Reliable Luxury rides

Frankie · 10-19-03, 03:08

for all the car buff that know about the various issues some cars have please chime in

if you had to pick between a 98-2001 Bmw 740il or same years in the mercedes S-500 which would be the MOST RELIABLE, not the fastest or fun to drive but the one with the LEAST problems headaches, glitches etc. i know the lexus ls400 and q45 probably wins hands down but im looking for something else besides another lexus.

or if you have any other super reliable luxury car picks let me know

Greg · 10-19-03, 03:42

I haven't heard of many owners with problems with their E38's. I can't comment on the Mercedes. Personally, I think either of them might have little things go wrong, but they are cars, and stuff happens. I guess that level of reliability isn't that important to me. If something breaks, I fix it, or I take it to a shop and they fix it.

You might want to check out some Mercedes/BMW forums and do some searches for E38 and S500 reliability.

bet993 · 10-19-03, 04:15

Both of those car are pretty stout and reliable. The BMW 700's prior to the i-drive system are pretty bullet proof and very reliable. The Mercedes are also pretty reliable prior to about 2000-2001. Then Mercedes like BMW tried to but too much cutting edge electronic equipment in their cars. You also see that since the merger with Chrysler Mercedes quality has decreased. There has been quite a bit of media attention about Mercedes quality control problems. The M class has been horrible and recently about 1500 S class cars were recalled replaced by Mercedes because of problems with the nav system that their engineers could not fix. There was a recent article in Autoweek where the head of Damiler-Chrysler said they were going hold back on some technology in their cars because quality was suffering. Co worker currenlty has a 2003 CLK and has all kinds of problems with the sun roof, electric mirros, and window shades. Nothing that has effected the ability to drive the car but very annoying for a $50k car. BMW has had some similar problems with i-drive although not as bad.

BW · 10-19-03, 04:38

I have no experience with E38 7-series, however, E39 5-series have been generally very reliable 1999 and on. You can get them with a manual transmission (not available on US 7-series) which are stronger and more trouble-free than automatics.

Just another option...

bjwebster · 10-19-03, 05:10

The 2000 S-Classes Have Been known To Have A Few Little problems, But The Kinks Are Supposed To Have Been Straightened Out For 2001-On. With that said, my mother has a 2000 S-Class and it has been absolutely trouble free.

AlBoston · 10-19-03, 05:27

Quote:

Originally posted by bet993
Both of those car are pretty stout and reliable. The BMW 700's prior to the i-drive system are pretty bullet proof and very reliable. The Mercedes are also pretty reliable prior to about 2000-2001. Then Mercedes like BMW tried to but too much cutting edge electronic equipment in their cars. You also see that since the merger with Chrysler Mercedes quality has decreased. There has been quite a bit of media attention about Mercedes quality control problems. The M class has been horrible and recently about 1500 S class cars were recalled replaced by Mercedes because of problems with the nav system that their engineers could not fix. There was a recent article in Autoweek where the head of Damiler-Chrysler said they were going hold back on some technology in their cars because quality was suffering. Co worker currenlty has a 2003 CLK and has all kinds of problems with the sun roof, electric mirros, and window shades. Nothing that has effected the ability to drive the car but very annoying for a $50k car. BMW has had some similar problems with i-drive although not as bad.

Actually I don't recall bmw ever having any "cutting edge" technology in their vehicles before mercedes. Mercedes was always the leader with technological advancements... first airbag, abs, ASR, ESP, brake assist, etc. With that said the S-class is a much better vehicle then the comparable 7-series. S-class is a smoother ride, nicer interior, smooth lines on the outside, and is one of the safest vehicles on the road. Also, Mercedes didn't "recall" the 2003 E-classes... recalls are only for issues that affect the vehicles safety. Mercedes offered to buy the vehicles back and offered a replacement vehicle to the owners. Lastly, Our 99 ML has been pretty durable vehicle. It had some minor issues that most models had but it never left me stranded. My friend's 02 ML320 feels extremely solid and well built. Anyway, my vote goes for a 2000-2001 S430/500, make sure you get xenons.

bet993 · 10-19-03, 08:33

You are correct "recall" was a poor choice of words. Additionally, I did not mean to imply that BMW introduced cutting edge technology before Mercedes. Mercedes is usually ahead of BMW in this regard; the SMG transmission notwithstanding (of which there have been some teething problems with it also). That said, both companies have suffered problems with their electronics in their flagship cars recently. Most of the problems would not necessarily strand the driver but to me if I am paying that type of $$$ for a luxury car then I would expect better R&D of the components and less trips to the dealership to fix the naggles.

Frankie · 10-19-03, 11:51

i agree for the money these cars cost they should be super reliable and there electrical glitches should be worked out. i just checked out some pre owned benz's and they have many of the problems mentioned previously, including faulty windows going up/down, radio problems, trunk opener problems, vacuum assist closing doors are shot, rough idle, and the majority the ac condesner was shot which is about 2400 to fix which is absurd.

for this type of money these cars shouldnt have to see a repair shop excpet for routine oil changes brakes etc. i just dont have the time to bring a car and leave it there to get fixed all the time, i cant even believe the benz dealer is selling cars with all these problems, there just outright annoying, even a 10k car at least the radio and windows function correctly.

anyone got any more feedback on the 7 series 98-2001 last generation bodystyle. or any other luxury cruiser these benz's are to much of a pain to deal with

blkZ28Conv · 10-20-03, 04:15

Face it Frankie,
you like myself ( LS400) have been spoiled by the Lexus quality and reliability. Not only mechanically but also the durability of its mechanical components, paint, fit and finish and factory support ( Toyota ).
With that said the next daily driver will be a new BMW 5 series in a few years when all the teething pains of this new model are fixed. Had a 3 series (320i) with zero problems and perfectly reliable for 200K.

bet993 · 10-20-03, 07:01

Co-workers have a 1998 740il and a 2000 540i. Both cars have been trouble free. Both were purchased used. The guy that owns the 740il has had it for 2 1/2 years. He is by no means a car guy (in fact he doesn't take of it at all) and has driven 2 lexus (lexi?) prior to the 740. He has no complaints and is planning on getting a 2001 700 series to replace this one when the lease is up. The guy with the 540 has had it for about 7 months no problems.

SamIam · 10-20-03, 08:14

when I was looking into buying a BMW 740iL, that if I get one, to get rid of it before warranty expires. I have an Audi A8, and he told me that it was more stout than the Beemer. Told me that after the warranty expires, expensive things start heading south. Told me, either get another A8 or step up to a Benz.

New A8 is getting great reviews. However, after owning a Lexus, you are spoiled. None of the German cars will measure up to the Lexus trouble free index. Again, this is generally speaking, everyone's mileage will vary, but overall, Lexuses are more reliable than any German make. That being said, I believe German cars are generally more fun to drive.

Take it for what it's worth, which is just another opinion.

Frankie · 10-20-03, 10:36

yes i gotta agree i think the lexus has spolied many of us, ive seen some with upwards or 550k miles anoother with 400k miles, its just incredible. so far the 7 series sounds pretty good, ive also heard good things about certain 3 and 5 series. i was just really dissappointed when i looked into mercedes with there reliablity and quality issues they have. they make some hot looking cars, but i cant drive around a unreliable ride.