Scotty Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 I have a friend that researches the hell out of things before he buys them and he bought a 2002 Infinity I-30 off lease with about 25K miles about a year ago tellling me he only buys the best, right. Within two months he needed the radiator replaced as one of the plastic side tanks cracked. Incredible Today I heard he had to have front struts done at $2,000 by the dealer (not under warranty). Incredible as he drives like an old FOT...$2,000!!! He has 40K on this 2002! I have another friend who has a 4 year old Mercedes Kompressor (2 seater), and last week he told me that his instrument cluster needs to be replaced for $800...and they don't re-build them, its $800 or no gas guage! I think its important that we understand that the so called SUPERIOR foreign cars have problems and need repairs also. I just think that the foreign car drivers are embarrised to admit it! Post repair stories you have heard... Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Working part time for a body shop I will say that most people who lease foreign cars, can't wait to get rid of them. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Working part time for a body shop I will say that most people who lease foreign cars, can't wait to get rid of them. Cool Marika, Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Working part time for a body shop I will say that most people who lease foreign cars, can't wait to get rid of them. Even Mini? The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STS Scott Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 BMW has had a huge headache with the current 7 series. Apparently the computer system has had all kinds of faults, and the cars won't even run because the system is so compex. Most of the cars need to have an entirly new system installed, because the complications in the original compter systems have been to compex to work out. " ...'took my Cobra down t' the track, hitched to the back o' my Cadillac..." - Jan & Dean, 'hey little cobra' Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 My uncle had a 2000 bmw, a 325ci maybe?. He leased it new, at around 25,000 miles it began to develop a nasty vibration at 45mph (could be wrong about the speed) He said the dealership through everything at it....I mean he went in 5 or 6 times to get basically the whole rear end replaced....And after all that the problem still was not solved....He got a good offer to purchase the vehicle at the end of the lease but he refused, because in his words " I thought there was something seriously wrong with the car"...all this under 50,000 miles. My parents recently purchased a 02 Audi Quattro Turbo...Seems that Audi screwed up with there turbo gasket design. When ever it is cold out side (like below 40) the gasket on the turbo doesn't expand enough....And leaks turbo oil on to the exhaust...Results in a very very nasty smell inside the cabin. When it first happened my parents thought the car was on fire!...Not to mention the timing belt replacement was recommended at 70,000...When they took it in I boasted " the Cadillac's timing is controlled by a series of chains...which should last the life of the car...No timing belt service for me anytime soon"... Back in high school a friend's parents bought a "pre owned" lexus....He came to school bragging about it the next day. About 2 months later they sold it due to the fact that they had to spend $2000 on two separate occasions for problems with the brakes...Not sure exactly what the problems were. STS SCOTT..I can't remember where but I read a good article about what a complete disaster the 7-series is and why it is having so many problems...here is a good link 7-Series Problems Scotty your absolutely right....If someone has a problem with a Lexus there not going to talk about it....just get it fixed and forget it....Now the sad thing is if someone has a Cadillac and something goes wrong there likely going to go Ape S*#@ and go on a "GM SUCKS" rampage.....why that is ...I don't know....too young I guess . A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Q: Are Foreign Cars Better? A: NO. It's that simple. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Scotty your absolutely right....If someone has a problem with a Lexus there not going to talk about it....just get it fixed and forget it....Now the sad thing is if someone has a Cadillac and something goes wrong there likely going to go Ape S*#@ and go on a "GM SUCKS" rampage.....why that is ...I don't know....too young I guess . That's exactly why Newbold1's CTS trade value was so low. In general, this country has such a bad perception of our own product, regardless of the facts, that the value of them in the market is just so low. People continue to pay premiums to have the honor of having their car repaired in a Lexus or BMW dealership rather than a Cadillac or Lincoln shop. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted tcb Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 I've got to admit, I love basic Hondas and Toyotas ... I've owned 20 in total, some purchased used and some new. They were all basic, Corollas, Celicas, Accords, Preludes, and Civics. If you change the T belt and water pump at 60k, they go and go. Now, I've owned 2 Maximas, a 280ZX, and a 300ZX turbo. Lots of problems with O2 sensors, flywheels, accessory drives, trannys, etc. A friend of mine picked up a 98 Maxima 6 months ago, and he's constantly on the Toronto Maxima website asking for help re sensors. His check engine light is his best friend at 60k .. resulting in bad O2 sensors, knock sensor, vent control valve, and other weird stuff. I came this close to buying a 2nd STS last week for my wife, a 98 with 100miles, auction car which was scuffed up and no known history... $8000USD. It would've been a gamble having 2 used STS's in the driveway, and I have limited mechanical skills ... I use a small shop and pay cash. It was more car than my wife wanted ... heavy, wary of gadgets, didn't want the dogs on leather ... just appeasing my love of all things STS. So, I purchased an 02 Accord SE ... pretty basic car, but its fine for driving 2 blocks to work and running errands, and it has 2 yrs warranty. But, its a Honda, which means everything feels light and airy with a very low beltline, its kinda like driving a go cart. At the risk of being called sexist, it just feels more like a woman's car. I much prefer the STS, but 2 block excursions on an unkown 98 was more of a risk than I wanted for my wife and kids' car. The moral of the story is to buy what best suits your needs. I read, daily, every post on the Toronto Maxima club, 2 Honda accord forums, and the Lexus ES300 and LS400 forums. Each marque has its own peculiarities, and no mfg builds a maintenance free car. Buy the car that gives you a kick ... if you want basic, trouble free transportation, either a domestic Cavalier or a Civic/Corolla would be a great choice. The GM has more incentives and costs less, yet depreciates quicker because the Civic has a tuner following waiting to snap them up on resale. I don't think one is inherently better than the other .... read the owner's forums ... cars break, often due to lack of maintenance, irregardless of country of origin. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 BMW has had a huge headache with the current 7 series. Apparently the computer system has had all kinds of faults, and the cars won't even run because the system is so compex. Most of the cars need to have an entirly new system installed, because the complications in the original compter systems have been to compex to work out. Dirty little secret about the Ultimate Driving Machines... They ALL (from the lowly 318 on up to the V12 700 series) have electrical problems… Some are a lot worse than others… None are any too good… At the BMW dealer in North Vancouver there used to be a 700 series that they couldn’t fix and that BMW refused to “return” that the owner had painted “lemon yellow” and was parked, with a nice sign detailing all of the work and “continuing” issues… in front of the dealership... Eventually the car disappeared… Maybe Car & Driver came and collected it so they could give it a 9/10 on the new modern color! Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STS Scott Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Q: Are Foreign Cars Better? A: NO. It's that simple. Regards, Warren LOL Well put! " ...'took my Cobra down t' the track, hitched to the back o' my Cadillac..." - Jan & Dean, 'hey little cobra' Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 I haven't read all the posts so I might be repeating what has already been said. According to a recent J.D. Power & Associates initial Quality Survey, "General Motors' Cadillac Division has re-emerged as a leader in initial vehicle quality among luxury nameplates, according to the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study." "Two of Cadillac's newest models, the CTS and the XLR are among the top 10 in the industry in initial quality. Five of luxury nameplate's seven models are among the top three in their respective segments." Where is BMW? It looks like BMW is nowhere to be found. http://email.gmcanada.com/corpdb/cachq/pre...ab?OpenDocument http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi-breakin...60327-8128r.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Found out where BMW ranks: "BMW tied with Audi for 9th place in the latest survey, with 109 problems per 100 vehicles. While that was ahead of the industry average of 119 problems per 100 vehicles, BMW's German competitor Mercedes-Benz ranked 8th with 106 problems per 100 vehicles." http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/bmw31e_20040831.htm Cadillac ranks better on initial quality than BMW, second behind Lexus: "Lexus led the pack averaging 83 problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac averaged 93 problems per 100 vechiles." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefank Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hey guys and girls, great read. Guess what, I've got an import too. It's prooved to be a very good car during last year and 30,000 mls. Not many problems and never let me down. It's got a wonderful V8 powertrain and is very nice to drive despite some shortcomings when travelling fast (130 mph plus). When I do this, some domestic brand cars outrun me on long autobahn curves where, to my dismay, I can't keep up. I've had very nice domestic cars too, which proved to be very reliable and fun. Worst car I ever had was an import too, a Saab 900 turbo. Wife says she asks for divorce if I ever come home with one of these again. Was so angry about it once that I smashed the windscreen with my bare fist (no good idea btw). After owning cars of all different countries for nearly thirty years I must say that they all have their quirks (some more, some less) and most of them brought me fun. It's all a matter of perspective. Have fun, life's too short to own boring cars!! Stefan '97 Volvo V70 '96 Cadillac Seville '76 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow '68 Opel Admiral <--- only domestic right now, and this is GM! '66 Buick Skylark convertible '66 Volvo 544 see my car's site at: www.exoticars.de Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonjaab Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 CHUCKLE................My sister is a BMW snob..................... She can't stand our families Caddies !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just snicker everytime I have to pick her up at the BMW shop when hers is in for repairs AGAIN !!!!!!! Not to mention $$$$$pendy routine maint. !!!!! She unloaded her superior 2000 x-5/3? suv (Alabama non-union built) POS and got a new 325................ That one has has many niggling problems................geo 93 DeVille-13 Chevy Impala 72 GTO - 77 Triumph Bonneville 84 Z-28 Syracuse NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Hey guys and girls, great read. Guess what, I've got an import too. It's prooved to be a very good car during last year and 30,000 mls. Not many problems and never let me down. It's got a wonderful V8 powertrain and is very nice to drive despite some shortcomings when travelling fast (130 mph plus). When I do this, some domestic brand cars outrun me on long autobahn curves where, to my dismay, I can't keep up. I've had very nice domestic cars too, which proved to be very reliable and fun. Worst car I ever had was an import too, a Saab 900 turbo. Wife says she asks for divorce if I ever come home with one of these again. Was so angry about it once that I smashed the windscreen with my bare fist (no good idea btw). After owning cars of all different countries for nearly thirty years I must say that they all have their quirks (some more, some less) and most of them brought me fun. It's all a matter of perspective. Have fun, life's too short to own boring cars!! Stefan '97 Volvo V70 '96 Cadillac Seville '76 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow '68 Opel Admiral <--- only domestic right now, and this is GM! '66 Buick Skylark convertible '66 Volvo 544 see my car's site at: www.exoticars.de We will have to ship you an STS with Z-rated tires Stefan so you can keep up better with those domestics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 In a “discussion” at work about who makes the best cars in the world... North America, Germany, or Japan... One of my subordinates asked: "Hey, what's wrong with my Volvo?" The reply from the crowd was "Isn't that what you are always asking your mechanic" I too love driving him to the dealer so they can work on his car... The sales reps there look down their noses at my big blue beast… But mine runs! and I'm driving… What is it about Volvos and Bosch O2 Sensors?... I like to tell him... don't worry, with the amount of use that it gets, eventually the Check Engine light will burn out... Volvo builds the safest cars in the world... Nothing is safer than a car that makes you walk to work! As an aside he blame all of his problems with his car on FORD's takeover of Volvo… “They made good cars before Dearborn got involved!” Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefank Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Scotty: Hahaha, I've got Z-rated tyres on mine from the factory! Problem is, the engine management switches off at 135 mph ... The real problem is cornering abilities when driving real fast. If there are bumps in road, the car feels like it will lift off. I don't think that anything really happens, but one feels unsafe with all that roll. Maybe an STS is better in this respect. Onyx: Just for information, I bought a V70 new (fully loaded) in 1998 as a company car for me, drove it for 80,000 mls without any problem except navigation system, with was partly replaced under warranty. Bought another V70 new in 2001 (new body style) again no problems the time I had it. My wife also has a V70, again nothing wrong with it. In the early eighties I had a '79 Olds Delta 88 diesel, man, that thing was loaded with problems. Wouldn't touch one again. I drove Jaguars for many years, MKII, XJ Series I, II and III 6 and 12'es, XJ40, never had the total disaster. Mostly smaller things like a/c systems leaks or a leaking radiator, but never stranded beside the road having clocked about 300,000 mls with these over the years. Our '66 Buick Skylark we still have has been bought new in 1966 by my father in law, and is still on the original drivetrain with about 140,000 mls. A BMW over here is an everyday car, nothing special. Same applies to MB or Audi. Of course it's up-market, but very normal. I personally do not like the styling of the 5- and 7-series and wouldn't buy one for that reason alone. They do drive well, though. BMW owners in the US seem to be a different story! Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFBonnett Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Opinions are like ********, everybody has one. We've all heard that before. Today I just did the third non-maintenance repair on my wife's '93 Camry V6 which we bought new. The car has 76+K on the clock. It was a bulb. The other two repairs were two radio knobs and a wiper arm which stripped because she tried to use it as a snow plow. Oh, the horror! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 A BMW over here is an everyday car, nothing special. Same applies to MB or Audi. Of course it's up-market, but very normal...BMW owners in the US seem to be a different story! Over here, BMWs are status symbols...and we know reliability doesn't have a thing to do with it. It's just because it's a foreign make. We've heard of English cars having all sorts of reliability problems, past and present, but they're still exotic just because they're different. In Europe, I understand a Cadillac is exotic to the general public there that an expensive German car is here. Drivers of the expensive German cars here are their own breed. Expensive Japanese car drivers are also bad, but the Bimmer and MB owners are just over the top arrogant. There's even an older ML320 running around with a license plate that reads "WEALTHY". Gimme a break... My Cadillac cost more new than that MB did...with a better quality/reliability record to boot I'd say. The grass is always greener somewhere else. That's what most of us think about cars. If the marque is non-US, it's alluring for some reason. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 A BMW over here is an everyday car, nothing special. Same applies to MB or Audi. Of course it's up-market, but very normal...BMW owners in the US seem to be a different story! Over here, BMWs are status symbols...and we know reliability doesn't have a thing to do with it. It's just because it's a foreign make. We've heard of English cars having all sorts of reliability problems, past and present, but they're still exotic just because they're different. In Europe, I understand a Cadillac is exotic to the general public there that an expensive German car is here. Drivers of the expensive German cars here are their own breed. Expensive Japanese car drivers are also bad, but the Bimmer and MB owners are just over the top arrogant. There's even an older ML320 running around with a license plate that reads "WEALTHY". Gimme a break... My Cadillac cost more new than that MB did...with a better quality/reliability record to boot I'd say. The grass is always greener somewhere else. That's what most of us think about cars. If the marque is non-US, it's alluring for some reason. Struck a cord have we Jason? I should talk, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince P Posted June 5, 2005 Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 Scotty, It does not make any different if foreign cars are better than US cars. Foreign cars are selling and American cars are not. Further, despite what GM and Ford do, they prerception of poor quality is still associated with American Cars. People are not accepting the reality. Why would a company like Cadillac have an H rated tire as the basic tire on a car like an STS or SLS, while its competition has Z rated tires. This leave a bad taste with anyone that appreciates a car like an STS/SLS. As you can see from this board the limiting of tip speed to 110 mph is not acceptable. All I know is that I have a 1982 Nissan Maxima with a Diesel engine that has 354,000 miles. Total cost of maintenance (less normal things like tires and spark plugs, NO spark plugs, it is a diesel with original injectors) has been less than $500. Give my regards to the Belt Parkway. Now I live in Southern California, where GM cars are almost non existant. Vince P 1994 SLS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2005 I was on the belt this morning and drove down to Seagate a very interesting gated community at the tip of brooklyn west of Coney Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince P Posted June 6, 2005 Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Scotty, I am familiar with Seagate. I grew up in Brooklyn, Bensonhurst. As a kid we use to be down at Coney Island almost every day. Vince P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted June 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2005 Cool, I never saw it before, I appraised a 10 family apartment building there. It is a pretty unique development... I just appraised a walk up in Bensonhurst, great area.. I had a great lunch at a small Italian restaurant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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