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.

Outline

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#3907 of 24700 Anthonycecil by michael_mattox Jan 11, 2004 (10:04 pm)
If I had problems with my LS and my Mercedes was trouble free...THE LS WOULD BE GONE...What makes you hang on to it, what do you like about it.
#3908 of 24700 ljflx by merc1 Jan 12, 2004 (3:37 am)
I remember a while back you were talking about how Mercedes offers more/unique colors, well take a look at this. http://www.maseratiusa.com/jsp/cc4p/esterni.jsp In the Quattroporte you can specify of course interior/exterior colors, but also the colors for seats, upper dash, steering wheel, brake calipers and carpets! All with your choice of 3 different types of wood, or the aluminum look stuff. I can't wait to see this car in person! M
#3909 of 24700 footie - Multi-dealership owners by stevestein Jan 12, 2004 (6:03 am)
I know of a similar situation to that told by anthonycecil. My son's sister-in-law (don't know if that makes her any relationship to me) owns MB, Lexus, RR and other dealerships. She drives an S600. Money truly isn't an object with her. She just bought the first SLR at auction (Christies for charity) for $2.1M. For my money, which tops out at the LS/S430 level, I am very pleased I got the Lexus after two MB's.
#3910 of 24700 stevestein by ljflx Jan 12, 2004 (6:36 am)
From what I know ray catena (himself) use an SL500 as his principle car but also uses an LS430, an S500 and in the past had an Aston Martin for sheer stun appeal. I believe his main car is tied to which one of his dealerships makes the most money. In 2003 I'm told Lexus in Ocean beat out the MB dealership in Edison - for the first time - so he may have to swap out the SL for an SC. Merc1 - I am not all that excited by that car but the next gen S-class looks like a nice evolution. What did you think of it? I think Automobile had a small story with pictures. Supposedly it will have DVD audio as I am sure most lux brands will have in the near future. In all honesty though I can't tell much difference between DVD audio and high quality CD's. I have a Denon system that plays both at home.
#3911 of 24700 No Chance by footie Jan 12, 2004 (9:19 am)
Sorry, Merc. I think if most posters here used the caveat, "IMHO" or provided reliable references for their assertions, the casual visitor here would probably get information with the right slant. What tends to happen though, its that a very small number of people make unsubstantiated assertions or generalize their experience and use that to project that across the population of a particular brand. It's incorrect and serves as bad advice to forum visitors. One "no-problem" Mercedes nor "troublesome LS" does not a model line make. So, I enjoy offering corrections or at least a wake-up call. And until someone disproves the huge statistical samplings and statistical techniques that Consumer Reports and JDPowers do here in the U.S., the conclusions that they draw about likely experience for any given brand is the best predictor to which we can offer advice. Remember that the car companies are full of statistics folks capable of shooting holes in the JDP or CR ratings. They probably scrub them pretty hard. Not so much to see if they are wrong, but to see how well they corroborate their own warranty data. IMHO, the silence of the lambs is pretty telling.
#3912 of 24700 ljflx by lenscap Jan 12, 2004 (10:43 am)
I just got back to my computer today and saw your post from last week asking where I was. I have not been around since the third week in December, when I left for a two-week vacation with my girlfriend and her family. Then I had to go to Scottsdale for all of last week for meetings with a client. But I am back, and did fly up to the Detroit Auto Show on Saturday. (I hope you had a nice holiday.) You should have no concerns about the new GS. The car is a knockout in my eyes. There are many details of the car that don't show up well in photos but do in person. For instance, the headlights are part of a wide "sweep" of sheetmetal that juts out from the side of the car. Hard to see in photos but very nice up close (taken from the LF-S). The car looks nothing like a Maxima either; it is far more substantial and sporty. I feel the car is very unique, and the narrow side windows with a curving arch will become part of the Lexus "look" on future cars. If anything, the car looks a bit like a BMW 745 in the greenhouse. Having the current GS on the floor next to the the new GS (which was on a turntable) really showed off the differences between the two. I am very excited about this car. Not everyone will like it, but it is best experienced in person.
#3913 of 24700 lenscap by ljflx Jan 12, 2004 (11:24 am)
Thanks. It is growing a bit on me. Did you hear anything about the next LS (styling, timetable etc) by any chance? Also anything on the HPX - will they build it? They should.
#3914 of 24700 lenscap by ljflx Jan 12, 2004 (3:59 pm)
The guys on the GS board weren't that crazy about the new design. Maybe you're words will soften them up. Was the car generating a lot of viewers at the show? Merc1 - did you happen to go to the show and did you see this GS?
#3915 of 24700 michael mattox by anthonycecil Jan 12, 2004 (5:04 pm)
Possibly I was not very clear about the Lexus. It is a great car, as have been the previous four. I have had a problem with each car, and it has been taken care of properly..My point , or question is what would happen if I were to get a Bentley Continental..I had a hard enough time just finding out where I could (possibly) buy one. Imagine in the middle of nowhere something goes wrong(probably electrical) and the car dies on me. With Lexus I know there will be help along pretty quickly.. Maybe they would use AAA, who in the past also has been reliable. Tony
#3916 of 24700 footie by fenn Jan 12, 2004 (5:05 pm)
Footie said: "I think if most posters here used the caveat, "IMHO" or provided reliable references for their assertions, the casual visitor here would probably get information with the right slant. What tends to happen though, its that a very small number of people make unsubstantiated assertions or generalize their experience and use that to project that across the population of a particular brand. It's incorrect and serves as bad advice to forum visitors.".....etc etc......... THANKS for that post footie! That is a very good point. I used to be more active here, but now I just lurk. Too many strong opinions from a few dogmatic people serves to make this place a hot-bed of hype and misinformation.