VETTE-NV

It's true. My CLS was over $100K new. I bought it a year old with 10K miles for $68K. It was not very reliable but way better than the SL550. These MB's depreciate dramatically, especially at the three year mark. Most of them are coming off lease and based on their reliability and cost to repair, nobody wants them.

I bought my wife a new Genesis 5.0 Ultimate last Christmas. Sticker was $55K but got it for $44K. Not only is this car the equal of the CLS, it has a 10 year warranty which I doubt I'll ever have to use.

Don't get me wrong, the SL was a spectacular car. Incredibly fast and as comfortable as a Lazy Boy recliner. The air-scarf neck warmers kept you toasty during a top down cruise on a cold night. The thunderous sound system was the best factory stereo I've ever heard. But the car was too heavy and despite a nice suspension, it was barely more than a grand tourer. It was more like a seductive hooker that lures you in but ends up costing you way more than what you get in return.

JenFZ09

The Prius is a 2007. We hit 444,444 yesterday! We have the original battery, did the brakes ONCE, and shocks twice. Besides oil changes, tires, and spark plugs every 120k miles, that's it.

patentcad

Those cars are just astonishing. Our 2011 Prius has 135K+ miles, I think we did front brake pads once. Needed two wheel bearings in the past year (same wheel), not sure what's up with that, other than that, nothing. The car gets a ton of highway miles, yours must also, that doesn't utilize the big hybrid battery so much, it's always being charged and rarely getting drained, which would extend its life. Those larger batteries go beyond 200K quite routinely, even in urban cars.

yz250fPilot

+928!!!

I am just beside myself when I see the Aston's lined-up across from Siebken's at Elkhart Lake for Vintage Weekend. Just WOW...

With that said, I also think that a lowered widebody C7 is one of the best looking cars ever made. Simply STUNNING...

Foosh

As far as basic transportation is concerned, it's hard to argue that a better car has ever been created. The Prius is a masterpiece of efficiency, durability, reliability, and simply an engineering tour de force.

My daughter has one over 100K miles, and has never had to pay for anything other than normal maintenance. They take a lot of crap, but anyone wracking up a lot of miles couldn't possibility make a better choice.

harmonyp

As I with morbid curiosity read thru this entire thread, I start to wonder, with so much talk about panel alignment/gaps and orange peel.

What the heck is the fuss? These cars are to drive, not to stare at, walking around with hands over surface picking up every inconsistency. When I washed my Z51 for the first time, my hands noted mismatches in the panels. So? Does that change my experience as an vette owner in any possible way? They are 98% not noticeable unless I'm rubbing my hands over them.

Same with orange peel. I started looking through my work car lot and assessing orange peel on all the cars. Our lot is filled with some pretty fancy cars, definitely lots of nice BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, plus the regulars, plus a few exotics. Again, over 90% of those cars - regardless of brand, had some orange peel. Orange peel that I NEVER noticed except when specifically looking hard for it.

These are cars to drive and enjoy, not wall art.

ersatz928

[QUOTE=
Don't get the wrong, the SL was a spectacular car. Incredibly fast and as comfortable as a Lazy Boy recliner. The air-scarf neck warmers kept you toasty during a top down cruise on a cold night. The thunderous sound system was the best factory stereo I've ever heard. But the car was too heavy and despite a nice suspension, it was barely more than a grand tourer. It was more like a seductive hooker that lures you in but ends up costing you way more than what you get in return.[/QUOTE]

Nobody really thinks a MB SL is a high performance car....they have always been high-prestige GTs. Nice, but not a true sports/performance vehicle.

Skid Row Joe

VETTE-NV:

A very complete postmortem post on MBs, IMO.

My MB history: I've owned 3 diesel sedans in the past 26 years. One bought new, two used. The used ones are the value play, in my experience.

The associated costs of parts and repair aren't too bad, esp if you can do some of the work in your home shop/garage. If you have the time. Their mpg capabilities (diesel) are the big draw for me. But, everything gets 30 mpg these days, so, they're not the value play they used to be.

The most reliable car I've owned was the new C3 I bought and drove 9K miles in 1.5 years of ownership. Pure joy with my Corvette.

Skid Row Joe

harmonyp,

Great points you brought up.
My new C3 had both, a paint issue, (swirl paint on one T-top,) and a panel (left door) poor fit issue.
They were aggravating - esp the left door, bulge/ajar outward fit, but I still enjoyed the car.

vet4me45

One more MB story. Owned six different MB's over the years. Our new 2008 ML350 was a lemon (numerous electrical issues resulting in dead batteries) and MB replaced it at not cost to us with a brand new GL450. New 2005 SL500 was great until the warranty expired. Then the electrical issues started cropping up costing us a fortune to fix. Traded it in for a Cadillac CTS which has been bullet proof. So from a quality standpoint it really doesn't matter what you pay. From a dealer or service standpoint the Mercedes dealers really know how to take car of their customers. Ditto for Cadillac. Chevy dealers.....not a clue how to take care of a customer who buys a $100k car.

Foosh

I agree too many Chevrolet dealers don't take care of their Corvette customers as well as other brands in similar price brackets. That's obvious given the volume of forum chatter on this topic.

However, a few do "get it." I've been using the same dealer through 3 Corvettes over 12 years now, and I've always received very high-end, customer service equivalent to what I've received at all the foreign prestige brands.

The type of treatment you receive has a lot to do with you. I go out of my way to engage them in friendly conversation, and I've built a relationship with the dealer GM and SM, as well as the service advisors. I'm greeted like family when I call and visit the dealership. My car is kept inside always, and is serviced only by their star Corvette tech. I couldn't ask for better treatment.

sunsalem

Exactly right.
They are the definition of a GT.

patentcad

Hardly. Cars like the Corvette and some crossover SUVs are capable of 30 mpg on the highway, but with the C7, you can be averaging 31 mpg for 100 miles, you get off the Interstate and start driving local roads and the average mpg drops like a stone. Ditto for many other alleged '30 mpg' cars.

Americans look at the sticker, they see '32 mpg hwy' and in their heads they're buying a 30 mpg car. Then they never calculate their actual fuel usage while they own and operate the car. That's rather typical. Most of those crossover SUVs average 22-26 mpg in overall driving, which is great compared to SUVs of the past, but it's not 30 mpg either My C7 gets 15-20 mpg, it only creeps up to 20 if I'm doing a lot of highway driving on that tank. But it is capable of 32 mpg++ if you fill it up and drive it for 100 miles with the cruise control set @ 65-70mph. That's remarkable, but again, in real world driving, it's not really 30 mpg. At some point every trip takes you off the highway.

I'm sure cars get better mpgs in a warm, dry, flat (outside of the mountains that is) place like Nevada. Here in NY it's relentlessly hilly and it's cold half the year (colder air is heavier, more energy required to go any given speed).

vet4me45

I'm sure you're absolutely correct about relationships. I had a great relationship with our MB dealer in Seattle and our Cadillac dealer has gone the extra mile for us more than once. As far as the Corvette dealer I picked, this dealer was the only one in the area with an allocation for a Z06 so I ordered from them. I had never done business with them before. Terrible service from the get-go. They never return calls, texts or emails. I won't bore you with the details but they treat me as if I had purchased a used Cavalier. Just figured if you pay over $100K for a car they should return your calls!

Foosh

I don't doubt some will never "get it," and are poorly managed. It seems to me that foreign manufacturers maintain much tighter reins on their franchises than US manufacturers do or perhaps are able to do due to contractual differences.

thill444

I don't think comparing Chevrolet dealers to high end dealers like Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, is apples to apples. I would compare them closer to VW, Toyota, etc.

I will say I had great service at my BMW dealer when I had issues but the problem was that I had lots of issues

I have owned 3 VW's and 1 of them ended up being a lemon law and horrible dealer and VWOA treatment to the point that I had to engage a lawyer.

My first Chevy so I am going into this eyes wide open but my local dealers seem good so far. I have access to a number of them with two of them being smaller dealers that seem to have more of a customer first attitude.

patentcad

A bigger part of it is the car culture ingrained in these dealerships for 30-60 years. A Mercedes, BMW, Porsche/Audi, Lexus store, they're used to dealing with a higher end clientele and they know how to treat them, a Chevy or Ford dealer maybe not so much. Franchisees have iron-clad rights, so no matter how much it may irk GM, they don't have as much leverage as they would like. But GM does have enough I think (allocation of desirable models, etc.) to twist some dealer arms a bit harder.

Moral of the story: just because your Corvette had the same MSRP as a $70K BMW and Lexus doesn't mean you're going to get your *** kissed nearly as hard @ the Chevy service dept. with free loaners, etc. as you will at the MB or BMW dealer. $50K+ cars comprise an important part of GM's sales (particularly with respect to profitability at the corporate level) so you think they're make it more of a mission to level that playing field more.

Foosh

I am well aware that it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. However, I've owned 2-dozen German cars, and the treatment I get at my Chevrolet dealer equals the best treatment I've received at any of the German franchises.

It may not be common, but they are out there. I don't care if it's a Ford or Chevy dealer, a smart franchise General Manager will understand good customer service and can change the culture if he or she is committed to that. Some are.

VETTE-NV

Try driving an AMG SL63 or SL65. I also would never call them a pure sports car, but I'll bet they would satisfy about 90% of the high performance expectations of this forum, and in turn provide some unparalleled luxury attributes as well.

For example, my car had "active seat bolsters," which meant they inflated instantly, one side at a time, to keep you firmly in the seat during some spirited driving. I found it very clever, but ultimately annoying and turned it off....just one more unnecessary thing to break.

I am no longer a fan, but they are exceptional cars. Too bad they're as dependable as a crack-head.

nyca

If you want a Porsche, get a Macan S as an everyday car. 911 prices are just crazy high now (even pre-owned ones), yet they have retained their buyer segment (to their credit). Before I bought a 911 for $120K+, I'd stretch my budget and get a low option McLaren 570s.