We had the same experience with our BMW dealership and the Infiniti dealership. Rude and arrogant a-holes. It seemed like they were doing us a favor to see their cars or even talk to us.
The Acura and Audi dealerships were so much nicer to us when we went to test drive, which really influenced our decision. If we are dropping that kind of cash on a car, you better be nice to us, or at least civil.
When we bought the Audi, they were so helpful and went out of their way to accommodate us in every way possible. I was out of town the week the car came in, so they picked my husband up at the train station to take him to the dealership to get the car. They take him to the train station when he drops his car off for maintainence and pick him up after work to get the car. I can’t say a bad word about the Audi dealership we used.
The BMW dealership I go to is combined with Audi and Porsche, and they’ve always been very nice and helpful to me. I’m sure it just depends on the people.
I currently own an Audi A4 that my wife drives, and owned a BMW 3 series prior to that.
Only buy an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes if you don’t care a thing about reliability. They’re great for the first 3 or 4 years, though.
If you do get one, find an excellent independent mechanic in your area.
Yeah, I second the independent mechanic. One of my co-workers has a BMW and he says that changing the plugs on a naturally aspirated inline 6 cylinder is $400 bucks. Now, the plugs are expensive, at $9 each, but that leaves $300 for labor, and no mechanic worth his salt should need $300 worth of labor to change spark plugs unless it involves removing the engine (and it doesn’t).
Parents have driven Mercedes, BMW’s, and Audi’s since I was born (I’m 22) - my father does 1 to two year leases, and my mom keeps them “just until the warranty’s almost out”. Audi’s seem to have more problems than the other two, and Mercedes seem to be priced higher than the other two for the same features. BMW’s have nice warranties, and the bells and whistles you’re looking for electronically. If you’re looking to buy versus lease, this will matter. My dad’s on his second Acura RL lease (after an Infiniti lease and an A6 lease before that), and says the RL has more “stuff” than my mother’s BMW 5-series - he got his first RL because of those “rotating headlight” commercials. He likes that, and the handling seems great to me. As for longevity and problems, I can’t speak to the Infiniti or the Acura, since he’s never owned them.
My uncle has a 7-series (either 08 or 09). If you have the money…do it. The ride is beyond amazing. However, for the driver, it may feel like the “bed” experience you described. As a passenger, it felt wonderful though. His previous Cayenne was absurd - all Porsches are. I see a meager 5% difference from a high-end BMW in them, totally not worth the gas and the added expense. Diesel V12? Ehh…no.
Who is recommending the American cars? Anyone seen the news lately? C’mon.
Me? I constantly have to parallel park, so my hand-me-down BMW 3-series seem fine to me.
I will back this, especially for the 300C. Although I do not have one myself, the new 300 series was a popular car for some of my peers who were looking for a distinctive luxury car on-the-cheap. I had not heard any complaints from actual owners. It makes a refreshing statement when your parking lot is full of BMW 3 and 5 series vehicles which can be so ubiquitous as to be trite.
I’m back from my travels in foreign parts and I’m also back from the BMW dealership. I tried out a 535 and didn’t like it at all. On an objective rating it’s a great car, but the handling was closer to a sports car than the luxury car + performance that I’m after. Plus, the seats were a (literal) pain in the butt.
Is this a good thing - the 70 feeling like 35? I’ve never liked that in cars. I can understand wanting a nice ride and excellent finish and quietness and all that, but I want fast to feel like fast, if you know what I mean.
I would look at the Infinitis again if I were you. They have less prestige than the Germans, but they drive really well and will most likely grow on you.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Saab. They may not be as reliable as the Germans, but they too can grow on you - they can be fun to drive and comfortable. They also have (or should I say had?) a certain cachet.
I went back to the Jaguar dealer this weekend and the bastids had an XFR in stock. I tried my very best not to sit in it. I tried my very best not to take it out for a test drive. I failed. Assuming I can save a big jarful of pennies, I think I’ve found my dream car.
I tried out the Caddy CTS today. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I was expecting a lime green pimpmobile, but it was a pretty decent car. Not in the same league as the Audi or the Jaguar but getting there. Most of the cars I’ve tested have adjustable suspension, but the CTS comes with a choice of a very stiff sports package or a pretty soft luxury package. I want something that can do both. The way the GPS popped out of the dash was a little odd. They didn’t have a CTS-V (with 550HP) in stock, alas.
I was in London last week and I managed to see the only Jaguar XJ in the world currently on display (they only started making the thing two weeks ago). The stuff available online doesn’t do it justice. As soon as I get my new contract sorted out, I think I’m going to be buying a cat. The driving will have to wait until March or April of next year, when the first ones show up over here.
ETA: Is that the Jag that has the special HD display that a passenger can watch a video from their angle while the driver only sees the controls from theirs?
