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It's funny I work for Lexus and my past two cas have been American,2002 Corvette Z06 and then a 2006 Cadillac STS,both great cars and very different, the Vette fast and a lot of brute while the Caddy smooth and quite. Now I drive a 2011 E550 and there is no comparison,The E550 can't be touched
Wow! They let you do that?
You must have some Toyota product that you can drive to & from the office without facing the wrath of your colleagues...
Some great responses. Some of you guys have much more experience and have driven many different styles and brands of vehicles.
A co-worker I talk cars with daily just got a 2009 ML63 and he says he can never go back to American. I love my E550 and think I'm going to try and get into a 2013 E550 next year some time. I'm not quite ready to count out another brand just yet, but the overall look, feel, and power of the E550 has made me consider staying with MB long term.
Actually my E300D is joint venture with my Son. Shhhh! Idea is something safe to get him through college. First time MB owner and digging it. Going to get another for myself. Very well built car.
Heres shot of my DD. And yes I love US made Beast's. Especially Diesels.
Last edited by donalloy; Oct 21, 2015 at 09:10 AM.
2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
I have never owned an American luxury car that did not need a new engine or transmission with about 60,000 miles on it. They are pieces of junk. I will never buy another American car as long as I live. Had one with a defect in the bumper with 35 miles on it they fixed it with bondo. They said they were going to replace it and lied. Called GM and they sent God out. He said what they did was fine.. I said who is higher then him so I can complain and he stated he was God and there is no one higher then him. I stopped buying GM cars. But at least I meet GOD
One of my biggest issue with American cars are the dealerships. My local Cadillac dealership also sells Buick and the facility certainly do not look and feel like a luxury car dealership, customer service is also very poor. Although the German dealerships are not as customer oriented as some Japanese brands such as Lexus, they are still miles ahead of the American luxury brand's dealerships.
Funny that you say that. I've never had an American luxury car but my previous 3 DD where all Ford and they treated me like gold. They still call me to wish me Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays blah blah every year. Even after I told them I went European and they don't have to call they said we still will and we'll win you back.
Every time I would re-up on a new car and I didn't like the pricing or whatever, I'd say well I'm going to Toyota or such and such and they'd always meet me half way. Only reason I didn't go straight back to them is no car matched my needs. The closes two are a Fusion which I had already and wanted something new with more power. Next was the Taurus and they look nice but drive like crap and power output doesn't offset it's weight.
FYI - I have 3 kids so a Mustang isn't on the table as my DD and I had an Edge before and didn't want a big SUV so the others wouldn't work for me either.
Last year, I was at a local Ford dealer with a friend of mine shopping for a new SUV. As soon as we walked in, we were swarm by salesmen that would not leave us alone nor let us browse in peace. Not sure about you guys, but that's a big turn off for me. It was a hot summer day. the place did not even have air conditioning. The salesman apologize for the air conditioning being out of order. We decided to test drive the Ford Escape, during the test drive, besides cranking up the air conditioning , we proceeded to ask a few question about the car and the Ford SYNC system. The poor guy did not know anything about the car. In fact, I think I knew more than he did He again apologize and explain to us that this is his first week on the job, he use to be an electrician, and did not receive his Ford training yet. Needless to say, we did not buy the car that day. In fact, that experience was such a turn off and the fact that the local Ford dealer would have been my friend's service dealer since the next Ford is quite a distance away, he ended up buying a Honda CRV.
Last year, I was at a local Ford dealer with a friend of mine shopping for a new SUV. As soon as we walked in, we were swarm by salesmen that would not leave us alone nor let us browse in peace. Not sure about you guys, but that's a big turn off for me. It was a hot summer day. the place did not even have air conditioning. The salesman apologize for the air conditioning being out of order. We decided to test drive the Ford Escape, during the test drive, besides cranking up the air conditioning , we proceeded to ask a few question about the car and the Ford SYNC system. The poor guy did not know anything about the car. In fact, I think I knew more than he did He again apologize and explain to us that this is his first week on the job, he use to be an electrician, and did not receive his Ford training yet. Needless to say, we did not buy the car that day. In fact, that experience was such a turn off and the fact that the local Ford dealer would have been my friend's service dealer since the next Ford is quite a distance away, he ended up buying a Honda CRV.
That sux and Ford Sync sux too lol. It has a few nice things about it like DVR radio for if you get a great set of songs and you want to replay them off Sirius and also the saving artist and it let's you know whenever they come on any station. Only works with Satellite radio though. I wish I had it(DVR and Artist save) now. I wonder if the new MBs have that feature, I know my year doesn't?
I've owned Fiat, Saab, Audi, MB, Ford, Dodge, Mazda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mitsubishi (Plymouth) and Toyota in over 45 years. The Nissans were the most reliable and lowest cost to own. From a B210 to a 300Zx. The Mazda Rx 7 lasted the longest of any, 10 years and 120,000 miles. Replaced clutch once (my doing).
The Fiat 124 Sport Spyder held up remarkably well for the 3 years I owned it.
Wife's current 2014 Nissan Rogue is super nice and rides better and quieter than my E350 with comfort suspension. The Saab 900 Turbo was a real POS as was the Dodge Challenger. Never buy another Chrysler product.
The Ford Taurus lasted 9 years and 112,000 miles until transmission failed on interstate. Was actually negotiating for a new one when it happened so got a Toyota Camry XLE V6 instead-great car.
For reliability and lowest true cost to own, would never go to anything made in Europe. Never have liked Cadillac, Corvette or Chevrolet. Learned to drive on '57 Chevy-not as impressive as its reputation.
All of this said, I still like my "E" for its styling, features and fairly good ride. But for reliability and lowest cost to own, can't beat the Asians. Will spend more for an "A" service on MB than I did in 3 years total for an Asian car.
As for this topic, might want to narrow the parameters. Are we talking luxury, performance, racing, maximum horsepower/torque, initial cost, cost to own over several years or what?
I've owned Fiat, Saab, Audi, MB, Ford, Dodge, Mazda, Nissan, Hyundai, Mitsubishi (Plymouth) and Toyota in over 45 years. The Nissans were the most reliable and lowest cost to own. From a B210 to a 300Zx. The Mazda Rx 7 lasted the longest of any, 10 years and 120,000 miles. Replaced clutch once (my doing).
The Fiat 124 Sport Spyder held up remarkably well for the 3 years I owned it.
Wife's current 2014 Nissan Rogue is super nice and rides better and quieter than my E350 with comfort suspension. The Saab 900 Turbo was a real POS as was the Dodge Challenger. Never buy another Chrysler product.
The Ford Taurus lasted 9 years and 112,000 miles until transmission failed on interstate. Was actually negotiating for a new one when it happened so got a Toyota Camry XLE V6 instead-great car.
For reliability and lowest true cost to own, would never go to anything made in Europe. Never have liked Cadillac, Corvette or Chevrolet. Learned to drive on '57 Chevy-not as impressive as its reputation.
All of this said, I still like my "E" for its styling, features and fairly good ride. But for reliability and lowest cost to own, can't beat the Asians. Will spend more for an "A" service on MB than I did in 3 years total for an Asian car.
As for this topic, might want to narrow the parameters. Are we talking luxury, performance, racing, maximum horsepower/torque, initial cost, cost to own over several years or what?
Just if you like them or not. You can go where ever you want with it though and your post was great. I was expecting more people to say they hate them but it seems to be a split if not more so not hate them. I should've added a poll to really collect the opinions of the board members.
Is that due to personal experience or word of mouth? And what about none sports cars?
I posted earlier none sports cars I've owned. The reason I will never own an American sports car is due to the fact that many who own them get them because they are "fast" and sporty. Many don't have a clue what an AMG is which i find amusing. I rather have a sleeper than to have a two seater uncomfortable red American sports car. Those who own american sports cars in my opinion are buying garbage. Looking forward to the new bronco possibly or the hell hawk jeep grand Cherokee
Before my first W211 I had a Dodge Charger. Good car but obviously it does not come close to the quality of a Benz. I am now on my 2nd W212 and over 6yrs since I last owned an American car.
I have been eyeing the C7 corvette ever since it was announced and I wanted to trade my W212 for one but I just couldn't do it.
So instead of trading I just added a C7 which means that I wont be able to afford the W213 when it is released and I will have to hold on to my W212 until it breaks.
Any way I started with a regular C7 and then 2 months later I decided that I needed 650hp/650tq.
Before my first W211 I had a Dodge Charger. Good car but obviously it does not come close to the quality of a Benz. I am now on my 2nd W212 and over 6yrs since I last owned an American car.
I have been eyeing the C7 corvette ever since it was announced and I wanted to trade my W212 for one but I just couldn't do it.
So instead of trading I just added a C7 which means that I wont be able to afford the W213 when it is released and I will have to hold on to my W212 until it breaks.
Any way I started with a regular C7 and then 2 months later I decided that I needed 650hp/650tq.
Wow that's an amazing car. You're very luck to have 2 great cars. I'll have to wait until atleast 2 of my kids move out before I can have two really nice cars for myself at once. I might get like a 2000 Mustang just to play around with though before they move on to college etc.
I have never owned an American luxury car that did not need a new engine or transmission with about 60,000 miles on it. They are pieces of junk. I will never buy another American car as long as I live. Had one with a defect in the bumper with 35 miles on it they fixed it with bondo. They said they were going to replace it and lied. Called GM and they sent God out. He said what they did was fine.. I said who is higher then him so I can complain and he stated he was God and there is no one higher then him. I stopped buying GM cars. But at least I meet GOD
if "replies" were in the olympics....this would get gold! you just made my day!
I am on an MB forum. I have never participated in a Ford, GM or Chrysler forum. Never felt the need to learn anthing about the experience of their owners because I simply don't care. I don't think I have even been to any of their websites.
So no. I think there is no comparison in anything the US has to offer. I wish I did not have to say that.
In my experience, American cars are fine if you don't plan to keep them more than four years. In 2008, I needed a critical part for my 2000 Corvette and GM said it was no longer available. I finally found the part at a Canadian junk yard, but otherwise, it would have been unusable and unsellable.
I still have a Dodge Pickup and even though I take great care of it, it breaks a lot (electrical problems).
I have had fair luck with Fords over the years, and they are the only American manufacturers I'd consider, partially because of quality/value, and partially because they didn't need a bailout.
I bought my first MB, a 2014 E250 because when I baby a car, I expect it to reward me with reliability and longevity. This is the MB reputation and we'll see if it pans out.
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