I just bought a Mercedes

Personally, I think Lexus make fantastic cars in nearly all respects and have given the Euro luxury makers a bit of a kick up the arse in terms of redifining luxury and reliabilty. The only things that would stop me buying one is the huge depreciation as soon as they leave the lot and they look like any other Toyota

Bleeeeargh!:

Based on the experience of fleet drivers in our company it is very important that a Mercedes looks better than a Lexus or a Toyota as you will spend an amount of time looking at the Mercedes in the garage while half the car is being removed to replace a single light element.

Ha, ha Yeti!
My boyfriend, who is a designer at BMW, says they bring in cars from other companies (Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, etc) and he says they all stood around laughing at the quality of the car (in terms of the body). On the other hand, he hated my Lexus but cannot say enough good things about the Infiniti. He said his next luxury car may be an Infiniti because of the reliability.

I told him that the reason Americans don't buy that many BMWs, Audis or Mercedes (compared to Japanese cars) is that America is a car-driving culture - We NEED a reliable car to get around. And sorry, the German cars are just not reliable.

Off topic, sort of.

I've never owned a car for very long so I have no longterm experience in that area but BMW seem to build serious motorbikes. 3 year old bike, daily use except for deepest winter, no problems except for the dodgy battery that was in it when I bought it.

Ideal for a mechanical disaster area like myself, I just check the oil, keep the petrol tank filled and point it in the right direction.

The secret to reliability is simplicity. Like my old Vauxhall Viva. But customers would rather have all the flashing lights and mod cons than reliability. (An ADAC card kind of replaces reliability in a way) Gives us jobs though I guess

Well the bike actually has a bunch of complicated stuff on it or in it. Shaft drive, fuel injection, ABS. enough so I'm not tempted (well I am really, just can't afford my mistakes) to screw off the covers, dismantle bits and wonder why I have two screws, a wire and a spring left over when I reassemble it.

Simplicity, strength and stability. Mercedes seem to have gone the super complicated route without the necessary quality. Bits of the cars fail and nobody knows what went wrong so complete sections are being replaced. A taxi driver friend is going to replace his new Mercedes with either a Toyota or an older Mercedes. Just don't get him started on reliabilty.

For pure Preis-Leistungsverhältnis I say you can't beat Skoda. The new Superb and Oktavia are pure class

While in the US a while back on business I abused the company's car policy and rented a Cadillac Deville (because it was the only one available with navigation system, important around Washington DC...) and it was like driving a water bed. And the last time I saw a digital speedometer was on Knight Rider. The damn thing wouldn't even go round bends smoothly. I'm not exactly Michael Schumacher but I can point a car round a sodding bend, FFS.

If this is what our cousins across the pond call a luxury car then Benz and BMW don't have too much to worry about. I took it back and got a Volvo instead...

Its not suprising that Lexus look like, feel like and have the same build quality as a Toyota as they are built in the Toyota factories and only have a "Lexus" badge stuck on them at the port. In Japan, they have only just started selling them as a "Lexus" as they were just sold as a straight "Toyota" in Japan.

When you look at the American car quality in general, Lexus (Toyota)would be a luxury brand. They are very reliable, true, but wait until they have 100k on the clock and you will find that they feel very "baggy" both mechanically and in their general "feeling"

MB, I am afraid that your friend is waffling to you, he cannot afford a decent Mercedes so he opted for a Lexus (Toyota) to get more bang for his bucks. There is nothing wrong with that except for in him not admitting it.

Yup, I had the joy of using a variety of Yank tanks when living in the US, my conclusion is that American cars and corners do not mix.
Also, I believe they forgot to read the part about build quality in the "how to build a car" manual.

Edit - Loooooove the muscle cars of years past...fantastic so they are

Clarkson is a very bitter man - he hates BMWs too. He recently compared the 5 series' headlights to Dame Edna glasses!?

[img]http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/barryhumphries/images/DameEdna4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.bsmotoring.com/walpprs/2004bmw5-series/5.jpg[/img]

I can see where he's coming from as I thought something similar...but have to admit the 5 series has really grown on me and made the previous model look somewhat dated.

Clarkson knows his audience, you don't watch his show to get the bore to dongle ratio and viscosity tests on southern Armenian engine oil. You watch it to hear him ripping the arse out of some car (IMHO). He gets paid for it too , lucky sod.

Exactly. Anyone that buys a jet aircraft and puts it in his garden whilst wifey is away for the weekend is alright in my book.

I like cars in black.

Just had this sent to me. i thought it was quite apt.

Tiger Woods drives his BMW into a petrol station in a remote part of the Irish countryside.

The pump attendant, who obviously knows nothing about golf, greets him in a typical Irish manner completely unaware of who the golfing professional is.
"Top of the mornin' to yer sir", says the attendant.
Tiger nods a quick "hello" and bends forward to pick up the nozzle. As he does so, two golf tees fall out of his shirt pocket onto the ground.
"What are those?" asks the attendant.
�They're called tees" replies Tiger.
"Well what on God's earth are dey for?" inquires the Irishman.
"They're for resting my balls on when I'm driving" says Tiger.
"Fook me" says the Irishman, "BMW thinks of everything"

Just curious, what do people think of the BMW M3?

Love them, I dibbs the M3CSL

I like it. it looks menacing.

@Brock

I guess you missed "Top Gear" on BBC TV. They have a sticker wall and rate each car for "cool", "not cool", and "sub-zero".

Regretfully they considered the new 3-series so dull they dropped the sticker on the floor, and could not be bothered to pick it up and put it anywhere on the board.

If you are talking abut the Cabrio - it is gorgeous. One of the most beautifully styled cars that BMW has ever come out with.

If you're talking about the engine, well, I don't know much about that except that it is faster than a 330.
(set mental reminder to ask boyfriend to see picture of new 3 cabrio)

This is not the new series tho. I agree on the latest series in terms of fugly & bland...but I also thought that of the 5 when it came out but I slowly came round to it.

What you have to realize about the BMW stylists (do not confuse them with the designers who actually turn the stylist's visions into reality) is that they are trying to design something that will be the wave of the future. The 'new' 3 series was styled over 3 years ago. And, the designers (like my boyfriend) were all Poo-pooing the new 5 and the 7 when it came out saying it's ugly, blah, blah, blah. But, now, a couple of years later, when you look at the old 5 and 7, they just look dated - sure they were beautiful cars for their time, but that time is over. The stylists have a lot of pressure put on them to create something that people are going to love. I wouldn't want to be one.

Shit, I missed that episode! Doesn't sound good for the 2005, but this is the 2002, seen Timmeh's comment.


I haven't seen the CSL in a cabrio though. Are they even available? I did catch the top gear episode when they test drove the M3CSL on the island of man and he was kicking some ass with it! The car doesn't even come available with air conditioning, though... Guess not needed when they're targeting hard-core users with this model. Leave the family mover to the soccer moms and use this one to hit the golf course with the lads!


Correct! This is a 2002!

The CSL doesn't come as a drop top...for good reasons. If I were to buy a hi-performance shaggin wagon, I'd definitely choose hard top so torsional rigidity isn't lost as is with the cabrio

Oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?

Oh lord, won’t you buy me a color tv ?
Dialing for dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh lord, won’t you buy me a color tv ?

Oh lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
I’m counting on you, lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?

That’s it!
Janis Joplin

Clarkson went down in my estimation when he reviewed the M5.
Although he ultimately loved the guy he spent the first half of the review ripping to shreds the "IDrive" and SatNav.
The problem with the car at this point is commonly refered to as "Shit on the drivers seat" He was too stupid and old to deal with the technology
I have the 525i Tourer and it is FANTASTIC.

I was also a bit surprised at how he ripped into it...I recently drove a 2005 5 series and thought all the gadgetry was simple to use and really handy.
I think it's more to do with the fact that it's the performance model and he just wants it to go fast and not worry about all the techno-bollocks. He loved it after he found that "m" button and couldn't stop ranting about it's brilliance

Rus, why did you choose the 5 series over the 3? I'm in the market for a car and haven't really decided btw touring, sedan or even cabrio. I'd like to hear your input if you have some time, you can PM if you and others prefer...

I went for the 5 series for 2 reasons

1. It is much larger than the 3 Series Tourer
2. The new 3 Series Tourer is not released until September in UK and I didnt want to have the "Older" Model

Clarkson is an idiot he even critized the SMG(F1-like gear box) on the m3 and the 360 modena on some of his reviews. Just because he can't use the SMG does not mean that it is "rubish"(his word)


I love it! it's a very excelent car for the track and an ok daily car. I miss my m3, sold it last year before I got married it was the best track car that I could afford so far.

Here's a pic from one of my last track events