Car Talk Topic

[Sup3rman]

S class is already quite old so i'm not surprised it doesn't cost much. Also A8s...and 7 series BMWs. All have lost a lot of their value. They become usual and the price drops and drops. Only rarer cars keep their price higher.

[Outcast]

It's ironic that the worst investment, i.e. blowing money on brand new luxury cars, is fashionable amongst businessmen...whose profession it is to make the best investments.

On pure monetary value it may seem as though they are bad investments, but you cannot quantify the value that they add to a businessman or company. Speaking from experience I know how useful having brand new luxury cars, I entertain a lot of clients and business partners ensuring they're happy which allows business to go smoothly. Especially when we are dealing with government officials, providing transport for visiting dignitaries etc. The money we make from the government contracts alone pay for the cars many many times over.

[epoxi]

Oh no, I certainly understand why you have to keep up appearances even if you don't like the things you are buying, I just find it amusing how the situation goes full circle.

 

An accountant once told me when people work with a banker they look for a man with an Italian suit and a Rolex as a symbol of how much money he is going to make for them, and when people hire a lawyer they want one with a modest appearance as it symbolises how much money he is going to make from them.

[Kifflom112]

 

S class is already quite old so i'm not surprised it doesn't cost much. Also A8s...and 7 series BMWs. All have lost a lot of their value. They become usual and the price drops and drops. Only rarer cars keep their price higher.

They're still really nice though. Goes to show though, if you really want a new expensive car, just wait, the price will drop dramatically.

 

 

I wouldn't consider a Maxima to be a luxury car. They've got the Infiniti marque for that. Besides the S Class would be considered in certain countries to be standard, anything less and it wouldn't be considered a luxury car. Comfortable sure, but not luxury.

The 2009-2013 Maxima's are intended to be affordable luxury sedans. They most certainly aren't as bland as the Accord nor Altima nor the Sonata's. I would also say it looks kind of flashy, a little too flashy to be in the same class as the Accord or anything like that. And the Maxima and G37 are virtually the same damn thing. Only difference is the exterior look and the G37 actually has real wood trim lol.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Kifflom112

[JayC]

Look just accept that your parent's Maxima is a boring run-of-the-mill sedan with no character and no soul. You can tell yourself its a luxury car all you want but it just isn't.

 

No one aspires to own a Maxima.

[Lurch]

 

And the Maxima and G37 are virtually the same damn thing. Only difference is the exterior look and the G37 actually has real wood trim lol.

What? G37 is RWD and can be had with a real transmission (6 speed as opposed to the Maxima's droning CVT). It's a proper sports sedan. There hasn't been an exciting Maxima in many years.

[Kifflom112]

 

Look just accept that your parent's Maxima is a boring run-of-the-mill sedan with no character and no soul. You can tell yourself its a luxury car all you want but it just isn't.

 

No one aspires to own a Maxima.

Hey not saying it's an exciting or special. just saying it's comfortable and looks better than a Accord or something like that.

 

I am aware that the Maxima is low and sh*tty to many other good cars and to be honest, I would've bought something else if I were my mom.

@Lurch, oh forgot about that too.

[sivispacem]

A Maxima isn't a luxury saloon any more than an Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Ford Mondeo or Volvo S60 is. Premium (in some cases) yes. Luxury no. Very, very different things.

[Kifflom112]

A Maxima isn't a luxury saloon any more than an Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Ford Mondeo or Volvo S60 is. Premium (in some cases) yes. Luxury no. Very, very different things.

Okay. Thanks for clearing that up.

Anyways just saying, it's crazy how much the prices of cars drop, was baffled that cost was so low.

One of my dad's coworkers bought a 2005 Mercedes Sl55 AMG for 28,000.

[Outcast]

They may be cheap to buy, but when things go wrong it can be costly. For example, in my S Class the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

[Burbalade]

the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

I'd guess it would be considerably cheaper to just take the broken pieces, make a mold, and start manufacturing your own than it would be to just buy a replacement?

[Kifflom112]

They may be cheap to buy, but when things go wrong it can be costly. For example, in my S Class the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

Damn. I know, that's the true disadvantage, the maintenance is a pain.

[Outcast]

the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

I'd guess it would be considerably cheaper to just take the broken pieces, make a mold, and start manufacturing your own than it would be to just buy a replacement?

Well I was just thinking of waiting it out until the next major facelift and just get a new car then.

[Burbalade]

the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

I'd guess it would be considerably cheaper to just take the broken pieces, make a mold, and start manufacturing your own than it would be to just buy a replacement?

Well I was just thinking of waiting it out until the next major facelift and just get a new car then.

It must be nice. That's all I'm going to say.

[Outcast]

Well my current S Class is going to be worth pretty much nothing by that point, its got over 150k on the clock.

[Kevin...]

I take donations in the form of used MB S-classes. Looks like we all win.

[epoxi]

 

the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

I'd guess it would be considerably cheaper to just take the broken pieces, make a mold, and start manufacturing your own than it would be to just buy a replacement?

There isn't really a market for it yet. New S-Classes are typically used as executive company cars/business cars so are often just taken to the dealer with a blank cheque to "get it fixed now."

 

I am sure we will start to see after-market parts when the current models become older and are bought by the masses who are not so keen to spend the money.

 

@Outcast: Maybe you could try looking at scrapyards?

 

I am still very surprised at the £3,000 because I recall watching an episode of Wheeler Dealers where the brand new wood veneer for the transmission tunnel 'only' cost £800 for a 1994 G-Wagon (Of course with that quote they just took it to a wood shop and got the existing part re-laquered for £200 or so!).

Edited November 10, 2012 by epoxi

[Outcast]

 

the clasp to open up the centre armrest in the back broke off so now it doesn't lock when you close it. Just to replace the clasp, which is essentially just a piece of plastic, will cost me a little over £3,000 at the dealership in China. Suffice it to say I haven't fixed it yet.

I'd guess it would be considerably cheaper to just take the broken pieces, make a mold, and start manufacturing your own than it would be to just buy a replacement?

There isn't really a market for it yet. New S-Classes are typically used as executive company cars/business cars so are often just taken to the dealer with a blank cheque to "get it fixed now."

 

I am sure we will start to see after-market parts when the current models become older and are bought by the masses who are not so keen to spend the money.

 

@Outcast: Maybe you could try looking at scrapyards?

 

I am still very surprised at the £3,000 because I recall watching an episode of Wheeler Dealers where the brand new wood veneer for the transmission tunnel 'only' cost £800 for a 1994 G-Wagon (Of course with that quote they just took it to a wood shop and got the existing part re-laquered for £200 or so!).

I was surprised too, considering it only cost me about £200 to replace an entire rear bumper off a Toyota Corolla I crashed into with my golf cart whilst drunk.

 

 

Though with such high taxes and a premium on luxury cars in China, it is understandable how I was quoted £3,000 for a piece of plastic. Does that make it any less ridiculous? No, no it does not.

 

just fyi. my golf cart was fine and i just had to pull the bumper on my golf cart out a little with a crowbar, but apart from some scuffs and scratches, you couldnt tell it was in an accident.

[epoxi]

I was surprised too, considering it only cost me about £200 to replace an entire rear bumper off a Toyota Corolla I crashed into with my golf cart whilst drunk.

That's a pretty good price, was it new and painted?

[Outcast]

No idea, my PA went.

[Pico]

I see talk about the Maxima in here. While I don't have the newest one, I would advise caution in purchasing one. The one I got was used and 7 years old at the time, so that doesn't help. However, the last generation had transmission issues across the board from what I've read (Automatic 4 and 5, and the 5 speed manu-matic). The issue kicks in around 85K miles. It was already starting when I got mine at 83K. Something about the valve seals in the trans needing to be replaced, which seems to completely fix the problem, but it's not a cheap or easy fix. It causes the car to clunk/slam into 2nd, and I get slight hesitation shifting into 3rd and 4th. At highway speeds if I floor it the trans seems confused as to how it should down shift, jumping between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

 

Aside from that, I've got some crappy sounding valve tick. My suspension needs replacing and there are small electrical problems I don't feel like getting into. I want to get rid of this thing f*cking ASAP. I should get a $3-5K bonus come February.... seriously considering paying off the rest of the Maxima and trading it in for a new vehicle while it's still got some trade in value.

 

On a completely different subject, some awesomeness:

 

[Lurch]

However, the last generation had transmission issues across the board from what I've read (Automatic 4 and 5, and the 5 speed manu-matic). The issue kicks in around 85K miles. It was already starting when I got mine at 83K. Something about the valve seals in the trans needing to be replaced, which seems to completely fix the problem, but it's not a cheap or easy fix. It causes the car to clunk/slam into 2nd, and I get slight hesitation shifting into 3rd and 4th. At highway speeds if I floor it the trans seems confused as to how it should down shift, jumping between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

 

By something that doesn't have a sh*t box. There's a reason my car doesn't have this problem even with a gajillion miles (hint: it's because it doesn't have a gay automatic).

[Garfield 2]

Wish me luck. Probably buying an E36 Coupe after Christmas. 316i most likely, but I have an M50B25 waiting for me

I even got the list of what I want in it:

 

- M-Sport Bumpers, Side Skirts, Boot Lip Spoiler

- M50B25 192hp Engine In

- Full OBC

- US-Style Headlights (with the indicators on all the time)

- US-Spec Alarm (Can be coded with NCS Expert) -

- Lowered

- Eisenmann Exhaust for the 2.5 -

- Black Vader Seats

- Nice set of rims (haven't decided what I want yet)

- Air Conditioning (possibly taking the whole system out of a donor e36)

- CCFL Angel Eyes - http://www.ipsh*t.com/bmw/angel-eyes-diy/angel%20eyes2.jpg

Edited November 14, 2012 by Garfield 2

[sivispacem]

Wheels, I'd go for a set of these- perfect on the E36.

 

 

Compomotive MO1782. Extremely lightweight, relatively common on UK Ebay in 5-stud fitments for BMW (lots of E36 rally and race cars use them), great build quality and a second hand set should be quite reasonable. But white is only permitted if the car they're getting fitted to is Boston Green.

[BCspeed34]

I've had quite a few friends buy E36's and they have really enjoyed them. I'm personally not a huge fan of the looks, but I have to admit they drive well.

 

Now speaking of buying, I'm considering picking up a Lotus Exige within the next few months. Crazy enough for my liking but not completely useless for daily driving. Budgeting myself around $40k, hopefully I can find a supercharged one with that, if not I'm fine spending less for the N/A version.

 

 

Have any of you driven one before? I've been in a Tesla (same as the Elise basically) but never an Exige.

[Garfield 2]

sivispacem: I thought about the RH Toplines. They seem to suite the E36 quite well:

[Lurch]

With how cheap M3's are over there and how expensive a set of Vaders are, and with how much the engine swap and all the various misc things would cost, I would just buy an M3.

 

Kosei K1's are big with the E30 and E36 crowd around here. For the crowd that actually uses their cars competitvely.

 

 

Hammer style wheels like the RH Toplines are really heavy for any given size and E36's aren't really old school enough to pull them off. It suits more of an 80's/early 90's drug dealer car (e28's or E34's).

Edited November 14, 2012 by Lurch

[Garfield 2]

 

With how cheap M3's are over there and how expensive a set of Vaders are, and with how much the engine swap and all the various misc things would cost, I would just buy an M3.

 

Kosei K1's are big with the E30 and E36 crowd around here. For the crowd that actually uses their cars competitvely.

 

 

Hammer style wheels like the RH Toplines are really heavy for any given size and E36's aren't really old school enough to pull them off. It suits more of an 80's/early 90's drug dealer car (e28's or E34's).

Good luck getting me insured and able to afford the taxes on an M3. Ha!

 

Car's about €950 (the 316i)

Engine + labour is €1000.

Vader Set is €300.

Coding is a matter of seconds and will be done for me for free.

Full OBC unit is €60 from a scrapyard.

Donor 328i that I had a look at last weekend is €500. And I'll be able to take out the A/C, and then sell it on.

 

So in total it's €2810, and I'm paying 1.6 insurance and 1.6 tax (Whoever says it's illegal or something like that, don't bother, I don't really care).

 

I could of course get an engine from an M3, the conversion would be about 2000 quid, but I think I'm not ready for a 320hp engine yet.

Edited November 14, 2012 by Garfield 2

[Lurch]

 

Good luck getting me insured and able to afford the taxes on an M3. Ha!

 

This makes all those bmw's you once claimed to have owned at some point (E60 530i ,E36 328i, E46 325ci) all the more funny.

[Garfield 2]

Good luck getting me insured and able to afford the taxes on an M3. Ha!

 

This makes all those bmw's you once claimed to have owned at some point (E60 530i ,E36 328i, E46 325ci) all the more funny.

I know, right?

At least this one's coming. Fo' real like.