Reliability on pricier cars?

[alimoalem]

i agree, i think mbz belongs at the bottom. i know one person with an ML who hates the car and another one bought i think an '06 brand new a year ago and has had a lot of BAD software issues (car automatically unlocks all doors, pops trunk, and brings down all windows after locking via remote key, etc.). i haven't heard anything like that about an audi before.

 

[feelingshorter]

Originally posted by: Blackjack200

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Reliability breakdown, in general:

Lexus = excellent
Acura = excellent (exception: early 2000's CL)
Porsche = very good
Mercedes, BMW (except the 3-Series), Audi = below average
Jaguar = terrible

Luxury cars cost more largely because they contain extra, more sophisticated equipment (premium sound systems, leather, extra airbags, navigation, TCS, etc). As well, the engines are larger and more refined.

All of these features are only good value, though, if the car is reliable and doesn't cost a small fortune for repairs. I think you get good value for Lexus, Acura and Porsche. For the other marques, you're paying extra for the brand worth - i.e. BMWs have awesome handling and stunning interiors, but for the high price, you should get stronger engines and better reliability.

I mostly agree but...
Lexus= excellent(#1 spot something like 17 of the last 18 years, including a 13th straight showing at #1 this year)
Cadillac=Excellent(Right behind Lexus)
Acura=good(actually pretty below BMW)
BMW=good(actually up there with toyota in jdpower surveys)
Mercedes=below average
Audi=bad
Jaguar=better than you'd think (right there with Acura)
http://www.jdpower.com/corpora...elease.aspx?ID=2007130

Forgot one.

I thought the topic was "luxury cars" not "cars my grandfather would be embarrassed to drive"

As far as i'm concerned, JD powers only test the cars for the first 90 days or so. Any car can last 90 days. I would rather believe consumer reports which rank cars on a longer term than 90 days.

I also agree Jaguar is crap. I've herd such hilarious stories about cars that caught fire in the middle of the road. Or engines that stall on the highway....

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: feelingshorter

Originally posted by: Blackjack200

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
Reliability breakdown, in general:

Lexus = excellent
Acura = excellent (exception: early 2000's CL)
Porsche = very good
Mercedes, BMW (except the 3-Series), Audi = below average
Jaguar = terrible

Luxury cars cost more largely because they contain extra, more sophisticated equipment (premium sound systems, leather, extra airbags, navigation, TCS, etc). As well, the engines are larger and more refined.

All of these features are only good value, though, if the car is reliable and doesn't cost a small fortune for repairs. I think you get good value for Lexus, Acura and Porsche. For the other marques, you're paying extra for the brand worth - i.e. BMWs have awesome handling and stunning interiors, but for the high price, you should get stronger engines and better reliability.

I mostly agree but...
Lexus= excellent(#1 spot something like 17 of the last 18 years, including a 13th straight showing at #1 this year)
Cadillac=Excellent(Right behind Lexus)
Acura=good(actually pretty below BMW)
BMW=good(actually up there with toyota in jdpower surveys)
Mercedes=below average
Audi=bad
Jaguar=better than you'd think (right there with Acura)
http://www.jdpower.com/corpora...elease.aspx?ID=2007130

Forgot one.

I thought the topic was "luxury cars" not "cars my grandfather would be embarrassed to drive"

As far as i'm concerned, JD powers only test the cars for the first 90 days or so. Any car can last 90 days. I would rather believe consumer reports which rank cars on a longer term than 90 days.

I also agree Jaguar is crap. I've herd such hilarious stories about cars that caught fire in the middle of the road. Or engines that stall on the highway....

JD Powers does both an initial quality study (90 days) and a vehicle dependability study (3 years). The link above is latter.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: BouZouki
It's always very small little BS things that go wrong with a Mercedes.

Mercedes builds SOLID cars, period.

After seeing how many parts have fell off cars at the car wash, i've never seen a Mercedes loose anything.

No they don't. All of their ML SUVs have terrible reliability.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: Summitdrinker
I have zero faith in Audi, esp after about 80,000 miles

my 1999 VW passat 1.8T is currently at 127k and my brother's 2002 A4 1.8T is probably over 80k

My 2003 A4 has 90,000 miles on it now, and I'll be happily unloading it the day that my new car arrives. It hasn't had any major problems, but even minor problems like a broken radio or even a broken change tray cost a fortune to have fixed. The prices I was quoted for a timing belt change were insanely high as well.

My advice would be to lease and NOT buy an Audi, and make sure to unload it before the warranty runs out. The resale value also goes to hell as soon as the warranty is gone.