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Sedans Luxury Lounge
21284 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 11:17 AM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: anthonyp (Jan 17, 2009 12:18 pm) 
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Replying to: garyh1 (Jan 16, 2009 11:41 pm) I've posted on the new E before. As I said previously, I think it looks like a Chinese knock off of an E-class. The whole E formula has gotten really stale lately, but this... thing... is not an improvement in any way. The front is a mishmash of "heritage" and modern ques that don't work together at all. It's time for M-B to either let the old E grille and the hood ornament go, or put them on a car that they actually fit on. Even worse than the Audi/Porsche knock off LED lights are the "double barrel" fog lights you can have instead, where it looks like the exhaust has been routed out the front of the car. The rear end is somehow even more bland and generic than the W210 E. I don't know how they managed that, but they did. The taillights were either stolen from a '97 Q45, or contracted out to Daewoo or Kia. I like the S-class interior and love the CL-class interior, but this "squares are cool again!" '80s theme that M-B started with the C-class and put in the GLK and now the E just doesn't work for me at all. Interior design by ruler should've died its dishonorable death 20 years ago. The engines in the US market are direct carryovers from the old model. Europeans get direct injection which MB calls "CGI" and idle-stop systems, but there's nothing new for us. Personally, I'd hold out for the 2011 A6. |
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The "three new problems of the month" that I had pointed out on a prior post has already become five. During a minor snow storm (nothing major to Toronto standards) my warning lights flashed indicating both suspension and brake malfunction. I tried to continue driving until I realized I was putting my life and other lives in danger. I waited two hours for a tow truck in order to be informed that there was a mistake and a flatbed tow truck should arrive very soon. Two hours after that I got a flatbed tow truck but the driver couldn't find where to hook my car. Another hour was spent where he looked through his towing manuals and called his many contacts at his office on how to get my car on his truck. Lo and behold finally my car was delivered to the dealership five hours later at 1:00AM today. I will update you folks on what new problems I have with my car. The dealership now is closed. I am serious about this but since I got my car almost every single month like clockwork a malfuction or group of malfunctions occured with my BMW335i.. My wife is trying to persuade me that a Prius may be too small and she thinks a reliable AWD RX450h may be the solution. My neighbor has a brother who is a general manager at a Lexus dealership and he is trying to sway me towards a Lexus RX 450H. I am not easily swayed by other opinions. BUT reality is starting to BITE and I really do need to be able to commute between Point A and Point B without a multitude of malfunctions and spinning wheels. Well that's the update today. See you folks tomorrow.
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Replying to: garyh1 (Jan 16, 2009 11:41 pm) Simplicity, reliability and durability are my priorities. And right now I cant think of any German car that delivers these three attributes. A Prius may not be simplicity but at least time has shown that Toyota has mastered complexity based on every single reliability survey out there on a Prius. My MB 300D delivers simplicity, reliability and durability in spades. How the HELL did so many German cars become such pieces of crap is something I cannot understand. |
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Replying to: dewey (Jan 18, 2009 9:14 am)  Tony
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Replying to: anthonyp (Jan 18, 2009 11:29 am) Resale value hits for both my BMW 335i and my wife's BMW530xi touring will be enormous. BUT throughout our lifetimes resale value hits never played a big role for us since we used to keep our cars for a long time towards a period when annual depreciation is minimal. The BMW 335i will be the first car I sold within 2.5 years. By owning a Toyota/Lexus I hope to keep my car for the next decade. Being in the finacial industry I just cant stand wasted amounts of car depreciation ( the irony is most people in the financial industry seem to love massive auto depreciation). I am frugal during boom and bust times alike. My BMW335i makes me understand why the following words are a Ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times". A Prius will be boring to own but in this case I dont think it will be such a curse as owning my far too interesting BMW335i. .
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Replying to: dewey (Jan 18, 2009 9:14 am) You could compromise and get the Camry Hybrid, or if you want something interesting to drive that still has Toyota reliability, the Altima hybrid - provided you can actually find one.
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Replying to: dewey (Jan 18, 2009 1:41 pm) All have been very reliable. 93 Civic, still running strong & now a project car for my son as he attempts to become fast & furious. Ha! Current day 2 day car is 00 Acura 3.2 TL. Running strong w/150 k on it. None of the famous tranny issues. Biggest disappointment was rear-view mirror leaking onto center console. 04 Tundra has had very few issues. Son's day 2 day ride in college. Biggest issue was OEM tires were shot  25k. It's 75k now. Now I'm waiting for my 1st German car to arrive. I have high hopes for the fun factor, & also hope Audi's improved reliability stats are accurate. If the ownership experience is in the same stratosphere as your current 335I, I won't show the same patience you have. I am expecting more quirks than my other cars, strictly based on posters' accounts.
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Replying to: rockshocka1 (Jan 18, 2009 2:35 pm) An ongoing onslaught of malfunctions is quite another thing. And I think it is unlikely that you would experience something like that. I think it's a good bet that you will love your new car, and that it will be with you for many wonderful years. I sure do understand Dewey's frustration. I'd be much more p----d off. I think he has shown an amazing amount of personal restraint. Must be due to his wife's influence. Many here used to argue a lot about the value of Japanese-car reliability as opposed to German-car driving dynamics. There is still a lot of truth to that, but there are indeed limits that now seem more realistic and recognizable, especially to someone like Dewey who has encountered, first hand, the uglier side of German-car unreliability. Lesson for all of us. I, too, now place greater value on reliability and quality than I used to. So... I sincerely hope your new car is the best of both worlds. Awesome driving dynamics... and reliable. TM
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My wife and I just got back safely from Belleville, MI. It was a long, long day of driving. The road conditions were rather nasty in stretches due to occasional bursts of snow. We saw countless cars/trucks in ditches or smashed against guard rails. Some people are very stupid when it comes to driving in snowy/icy roads. They just go much too fast. We could not go more than about 40-45 mph at times. Anyway, after 10 hours of driving the LS460L brought us home safely. It is a great car in my opinion. Dewey, I feel so bad for you. As others have stated, you are a man of incredible patience. Your luck is bound to turn for the better. Yesterday (Saturday), we visited the Detroit Auto Show and had lots of fun. I was impressed with some of the Ford vehicles as well as the 2010 Caddy SRX. But, I can honestly say that I was most impressed with the 2010 RX450h and the 2010 Prius. The 2010 Lexus HS250h did not do anything for me. My wife would definitely go for the Prius, but she says that she wants something a bit larger and she also wants AWD. Thus, it looks like I will have to dish out quite a bit more money for the new RX around late April or May. But I am looking forward to driving this vehicle. Dewey, I really don't think you can go wrong with either the Prius or the RX. Good luck!
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