Bear in mind there's going to be a new S-class coming out pretty soon, which will make the current one less desireable and it'll bump down residual values a bit.



Mark

if your going to buy the car and not lease it, get the lexus



you wont like owning a benz or a BMW when you got to pay to fix it



[quote name='venomrx7' date='Jul 13 2005, 11:40 PM']

And leasing makes 0 sense... you pay for a car and have nothing to show for it when you're through with payments. lease = lose.




[/quote]





and leasing is not a loss, you are giving the car back before it needs any service or even tires or brakes

you dont take the hit on depreciation and dont have to bother selling the car when you want a new one, most of the time you dont even have to give a downpayment if your credit is good.



they also allow more damage then you think, when we got rid of the last lease it was 2 dings per panel and scratches were fine as long as they werent 3" or longer, its not like when they first came out with leasing and made you pay for everything, we were even 8k miles over our limit and they didnt charge us, we didnt even get the same brand car as a replacement either



look into "smartbuy" or ballon payment, they work like a lease but at the end of the term you either buy the car or give it back, at anytime during the term you can get out of the car as long as you satisfy the note with no penalty. Remember you can always purchase your leased vehicle if you really like it, and in a lease they usually let you give the car back almost a year early if you get another of the same make car.

My mom just got a 430.



It is a super nice car, quiet and comfortable, but i dont like it. It is SO boring! I see old men driving them around everywhere!

Well, today's the day. I'm about to hit the road. Pics should be up late today or tomorrow...

If you get a benz get an extended warranty from the dealer, trust me.



Lexus GS430 is a sweet ass ride. Can't go wrong with infiniti either

[quote name='93 R1' date='Jul 14 2005, 04:34 AM']If you get a benz get an extended warranty from the dealer, trust me.



Lexus GS430 is a sweet ass ride. Can't go wrong with infiniti either


[/quote]



Definitely extended warranty on Mercedes, and if she gets the bmw.. ouch. I don't think they offer a warranty good enough for those pos's



Yeah. I'm liking the toyota/nissan reliability. I had a nissan and couldn't kill the thing, but the styling of the q45 is questionable. I've never seen one in person though, so it might turn out to be sexy as hell. we'll see.

acura rl with the SUPER HANDLING awd....

Yea, merc's build quality has been in the shitter for the past year or two, stuff just breaks way more often than it should. Lexus sounds like a good choice, but Id personally wait for hte new LS

I meant IS, but it wont let me edit

[quote name='toplessFC3Sman' date='Jul 14 2005, 05:13 AM']I meant IS, but it wont let me edit


[/quote]



IS is WAY too small.



Alright, no pics, sorry, but here's the results:



Mercedes:

No new s classes in stock, so we drove the E350 and E320cdi. I liked them, but the back seat wasn't as roomy as I would have liked for it to be. I did not drive either, my mom did. The CDI is incredible. period. I would take it over a gas engine any day of the week. The cars were comfortable and soft without being floaty in turns. I was pretty impressed with them



Lexus:

Drove the LS430 first. I started out in the back seat, and wow. just wow. it was like having our leather couch installed in the back of a car. I loved it. then I climbed into the drivers seat. lose immediately. There are NO side bolsters on the bottom section of the seat. it is just a flat pad. no contouring whatsoever.. I was uncomfortable from the get go. The rest of the car was very nice, and if there were a different drivers seat availiable, this would be the instant winner. everything else was PERFECT.



Then we hopped in the GS430. I love this car. everything about it. I rode in the back first again, and was again throughouly impressed by the comfort and room. We pulled a game of chinese redlight and I started driving. I didn't want to stop. the v8 is instantly responsive and in a powerful way. i caught up with traffic and started passing people in about 5 seconds. Absolutely incredible. The ride was firm, but not harsh at all. Even my mom liked this car over the LS430. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683329.gif If it was my choice, this car would be in the driveway right now.



We met a cousin of mine at the dealership and rode downtown for lunch. We ate at a place called Wintzells (sp?) neat place, but my food wasn't great. I had fried fish and fried oysters. fish was ok, but the oysters sucked.... if felt good to sit in the A/C for a while anyway... and its always good to see my cousin, he's a character, and fun to be around. I also haven't got to see him in about 5 years for anything other than a funeral...



BMW:

as soon as we pulled into the bmw dealership it started POURING down rain. we were there for about 5 minutes when lightning started striking very near by (close enough that my cell phone went on the fritz) the power went out for about 2 minutes and popped back on... odd...



We hopped in a 545i at first, and it was a nice car. right on line with both the mercedes and the lex. I was impressed while sitting in it. The menu control on the nav/radio/climate/everything screen SUCKS. one big knob to twist, turn, press, push, and pull to operate the whole thing. I hated it instantly.



we also climbed into a 750li, it was as roomy as the big lexus, but not as comfortable. seats were much firmer, and the front seats felt weird on my legs. I didn't like it too much.



the rain finally let up and we went outside and hopped in a 530li for a drive. I quit liking it as soon as we pulled out. It was a nice car, don't get me wrong, but after driving and riding in the GS430, this thing wasn't ****.



The rain and storming started up again as soon as we climbed back into my truck. We never made it to the infiniti place because of the weather.



I had a good time today even with the weather. I can't wait till she decides which one she wants and has it parked in the driveway. I'm pushing pretty hard for the GS430, but I think she wants the diesel mercedes. And its her car, not mine, so if thats what she wants...