2007 6:28 am)

Short-term profitability is easy to manage when a company crimps on R&D, and inflate sales with fictitious transaction prices. The it all comes to a screeching halt one day. Hopefully that's not what's behind BMW's numbers, although the major German financial institutions are getting suspicious of BMW is doing.

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