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Buying Luxury used cars

411 messages,  Last post on Jul 13, 2009 at 10:22 AM

You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright

What is this discussion about? Classic Cars, Coupe, Convertible, Truck, Sedan, Wagon


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#122 of 411
Re: Why, of Course...(lemko) [andre1969] (Mr_Shiftright) [hpmctorque] [Mr_S by andre1969
Jan 07, 2009 (10:31 am)
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Replying to: texases (Jan 07, 2009 10:14 am)

Yeah, I've heard that as well, that they required division execs to drive cars from their own divisions. That's the reason Pontiac ended up getting the Grand Ville, which was supposed to be in the same league as the Electra and 98. However, it was actually a bit of a sham. Instead of just taking a real C-body and putting Pontiac sheetmetal on it, they instead took a B-body, which has a smaller passenger cabin, and did their best to graft the C-body roof onto it. So you ended up with a car that looked more formal and upscale, but was no bigger inside than a Bonneville, Catalina, or Impala/Caprice.
 
IMO, the car didn't really accomplish anything that the old Bonneville Brougham couldn't have done. In fact, once the Grand Ville name was retired, Pontiac brought back the Bonneville Brougham.
 
As for the Chevy Caprice, IMO the 1970's models really weren't any more luxurious inside than the 1960's models, so I guess Chevy's division execs got the short end of the stick! That mandate may have been the reason that the 1971 Chevies had sort of a Cadillac-ish looking front end, though.
 
I don't think you could get leather in a Grand Ville or Bonneville Brougham back in those days, and I'm positive that the Caprice didn't offer it, so that was another area where the Chevy/Pontiac execs would've been screwed by that mandate.
 
Eventually, I think the downsized Bonneville offered leather, or maybe it was the 1983-86 Parisienne. I don't think you could get leather in a Caprice until around 1987.
 
Market saturation of various features is something else, I guess, that dilutes the meaning of a luxury car as time goes by. For instance, once upon a time, air conditioning was a luxury item. So were power windows and leather. These days though, it's almost impossible to find a new car without a/c and power windows. And leather is available in just about everything but the cheapest cars.
#123 of 411
Re: Why, of Course...(lemko) [andre1969] (Mr_Shiftright) [hpmctorque] [Mr_S [andre1969] by circlew
Jan 07, 2009 (11:22 am)
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 07, 2009 10:31 am)

Perhaps that's why GM went into the tank...the Top Floor guys forgot to test their cars and drove Mercedes instead!
 
Regards,
OW
#124 of 411
Re: Why, of Course...(lemko) [andre1969] (Mr_Shiftright) [hpmctorque] by euphonium
Jan 07, 2009 (11:29 am)
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 07, 2009 2:40 am)

"Buick once had a "Super", but there was nothing "SPECIAL' about it.
 
The first qualification of a luxury car is that it be an uncommon and rare motor car. A car you don't frequently see in the shopping mall parking lot. A car sold only in the cities large enough to support an NFL or MLB team. As of yet, such is not manufactured in the USA, the Orient, or Norway.
#125 of 411
Re: Why, of Course...(lemko) [andre1969] (Mr_Shiftright) [hpmctorque] [euphonium] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 07, 2009 (11:52 am)
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Replying to: euphonium (Jan 07, 2009 11:29 am)

Well Obama is getting a Cadillac limo...a hideously *ugly* Cadillac limo, but it's probably pretty luxurious inside.
 
Is armor plate considered "luxurious"?
 
And Detroit supports an NFL team.....if you can call it that.
 
Poor Detroit....poor, poor Detroit...
 
median home price San Francisco $500,000
 
median home price Detroit: $80,000
#126 of 411
GMPatriot by gmpatriot
Jan 07, 2009 (4:15 pm)
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Why do people getoff badmouthing anything American? We have a bunch of people who love to tell you how they are patriots ,but they're the same ones driving up our competitors economy and handing your brother his pink slip. The bailout we truely need is for Americans to support their own jobs. The mentality of today vs. post WW2 is 180 degrees out. People learned to adjust habits and purchases that show support beyond their big mouths. Checkout the showrooms as they are beating the comp in almost every category except sales.
#127 of 411
Re: GMPatriot [gmpatriot] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 07, 2009 (4:36 pm)
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Replying to: gmpatriot (Jan 07, 2009 4:15 pm)

This aspect of the American auto industry is really a different topic.
 
 We in the "Classics" Forum are trying, in this particular forum topic, to focus on the problems and pitfalls of buying older, used luxury cars.
 
You might want to scan the list of topics in "Automotive News" forum, many of which deal with the very issues you are bringing up. I pulled it up for you:
 
List Containing Topics on the State of the American Automotive Industry
 
thanks!
 
MrShiftright
Host
#128 of 411
BMWs by lemmer
Jan 08, 2009 (6:36 am)
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A friend at work just sold his BMW 740. It was around a 2000 model with 130K on the clock. I asked him a year ago about it, and he had nothing but good things to say about it. I noticed him driving a Honda Pilot yesterday and he explained that he sold the BMW because his new car payment was roughly equivalent to the average monthly maintenance and repairs on the Bimmer. No surprise, I suppose.
#129 of 411
Re: BMWs [lemmer] by texases
Jan 08, 2009 (6:51 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Jan 08, 2009 6:36 am)

"he sold the BMW because his new car payment was roughly equivalent to the average monthly maintenance and repairs on the Bimmer"
 
Ouch! A friend gave me the same reason for selling his almost-new Jaguar 20 years ago, except he was referring to the car payment on the Jaguar.
#130 of 411
Re: BMWs [lemmer] by andre1969
Jan 08, 2009 (6:55 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Jan 08, 2009 6:36 am)

Interesting...now that you mention it, I've been seeing a 7-series of about that vintage in the parking lot at work with a for sale sign in the window. I've never been much of a BMW type of guy, but I do like that style. Probably best that I stay away, though!
 
One of my friends bought a used 2002 or so BMW 5-series, as a 40th birthday present to himself back in 2007. I think it only had around 25-30,000 miles on it. Almost immediately, I think he had to sink a couple grand into it. I forget what exactly the issues were, but one of them was water leaking into the interior!
 
I've ridden in it a few times. Nice car. I can definitely see the appeal of them. I especially like the way that it somehow manages to give you good road feel, yet a smooth ride at the same time. Usually a car will give you one at the expense of the other. And some cars aren't very good at either!
#131 of 411
Re: BMWs [andre1969] by Mr_Shiftright HOST
Jan 08, 2009 (8:37 am)
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 08, 2009 6:55 am)

My friend's 1998 BMW 750i is a wonderful car to drive and quite frankly even his brand spanking new Lexus does not compare in handling, speed, etc. However, his maintenance and repair bills these ten years must easily add up to over $30,000. Some issues never got resolved and seem unsolvable. Maybe it's his brake light out warning light staying on forever, or his dashboard suddenly reading in kilometers, or in Spanish, or the CEL going on and off randomly, or various trim pieces falling off when you slam the doors. Worst one was when he went over a speed bump a little too fast and broke off the crankshaft sensor and yanked on the wiring harness. That was $3,800.
 
He still keeps the car out back though, he loves it so much.

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