The newest edition to the stable...
Comments
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Bingo, and why is that ? Because once you have to start paying when these vehicles are out of warranty, you'll go broke.
Except Lexus. A lexus is basically a higher end Toyota, but still carries that same dependability/longevity. I have had 3 so far, and my current 09 RX350 still drives and rides better than many new American cars, with 154k on the clock.
In my view, the idea is to be able to keep a car long enough to not have a car payment. If your trading in every 3-4 years, you always have that 400-500 buck a month payment. Be nice to go another 5-8 years without one , no ? With a Lexus, you can do that with spending the least on maintenance. Audi-BMW-MB, not so much.
Doesn't matter though, we all have our own goals and needs when it comes to cars. Buy and drive what ya like, life is short, go for it.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
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I guess we need to agree to disagree. I don't agree on your opinion with MB,Audi, and BMW eqaul to Lexus & Acura. Repairs can run 4-5 figures for needless things failing prematurely as designed. Most people buy a car based on emotion anyway and don't do the proper research on a make. Reliability is my MAIN objective when purchasing a car.
I've been an enthusiast and former mechanic for 40 years and follow cars as a hobby. I've had countless people approach me through the years on car purchase advice. I've learned that giving advice is wasted breath because people will buy what they want anyway. I've seen them get bit many times based on their emotional purchase. As I stated before, these new MB,Audi's & Bmw's are not the same reliable cars of yesteryear.
Acura & Lexus has them beat hands down. -
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Luxury vehicles don't seem to be such luxury. Everyone and their dog has one. Well at least in my city. It seems luxury has become the norm. When I was young I remember thinking and being told that only rich people had luxury cars. But now I see tons of Audi, Lexus, BMW, Acura, Mercedes, Rovers, Jags, Volvo and Tesla
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We paid less for the 2 year old MBZ than we would have paid for a Subaru, and after what my wife has been through this past year, she is entitled to smile about something...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
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Yeah... I dunno charley. I’m speaking from ownership experience.
I don’t care if MBZ, BMW or Audi are the most reliable cars out there, but there is certainly a reasonable expectation that that they will be reliable beyond even ten years or 100K miles. It’s certainly possible that Acura or Lexus are more reliable, but I don’t care if they are, because they are as boring as hell IMO... puffed up Accords and Camrys. If reliability is your main concern, then no, I would not suggest any of the German brands, but I look for other things, such as driving dynamics, Designo interiors... Acura on the outside have improved immensely since they finally abandoned the “beak” front. On the outside, I could certainly live with an Acura, but not Lexus. On the inside, both Acura & Lexus are plebeian IMO. They are worthy of a “prestige” edition of the Accord or Camry, but not worthy of a luxury car.
There’s a reason they cost 10-20K less than the equivalent Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. If the choice were between Lexus or Acura, I’d choose a fully optioned Accord V6.
In any case, I favor independent mechanics specialized in the brand they maintain. For that reason, I will only ever buy BMW or Mercedes. There is no good independent mechanic for Lexus, Acura or Audi nearby. My independent mechanic charges me by the hour for what he does, at $105/hour. The dealers charge close to $200/hour, and the technicians are paid by the job, so they are actually incentivized to work fast, and find problems, not to do quality work. In this way, they can charge five hours for a particular job, but only take three hours to do that job. They rushed. They didn’t pay attention to detail.
I’ve never once, in my lifetime, experienced a five figure repair on any vehicle. Even a 6 cylinder engine replacement for MBZ wouldn’t be five figures.
I'll agree with ya on a few things. My 14 RX is so boring to drive and the interior is incredibly dull. At this stage in life, I guess I want to be bored and not have issues with the vehicle. Nothing ticks me off more when something fails prematurely. I can't complain too much with it though, It's 6 years old with 50k on the clock and has had zero warranty claims or repairs. If I want more excitement I'll hop into my new GS 350. It's pretty much night and day difference compared to the RX.
Whatever makes the wife happy Noosh is all that matters anyway. I bet in a few years you'll be trading that thing in for a Bentley!
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The next car coming into the stable will be a 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport...The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
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In the end, it literally doesn't matter what anyone thinks. She's probably in love with it which means happy life for John. Win/win all around.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
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Got the warranty extension. It is unlimited miles through 2025. After that it will be another vehicle.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Thanks for a great thread. Lots to ponder for someone who will be looking at a “luxury” compact SUV relatively soon. Since it has to pass the, ahem, WAF, I’m pretty sure that rules out Lexus (But t ugly, I’ve been told). Never tried a CPO car, but I’m interested now.
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Thanks for a great thread. Lots to ponder for someone who will be looking at a “luxury” compact SUV relatively soon. Since it has to pass the, ahem, WAF, I’m pretty sure that rules out Lexus (But t ugly, I’ve been told). Never tried a CPO car, but I’m interested now.
We'll just slam the crap out of ya if you buy the wrong car! -
I offer Gambino financing if your interested.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »Got the warranty extension. It is unlimited miles through 2025. After that it will be another vehicle.
Bingo John, that's how you do it. Once the warranty goes away, so should the vehicle. Least these higher end AUDI-BMW-MB. That's not just my opinion, you can pretty much ask any mechanic that works on these types of vehicles, they are all pretty much in lock step with that opinion.
Only problem with that though, is you'll always have that car payment hanging over you. If you can handle that, then rock on. If you want freedom from that 4-500 month payment, think differently.
Cars in general, while a necessity, are the worst possible investment for the money due to the amount of depreciation they are prone to. A mediocre luxury sedan/suv these days is 40-60k and up. We used to be able to buy condos for that price and rent them out.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Was listening to radio the other day & topic was how people trade in & still owe 10-15,000.00. They said the industry is making more money on that-then the car sale. Sad... That is a sweet ride there John. Looks comfortable with everything one should want. I've been a Volvo owner for many years. 240's up to XC90 now. When I retire I may step it up a notch to get the more comfy rides. Still keep a old pick em up truck though..
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Yep walking in and paying cash for a vehicle will get you no discounts. Start talking financing and they start dropping off the dollars because they make it up in the end. One of my friends sells cars, told me best deal is to go in talk financing get the deal you want and pay it off with the first or second payment BUT make sure there is no penalty for paying off early. They can get you there as well.
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Thanks. She’s a bit more sporty of a driver than I am. She does like M-B styling lately. So whether we choose one of those brands, or possibly a Volvo, will depend on how they all drive.
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I will take some pictures of it over the next few days and post them up, but the one change I want to make is installing the AMG grill.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »We paid less for the 2 year old MBZ than we would have paid for a Subaru, and after what my wife has been through this past year, she is entitled to smile about something...
That's why CPO luxury vehicles are a bargain. They are built better than the lower lines of American cars and can cost less and last longer. If you want to drive a luxury car, a CPO is the way to go for less or the same coin as a new Honda ,Chevy, Ford.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
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This one...
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
And it’s a nice one.
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Hope you and the family enjoy the new vehicle.
