2003 BMW 745Li

[hornz2000]

Well as you know my mom has one and she loves it...I personally have put approximately 1,000 miles on it and once you get a hang of the iDrive, it is easy as pie. Also has some great performance for such a HUGE car...You have to go with the optional 19" wheels though...the 18" stockers look tacky. I love the options on the Li like the screens in the back and the considerable increase in legroom in the back from the i to the Li.

 

[jjue]

Originally posted by Stephen
Eh the M5 isn't my kind of car. Its too small, too firm, I prefer big and comfortable.

Stephen, if you like big and comfortable, why not a Maurader or a Crown Vic.

On a more serious note, the iDrive seems confusing to me, and you'd like the LS430 better in all areas since you're already used to an LS400.

 

[gumarcel]

having driven the benz, lexus, and BMW, I would say out of those, the s500 is the best HANDS DOWN! But of the other ones i would say the A8 is your best bet between the jag and it....but remember british cars grow on you like a wart!

 

[huskyfan23]

How much are these things? $70k? Buy a Viper!

 

[gumarcel]

well yea but it doesn't have the room like all the others

 

[jasonb]

i've driven none of them.. but i do have an a4. it is extremely comfortable, yet it feels like a sports car.
if the a8 is anything like it (although obviously nicer) i'd take it. jon is right on about the bmw being a drivers car. they are sporty. they aren't all that "comfortable" as in luxury sense. but very fun to drive. my experience is with the 325 though, which we just sold. i've never even sat in a lexus so i can't comment on them.

forget all three and get a big pickup.

 

[gumarcel]

Or if you want sporty get the RS6 or wait for the S8 to come out. The current generation S8 is awsome!!!! Fast and very quiet

 

[terdrocket]

A8 or S8

 

[hornz2000]

My mom's first choice was actually a A8 but the dealer told her she would have to get on a waiting list for approximately a year because they only send so many to the states and those get snatched up quick...She didn't want to wait a year so we picked up the bimmer.

 

[Stephen]

Wow I have a lot to respond to, I've been out of town.

I did go drive a 745Li, it actually is nowhere near as firm as the old 740iL, they've smoothed the car down a lot, its a much more ride biased car than it was. I drove it back in 1998 before I got the LS400. It rides well, but it doesnt do the vault deal like the Lexus does. That isn't neccisarily a bad thing though, I like to try new things and I'd really like to have had a BMW or a Mercedes in my lifetime.

I didnt like the styling of the 7 series either at first, but it has really grown on me. I think its a really unique car that makes a statement, something nothing else really does right now.

I'll most likely stay with Lexus, I love my LS400 but I just can't get excited about the styling of the LS430, I think mine is a much more attractive car. The 430 gets a refresh in September though, and some of the drawings I've seen have promise so we'll just have to see. I agree that the dealer experience at Lexus is the best.

I like the drawings I've seen of the new Audi (which is also supposed to lose some sport) but I've had a bad experience with VW over my wife's Beetle, I'll definately consider it though.

As for the S500 (someone said that it was the best out of the group) I for one don't see how. Its a pretty car, but its everywhere (LS430s and 7s, A8s and Jags are much more rare here, everyone has an S Class and they all look alike) it has reliability issues and some material quality issues (although these have improved). Most of all though, its OBSCENELY expensive. You're looking at $95,000 for an S500 equipped like a $70,000 LS430 or a $77,000 745Li. I just dont see anything about the car, other than the hood ornament, to command the price difference.

To people who said they couldn't justify spending so much for a car, I used to say the same thing. I am however in my car for the majority of the day driving back and forth, I travel a lot on the road, I spend more time in the car probably than anywhere else, so its worth it to me to shell out the money to have something comfortable and special. Plus I lease and can write all the payments off my taxes, thats a huge deduction. I'd be looking at around $1100 for the LS430, $1250 for the 745, and $1400 for the S500, I have yet to price the Jag or the Audi. With the current setup at the office they'd probably pay $700 towards it.

 

[99exEB1]

I say S8 or save some cash and buy a W8 passat with the 4motion!! My buds mom has one and it is a very nice smooth quick car. Did you ever look into these, I think that both a nice cars, and are excelently designed, but that is my opinon. What do you think?

 

[diablo5969]

Originally posted by 99exEB1
I say S8 or save some cash and buy a W8 passat with the 4motion!!

Nah, don't get the Volkswagon. (Volkswagen?). I don't know why, I just don't think of them as respectable cars. I mean, I know Volkswagen (ummm, VW) has taken some other companies (Audi, etc) and are making a very good standing in the luxury segment, but I kind of think a luxury VW is an oxymoron.

If you're thinking about getting a VW, get the Audi version. Especially if it's for a work car. That's just my advice though, feel free to bash me. (I can almost feel it coming... )

 

[RFR2212]

That Beemer looks nice... My P's just signed on an '01 Jaguar XJ8 and pick it up Thursday, and pics will come... but from what they've told me, it's a *****in ride.... I'm excited to see it, and if lucky, drive it!

 

[diablo5969]

Originally posted by RFR2212
My P's just signed on an '01 Jaguar XJ8 and pick it up Thursday, and pics will come... but from what they've told me, it's a *****in ride.... I'm excited to see it, and if lucky, drive it!

That's what my dad has, it is a very nice car. Fun to drive too. You can actually do burnouts with the traction control off Ummm, at least, I heard that from a friend once

 

[99exEB1]

Originally posted by diablo5969
If you're thinking about getting a VW, get the Audi version. Especially if it's for a work car. That's just my advice though, feel free to bash me. (I can almost feel it coming... )

I'm not going to bash you, everyone here is entitled to their own opinion. I just think that VW is trying to make anew in the luxury dept. I think that they are respectable, Audis run off of VW engines so I think that makes VW respectable if you consider Audi respectable, if that made any sense. But, in all honesty take one for a test drive, what do you got to lose. My friend is pretty wealthy and they still chose the VW so you never know, like I read in a road & track once 'we don't know if the world is ready for a 40k volkswagon'(sp?) but they said that after the test that they think that the world is ready so... I dont know, its your money so its up to you.

 

[diablo5969]

Originally posted by 99exEB1
I think that they are respectable, Audis run off of VW engines so I think that makes VW respectable if you consider Audi respectable, if that made any sense.

I understand totally. I just mean, when I first hear the name Volkswagen I think of teen girls in Jettas and of cute New Beetles. When I first hear Audi, I think more luxury and respectability.

But that's just me, so it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things

 

[Digger196]

is that the BMW with the massage seat in the rear? i sat in a BMW at a car show with them. it was VERY cool!

 

[Stephen]

Yep, the 745 has everything you can possibly imagine. The owners manual is thicker than war and peace LOL. It has more buttons than I've ever seen, moving the seats requires a masters degree in electrical engineering...

The current LS430 has massaging rear seats also, I dont believe the S Class does.

The S8 isn't my thing, I'd do the A8. I prefer ride over sportiness. My son recently got a new ES300 and we looked at the Passat W8 for him. Really nice car, but $38,000 for a Volkswagen? It just didnt seem in the same class as the Lexus.

I for one am a little confused about VW getting into the luxury market here. Basically Audi is nothing but a marketing division of VW nowadays (like Lexus is to Toyota) so it seems reduntant to me to have two offerings like that. The W8 hasn't been a success either. It would be like selling the Toyota Crown (Toyotas most prestigious luxury vehicle in Japan) here while Lexus sells the LS430. Plus, from what I've seen of VW service, they dont have thje infastructure to back up what buyers of a $40,000 vehicle (and more with the new Phaeton coming) demand.

As for the Jag, really a nice car and very classy. I looked at it before I got the LS400. I just didnt like the narrow seats or the lack of headroom. The LS400 will do some mean burnouts too with the VSC off Its fast as hell, deceptively so.

 

[donkey boy]

The Jag with the compresor engine (I'm not sure if it's already out) will be the fastest of them all, the Audi the best engineered, the 745 the most opulent, the Mercedes the most overpriced and the Lexus probably the best quality but most boring. Just for completing the line-up: Did you look at Volvo S80?

Anyhow, shopping for the right new car smell is probably one of the nicer problems life has to offer. Enjoy!

 

[DocVijay]

They are all nice cars. I'd probably pick the A8 though (or the S8 actually).

The BMW is a great car, but as others have pointed out, the iDrive can be a pain to learn. Personally I think it's great, but then again, the more high tech something is, the more I love it, even if it is harder to use. I highly suggest you try it out for a few days to see if you like the iDrive system.

The Jag is also nice, but the interior seems a bit small for a car that size. I wouldn't ge this one.

The S500 is great. Has everyhting you could want. Great ride, nice power, all around nice car. This will always be a good choice. I'm a bit biased for MB, as I grew up with them. Normally I'd go for this car automatically, but the S8 is very impressive.

The Lexus... well you know all about Lexus, so I won't bother. Very nice, but to me is also very "plain". It doesn't have any features that stand out above the others. I know you'd be happy driving this car, just as I would, but it's (as expensive cars go) too pedestrian.

The Audi. I can't say enough about Audi. We've been waiting for the RS6 Avant for years. Well actually the RS4 previously, but the 6 is better. Audi has come a long way. We used to have an early 80's Audi and it sucked so hard it was more a vacuum cleaner than car. Not anymore. My father still hates Audi, but I love it. AS I said, we've been waiting for the RS6. Now the only problem is that the nearest dealer is about 500 miles away... Anyhow, the A8 (and S8) are stellar cars. Good power, great handling, very nice interior. Go for the Audi. Oh, and make sure you get the Quattro. It's worth it.