For those that have bought a luxury car before, what steered you that direction over a fully loaded Toyota or Ford for example?

- Certain amenities?
- Better materials in and out?
- Better fit and finish?
- Styling?
- The prestige?
- More reliable?

Full disclosure, we're casually looking at cars (don't plan to buy for another year or two), but the luxury brands have entered the conversation vs getting a fully loaded "regular" brand. We want nice materials and longevity i.e. we wouldn't be leasing.

Curious at why people have gone one way or the other?

My driver says that the Phantom just feels better than a Camry but idk.

They don't put twin turbo V12s in Taurii .

I really liked the leather in my Caldillac ATS-V, and the blue color is stunning. Overall good materials and nice infotainment system. Also like the ventilated seats.

For some strange reason when you order it with the V-8 LT1 option they stick a Chevrolet badge on it and call it a Camaro. But I was cool with that to get the 6.2L

TSW2012 said:

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My driver says that the Phantom just feels better than a Camry but idk.

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All us plebs have to drive ourselves in a LOLpoor ghost...sigh.

Multiple MB GL and GLS owner. For me the price isn't much more than a loaded Expedition and the fit and finish and the "feel" was much better. The dealer also treats me well on any warranty work. I do most of the maintenance myself, dealers like to charge obscene amounts for simple tune ups/breaks/etc. When you get the plastic cover off it's just an engine that needs a $10 wrench/tool from amazon to complete the job.

I don't like all the bling on the new ones, one example is my mirrors have a MB logo shining on the ground at night, excessive in my opinion. There are enough brand recognition logos on the vehicle already.

It depends on the brand you are referring to. I've had a Land Rover and while not the POS people on the board will make you think it is it certainly had some electrical gremlins that put it on par with lower priced brands.

Right now I have a wrangler, f-350 and a Porsche and my wife drives a Yukon Denali so it spans the spectrum. The Porsche by far is the best car we have and that I have ever owned. That car is rock solid. The dual clutch PDK transmission is amazing. I've had the car a little over four years and nothing goes wrong with it. You change the oil, rotate tires and keep up with maintenance. That's it.

I live in the mountains at 7000 feet and run summer/winter tires on it. I've taken the winter performance driving classes where you race on ice and then tried to do the maneuvers leaving the computer features (ABS, traction control, etc) on and can't get it to slide. The computer is so fast compensating. That's not the case with other cars.

My wife's Yukon is super nice but has lots of random issues. My Jeep is a 2010 and all I do it change the oil and rotate the tires once a year and it's golden (to be fair I only put about 3k miles/year on that and it's city driving/trails.

So the answer to your question is it depends. There are some luxury brands not worth it and others that absolutely are better.

Is this from experience or just a broad generalization?

I don't want this thread to go 100% into reliability discussions unless that's why people were swayed one way or the other from my initial question.

Given that list, what are you in now? Did you walk away from the luxury brands or do you lease to keep within warranty period?

What initially made you go luxury brand over loaded regular brand?

Have a Genesis. One of the best warranties in the automotive business if not the best. The 5.0 V8 puts out 420 HP and with the 8 speed transmission it is deceptively quick. Mine is fully loaded minus the premium sound system. Listen to talk radio most of the time so that's not a big deal for me. Info system is easy to use and in my long life is w/o a doubt the most comfortable car I've owned.
The only downside for me is their tier packaged "Bluelink" app. I don't particularly care to pay a yearly fee for items I believe should be standard, like remote start and cabin temperature control, on a $50,000 vehicle.

I always buy the extended factory warranty, paid for itself many times over. Acts simply like a new car warranty. After seeing the repair bills zeroed out after fixes, I could never own a nice car out of warranty.

Dealers will negotiate the price down if you speak to F&I guy. I look to keep the vehicles around 7 years which ends up around 90k miles on average.

If you're looking at a coupe or sedan and considering luxury for domestic brands, there is a difference in philosophy. In Europe the roads are narrower, parking spaces tighter, and gasoline is much more expensive. The Germans pride themselves on their engineering and are forced to innovate to provide cars that handle precisely, and cruise comfortably at triple digit speeds on the autobahn. Added complexity for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency through the use of things like turbochargers contribute to more expensive maintenance and more trips to the mechanic.

Most importantly are the $$. Until the recent rise of the SUV, coupes and sedans were the mainstay of foreign luxury brands. Here in the states, trucks are and have been the best selling vehicles, and our automakers produce the best in the world. If you look at a top level ford or chevy pickup and the associated price tag, there might as well be a benz or bimmer badge on the front, especially now that the ecoboost technology is bringing the power, efficiency*, and reliability issues of added engine complexity associated with foreign luxury brands.

Free loaner cars when your car is in for service. Better treatment at the dealer for service in general.

Honestly how often is the car in the shop that the cost of a rental (if needed) to justify a major price difference of the actual car purchase?

Alte Schule said:

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Have a Genesis. One of the best warranties in the automotive business if not the best. The 5.0 V8 puts out 420 HP and with the 8 speed transmission it is deceptively quick. Mine is fully loaded minus the premium sound system. Listen to talk radio most of the time so that's not a big deal for me. Info system is easy to use and in my long life is w/o a doubt the most comfortable car I've owned.
The only downside for me is their tier packaged "Bluelink" app. I don't particularly care to pay a yearly fee for items I believe should be standard, like remote start and cabin temperature control, on a $50,000 vehicle.

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I drove a G90 last week and was very impressed. Curious if you have a salesman you would recommend.

Fairview said:

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The Porsche by far is the best car we have and that I have ever owned. That car is rock solid. The dual clutch PDK transmission is amazing. I've had the car a little over four years and nothing goes wrong with it. You change the oil, rotate tires and keep up with maintenance. That's it.

I live in the mountains at 7000 feet and run summer/winter tires on it. I've taken the winter performance driving classes where you race on ice and then tried to do the maneuvers leaving the computer features (ABS, traction control, etc) on and can't get it to slide. The computer is so fast compensating. That's not the case with other cars.

My wife's Yukon is super nice but has lots of random issues. My Jeep is a 2010 and all I do it change the oil and rotate the tires once a year and it's golden (to be fair I only put about 3k miles/year on that and it's city driving/trails.

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What kind of Porsche? Year? I take it you would recommend one...

Now that's the kind of info I was digging for!

Rough experience for sure.

Genesis!

Also they include blue link now

Also curious to read other people's thoughts on the G90...

Own mb and bmw. Love them. And love the technology and performance.

Untimed Down said:

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Alte Schule said:

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Have a Genesis. One of the best warranties in the automotive business if not the best. The 5.0 V8 puts out 420 HP and with the 8 speed transmission it is deceptively quick. Mine is fully loaded minus the premium sound system. Listen to talk radio most of the time so that's not a big deal for me. Info system is easy to use and in my long life is w/o a doubt the most comfortable car I've owned.
The only downside for me is their tier packaged "Bluelink" app. I don't particularly care to pay a yearly fee for items I believe should be standard, like remote start and cabin temperature control, on a $50,000 vehicle.

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I drove a G90 last week and was very impressed. Curious if you have a salesman you would recommend.

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Wish I could but the place I bought mine no longer carry's the Genesis line.

I had an A4 years ago that was always in the shop and I sold it just before the warranty expired.

My wife's on her 3rd Infiniti and they've been great, other than depreciation.

I want a GX and those don't seem to depreciate as much.

ktownag08 said:

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For those that have bought a luxury car before, what steered you that direction over a fully loaded Toyota or Ford for example?

YES - Certain amenities?
YES - Better materials in and out?
YES - Better fit and finish?
YES - Styling?
YES - The prestige?
- More reliable? HA! No. German luxury vehicles are not reliable (porsche is better than others b/c they aren't all that luxurious & are easier to DIY.) British and Italian are WORSE. For reliable, long term, luxury look at high end Japanese.

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JSKolache said:

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ktownag08 said:

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For those that have bought a luxury car before, what steered you that direction over a fully loaded Toyota or Ford for example?

YES - Certain amenities?
YES - Better materials in and out?
YES - Better fit and finish?
YES - Styling?
YES - The prestige?
- More reliable? HA! No. German luxury vehicles are not reliable (porsche is better than others b/c they aren't all that luxurious & are easier to DIY.) British and Italian are WORSE. For reliable, long term, luxury look at high end Japanese.

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This helps. I'm in the market for a mid-size sedan, so I'm looking at the Camry, the Accord, etc. Husband suggested I look at other brands as well.

I looked up and "built" about 11 cars online. I needed to narrow that down, so we're going and looking at them, sitting in them, seeing how the feels are. I'll narrow it down to 4 (well maybe 5) to drive.

My top 5 so far - sort of in order
1. Lexus 350
2. Audi A5 (what they had in the showroom. I *think* I ought to be looking at the A4, but this was a beautiful car. I really like the virtual cockpit. a negative is what I hear about reliability)
3. Buick Lacrosse Avenir
4 Honda Accord
5 Toyota Camry (though to be fair, the showroom car was black with red leather which totally grossed me out.)

Dropped off the list...
Infinity Q50. (I felt like my knees were hitting the steering wheel) (and when I asked about safety features, the intern salesman looked confused. I tried to prompt him with "airbags...." he smiled and said "oh yes, they have them.)

Mazda 6 (Seats were like plywood and I felt like I was in a very small cave.)

It's hard. This is the first car that I can really get what I want. All of these are within my budget, but I want to know that I'm getting quality for what I'm spending.

Quote:

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Honestly how often is the car in the shop that the cost of a rental (if needed) to justify a major price difference of the actual car purchase?

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With Acura, every time I got an oil change, scheduled maintenance or a warranty issue, they gave me an Acura to drive. Waiting at a Nissan, Honda, or Toyota dealership sucks, especially when they are big volume stores. That, by itself, doesn't make up for the cost, but factored in to the other items, it becomes more compelling. That being said, we just bought a new Honda Pilot Elite instead of an MDX , so your mileage may vary

Thanks for reminding me about Genesis. Their cars are intriguing so looking forward to seeing the GV80 and 90 SUVs that are coming out in the next couple of years. I've seen some of the cars driving around the hood, and they always catch my attention.

I also like the look of the new Lincoln's (Navigator and Continental), but we'll see how they evolve.

Seems like the luxury cars check all the boxes for people except long term reliability which does suck, but that could push towards a lease I suppose.

Try the Q60?

Have you driven a 3 series? We were in a similar predicament a few years ago looking for a sedan for my wife.

Going in, she had them in this order:
Lexus IS - she really wanted this car
Audi A4
Infiniti G Q whatever their numbering scheme is
BMW - she was reluctant to even drive one

We test drove the Lexus and Audi back to back. The Lexus felt boring (wasn't an f sport), and the audi felt a little cheaper even though it was pricier.

Sat in the infinity and she wasn't a fan. Didn't end up driving one.

After a reluctantly agreeing to drive the BMW... One freeway on ramp and underpass loop later my wife was sold. If you've never driven one, add it to your test drive list.


And for the OP... One thing you didn't have on your list - fun. I owned a loaded out camry (grandparent hand me down). It was comfortable, reliable, and DULL. Sportier luxury cars that handle well, can make you smile like a toastermobile probably never will. Porche probably wins that category across their entire lineup, bmw isn't what they used to be as far as number of fun to drive models but they still have a few gems (like the 235).

TxElsie said:

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JSKolache said:

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ktownag08 said:

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For those that have bought a luxury car before, what steered you that direction over a fully loaded Toyota or Ford for example?

YES - Certain amenities?
YES - Better materials in and out?
YES - Better fit and finish?
YES - Styling?
YES - The prestige?
- More reliable? HA! No. German luxury vehicles are not reliable (porsche is better than others b/c they aren't all that luxurious & are easier to DIY.) British and Italian are WORSE. For reliable, long term, luxury look at high end Japanese.

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This helps. I'm in the market for a mid-size sedan, so I'm looking at the Camry, the Accord, etc. Husband suggested I look at other brands as well.

I looked up and "built" about 11 cars online. I needed to narrow that down, so we're going and looking at them, sitting in them, seeing how the feels are. I'll narrow it down to 4 (well maybe 5) to drive.

My top 5 so far - sort of in order
1. Lexus 350
2. Audi A5 (what they had in the showroom. I *think* I ought to be looking at the A4, but this was a beautiful car. I really like the virtual cockpit. a negative is what I hear about reliability)
3. Buick Lacrosse Avenir
4 Honda Accord
5 Toyota Camry (though to be fair, the showroom car was black with red leather which totally grossed me out.)

Dropped off the list...
Infinity Q50. (I felt like my knees were hitting the steering wheel) (and when I asked about safety features, the intern salesman looked confused. I tried to prompt him with "airbags...." he smiled and said "oh yes, they have them.)

Mazda 6 (Seats were like plywood and I felt like I was in a very small cave.)

It's hard. This is the first car that I can really get what I want. All of these are within my budget, but I want to know that I'm getting quality for what I'm spending.

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If you can get a Lexus GS350 do it. RWD with a bulletproof normally aspirated V6.

Sort of in the same boat as the OP.

Leary of BMW/Audi maintenance costs down the road as I tend to keep my cars a long time (currently own a 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2009 MY autos). Everyone I talked to that owned BMW's out of warranty all agreed the costs to fix stuff is ridiculous. Even with the DIY projects, the parts are 2x the cost of anything else. Had a 2006 Audi A4 for 24-months and replaced a few small parts on it and it was crazy expensive for stuff vs the Honda's I was used too.

Really like the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe, but when you look at the features vs cost, they are $10K more than a Lexus IS350 F-Sport or Acura TLX A-Spec. Same with the C-Class Mercedes.

A good friend has been a Lexus mechanic for 20+ years and says these days all they do is change oil, tires, and batteries. Hardly have 'big' problems come through the door. The entire Lexus line up is rock solid and will easily go 150K+ miles with little to no troubles.

Lexus will eat up rubber suspension components - tie rod bushings, ball joints, etc.

Rubber and plastic seals, gaskets, etc, all last about 150k as well

Otherwise, I agree they are very reliable.