I wonder if anyone here could please comment on your OWN experiences and knowledge with all these cars and your general impression about them, their differences in terms of the design philosophy, and their build quality + reliability? Thanks!!
Well.... I learnt to drive in a Merc, my Dads. I drive two Volvos and a BMW. My neighbour drives a Lexus. Best car out of the lot? The Lexus. I've had a whole lot more experience with all cars mentioned but I'm not going to type an epic. In short, I like the cars in this order for sheer drivability, and realiability, excluding home fixing. Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Volvo. If I had to service one and own it to death, it would be, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Lexus. Stuart.
I like my BMW 3 series the best as far as a car that is *fun* to drive. Handles well with all the power you need. Cost for parts is surprisingly reasonable Lots of aftermarket stuff, numerous retailers, owner's clubs, on-line forums, knowledge base, etc. My Volvo is my daily driver. It fills that role very nicely. Reliable and solid, if a bit stodgy.. Our Mercedes M-class is a decent SUV, nice and luxurius, etc. but I question the quality. We've had some problems. I think the marque has gone down hill in recent years (based on our experience with this one model). I haven't owned one of their sedans, so I can't comment on them. I doubt I'd ever buy one. Very expensive to service. I have yet to drive a Lexus, Acura, or Infinity (love to try the G35!), but one of those may be our purchase. I'm also waiting for Alfa to reappear in the US market, maybe 2005 or 2006 from what I've read. Bob Volvo '940 944t BMW 325iC cabrio MB ML320
Tough call lately. The 1996(iirc) and before Mercedes(previous generation) were the last of the old tanks that they built. Much better than the new stuff. They will last twenty years easily. The new cars - the E class has so much plastic in it now that it might as well be a Volvo.(no knock on Volvo, but a $50K Mercedes should be better made than a $35K Volvo). The C class - Get an Audi instead. BMW - nice cars, but quality is slipping lately as well. Lexus - nice, but they don't have much of a soul. Like a really fine watch with a plain face. My recommendation? Late 90s Mercedes or Volvo - before the new models came out.
The new cars are tanks, they have plastic in them to keep weight down. They are very solid, but have a different type of robustness than the weighted feeling robustness of the earlier models. My problem with today's Volvos, Mercedes, and BMWs are their software. That's where their reliability is down. Ben
I have yet to drive a Lexus, Acura, or Infinity (love to try the G35!), but This reminds me, could anyone please comment on Infinity versus Volvo?? Many thanks!
Both overpriced for what you get. It's rough. There are no real luxury cars out there anymore as they've all been bought out by GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Even Bentley is no longer British owned. Of the three you mentioned: Lexus and Acura both are bad. Not from an engineeering standpoint, but from how they are priced. Consider that they purposely make their Honda and Toyota lines only so good anymore - and then there's a jump in price to their "real" lines. I dislike this myself. Infinty is a bit less so. The Mitsubishi upper end cars overlap quite a bit and are still made well enough. It's kind of like GM and Cadillac - they save their best toys and innovations and engineering for their most expensive line. 10K more money just to get a proper V-8 engine? I'll pass. What you really want is a good car that has a full line behind it, like Audi, BMW, or Saab. There are no budget versions because they don't split their technology and research into two directions. This means for instance, you can get a nice BMW 5 series that has most of the goodies of a 7 series without spending tons of money. Mercedes - E class is nice. C is a serious step down. Of all of the new cars out there, the A6 impressed me the most. Good seats, good interior, well made, nice handling, and not too overly expensive. Better fit and finish than a E class or Volvo, too. Saab was also nice. They are still based upon Swedish designs despite being owned by GM, so buy one now before they get turned into re-badged econoboxes.
I think the Saab 9-3 is based on a GM car. I've read a few articles that GM has laid off most of Saabs engineers and designers and that the new Saabs will be mostly GM. Sad. Audi's are well finished, well built cars but they are upscale Volkswagens, in a sense. Ben
"> I think the Saab 9-3 is based on a GM car. I've read a few articles that I think that will be a plus actually, at least if GM has any say about styling. Saab styling has to be among the worst. They've come out with some the ugliest cars ever made, as far as I'm concerned.
By far, the biggest problem with Volvo is not the car itself, but the dealer who is selling it to you. Btw, the Lexus ES300 is a Toyota Camry.
I have to agree with that. I'm so fortunate to have a Volvo dealer a few blocks from my house. They couldn't even provide me with a duplicate key for my car. They said, "we don't do keys". I was looking for a nice "Volvo" key with the plastic handle for my wife.. Guess that was too much to ask.. However, I do use them for a free car wash when I need one, but that's about it. You mean it's not even an Avalon?? I suppose it could be worse. Camry's are good cars though, as evidenced by the fact they are most sought after car for car thieves in the US. There must be something appealing about them. Bob '95 Volvo 944t '92 BMW 325iC '00 MB ML320
The Top 10 Most Stolen Cars are not the most popular cars but the easiest to compromise. http://www.planet101.com/most_stolen_vehicles.htm
Actually it is an Avalon. Of course, there's little difference other than a few inches of interior space and the trim/amenities between a ES300, the Avalon, and Camry V6.
Yes, I realize that ease of theft has a lot to do with it, but it's not the whole story. If you look at the top 10 list, they include some very popular makes/models (Hondas, etc.) Thieves also look for value and something they can easily turn around. Also, the sheer numbers of some of these cars (= availability) also has to be considered in the equation. I heard that the Cadillac Escalade is also a target among thieves these days, and that vehicle has a very advanced theft protection system!
Nonsense. All Lexus are made by Toyota. Drive a Camry and then drive an ES300. Camry is now a bloated, soft, family car, that's well built and huge inside. The Lexus is a very luxurious car with far more sound deadening, refinement with an interior with luxury and quality that no Volvo can match. Ben
Refinement, suspension tuning. Also, trim and amenities are important. I think the latest ES300 is a fairly distinctive looking car and one of the quietest, smoothest, most luxurious (beautiful cherry wood trim) and refined cars I've ever been driven in (though seems less robust than some European cars). The Camry and Avalon *feel* like very nice family cars in comparison. Ben
