High End Luxury Cars

24699 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2009 at 6:41 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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#7790 of 24699 World Car of the year? by rl81 Feb 19, 2005 (5:41 pm)
Lexus? NO Acura? NO Infinity? NO See the answer here: http://www.carpages.co.uk/audi/audi-a6-18-02-05.asp?switched=on&e- cho=154506977
#7791 of 24699 Audi by sv7887 Feb 19, 2005 (6:02 pm)
Hi rl81, You make a good point about Audi. But is AWD really needed on a Luxo-Cruiser that is likely going back and forth to the office? I'd definitely see the benefit on the S8 though. Like you said, it's not like anyone is racing these cars. I looked at your link and found something interesting: "They rated the 36 candidates based both on objective criteria, such as product characteristics, and on their emotional charisma: the "wow" factor is clearly just as important an evaluation criteria as safety & environment or value for money." I think this perfectly illustrates the difference between Lexus and German marque owners and maybe even US and European buyers..We discount the "wow" factor in favor of the objectives. This is not meant to diminish the Audi in anyway. I feel each brand has its' own personality cult. If you were to take an unscientific survey on this board you'd come to the same conclusion. Perhaps this is why Europe has always been hesitant towards Japanese cars. I think it's really the cultural difference. SV
#7792 of 24699 a new one by rl81 Feb 19, 2005 (7:59 pm)
I would like to put this car up for discussion: 2005 Maserati Quattroporte http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/maserati/quattroporte/100505998/p- hotogallery.html?pg_type=Sedan&imgsrc=%2Fpictures%2FVEHICLE%2F200- - 5%2FMaserati%2F100505998%2F20023048-T.jpg Would this be a candidate for a true luxury sedan? Why or why not?
#7793 of 24699 The hard question... by rl81 Feb 19, 2005 (8:06 pm)
sv: I think you brought up the achilles heel of this discussion. Why do we need a luxury car? Can't people just buy a Camry, Accord, etc. and just drive around with that? Is a V8/V12 etc. really necessary? Aren't people just victims of 'peer pressure', slick marketing, and tricky sales people? This is not to offend anyone, rather to take this with some humor... Replies to this message: denaliinpa (Feb 19, 2005 9:29 pm)
#7794 of 24699 Re: The hard question... [rl81] by denaliinpa Feb 19, 2005 (9:29 pm)
Replying to: rl81 (Feb 19, 2005 8:06 pm) sure...Accords or Camry's are fine automobiles. i had a Camry and 2 Accords. since i love cars i eventually moved into more technically interesting automobiles. not out of peer pressure or anything else.... i just love cars. all of the technology in automobiles today is amazing. when i was shopping this past time for a new car i looked at tons of cars. some expensive ..some not so expensive. i couldn't give a flying sh!t what my neighbors think of me. cars are my favorite hobby. after all of these posts .....i hope nobody thought it was golf!
#7795 of 24699 response to Hard Question by sv7887 Feb 20, 2005 (6:27 am)
Hi All, I think there are a few types of buyers out there: 1) The real car nuts..They love everything related to their Marque.. Their cars strike an emotional chord in them. They love the look and feel of their car as well as the heritage of the brand. 2) Those who base their purchases on what JDP, CR, and other objective surveys say.."Feel" and looks are not as important to these buyers. You could say they simply want a nice car that will last. I'd probably fit into this group. 3) The "Me Too's" who simply want the snob appeal that comes with owning their cars. It's probably likely that they know nothing about the marque or car at all. I think this is what happened to the 3 Series. (which is sad because it's one of best cars out there) I can't tell you how many people I've seen do just that. What do you all think? SV
#7796 of 24699 Topic by pat HOST Feb 20, 2005 (7:18 am)
Let's remember that we are actually discussing the higher end makers here and luxury cars in general. Generalizing about the folks who purchase them isn't the subject, and it's dangerous territory. Why people buy luxury cars isn't the issue here - we're talking about the cars they do buy and the companies who make them. Again, let's stick to the cars. Thanks.
#7798 of 24699 Re: reversing the spin [denaliinpa] by brightness04 Feb 20, 2005 (9:34 am)
Replying to: denaliinpa (Feb 19, 2005 7:31 am) It's funny how you accused bais when I provided a link that listed a table of hard data comparing aluminum vs. steel tensile strength, then cite a link that has no hard data at all just promotional fluff . . . "talking to you is like a martian trying to have a discussion with a fungo"{Bull Durham). Do you dispute those tensile strength data are inccorrect? or you just have no clue what tensile strength is. only the Audi has taken it to the advanced technical level of a completely all aluminum vehicle. whether you like Audi or not what they accomplished is very advanced. Or simply part of a technical trial and error process like BMW's i-Drive. In any case, Aluminum-intensive construction (not all-aluminum, btw) only accounts for 3% of total Audis sold in 2004. That hardly defines the marquee as you stated.
#7799 of 24699 Re: A8 vs. LS [rl81] by michael_mattox Feb 20, 2005 (9:38 am)
Replying to: rl81 (Feb 19, 2005 5:17 pm) It seems to me that a CAR has no experience at all it is what it is...If it is faster and corners as well and has equal or better acceleration...and what ever it takes to beat the other car...It's esperience means little. We have been discussin Audi and LS..So I have limited my comments to those two cars. The frame of the LS is very solid..Mine is an 01 and is just as solid as it was when I bought it..Many here with LS 400s will say the same about their cars that are as much as 10 or 12 years old.