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personally i do not favor luxury vehicles of today, i like the luxury vehicles of the past like the Lincolns where you basically drove a couch… thats luxury right there, but for me a car is about function and power, all these accessories these cars today i believe take away from the experience of driving, cushy suspension, automatic parallel parking, GPS, all this automatic gushy mushy garbage that “does things for you so you don’t have to do it.” all this garbage you dont need adding weight too the vehicle, i could see some time soon the car driving for you… if it ever comes too that point it will be the first feature i tear out of the car, i enjoy driving my car, what suprised me about my 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix, it does not have traction control, It does not have ABS, it has power steering and power brakes of coarse as all vehicles do now, it has a nice sound system supportive bucket seats and a nice interior with no super fancy garbage and that is all i need.
i have driven my grandpas Buick Lucerne and i wasn’t exactly thrilled, don’t like the 3.9L engine, dont like all the buttons, don’t like how the car feels… just too cushy too many buttons.
I “get” the appeal of luxury cars more than the $40k-$60k pickup truck phenomenon. I’m not talking about a diesel f250 you can tow with, but an F150 or Silverado can easily cost $50k. I don’t see any utility there either, because there is no way you’re going to haul dirt or anything in that expensive of a vehicle. Porsche and BMW used to be famous for their optioned up vehicles, but you can more than double the price of a truck with options. It’s not like nobody is buying the crazy expensive trucks either, around here I see tons of them. I guess the advent of 7 or 8 year car loans has facilitated this phenomenon somewhat, but is just don’t get it. You could buy a new 3 series plus a beater truck and still come out cheaper than an F150 platinum or equivalent Chevy.
I’m wondering if it’s the market that’s calling for luxury SUV’s and trucks. If you have to spend that much, you may only be able to afford one vehicle. Perhaps it’s an attempt at ‘one size fits all’. It is an interesting phenomena.
My £10,000 Hyundai i10 has heated seats – is that considered luxury? 😀
Anyway, I’d love to have a Rolls Royce Phantom. I could waft past all the peasants in their Toyotas, BMW’s and Vauxhalls with my hand out the window waving like the Queen.
“Keeping up with the Joneses” is not a new human concept, and I think luxury vehicles simply cater to this mindset. I also think the marketing of what is considered “luxury” has changed, making it within reach of more and more people. There are a plethora of “luxury” vehicles these days, but to some extent I think the bar for being called “luxury” is much lower these days.
I drive a 12 year old 3-series BMW, which I picked up used for $10k needing some minor repairs. It is rock solid, drives wonderfully, and is easy to work on. However by today’s standards it is not luxury, yet I think it might have been when it was new.
I’m a younger guy so I’m not so opposed to new technology and change like some of the older drivers. I do think that automatic parallel parking is an option on a new Ford SUV like the Escape so that must not be much luxury anymore. GPS is not a new technology anymore. On Wikipedia, it says that GPS was developed in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems using engineering designs in the 1960’s. Yet it did not become fully operational until 1995. Older luxury cars may ride different than the latest luxury cars, but (relatively) comfortable suspensions are designed for all cars except for maybe sports cars.
The new S-Class does apply brakes by itself (and avoid collisions?) so that is innovative.
I have a 98 328i and it feels special compared to most other cars in the 90’s that I have driven. Before the shocks blew, it seems to have a magic chassis that rides more smoothly than any other car I have ever driven and it handles better than most other cars I have driven, especially cars that are stock. The rear end also rotates around a couple of corners so beautifully, it’s the best part of the car.
(Eric, I couldn’t wait and get a 98 M3, 🙁 )So far, the constant breakdowns (137,000 mi) that I was expecting is the most important thing that has disappointed me about this car. I have been able to tackle maybe 70% of them myself and still it’s too much $$ to daily drive when I get around to fixing the major repairs it needs now. It is officially my project car, and not my daily or my temporary car until I get a diesel powered car.
Oh, and I am also a little surprised at how people respond to the car since it’s a BMW. They will say how nice it is and I get the feeling that those same people wouldn’t say the same about my 91 Camaro with a good paint job. I think the front ends of both of my cars look similar.
🙂 We have a 13 Lexus ES350, it is not the most expensive Lexus, but it is the model they sell the most of. My wife and myself are in a position to afford a Lexus of this level, and when compared to a regular Toyota with the same items on it, the cost is almost the same or less. We get to go to the dealership and they set us in the same waiting room as the expensive Lexus owners, and we get all the Lexus special treatment, but our car is not as expensive as the top of the line models.
We purchased some above board luxury items on the new model, we have a heated steering wheel, we have on board navigation that was a extra on our former Lexus. The best option is the blind spot monitor that warns of a vehicle in your rear blind spot. It has been very useful and should be standard on all cars. Another factor of our purchasing a more expensively equipped Lexus this time is the return value on our old Lexus, another ES350 from 2009 that was worth 3/4 ths of what we paid for it. For us we may or may not move up to a more expensive model Lexus in the future, this model we have does all we need it to do and it has been very dependable.Sure luxury vehicles are nice to drive and the technology put into them often trickles down to other ‘lesser’ models as time goes on. ABS, TCS, and now collision avoidance and advanced cruse control systems come to mind. My point in the video however was do we really NEED the luxury. At the end of the day a vehicle takes us from point A to point B. Luxury cars do that in style and comfort. Other vehicles do the exact same thing without all the amenities. I’m not saying I’d pick a Fiesta over an S class. I’m saying that I think we wear our vehicles like we wear our clothes. I think they are an outward projection of our personalities and we want the world to perceive us as. I see this as more of a philosophical discussion about the practicality of luxury vehicles and how they relate to their owners, not about whether a car is luxury or not.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=81114]My point in the video however was do we really NEED the luxury. At the end of the day a vehicle takes us from point A to point B. Luxury cars do that in style and comfort… …I’m saying that I think we wear our vehicles like we wear our clothes.[/quote]
At the end of the day, which for me is often long and stressful, I don’t want to drive an everyone’s got one econobox. I want to ride the elevator down to parking level A to be greeted by the valet as she hands me the key to my fully bespoke, one of a kind, handmade, reward for all my hard work and accomplishment. I then want to drive home to my lovely wife, and adoring children, give them all a kiss, and cap the day off by take my wife down to the club for dinner. Because I earned it.Recently I went to the local u pull it salvage yard. It was loaded with the luxury cars of the past. I saw Cadillacs, Lincoln’s, Jags, BMW, and Lexus. They all end up the same place with a value of zero.
Don’t waste your money. Status symbols are a phantom that will keep you poor with the financial vultures waiting to eat the carcass. Cars should be measured by capabilities (will it tow your boat?) and reliability. If you need a 60000 dollar diesel truck to tow your travel trailer, then it’s worth every penny.
On the other hand, a honda minivan with a vacuum cleaner installed in it -give me a break!
🙂 In the discussion, the question comes down to asking : Why a Luxury car and not a basic car? Well people like to be unique and individual and showing the world you have succeeded by driving a luxury car says that to everyone else. You have many other things besides automobiles to express your outward appearance of wealth and success. You can live in a tent or a huge mansion, all you need is a roof over your head, but a mansion says I am successful while the tent says I am alive. You can do the same with expensive clothes, or cellphones or motel rooms or airplane seats, they all can be very simple or you can show the world that you have succeeded and can now have better stuff than what you need to survive. Man always wants to succeed and his success has to be shown to others, the luxury auto is just a way of expressing his success.
[quote=”DiRT-Powered” post=81126][quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=81114]My point in the video however was do we really NEED the luxury. At the end of the day a vehicle takes us from point A to point B. Luxury cars do that in style and comfort… …I’m saying that I think we wear our vehicles like we wear our clothes.[/quote]
At the end of the day, which for me is often long and stressful, I don’t want to drive an everyone’s got one econobox. I want to ride the elevator down to parking level A to be greeted by the valet as she hands me the key to my fully bespoke, one of a kind, handmade, reward for all my hard work and accomplishment. I then want to drive home to my lovely wife, and adoring children, give them all a kiss, and cap the day off by take my wife down to the club for dinner. Because I earned it.[/quote]Nicely put.
[quote=”cbriden” post=81130]Recently I went to the local u pull it salvage yard. It was loaded with the luxury cars of the past. I saw Cadillacs, Lincoln’s, Jags, BMW, and Lexus. They all end up the same place with a value of zero.
Don’t waste your money. Status symbols are a phantom that will keep you poor with the financial vultures waiting to eat the carcass. Cars should be measured by capabilities (will it tow your boat?) and reliability. If you need a 60000 dollar diesel truck to tow your travel trailer, then it’s worth every penny.
On the other hand, a honda minivan with a vacuum cleaner installed in it -give me a break![/quote]
I actually think the vacuum cleaner built into the van is a brilliant idea. Especially if you have kids. I bet you start to see that in many other minivans.
[quote=”slotcar” post=81143]:) In the discussion, the question comes down to asking : Why a Luxury car and not a basic car? Well people like to be unique and individual and showing the world you have succeeded by driving a luxury car says that to everyone else. You have many other things besides automobiles to express your outward appearance of wealth and success. You can live in a tent or a huge mansion, all you need is a roof over your head, but a mansion says I am successful while the tent says I am alive. You can do the same with expensive clothes, or cellphones or motel rooms or airplane seats, they all can be very simple or you can show the world that you have succeeded and can now have better stuff than what you need to survive. Man always wants to succeed and his success has to be shown to others, the luxury auto is just a way of expressing his success.[/quote]
Great points but from what you say it’s a matter of expression, not really something that’s needed. I suppose it has more to do with perceived value than anything else.
The closest thing to a luxury car I’ve ever had was a loaded 93 Intripid.
It was a nice ride and the toys were fun to play with.
But, as the car aged the toys became less and less reliable along with anything the dealer decided
not to service regularly. (You know, they use a lot of salt on the roads in the winter locally. :))
Does the same guy train all dealer service reps?
What I’m trying to say, I think, is that it was not much fun for me to try to squeeze extra life
out of that car as I watched it age to where it was not financially prudent to repair it any longer.
In short:
New Toys = Fun
Old Toys = Not so much Fun!
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