[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by JCZ5

I don't know if these days the Japanese brands gunning to "feel" exactly like the Germans. I think their standard line is more focused on comfort vs. performance handling, as designed. Now, 10 years ago, I would say you would be right in the ball.

Overall, I think the Japanese brands now our owning their differentiated factor.

*disclaimer - only referring to the standard lineup and not the N or RC lines.

Well, Lexus is the only Asian luxury brand part of the "Tier 1" group, along with MB, BMW and Audi.

[JCZ5]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Well, Lexus is the only Asian luxury brand part of the "Tier 1" group, along with MB, BMW and Audi.

Ah yes, you're correct. I was thinking of Genesis, but obviously N is not part of Genesis 🤦*♂️.

I do believe Genesis has the potential to reach the top tier brands at much faster pace compared to how Lexus achieved during its climb to the top.

I was a cynic, but the new generation of the G80, G90 and GV series really impressed me.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by thez99

I’m not saying rattles are ok. But honestly They do not keep you from getting from a to b in the car.

Correct. When you pay premium pricing, you expect a premium product. Why spend 65k on a Tesla that's going to rattle when I can spend 25k on a Corolla that can rattle? My current car, a 2018 B9 S5 doesn't have a single rattle in the two years and seven months that I have owned it. I'm impressed with how well put together the car is.

[530iDriver]

Originally Posted by The Automotive Enthusiast

Correct. When you pay premium pricing, you expect a premium product. Why spend 65k on a Tesla that's going to rattle when I can spend 25k on a Corolla that can rattle? My current car, a 2018 B9 S5 doesn't have a single rattle in the two years and seven months that I have owned it. I'm impressed with how well put together the car is.

More than likely, that Corolla won't rattle..

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

More than likely, that Corolla won't rattle..

Just an example to make a point about the price difference between the two car categories.

[thez99]

Its interesting that you bring up the S5 as when buying my current 135, a 2013 S4 was my other option but that one bottomed out when financing thru that dealer fell through.

I'm still considering one, though I won't pull through unless it's close enough as I'm not going thru the bullshit of a way out of state deal again like I did with my current 1er. Ideally I'd love a 13-14' S4 as I feel like the interior, seats, etc. would fit better for me coming from a long line of GTI's, not to mention the supercharged 6 is fantastic in those models. I'm pretty happy with my 1er but it's something i'm keeping in mind

[MMMBRAP]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

My family's W203 and W204 C Class's were huge pieces garbage - rattles, electric issues, poor seals and gaskets. Those 2 experiences alone are why Mercedes would have to have a product that was leaps ahead of the competition for me or my family to even consider them again. Our BMWs at that time had their issues (relatively minor) but none to the degree to what I experienced with Mercedes.

That's really surprising. My W203 was rock solid. I'm not even kidding - I had it for 12 years since new and literally NOTHING outside normal wear and tear was off.

Then again, I'm METICULOUS about care and maintenance. Every time I brought it into the dealer, I always got "Holy shit that's a 12 year old Benz?" comments.

Still sad that she got totaled in an accident caused by an elderly couple who didn't yield.

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by MMMBRAP

That's really surprising. My W203 was rock solid. I'm not even kidding - I had it for 12 years since new and literally NOTHING outside normal wear and tear was off.

Then again, I'm METICULOUS about care and maintenance. Every time I brought it into the dealer, I always got "Holy shit that's a 12 year old Benz?" comments.

Still sad that she got totaled in an accident caused by an elderly couple who didn't yield.

Your experience with your W203 is my experience with BMW despite all the fears of reliability during the 90's and early 2000's. Perhaps I got lucky but it's why I continue to drive BMW's including owning a R56 which has been pretty reliable despite others experiences.

BMW's has been and continues to be good to me, as long as they have something that I like whether it's a 2er, 3er, 5er, I will continue to drive BMW's.

[Unknown_Car]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

Did you just walk out of a time machine from 1995? They have had a lot of issues with the 1.5L turbo engine and oil dilution hence the warranty extension for over a million vehicles. Their paint is amongst the worst in the industry as are their infotainment systems. It's not just JD Power as Consumer Reports also mirrors the findings;

https://www.designnews.com/electroni...honda-declines

Ok man from the future. Keep believing what you believe. But I I will stick with reality, BMW is crap compare to Honda when it comes to reliability and most of the cars that are on the list over Honda as well.

[Unknown_Car]

Originally Posted by 530iDriver

Honda isn't what it used to be..

I can say that about any car.

[MMMBRAP]

Originally Posted by jstein55

Fantastic looking W203

Thanks jstein! I miss her a lot actually.

She was the perfect daily driver!

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

Your experience with your W203 is my experience with BMW despite all the fears of reliability during the 90's and early 2000's. Perhaps I got lucky but it's why I continue to drive BMW's including owning a R56 which has been pretty reliable despite others experiences.

BMW's has been and continues to be good to me, as long as they have something that I like whether it's a 2er, 3er, 5er, I will continue to drive BMW's.

You know, I discovered a lot of it is just dependant on care. A car (any car really) will reward its owner by being a reliable workhorse, so long as you put the effort into making sure that it's well-taken care of.

In the 12 years I had my Benz, I did 3000K oil changes, full synth, and only quality brands such as AMSOIL, Mobil 1, etc. kept her detailed once a week, only used OEM parts when needed, garage kept it as much as possible (or used a car cover when it wasn't).

I never allowed it to ever get to the point where it just started to "rot" and decay, by just neglecting it and just driving her into the ground.

Seemed to work pretty well, because it never gave me any problems whatsoever.

The ONLY reason I went to BMW and didn't stick with MB is because I started to really dislike their exterior/interior design. They moved away from traditional design to where they are now.

[kmarei]

Don’t all those numbers suck?
The best one out there has 89 problems per 100 cars ?
That’s isn't really great
Am I missing something ?

[TheBingoBalls]

Originally Posted by MMMBRAP

Thanks jstein! I miss her a lot actually.

She was the perfect daily driver!

You know, I discovered a lot of it is just dependant on care. A car (any car really) will reward its owner by being a reliable workhorse, so long as you put the effort into making sure that it's well-taken care of.

In the 12 years I had my Benz, I did 3000K oil changes, full synth, and only quality brands such as AMSOIL, Mobil 1, etc. kept her detailed once a week, only used OEM parts when needed, garage kept it as much as possible (or used a car cover when it wasn't).

I never allowed it to ever get to the point where it just started to "rot" and decay, by just neglecting it and just driving her into the ground.

Seemed to work pretty well, because it never gave me any problems whatsoever.

The ONLY reason I went to BMW and didn't stick with MB is because I started to really dislike their exterior/interior design. They moved away from traditional design to where they are now.

I agree with doing your own upkeep. How I maintain and treat my BMW's was how I treated the Mercedes - just so happens that the Mercedes I had were just duds.

I think I would still be driving Mercedes if it wasn't for terrible ownership experience. When you have to keep going back to Mercedes and they can't fix the problem, it's when you have to just cut ties and move on.

Obviously things are different now than back then but another reason why I'm willing to stick with BMW is because of the community and support - something Mercedes and Audi don't even come close to. It's reassuring to quickly come here and get a solution to fix an issue something you couldn't find with Mercedes and Audi where the typical response is "I don't know" or "back to the dealer it goes".

[itsTwigs]

Why they lying 😂

[Powaup]

Look at how low Mercedes is

[eman4517]

Originally Posted by jstein55

Probably not, although the 3.0L V6 their phasing out seems pretty bulletproof, but for 4-cylinders not too sure. A lot of experimentation is happening at MB/AMG from mild-hybrids, to electric superchargers and high output 4-cylinders. While cool and very interesting likely will require high maintenance down the line, which is why I lease mine as long term reliability of the new engines is a question mark at the moment. Most cars now a day seem to be designed for the 36-month lease more than anything. As for the A-Class as a whole, the quality of the car is terrible, mainly due to the specific plant that its built at (the Compas Nissan Daimler Plant in Mexico). That car especially similar to a 2GC or 320i is built as a lease machine for new customers with cost-cutting in mind.

Only companies that really seem to really design cars in mind that can run over 200k miles seems to be Toyota, but that's more because they are also using older that has been proven rather than experimenting and spending money building, or using new technology, only recently have they started to adopt to the idea of turbo engines in their cars.

My wife has had a 2016 C450 AMG (W205) with the 3.0l V6 for 5 years and about 48k on the clock and not one issue yet (knock on metal). Great car so far.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Miko M

Chevy and Ford should be much lower IMO

Ford is just bad, making parts for a model that should be revealed soon and they are still changing the part.

Not talking about testing it at all. Lol

Imagine thinking BMW quality in 2020 is better than Ford and Chevy.

Pretty on par.

[blvvet]

JD power can't be trusted.