New Car

[Sarmatian]

Ohhh RLY?

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...682530,00.html

Yes, in some instances (rare instances, I might add).

I don't know. Had a long talk with a guy owning a repair shop for Skodas, VW's and Audis and in his opinion there's a noticeably decrease in quality from Audi over VW to Skoda. Not saying it's a bad car, just that I wouldn't buy one, but Reenk Roink said he wants something classy and no matter how good it may be, Skoda definitely isn't classy.

On the topic....I heard that the Ford Focus European model is going to start being sold in the US....it is an amazing car and if a nice budget is available I´d go for one of the top versions.

Seconded, although I'd still go for KIA Ceed or Pro'ceed in that price range. The car is incredible. I was off Korean cars (used to drive a Daewoo, but this model totally blew me away - affordable, stylish, fast, comfortable, efficient with an unbelievable 7 years warranty).

Um, Skodas aren't Yugos. They're good cars now.

Are you kidding, Yugo's master of the cars.

[Zradha Pahlavan]

Volvo cars actually aren't bad, usually you can find one for fairly cheap and they are fairly reliable. Probably not that classy though.

But personally, I think one of these would be a great car. Classy too.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[A Nerd]

That thing would be great for rush hour! Give me a shot of vodka and I'll grit my teeth and take the MG!

[Zradha Pahlavan]

And when you get to work, it's a conversation piece!
The only trouble is when you try to take a lady out on a date and you show up in the thing...she probably won't find the interior to be very comfortable.

[A Nerd]

Ah, it just takes some getting used to!

[Kagemusha]

Reenk buy a Mercedes. The engine lasts for ever and its both comfortable to drive and easy on the eye. In your prize range C 300 looks like your thing.With some bargaining you should get some nice gadgets to it with few grands you have over the listing prize:

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/#/vehi...010&vmf=C300WZ

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Only important things in a car:

not one of those terribly slow cars
drivers seat is comfortable and roomy enough
good speakers
decent color (red is the best)
gas mileage
a radio button setup that you can operate without looking at it

A used Honda Accord would probably fit the bill, if you get new speakers installed


Fast cars are appealing but you can't usually make use of it in the city. I admit it used to bug my that my old car couldn't go over 105 on the highway though.

^^opinion^^

[Louis VI the Fat]

I'm beginning to get worried here...

Do all of you people here have like cars and driver's licenses?

[PanzerJaeger]

This is what ~$20k gets you if you play it smart:

Awesome car, Lemur! The E46 is simply sublime. Which engine do you have?


On topic - I had an Audi S4 (B6) that I really enjoyed. Then I got a 3 and my (driving) life changed. Audi (VW) has that special, stoic German character that you can't get anywhere else, and they are very comfortable, but nobody makes a car like BMW. I got a little 135i last summer to trick out. I've got it chipped at 350 atm.

[Reenk Roink]

Thanks for all the ideas.

I definitely would take a good deal on a certified used car, as long as it's low mileage detailed and doesn't smell like children or old people or cigarettes. A used black BMW idea is pretty sweet too, and I could get an A6 used. Cruising in those playing some Tom Petty.

One question, say I want to sell a car that I myself bought used, is it held against that the car had two previous owners?

[Lemur]

Awesome car, Lemur! The E46 is simply sublime. Which engine do you have?

It is, indeed, a 2003 E46 model, the 325xi with all sorts of extras. The AWD really makes Wisconsin blizzards fun. Not to mention it's a monster in rain and foul weather. It has the slowest engine you can get in the U.S.A., but that's fine by me. Better mileage, and the car is a rock.

One question, say I want to sell a car that I myself bought used, is it held against that the car had two previous owners?

No, what matters on resale is mileage, condition, warranty remaining (if any), etc. Number of owners is not something of particular relevance, unless it was a fleet car, which matters.

[Subotan]

BMW...Err, no.

[Lemur]

BMW...Err, no.

Seeing as you're in a thread with several BMW owners, would you care to expand on that thought?

[Banquo's Ghost]

Seeing as you're in a thread with several BMW owners, would you care to expand on that thought?

In most of the world and Europe, BMW drivers are seen as sober citizens with a good, sensible middle class approach to safety and practicality. It's pretty much what the brand has exemplified for years.

Sadly, in the UK and Ireland, the BMW driver is invariably brazen, dangerous, mindless and aggressive. Usually corporate drones or people with "executive" in their meaningless titles, they drive appallingly. If one is being tailgated on the UK motorway, chances are it'll be by a BMW. I've never seen a BMW driver pass me doing less than 90 mph (speed limit is 70). I have no idea why, and no doubt the phase will pass (this used to be the same chaps, but in Ford Mondeos) but it's my experience.

[gaelic cowboy]

@BG yeah thats my experience too in the wilds of the whest as we say BMW = Bloody Mad ******
Seen on Top Gear where they even highlighted the exact topic you bring up about speeding beamers.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

BMW's are stereotyped as yuppie cars in the US.

[Sarmatian]

Unfortunately, it used to be that every idiot with a bit more money to spend went for a BMW. Nowadays, those type of people have switched over to Audi and left BMW's are once again cars for "knowers". I believe Jeremy Clarkson said something to that effect.

[Lemur]

Interestingly, here in the wilds of Wisconsin, the crazy drivers are usually in Ford F150s. Regional differences, eh?

[Kagemusha]

Its the same consideration also here in Finland about BMW´s. Fortunately my sister owns one and i love to tease her about it. Im quite puzzled that no one else likes Mercedes Benz around these parts. As far as i know. There isnt pretty much anything to complain about their cars.

[PanzerJaeger]

Its the same consideration also here in Finland about BMW´s. Fortunately my sister owns one and i love to tease her about it. Im quite puzzled that no one else likes Mercedes Benz around these parts. As far as i know. There isnt pretty much anything to complain about their cars.

Besides the reliability? Dr. Z is turning some corners but it has been atrocious since the 90s.

[Kagemusha]

Besides the reliability? Dr. Z is turning some corners but it has been atrocious since the 90s.

Maybe you should check your facts.Last years most relaible cars:

Honda Civic BMW 3 Series Honda Jazz Honda Accord BMW 5 Series Audi A4 Mercedes Benz C-Class Mini Toyota Avensis Volkswagen Golf

Most reliable car manufacturer

BMW Honda Audi Toyota Volkswagen Mercedes-Benz Ford Mazda Nissan Skoda

The reliability problems of 90´s are old news.Source: http://www.gizmag.com/most-reliable-...s-in-uk/13298/

[Madoushi]

Congrats, Reenk.

Also, consider yourself lucky. Most people I know whose parents buy them cars give them $500.

I'm almost 30, and I still can't afford a car

[PanzerJaeger]

Maybe you should check your facts.Last years most relaible cars:

Honda Civic BMW 3 Series Honda Jazz Honda Accord BMW 5 Series Audi A4 Mercedes Benz C-Class Mini Toyota Avensis Volkswagen Golf

Most reliable car manufacturer

BMW Honda Audi Toyota Volkswagen Mercedes-Benz Ford Mazda Nissan Skoda

The reliability problems of 90´s are old news.Source: http://www.gizmag.com/most-reliable-...s-in-uk/13298/

I guess that depends on your definition of reliability and old news.

Mercedes-Benz, despite being one of the most well-known and highly respected European car makers, only managed to take 9th place. Still, it was a very big leap from its position last year which was 19th overall. Mercedes-Benz’ fellow German car marquee, Porsche, meanwhile took the survey’s top spot.

The problems were certainly not limited to the 90s.

From 2006:

The difference between the best and worst models is striking. For example, the least-reliable vehicle in our survey, the redesigned for 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV, is likely to have 10 times as many problems as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which debuted the same year. Here are some highlights from our survey:

Of the 45 least reliable models, 19 were European, 20 were from U.S. manufacturers, 5 were Japanese, and 1 was South Korean. General Motors had 12, Mercedes-Benz had 8, Ford and Nissan each had 5, Chrysler and Volkswagen each had 3, BMW and Jaguar each had 2, while Kia, Land Rover, Porsche, Saab, and Volvo each had 1.

And 2007:

Mercedes-Benz, in particular, has seen its reliability ranking decline sharply — this year, the German luxury brand placed last in the reliability list of 36 automobile brands, its reliability level 123 percent below the average for the whole industry, said Paul.

“We have seen lows in recent years for European carmakers, but this was a particularly bad year for Mercedes-Benz — it surprised a lot of people,” said Paul.

Consumer Reports placed the Mercedes-Benz CLS, M-Class and R-Class on its “Not Recommended” list because of declining reliability. A third of survey respondents who owned the 2001 Mercedes-Benz C-Class V6 owners “griped about serious electrical problems,” the magazine report said.

The problem was that market realities forced Mercedes to shift from building excellent cars and then pricing them accordingly to building cars to a specific price point. It would be as if suddenly BMW tasked the people managing Rolls Royce with building a $16,000 compact car. Chances are it would be awful compared to their more experienced Japanese competitor's models.

As I said, Dr. Z and the company are adapting, but reliability is only just now improving. Considering cars are on around 6 year product design cycles, I'd be very wary of Mercedes. The new C-class was a big step forward.

[Kagemusha]

I guess that depends on your definition of reliability and old news. The problems were certainly not limited to the 90s.

From 2006:



And 2007:




The problem was that market realities forced Mercedes to shift from building excellent cars and then pricing them accordingly to building cars to a specific price point. It would be as if suddenly BMW tasked the people managing Rolls Royce with building a $16,000 compact car. Chances are it would be awful compared to their more experienced Japanese competitor's models.

As I said, Dr. Z and the company are adapting, but reliability is only just now improving. Considering cars are on around 5 year product cycles, I'd be very wary of Mercedes. The new C-class was a big step forward.

Well it was the new C class i recommended to Reenk.

[PanzerJaeger]

Well it was the new C class i recommended to Reenk.

And I was just answering your question as to why there might not be as much enthusiasm for Mercedes around here.

[Kagemusha]

And I was just answering your question as to why there might not be as much enthusiasm for Mercedes around here.

Well it is not as if Mercedes is the only car label with history. If reliability would be the only thing people look into on cars.We would all be driving toyotas, but do we?

[PanzerJaeger]

Well it is not as if Mercedes is the only car label with history. If reliability would be the only thing people look into on cars.We would all be driving toyotas, but do we?

Oh I totally agree. I think your average Toyonda is the most boring of appliances and I gladly pay a bit more in maintenance to drive something fun.

[Subotan]

And then there are Alphas.

[Vuk]

Well it is not as if Mercedes is the only car label with history. If reliability would be the only thing people look into on cars.We would all be driving toyotas, but do we?

lol, sorry to tell you, but in the most recent study, they say that Ford beat out Honda and Toyota for reliablility and customer satisfaction (and that was before the whole recall incident). It was one of the fancy German companies (Porsche I think) that got the number 1 spot, but Ford was right behind.
Goes to show you, you want a reliable car, buy Ford.

[InsaneApache]

What's all this about beemer drivers being arrogant and conceited! If you plebian car drivers in inferior vehicles only understood that you should shift out of the way, when an obviously superior being, in a superior vehicle hoves into view. Obvius reely. Honestly.