sj993 Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 You may have a point there but I will still like German cars nonetheless. I just love Porsche's... except the new Cayenne. Porsche and an SUV...they just don't mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 I don't know...like politics, choosing a car today is also a touchy subject. Everyone here makes valid points (regardless to what others may think)...buy American; support the UAW; but Hondas and Toyotas are made in the USA by Americans, but the $$ go to their headquarters in Tokyo; European makes are the best; but they also break down (Jaguar and VW come to mind, but so have M-B and BMW), don't buy Japanese or German automobiles for what happened over 50 years ago, etc., etc. Fact of the matter is, all automobile manufacturers are prone to producing a lemon. Granted, it's a fact that alot of European and Japanese manufacturers do build a solid, reliable car (not always, but most of the time). America once did too, then in the late '50's all through the '70's, American cars steadily began to decline in reliability and resale value (and some were just plain junk). Nowadays, Ford, GM, and D-C have done a fairly good job in catching up with the rest of the world in providing safe, yet fun-to-drive cars (American trucks are still the best in my opinion). They still have a ways to go, but they have improved tremendously. And talk about improving, take a look at Hyundai Motor Company in Seoul, for example...their lil' '86 Excel was the biggest piece of crap on the market (Yugos and Le Cars were better). In the mid '90's, the Scoup showed the world that they were beginning to listen to their customers, but they still had reliability issues! Now in the 21st Century, Accents are used by the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team, and Elantras and Tiburons used by the Hyundai Rally Team USA, and all are winning events throughout the world! The new Sonata and the XG350 are just about as reliable as an Accord or Camry (the XG350 equalled the Lexus with its 5 MPH bumper test), and their 10 year/100,000 mile warranty is considered one of the best in the industry! I'm no spokesman for Hyundai...I don't even own one, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Hyundai has finally joined the ranks with other leading auto manufacturers in building safe and durable cars. Maybe my opinions are somewhat biased; my brother owned a Mazda RX7, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Pontiac Trans Am GTA, and a Nissan 200SX SE-R. All these cars were new and alot of fun to drive, but every single one of them had major mechanical failure and were unreliable! He now owns a 2002 Hyundai Sonata GLS fully loaded, and hasn't had a single problem yet; it's performance is supurb! All in all, it's just my opinion. Getting back to the issue at hand, both Mercedes-Benz and BMW build fantastic cars. I've noticed that the M-B are a bit more refined and polished, but still fast and fun to drive. The BMW on the other hand may not be as suave or smooth, but is even more fun to drive! If I want the ultimate in luxury with performance, I'd pick the Benz as the better car. If I want "the ultimate driving machine" with a little less ponasch, I'd pick the Bimmer. So in conclusion, I'd pick them both! And depending on how I feel on any particular day, I'd drive either one or the other. IMHO, I don't think one is better over the other...they just have different personalities, like me with my different mood swings. But I can change my mood; the cars can't. Does any of this make any sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Yes that makes perfect sense! Why not have the best of both worlds? A Benz and a Bimmer. Sigh...if only I could afford that dream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 sj993, I wish I could afford that dream, too. But I can't, so I drive a '98 Ford Contour SE (it wasn't my choice, it was my dad's car...my old car crapped out, so my dad bought a new car and let me take over the payments on this one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 ---------------- On 12/30/2002 10:29:31 PM TBrennan wrote: Barrier---Buicks and Caddys are very nice cars but evidently carry old-fashioned baggage. In other words in a Buick or Caddy you look like a regular guy with money; American style cool. Many think it's better to look like a EuroDork than be cool in the old American manner. In other words these people think a smarmy Julio Eglesias (SP?) is cooler than Elvis. Many Americans have evidently lost faith in their own culture and are unable to understand the "cool" factor of a black Northstar ElDorado or a Crown Vic Sport Package. I feel sorry for them. ---------------- Nobody is cooler than Elvis!!! Right now I'm about 47,000 miles into a 2000 Ford Ranger XLT extended cab. It has a 3 litre V6 and an automatic transmission. After two years of driving this truck I have nothing to complain about. The only things I've changed on it are the oil, transmission fluid at 40,000 and I replaced the Firestone tires with some nice Goodyear tires. This truck is by no means a sports car but it still is fast enough to feel quite confident on the highway. Another american small pickup i liked was the 1986 GMC S15 my dad used to have, he went for about 48,000 miles without an oil change. The funny thing is, the longer he went without an oil change the better gas milage he got. He was up to almost 30mpg when he donated that truck to charity. Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Josh----I like American stuff; Ford cars, Fender basses, Rogers drums, Ampeg amps, Altec, JBL, Klipsch. Call me old-fashioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Ah yes Fender basses, Here is a pic of mine I took on the back porch, http://bellsouthpwp.net/I/n/Invidiosulus/images/gallery/josh'sfender.jpg I like Ampegs ok but the amp I use is a Gallien-Krueger(also an american company). Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 The contour isn't a bad car, there are worse cars out there to have. I wonder how long Mercury will last or if Ford will give it the axe much like GM is doing with Oldsmobile. I mean with just 1 new car, that being the Marauder which in all honesty is a Crown Vic how long can Mercury last? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 True, the Contour has been a good car, but I drive 100 miles a day to my job and back, and so my cars end up wearing out earlier than most. After 50,000 miles, the ABS system died, and after 93,000 miles, the tranny gave up the ghost (and I always maintain my cars religiously with their scheduled services). Right now, I'm up to 123,000 miles, and it's still going strong (and as well it should; I'm leaving for work again in a half hour...I hate working on Sundays). That's a good question...with no real idependant models (did Mercury do away with the Cougar yet?), they're nothing but a Ford clone. Like Plymouth, if Ford Motor Corp. can't do anything to reguvenate Mercury's lineup, then they should ditch it completely and concentrate on improving their own models (at least Lincoln is starting to come back from the dead). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Eh, yes working on Sunday's would suck. Yeah the Cougar is offically off the shelf. The only ones left are the ones sitting in dealer parking lots with "reduced" stickers on them. Unless they come up with some new, successful models I don't see Mercury being around more than a few years at most. Lincoln on the other hand is at least a little better though the Aviator is a miniature clone of the Navigator it's still a good vehicle. I would probably a Lincoln/Mercury as opposed to a Ford counterpart simply cause the quality is better with Lincoln/Mercury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 I have test driven MB and BMW and I chose Lexus. I have two of them (GS300 and ES300) after owning 3 Honda Accords. Once you get used to Japanese reliablity and engineering it's hard to do something different. These card are not for people that like to take corners at 90 mph, but I don't anyway. I really like cruising down the road listening to the Lexus Premium sound system (not bad for car audio) - The car is quiet enough to enjoy it - And they are flawless as far as problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Lexus/Toyota are excellent cars but they are too luxury oriented for me. I prefer a good mix of luxury and sportiness which BMW excels at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted January 9, 2003 Author Share Posted January 9, 2003 Have you guys seen the new Mercedes-Benz S600? What an amazing engine it has! Its got the brand new Mercedes-Benz V12 bi-turbo engine that outputs 500hp and accelerates the car from 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds! WOW! That is VERY fast for such a big car! That is faster than the BMW M3, M5, and 760Li! GEEZ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 BTW ears I would go with the Lada...get the Niva (the 4X4)...had one about 7 years back in El Salvador and it never failed me. Mercedes versus BMW? durability has to go to mercedes, in the third world you get to see which lives longer and stands up to less than perfect roads and Mercedes is the king of the hill. I bought a Chevy Van two years back and it rattled like a child's well...rattle after six months...My BMW is sportier (I have a 330i and loved it) but I spend more time in my Pathfinder due to longevity issues here. BTW my driver uses a 1975 Mercedes 450SEL to run errands, which continues to run strong and is rattle free after...27 years! which is better? depends on what are you looking for. warm regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj993 Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 That is pretty impressive that it will do 0-100 (0-62MPH) in 4.8 sec considering an M5 and M3 SMG will do 100 in 4.8. Of course for 120K it should! Still for 120K I would rather have a sports car than a big Mercedes sedan. Even with all that power it is still a sedan, not a sport sedan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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