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Sedans Luxury Lounge
21354 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 9:06 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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In China I believe that Audi has the #1 share position in it's class. If you go there you willl see A6L's outnumbering 525iL's pretty handily. As far as big cars it seems as if the A8, 7, and S are about the same (from observations only). Not only in China. Audi A6 outsells both 5series and E-class the past 6 years if I'm not mistaken (can't remember where I found the data). The S-class still rules the large luxo class, and BMW still dominate the compact segment with the 3series. Funny how each dominate specific categories don;t you think? |
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Replying to: ljflx (Jan 02, 2009 8:22 pm) Manipulation, manipulation, manipulation! I agree though that the supply and demand will force the crude to head back south and make new lows The gas at the pump will follow. |
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Many households in my neighbourhood signed a petition letter to our reps basically saying 1) They're disappointed by the government's decision to give GM and Chrysler bailout with barely any strings attached, and 2) That GM and Chrysler have lost them as customers until every cent of the bailout is returned. Not too many people signed, only 229. However in a living community of roughly 280-300 houses it sounds plenty. This is my living area only, I dare say there are lots of others out there. They may not do so much as make a petition, but they'll probably lose faith in D2 for good. Given current situation, I'm not sure even GM can ignore that. Karma, I say. What goes around, comes around, bud. 
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Replying to: dewey (Jan 04, 2009 9:17 am) Er, I said '03, not '93. Big difference there. The '03 ES was just one generation ago. It had the ML stereo, NAV, and pretty much everything else that the current ES offers, plenty of comfort and luxury, it's dirt cheap, and too slow and boring to get you in any trouble with the fuzz. I thought that's what you wanted?
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Replying to: dewey (Jan 04, 2009 9:17 am) Hang in there....Our wives apparently have the same type of bmw, and on the occasions I drive it, it is good....There is an article in the N Y Times, on your mercedes, and I swear if I could find a comprable new car like that one I think I would try the diesel route again even though I deplore the fueling process...I am tired of the changing the sheetmetal every few years, so wouldn`t mind getting a car that just was functional and comfortable and stayed that way for at least ten years.....Tony
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Replying to: lexusguy (Jan 04, 2009 1:53 pm) Ok, my bad. Just substitute the "93" with "03" in my last post and nothing changes. If the Lexus HS is just a gussied up Toyota Prius as the ES is a gussied up Camry then obviously I will not buy a Lexus HS. Apparently that seems to be the case so most likely I may end up getting a plug-in Prius which is likely to be introduced in late 09. OR During 2010 an Audi A1 that has a lithium ion battery with fantastic mileage and spiffy performance (a disadvantage for me). 
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Replying to: anthonyp (Jan 04, 2009 2:36 pm) As you probably have noticed I hardly complain about my wife's BMW 530xi Touring. This car is problem free when compared to my car and I cant imagine driving a SUV instead of the BMW Touring. Tony, just like you I am getting a bit tired of changing sheet metal every few years. But I dread the idea of keeping my BMW 335i for many years based on all the visitations I have done for services and repairs. Despite my fears of long term ownership of a hybrid , Honda will have a 8 year drivetrain warranty for its Insight |
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Replying to: anthonyp (Jan 04, 2009 2:36 pm) link title It’s fine,” Mr. Cucciniello said. “In my younger days, I was a reckless driver and racked up some tickets. I haven’t had a run-in with the police since I got these.” BING0!! No cop has ever given me a speeding ticket with my MB 300D despite the fact that I got caught a few times already. Every time a police officer will laugh at my jokes and just give me a warning instead of a ticket. Seven times I tried that with my BMW 335i and instead not a single officer laughed at my jokes and one even accused me of being too snarky and gave me two tickets instead of just one (dangerous lane changes and speeding)  I recently posted an article about a famous celebrity who insists he will never replace his 85 MB 300D with a car that is not a MB 300D. In July I had posted a NY TImes article reporting that the MB300D is about the only vehicle that has increased its resale values these past few years. And now we have a new NY Times article on someone who cant stop buying MB 300Ds including his family members. Coincidence? No! Certainly not based on my great experiences with a MB300D. Mine is for keeps. |
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Hello everyone. I've been away for quite a while, but I just skipped lightly through the last 16,000(!) messages posted over the last two years, and was thrilled to see most of the great posters of the past still participating (except Merc) - even Len came back recently! I've spent the last 2 years not thinking much about cars but focussing on my business. And I am almost embarrassed to say, 2008 was financially the best year of my life. I ended up selling our firm, that we had built up for 22 years, to a large insurance company. We announced the transaction in September, just days before Lehman went down and the financial world fell apart. We managed to keep the transaction on track and closed 11/30 - probably about the only voluntary, profitable transaction done this last quarter (what do you think Len?). I tell you all this because first, it is nice to be able to share some positive news with all my old friends from the HELM/HELC/LL boards; and second, I have started to think about rewarding myself with some tangible item that I otherwise would not buy myself, and of course a luxury car comes to mind. One other thing you need to know - you may recall that I have a chronic back problem (from failed surgery), so I can't handle sitting in a sports car. So I have to stick with the luxury sedans. I have my '05 LS430 now with only 20,000 miles on it, so I don't "need" a new car, it's purely a "want" item. So what do I want? What else but a S550 4matic. Another LS just doesn't turn me on. My car has been great, but I have to say it does not "excite the senses" to drive it. So here's the interesting thing: MB dealers are certainly willing to deal on a new car, but what I have found is that the used car market for '07 or '08 S550s is incredibly attractive. I find well-equipped 2 year-old cars with less than 20,000 miles on them (some as low as 8,000!) for the mid-$60Ks, vs. buying a new one for around $90K (MSRP around $100K) . A CPO'd 2 yr old car (with new tires and brakes) gets an additional year of warranty, so with the remaining original warranty you end up with 3 years, only one less than a new car. That's such a relative bargain that I am finding it difficult to pull the trigger on a new one, although I have yet to find a used one that has exactly what I want: 4matic, black on black (so the ugly wheel arches don't show as much as on the light colors), with the upgraded multicontour seats (the adjustable bladders really help to perfectly set up the seat for my back), but no Sports package (the low profile wheels and tires ruin the ride over the many potholes in this area). So my friends, what should I do? A local dealer has the perfect new car for me just sitting there, but I am still hoping to find the same perfect used one, but not a one has been available anywhere in the country in the past 3 weeks. The second point I want to make is that the Euros' financing arms are obviously getting killed on their lease turn-ins. My salesman tells me he lost 4 new car sales this month alone to people who bought used cars instead of new, given the large price differential. The final point I want to share is that my salesman (who is an investment client of my firm, so he is straight with me), says that there are no new S class cars on order for his dealership (one of the largest in the country) except for 4 that are already in port in Baltimore. That's right - none on the water, in port in Europe, in production right now, or even ordered for production. Basically, MB believes it has enough already sitting in dealerships or in port to cover demand for the next few months. My salesman says that is the way MB is going to make it through this recession - cut production on the S to the bone. If you want a new S and none around meet your specs, they will build one for you with a 90 day lead time. But I assume that pricing will be very close to MSRP for such a custom build. So if I let that new one sitting at my dealer get away, and I can't find a used one the way I want it, I'll end up either not buying a car now, or paying $10K more for it than the one available now. Such a conundrum. Anyway, I want to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and (hopefully more) Prosperous New Year! GaryH
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