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Luxury Performance Sedans

10338 messages,  Last post on May 01, 2013 at 3:12 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 987 of 1034

#9861 of 10338 Re: 2002 volvo s-80 t6 [anagni] by lexusguy

Apr 24, 2009 (10:56 am)

Replying to: anagni (Apr 22, 2009 7:41 pm)
That's a lot of miles for a European turbocharged luxury car. You'll need to be prepared for unexpected expenses that can run several hundred dollars a pop. That said, the price really isn't bad, most S80s of similar vintage seem to run $8-10K at retail. If you're absolutely in love with the car, have it thoroughly examined by a good Volvo dealer or an experienced mechanic before buying. The service records should be impeccable, and it should have a clean title with no reported serious accidents or repairs. CR rates the reliability for the '02 S80 as average.
 
If your budget can manage it, the '04s are rated much better than the '02s, especially the '04 2.5T five cylinder version. Or, you may want to consider something with easier maintenance, like an Accord.

#9862 of 10338 Re: 2007 Acura RL [vavavavolvo] by lexusguy

Apr 24, 2009 (11:11 am)

Replying to: vavavavolvo (Apr 23, 2009 5:09 pm)
So on both tests from the only two US agencies that do these tests the driver proved vulnerable and fared worse than in the RL (which was the vehicle that started this discussion).
 
The 5 did reasonably well in EuroNCAP's side impact test, but the 5 is not the best car in the segment for passive safety. There are a lot of factors that go in to making a car buying decision, and that's one factor. When I drove the the RL back when it was released, I found the seats to be uncomfortable, the cabin claustrophobic and cramped, the steering too heavy and completely numb, the transmission dimwitted and sluggish, throttle response poor, and ergonomics lousy. I would much rather drive a 535i than an RL, even if it is a bit less safe.
 
Fortunately there are a lot of choices in the midsize luxury segment, and the A6 is very safe, nice to drive, comfortable, and spacious.

#9863 of 10338 Volvos--I would Avoid by art234

Apr 24, 2009 (1:49 pm)

I had a 2001 S80 and regretted it from the very beginning. It was a service loaner with 8000 miles on it. I traded it in a year and a half later with 28000 miles, and lost 50% of what I paid just to be rid of it. I traded it for a 2005 G35x which was nice for my wife but too small--we eventually traded that for a 2006 Lexus RX400h hybrid which we still love to this day.
 
But I digress...the Volvo had some significant problems, from a clunky transmission to noises that the service department could never figure out to a number of bad radios. For EACH problem we experienced, the car was back to the dealer 4 times for the same issue before it was sort of resolved.
 
I would never buy ANY Volvo without some kind of extended warranty, and you should definitely have the car gone over by a tech familiar with Volvo prior to purchasing.
 
Good luck.

#9864 of 10338 Re: Volvos--I would Avoid [art234] by shmang

Apr 24, 2009 (3:59 pm)

Replying to: art234 (Apr 24, 2009 1:49 pm)
Man - if I remember correctly, you are having issues with Infiniti as of right now and you had problems with Volvo in the past. I guess luck is not on your side or you must be driving the hell out of the cars you owned - No offense here, just my observations.
 
Having said that, I would tend to agree that Volvo has quality issues (below average reliability) while Infiniti (at least the M) have 5 star reliability ratings and rated very high on most resources.

#9865 of 10338 Re: Volvos--I would Avoid [shmang] by art234

Apr 25, 2009 (6:12 am)

Replying to: shmang (Apr 24, 2009 3:59 pm)
Yes I had some bad luck. The problem with the Infiniti is completely different in nature to the issues I had with the Volvo. The M has a drivetrain vibration which they can't fix, and when pushed to give me the compensation they offered me they refused. While Volvo made an honest effort to fix the problems with multiple visits Infiniti is not very honest or forthcoming about it.
 
My M has been driven by some neutral experts, including a master technician from Nissan who is also trained on Infiniti, who told me the vibration would be unacceptable to him in a Sentra, let alone an M. The issue for me is not so much the problem itself than the way Infiniti handled it. When the vibration began causing a buzzing noise inside the car at certain speeds, the service manager of the dealership told me to "turn the radio up".
 
For the record the Volvo was driven by my wife, not me, and we are both very good to our cars--we do not drive them hard at all.
 
My choices for a new car now are the Audi A4 and the BMW 328xi. We drove the 335 and it is too much car for my wife.
 
Again good luck with the Volvo if you so choose.

#9866 of 10338 Re: 2007 Acura RL [lexusguy] by palincal

Apr 25, 2009 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: lexusguy (Apr 24, 2009 11:11 am)
RL is a safer car than a BMW 5-series by a big margin. In fact RL is one of the safest vehicles around. Check out http://informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/1MasterSCOREr.pdf for a comprehensive safety study.
 
I consider reliability as one of the biggest safety factors which most studies don't take into account. BMWs are far behind Acuras in terms of reliability. I have seen enough BMWs stranded on the roadside to never consider buying one.

#9867 of 10338 Re: 2007 Acura RL [palincal] by lexusguy

Apr 25, 2009 (9:23 pm)

Replying to: palincal (Apr 25, 2009 8:43 pm)
RL is a safer car than a BMW 5-series by a big margin. In fact RL is one of the safest vehicles around. Check out http://informedforlife.org/demos/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/1MasterSCOREr.pdf for a comprehensive safety study.
 
Thanks for that list, interesting stuff. Acura deserves credit for their commitment to safety, and they also deserve credit for quickly improving the RL's quality to among the best in the segment after a very mediocre first model year. You'll get no argument from me there. The RL is a very well engineered product. It is however, IMO, a rather poorly designed product.
 
The A6 is both very well engineered and very well designed, and its quality as of late has been excellent, if not quite a match for the RL and M.

#9868 of 10338 A4 it is by art234

Apr 26, 2009 (7:26 am)

Well yesterday I bit the bullet and ordered a 2010 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro loaded--Prestige, Driver Assist (only way to get back up camera now), with walnut.
 
I expect delivery mid-late July.

#9869 of 10338 Re: A4 it is [art234] by lexusguy

Apr 26, 2009 (5:52 pm)

Replying to: art234 (Apr 26, 2009 7:26 am)
Well yesterday I bit the bullet and ordered a 2010 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro loaded--Prestige, Driver Assist (only way to get back up camera now), with walnut.
 
Congrats! The 2.0T engine has proved so popular (over 90% of sales) that Audi has dropped the 3.2L engine choice for 2010.

#9870 of 10338 Re: A4 it is [art234] by draz2

May 01, 2009 (11:48 am)

Replying to: art234 (Apr 26, 2009 7:26 am)
I'm going to guess you paid around $41k for the car loaded. For about $3k less you could have gotten an Acura TL SH-AWD w/ the Tech package (Acura's only option package) which would have given you every bell and whistle imaginable plus a car that's a lot more roomy and has far more power. To say nothing of bullet proof reliability.
 
Oh well, to each their own I guess.

Messages Page 987 of 1034

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