08' Mercedes C-Class v.s. '08 Infiniti G35 Sedan

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Buster

Neither. Both have issues and getting them fixed are insanely expensive.

My boss has a newer Mercedes and it is ALWAYS in the shop. I've known people with Infinitis who get screwed on repairs and maintenance too, plus a lot of the G-35s have a starting issue. Even simple things like headlight bulbs need to be sold with some KY on these cars.

I'd go for a Chrysler 300 or a Cadillac STS. They're be easier and cheaper to own and maintain, give you comparable or better reliability, cost less at purchase and in the long run while still giving you good performance (and an aftermarket to improve performance) and in my opinion, they look a lot better too.

Even if the transmission goes out in the Chrysler, which is bound to happen eventually, you'll still have more money than if you had to get a brakejob on one of the other cars.

LOL! Yeah buy American you will be really happy.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Buster

Neither. Both have issues and getting them fixed are insanely expensive.

My boss has a newer Mercedes and it is ALWAYS in the shop. I've known people with Infinitis who get screwed on repairs and maintenance too, plus a lot of the G-35s have a starting issue. Even simple things like headlight bulbs need to be sold with some KY on these cars.

I'd go for a Chrysler 300 or a Cadillac STS. They're be easier and cheaper to own and maintain, give you comparable or better reliability, cost less at purchase and in the long run while still giving you good performance (and an aftermarket to improve performance) and in my opinion, they look a lot better too.

Even if the transmission goes out in the Chrysler, which is bound to happen eventually, you'll still have more money than if you had to get a brakejob on one of the other cars.

What are the resells on them? To me what a car costs up front doesn't matter as much as what it costs compared to the resell I'll probably get. I have bought 1 year old BMW 3s in the mid 20's and resold them 3 years later for 20-21. Any other car I bought would have depreciated just as much and probably more. Can't ague about repair costs though. They do run high. That's the main reason I'd avoid the Mercedes. They are rife with issues right now. I can't speak to the Infiniti other than to say I have never heard they have serious issues but I do know that BMW3s have little in the way of issues. Never had to have one worked on myself either.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

What are the resells on them? To me what a car costs up front doesn't matter as much as what it costs compared to the resell I'll probably get.

Resell doesn't matter to me, I keep cars for a LONG time.

[EternalEnigma21]

Originally Posted by Buster

Resell doesn't matter to me, I keep cars for a LONG time.

even if the resale doesnt matter, the reasons for the increased values are based on perception, and that perception is based on the service life of the vehicle. People still pay good money for a toyota with 100k on it, because as a rule they will last for another 100k if properly maintained with little maintenance. Most domestics are deemed disposable after 100k. I know of cases where domestics have lasted 500k+ miles, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

[Daseal]

Ive heard nothing but great things from G35 owners. Personally, I don't buy American car companies. They're light years behind European and Japanese manufacturers.

Use sites as consumer reports, etc to help you get a knowledge base. Go out and test drive all the cars you're interested in. Find what fits your driving schedule. Best way to know it is try. Friend of mine just bought an '06 ES 350 Lexus with 16K. The car is awesome.

[EternalEnigma21]

there were alot of people attesting to the german engineering thing when it came to performance luxury cars that were absolutely floored when they rode in my infiniti. the car had it all... and I drove it from 47 miles to 78000 and never fixed anything... I didn't have to change the tires until I sold it, and I was hard on that car.

the brakes are amazing on it, as well...

I'm not sure of the new numbers, but when I bought mine (2003) a Corvette Z06 would go 60-0 in 108ft. the g35 sedan would go 60-0 in 111ft.

the only other car I would consider is a Lexus is350, but they're around 10k more than the infiniti.

[Daseal]

A lot of a luxury car, to me, depends on how much you drive. if you're in your car a lot, it's worth it to have a car that's extremely comfortable.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Daseal

A lot of a luxury car, to me, depends on how much you drive. if you're in your car a lot, it's worth it to have a car that's extremely comfortable.

Very true but there are plenty of luxury cars that can be had for under $30,000 that give you more bang for the buck than the expensive brand names.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Very true but there are plenty of luxury cars that can be had for under $30,000 that give you more bang for the buck than the expensive brand names.

Hell, you can get an extremely comfortable car if you just get something like a Honda Accord and trick it out with all the trimmings, the leather seats and the tinted windows, the sun roof, the nice wheels, whatever floats your boat.

Or if you want real cushy and roomy, hit up the Toyota Avalon, if comfort truly is what you're after.

There's comfort, and then there's comfort w/ a name.

[Daseal]

Toyota Avalons aren't really cheap, Schneed. They are very nice cars.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Toyota Avalons aren't really cheap, Schneed. They are very nice cars.

My coworker with one has had nothing but problems with her "$40,000 2006 Toyota Avalon Limited" (how she always speaks of it).

Window problems, a noise in the interior, a little jerk in the ATX shifting, $500 for the FIRST inspection WITH NO REPAIRS, just their rate...

But, the bad design of the engine that places the air intake on the bottom of the engine instead of the top like every other car nearly killed the car. She went through a puddle on a rainy day and the engine shut off immediately and would not restart. Toyota placed a sensor that will shut the engine down and won't allow it to be started again until reset by a dealer for a big invoice if water gets into the engine. Well, they tore the engine down and 4 of the 6 cylinders were full of water and the block had some too. She sat there and watched every other car drive by without a problem, so it wasn't so much the weather conditions causing problems, it was the major design flaw in the Toyota engine. They put the car back together but she wants to get rid of it before it hits 40K miles because she doesn't trust it and the dealership said they can't guarantee the engine will last after it's "flood" caused by the intake being installed like a wet-dry vac.

She's considering getting rid of it for a new Taurus. Good idea.

[EternalEnigma21]

Originally Posted by Buster

My coworker with one has had nothing but problems with her "$40,000 2006 Toyota Avalon Limited" (how she always speaks of it).

Window problems, a noise in the interior, a little jerk in the ATX shifting, $500 for the FIRST inspection WITH NO REPAIRS, just their rate...

But, the bad design of the engine that places the air intake on the bottom of the engine instead of the top like every other car nearly killed the car. She went through a puddle on a rainy day and the engine shut off immediately and would not restart. Toyota placed a sensor that will shut the engine down and won't allow it to be started again until reset by a dealer for a big invoice if water gets into the engine. Well, they tore the engine down and 4 of the 6 cylinders were full of water and the block had some too. She sat there and watched every other car drive by without a problem, so it wasn't so much the weather conditions causing problems, it was the major design flaw in the Toyota engine. They put the car back together but she wants to get rid of it before it hits 40K miles because she doesn't trust it and the dealership said they can't guarantee the engine will last after it's "flood" caused by the intake being installed like a wet-dry vac.

She's considering getting rid of it for a new Taurus. Good idea.

I think she's getting jerked around by her dealer... ive never heard of anything like that and I sold many many avalons over the last few years...




You can see the air filter housing directly to the right of the engine cover and from what I'm told the air actually comes in just to the right of the battery.

I understand you take every opportunity to bash foreign cars and promote american made vehicles, but its going to be hard to make an argument for quality and push a ford taurus over any toyota.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by canthetuna

I think she's getting jerked around by her dealer...

I don't know if there's any truth to her story but I do know this...dealers take advantage of women it's not even funny.

[cpayne5]

I'm with canthetuna on this one. Those Toyota GR motors (Avalon has the 2gr-fe) are some of the best engines you can buy in a car today. In fact, the 2gr-fse found in the IS350 is on Ward's 10 best list. I personally have the 1gr-fe in my 4Runner and love it.

If the vehicle had that much water in the cylinders, they would have had to do more than just clean it. It would have required a new engine, because it would have done a lot of internal damage. Water does not compress like a/f.

The US automakers have come a long way in the past 15 years. They have some very reliable automobiles on the market whose reliability rivals that of the Japanese. The damage to their reputation has been done and they must sustain the level of reliability over a period of years (if not decades) before consumers start to trust them again. The gap between Detroit and Japan really is not as large as people believe. Good marketing on Toyota/Honda's part?

European/German cars are fantastically engineered from a mechanical standpoint, but their electronics are severely lacking. We all know how much electronics are in cars these days. Back in 2002 when the E65/E66 (BMW 7 series) hit the market, the vehicle had the same reliability (problems per 100 vehicles) as the average eight year old Lexus LS400 (a Japanese rival). That still blows my mind.

Statistically speaking, reliability is generally...
1-Japan
2-US slightly behind
3-Europe with a ways to go to catch up

[saden1]

I'm currently toying with the idea of getting a new car and I already have a buyers remorse without having bought anything yet. I was thinking of getting G-35 until I saw the new Benz ad. The ad makes the C-Class seem very impressive. I was also looking at the Ford Shelby GT500 though I don't trust Ford at all.