MB Tops BMW.....

[DaCan23]

In horrible design that is, the new S Class is uglier than anything BMW offers.... that ass is like that old Lincoln Mark VII or whateva...

[BillionPa]

it is very ugly..... untill you get inside, then its like, the prettiest car ever!

[E34 530]

guy on my block just got one and I have seen quite a few in my area. I think they look great.

[BillionPa]

The older style, 1995 (same last year as the E34!!!) looked the best from the outside, had a much more aggressive look to it, like it wanted to murder you.

the new ones have those wavey light clusters, and they just dont look as cool.

[VentoGT]

I would be pissed if I shelled out $600K for a Maybach, as the rear end of the new S-class is exactly the same as the Maybach in my eyes...I would rather have an S than a **** ass new 7, talk about ugly...then again, if I were in the market for a luxo-barge I would buy an A8/S8 or a Maserati Quattroporte, so I guess the point is moot regardless. BMW ruined the 7 with the Bangle styled bag o' dicks.

[Ross]

The MB dlr in my town also sells Maybach. I'm told they aren't selling well, perhaps because if you squint it looks like a big Hyundai.
One of my favorite cars of all time I hated when I first saw, I don't think this will happen with the Bangle cars or the current MBs. The Q-ports only flaw is the rear lights that look as if they were lifted off some kids Honda.

[nirvana19]

I would be pissed if I shelled out $600K for a Maybach, as the rear end of the new S-class is exactly the same as the Maybach in my eyes...I would rather have an S than a **** ass new 7, talk about ugly...then again, if I were in the market for a luxo-barge I would buy an A8/S8 or a Maserati Quattroporte, so I guess the point is moot regardless. BMW ruined the 7 with the Bangle styled bag o' dicks.

Would never buy a Quattroporte... grandfather had one for a while. It was at Maserati/Ferrari of Washington, D.C. over 90% of the time. I'd take a shiny new 7 over that any day :D Now, as far as the A8..............

[Andryuha]

Would never buy a Quattroporte... grandfather had one for a while. It was at Maserati/Ferrari of Washington, D.C. over 90% of the time. I'd take a shiny new 7 over that any day :D Now, as far as the A8..............

A8 is by far the most beautiful car all around in it's class. There's nothing that I don't like about that car

[azale]

How about the Volkswagen Phaeton? TDI??

Just kidding.

The 470 hp Cadillac STS-V is a decent option for power, that is until Caddy makes a rear wheel drive DTS-V.

[VentoGT]

True enough, the car [Quattroporte] may not be reliable...I have never driven one but I do like the way it looks. Styling is one of the best reasons to buy a car if it's backed up with proper engineering and offers a fun drive. I just mean that styling is a subjective thing, but man that 7er is soooo ugly in my opinion. I guess if the e38 hadn't looked so fantastic it would be easier to accept the new 7, but who knows?? The new 7 is outselling the old one so apparently enough people like them to plunk down some money.

The most interesting thing will be to see some of these newer techno-wizard cars after a few years. Who will want to pay a mechanic [will there be any with access to the tools besides the dealer?] $2,500 to trace a problem with the aircon because of labor cost due to complexity?

I fear that most of these newer cars will go straight to the junkyard after they get close to 100K miles as they will become so expensive to service that no one will want to deal with them.

[CharlesAFerg]

True enough, the car [Quattroporte] may not be reliable...I have never driven one but I do like the way it looks. Styling is one of the best reasons to buy a car if it's backed up with proper engineering and offers a fun drive.

Indeed, they sure are a hoot. :D
Boy are they fast! :D :D :D

[KenB]

I fear that most of these newer cars will go straight to the junkyard after they get close to 100K miles as they will become so expensive to service that no one will want to deal with them.

Ain't that the truth, the people that can afford these cars can also afford to get a new one every few years. They might look good when they first hit the used market but down the road nobody will want to throw the exhorbitant amounts of money at them that will be required to keep them alive. The toolkit in the trunk just ain't gonna do much or you.:D

[DABIMR]

The toolkit in the trunk just ain't gonna do much or you.:D
Right about that! I don't think you can use it for ANYTHING in the newer BMW's..:p

[Robert K]

Frankly, I was shocked when I saw the new S class. Those blocky fender flares look like one of those Chevy Avalanche pickups, which I have always thought looked like a poorly designed Matchbox. I think Mercedes took a big stride down a steep styling hill with this latest S class. I really liked the last C and E classes.

If I had the money and could spend it on a really stylish looking car, I'd probably go shopping at the Aston Martin store. I love the lean, smooth look and I can't get enough of that grill shape. In fact, I think I like the shape of the current Astons much more than about any Ferrari of the last few years. Of course some of the latest iterations of the Porsche 911 are pretty awesome too. Ah, but I'd feel terrible spending that much money on a car...so I'm going to quit dreaming now.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i (still makes me smile everytime I walk up to it in a parking lot!!!)

[Traian]

Ain't that the truth, the people that can afford these cars can also afford to get a new one every few years. They might look good when they first hit the used market but down the road nobody will want to throw the exhorbitant amounts of money at them that will be required to keep them alive. The toolkit in the trunk just ain't gonna do much or you.:D

It's similar to anyone now buying an E32 750iL, cheap to purchase, hard to maintain, big money car. I think the people who will buy cars 10 years down the road that were once the most expensive in the world are enthusiasts like us, who couldn't afford them when they were new and are willing to put up with the huge running costs. So I think there'll still be a market for them...

[VentoGT]

It's similar to anyone now buying an E32 750iL, cheap to purchase, hard to maintain, big money car. I think the people who will buy cars 10 years down the road that were once the most expensive in the world are enthusiasts like us, who couldn't afford them when they were new and are willing to put up with the huge running costs. So I think there'll still be a market for them...

The big difference is that while the e32 750 and e38 750 are complex cars to work on, they are not electronic labyrinths where a computer controls every aspect of the car from suspension to steering to 8 zone-climate-control. With the newer Bimmers, I think that you need to have an extremely expensive tool to even talk to the car to find out what is wrong--no simple OBD reader or what-have-you.

The vast majority of enthusiasts with these older cars can either work on them or know a shade-tree type guy who knows how to work on them in order to offset the cost of expensive parts and dealer labor. I'm not sure anyone but the dealer will ever be qualified [or will want to be for that matter] on some of these newer computers-on-wheels.

[DaCan23]

Ya you need a $10-15000 GT1 diagnostic...


The big difference is that while the e32 750 and e38 750 are complex cars to work on, they are not electronic labyrinths where a computer controls every aspect of the car from suspension to steering to 8 zone-climate-control. With the newer Bimmers, I think that you need to have an extremely expensive tool to even talk to the car to find out what is wrong--no simple OBD reader or what-have-you.

The vast majority of enthusiasts with these older cars can either work on them or know a shade-tree type guy who knows how to work on them in order to offset the cost of expensive parts and dealer labor. I'm not sure anyone but the dealer will ever be qualified [or will want to be for that matter] on some of these newer computers-on-wheels.