Need Suggestions for New Car

[Silverfox]

welll all i can say is i see a very even number of BMW's and MB's come into my shop and nine times out of ten then Beamer has at least two diff oil leaks and i'm talking about 05 and newer cars mainly with less then 100K miles on it and the mercedes hardly EVER come in for repair, mainly maint. services or tires, alignment etc. I will also say Hyundai are actually good vehicles and parts are fairly cheap for them so i would recommend them but I still say if you cant afford a MB get a toyota or Lexus and you wont have to worry about anything.

 

 

Odd that, because here in Europe, Mercedes are well-known for having serious reliability issues in just about all surveys that are completed. It's rarely mechanical failure and instead, major electrical failure. They've really slipped in the last few years. The 2006 S-Class came close to the bottom of a reliability super-test, with the Toyota Corolla coming top.

 

In fact, it's a running joke on Top Gear it's that bad. BMW are considered 'more reliable' than Mercs in Europe, so perhaps there is an underlying cause to the differences across the water. I love Mercedes vehicles, but could never bring myself to own one for that very reason - I'd prefer an Audi, even if it is a Volkswagen in drag.

[Waco]

Odd that, because here in Europe, Mercedes are well-known for having serious reliability issues in just about all surveys that are completed. It's rarely mechanical failure and instead, major electrical failure. They've really slipped in the last few years. The 2006 S-Class came close to the bottom of a reliability super-test, with the Toyota Corolla coming top.

 

In fact, it's a running joke on Top Gear it's that bad. BMW are considered 'more reliable' than Mercs in Europe, so perhaps there is an underlying cause to the differences across the water. I love Mercedes vehicles, but could never bring myself to own one for that very reason - I'd prefer an Audi, even if it is a Volkswagen in drag.

Mercs and Chryslers have horrible transmission reliability ratings IIRC.

[Silverfox]

Well, I guess they have some mechanical failure issues too then, lol.

[SMeeD]

"I don't need to get there too quick."

"I don't need something sporty or really fast."

"I just want a nice and comfortable car."

"I opted out of looking at BMWs with the Sports Package"

"I prefer a car with a back seat."

"trying to break away from the pack a bit here"

"regular gasoline will do me just fine"

 

Not too fast - Check

Not too sporty - Check

Nice! - Check

Back Seat - Check

Not so popular - Check

Takes regular gas - Check

 

May I interest you in a pinto my fine sir?

 

 

Or a Ford Taurus. Remember, Robocop drives one.

 

[SAJBAMA]

SAJBAMA, while the E38 is as sweet a car as I can think, my dads old one didn't quite last as long. He used to drive an E32 730i, which burnt down for reasons BMW was never able to find out, so they gave us 30% on our next BMW, which we gladly took! He got a 740i Long Version E38 with all the bells and whistles and we all loved it! That engine.... The engineer who built it didn't want the power, he wanted to be able to put a coin on it's side on the head and then rev it without the coin falling over, and he succeeded! Anyways, after 328,768 kilometer, the transmission (Automatic) was cooked, so we sold it off. Until then, we had little to no problems with the car

 

I would buy a BMW / Audi / whatever before I buy a Benz, I think Benzs are for people who are wealthy and really want to show it. I really dislike the image associated with them. Anyways, it's up to personal preference

 

Shame,our had a little problem with the transmission too the electromagnetic valve blow off which caused that we could no shift gears but it was repaired in 2 days.The ride is fantastic,it holds corners,and it is sort of stiff,but it just swallows the bumps and speed,really i could not tell with my eyes closed if we were going 80 or 160 or 200 it is that kind of ride.Was it the 1995 one?they used to have these problems.We had slight problems with every car be it a MB,BMW or a Skoda :lol:Most of the e38 did give above 500000km i mean the engine is capable of it,but things wear out when you use them and than goes the tranny,suspension etc.

 

Benzes are kind of show me the money,but they have always been,But when you have an S class you should be sitting in the back and have a suit on,thats the kind of image i dislike with Benz People here,and Benzes are overpriced now,still its up to personal preference

 

welll all i can say is i see a very even number of BMW's and MB's come into my shop and nine times out of ten then Beamer has at least two diff oil leaks and i'm talking about 05 and newer cars mainly with less then 100K miles on it and the mercedes hardly EVER come in for repair, mainly maint. services or tires, alignment etc. I will also say Hyundai are actually good vehicles and parts are fairly cheap for them so i would recommend them but I still say if you cant afford a MB get a toyota or Lexus and you wont have to worry about anything.

 

I do not have personally anything against MB but only like the older ones that i wrote,they were reliable but the new ones have a bunch of electronics inside,more things = more can go wrong

The Benzes the newer one carry a whole different story here S classes W220,W221 they were considered the most unreliable,they introduced new technology,which meant it was not completely tested,so nobody know what could go wrong,and suddenly they all had problems with electronics,some could not start,others could not keep running.With the W211 it was the same story for us,electronics.I know its not a fair comparsion because the W221,W220,they still bought that technology and 10 years later it will be better and trouble free,it needs some tweaking.Think of ABS,now every car i could think of has ABS now but before 30 years those thing caused trouble,the sensors would break/miss function an they did cost a lot of money,but now i have not heard any one with this problem with a new car.Thats how things go and usually the premium brands have to introduce them first,but after 10 years they will be a standard,but for the meantime i want a car that keeps running thats why i would not go with the Benzes now.

I still love Benzes,for the old cars they made,for the history,And if you want an S class get an W126 or W140 its that simple.They offer good engines,Space,Almost none of the problems the new on had,AND have anything you need to transport your self,they have auto gearbox,air conditioning,stereo,airbags,ABS,and still a lot more but these are the basic features u use most.I dislike the masses of electronics in todays cars,i hate the iDrive in the new beemers and all of those modern systems,In a car today you cant literally do anything besides oil change in your garage.Sitting in a W221 its like you are in some kind of space ship,but in reality most of the things,the clever electronics that you paid for are not used very much.

BMW here they are considered more reliable than Benzes,At least when we come to a service area,The MB is always full of cars,when BMW,AUDI next to MB has not got anything to do they are just empty.Mainly the X5 and 1 used to have power steering leaks here,but they say they solved it with the 2008 model,who knows...As for Lexus i do not know how it is in US,but here they are more expensive than MB/BMW/AUDI.And really i could not get a Hyundai,Those cars have got no soul

 

Odd that, because here in Europe, Mercedes are well-known for having serious reliability issues in just about all surveys that are completed. It's rarely mechanical failure and instead, major electrical failure. They've really slipped in the last few years. The 2006 S-Class came close to the bottom of a reliability super-test, with the Toyota Corolla coming top.

Yup just like i wrote above the W221,a mayor failure rate is just electronics,and there go all the newer models too now.

[Kash]

Found a really good deal on rebuilding the transmission, so the LS is looking to see at least one more year of use. This works out as next year I can literally walk in to any dealership and buy whatever piques my fancy, be it American or foreign. Plus, my budget could be higher than $35k

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, this will come in real handy when it comes time for me to buy my first car on my own. I appreciate all the comments :thumbs-up:

[Crazy_Nate]

Cool

 

Are you getting out of school without loans? That's a miracle by itself...I'll be at probably $40k when I'm completely done (May!).

[Onion]

Show me a 7 series that was built in the last couple of years with a "couple of miles" on it and under $35k and I'll buy it right now.

 

Off a random site. Some sites have loads of 02-05 7 series.

 

03 with 45k miles.

http://www.usedcars.com/vehicledetail.aspx...icleId=17658257

 

05 with 47.5k miles and "gangsta rimz" (they look like crap imo).

http://www.usedcars.com/vehicledetail.aspx...icleId=17658257

 

Now lets see if you are true to your word.

Edited April 11, 2009 by l33t p1mp

[Silverfox]

45k is not a couple of miles ... a couple is like, 20k lol.

[Hyper Threaded]

One thing with buying an older luxury car, they cost a fortune to keep running. If you spend $30k on an old S-Class or similar, be prepared to empty your wallet every time you go in for service. Same thing that kept me from getting a Jaguar XJ.

[InCrYsIs]

I just hope you buy an American car. The Cadillac CTS is a very nice car. You should be able to get one under that price.

[Hyper Threaded]

I just hope you buy an American car. The Cadillac CTS is a very nice car. You should be able to get one under that price.

 

I looked at the CTS as well. Everything about it is good, except the build quality. Coming from a BMW or Audi, you can really tell it's a cheaper car.