What attracts people to buy Lexus's and BMWs and Mercedes's...

[MaraSport]

I was wondering what attracts people to buy Mercedes-benz and BMW and Jaguar and Lexus cars... I am not really sure what are their reasons or why they would buy them... What is it that they see in them...

I am doing a little research paper and I chose this topic... WHY... I HAVE NO CLUE...

[Ruz]

Because they build quality cars that last, have engineering that is thoughful and has a purpose, and most are pretty sweet looking. There is a reason they are more expensive...they are worth it.

Ruz

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

The most recen JD Powers survey lists Mercedes quality pretty low. Buick is actually near the top along with Caddy. If I remember right a fair number of GM divisions actually ranked above Mercedes and were on par with BMW!

Volkswagen, whose cars are perceived as being high quality, is actually closer to Hyundai and is dang close to the bottom!

[TimeLord]

JD takes into account only initial quality,look at resale values and percentage of sticker price lost and you will understand!!!!

If a BMW & a Caddy lose 5k in first year[GM yould be Elated] the percentage lost by the Caddy is greater than that lost by the BMW.

Euro cars just FEEL so much better,the Lexus is because it gives you so many creature comforts for such a low price compared to the Euro cruisers.

The big 3 are on their way to extinction once the Japanese and Koreans attack the BIG pick up and SUV market all out.

The american companies are saddled with stratospheric health care and pension costs that the Asians are decades from having and UAW will bankrupt companies before backing down,unfortunate but true.

Look at bottom lines and you will see Ford losing $$ and the only profit from GM is the GMAC financing[for now].

[MaraSport]

Originally posted by TimeLord
Euro cars just FEEL so much better,the Lexus is because it gives you so many creature comforts for such a low price compared to the Euro cruisers.

What type of creature comforts and other options does these car have that many of yal would like?...

Thanks for the JD power reliability ratings and all yal...

[pwmin]

what kind of car do you drive, timelord. if youre going to talk bad about gm's, maybe you shouldnt be posting on this site. last i checked, this was a gm site. if you like foregeign cars more than get one (i don't know, maybe you already have one and dont have an f-body)

[MaraSport]

Originally posted by pwmin
what kind of car do you drive, timelord. if youre going to talk bad about gm's, maybe you shouldnt be posting on this site. last i checked, this was a gm site. if you like foregeign cars more than get one (i don't know, maybe you already have one and dont have an f-body)

I thought this forum was suppose to be open to every one... If it isn't then tell me... I appreciate the input that he gave me, because it helps me to be able to compare the european cars and the lexus cars to american made ones... Which my teacher will be able to understand better... Okay...

SO STOP WITH THE INSULTS... OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

I don't think that Timelord meant anything against GM products, I think he meant that the companies themselves are losing money because people are buying more Jap crap and other imports than in the past. Timelord has been a member of this board for a few years, I think, and he is definitely not against GM.
On the original topic, I think the reason people buy those cars is because they are luxurious with excellent build quality, especially in the interior. You would be hard oressed to find plastic door panels, consoles, and trim in most of those cars. I think another thing about it is that they are status symbols. People see them and tend to think of money and that the person behind the wheel must be successful. Myself, I prefer american cars, but....some of those Jags certainly are sweet looking...

[TimeLord]

Slow down there,I own a 94 Z and have owned mostly american cars and like the value of my F Body.

I would not buy a Lexus because it isn't my style,but for people who want high $$ luxury cars it answers their needs for a good price.

I am just a realist I guess and understand economics better than you I guess,I answered the question why people are attracted to them which is the subject of this thread.

This board is open to all people,you are allowed to like and enjoy what you like,that is called freedom and that is what you are celebrating tomorrow if you didn't know.If you choose to be narrow minded and have tunnel vision that is your right,as it is mine to have differing tastes.

[MaraSport]

Okay going beyond pricing and expensiveness (I have about a page on that already)...

What type of features and what not... Do yal like about them?...
Please be more specific other than luxurious appointments...

And also please elaborate some on the status symbol aspect... What do yal think of people that drive those cars?...

[TimeLord]

The easiest way to explain it is to drive a 3 series[M3 preferably] and FEEL the driving experience move up a few notches.

The feel of these cars is just more rock solid and well thought out and not controled by the accountants,if it costs a little more but is worth it they do it.

[Joe 1320]

Geeze..... people must be under the pressure of the holidays or something. You guys need to play nice.

My career choice is high ticket retail sales, so I can comment on what is happening with people's choices and marketing. Each manufacturer builds their line of cars with step up features in mind. Most try to capture a customer and grow them within the product line to a more expensive model on each successive purchase. Every manufacturer talks about perceived or apparent value which is the value that a customer perceives the product is worth and/or costs. The upscale import manufacturers are a little more in tune with this idea and put more effort into increasing the apparent value without increasing the price, giving a perceived better quality vehicle at a competing price point. The big debate is whether they are actually sucessful at accomplishing the desired effect. Some would say yes, some would say no.

As consumers, most people want to outwardly display an aura of success to some degree or another. We want to look good, drive stuff that looks good, live in good homes etc...... Some buy these cars due to high apparent value, some buy due to status symbols, some just happen to like the stuff regardless of the manufacturer. The general public's views can be kind of off the wall at times. When I used to drive my brand new T/A in 97, only car nuts would give it a second glance. The "upscale" crowd would look right past it and not give me the time of day. I could pull up in my older, but mint Cadillac that was worth 1/10 of the T/A and the same crowd thought I was loaded. Car dealers were the same way. I remember showing up at a dealer while driving an older T/A and the salesmen were unaccomodating and needed a driver's license and proof of insurance as well as having a salesman drive the car off the lot, then we could switch and I could drive the car. I show up in my vintage Mercedes coupe, they hand me the keys to the new car with no questions asked. No salesman to go with me either. Same dealer, two months later so they didn't recognize me. You can see how people think, it's all about what they perceive, not what could be reality. It's their perception of apparent value and status that influences their decision. This reminds me of a story of when I started a Corvette club. Upon starting the club, we had all kinds of people from all walks of life that got involved. One in particular happened to be a sucessful Orange Grove owner. He would look down his nose at me even though I was driving a new ZR1 at the time. All he knew is that I worked in retail. That is, until he noticed the Rolex on my wrist and then all of a sudden he was very interested in who I was and what I did for a living.

Sometimes though, that all goes out the window with us gearheads. I've been known to drive the ugliest looking heap of crap purely because it would blow the doors off anything else on the road. I do find it funny that I can drive my 89 Cadillac that is in basically mint shape and people think I am loaded. My divorce took care of that theory.

The point I was getting to is that status and perceived wealth are the reason most people buy the upscale imports. Their desire to look and feel the part influences their decision. As an example I know several folks who indeed are loaded that don't have the tendency to show it. They are happy driving a 15 year old Bonneville with a dent or two because it's still a perfectly good car. Others I know buy them just because they can and it makes them feel better.

Long winded, eh?

[pwmin]

ill take my 98 riv over a lexus anyday. a lexus is just an overpriced toyota. i too think that the reason most people buy them is for a status symbol.

i guess if i could i would buy a bentley or bugatti, but that'll never happen. until then, ill stick with buicks and chevys.

i wasnt meaning to talk crap. i was wondering what car he drives because it is not in his profile.

when most people buy a car they dont take in account resale value. that is probably why they dont include that in their assessments (JD).

[AmericanZ28]

I would highly disregard Lexus as a top contender among luxury cars! Lexus is going under, and fast! The only thing Lexus is selling and has been selling, is their SUV. LEXUS is just a toyota Camry in sheeps clothing with the exception of their SUV. Toyota has also had an up-setting attempt at the full size pick-up truck market. However, they're steadily climbing up, and will soon be stepping on the heals of the big 3, unless the big 3 do something about it (which i hope they do). I dont know how the Nissan Titan will do though, but the torque numbers look pretty good. I've driven many Mercedez Benz and BMW's uncluding a BMW 540I and a $70K Mercedez and I would highly disagree that they feel much better. The General Manager at the Chevy Dealer I work at bought a brand new MB and it already had defects. Some of the stitching on the door panel was un-done and two of the switching levers on the door were faulty. He also bought a BMW for his daughter, and the mirror fell off once while adjusting it, and the volume adjustment knob for the stereo became loose and was also faulty. A managers 2003 BMW's door sticks. You have to pull hard on the door to open it, kinda like when you spill soda and it sticks to the weather stripping on the doors. And throttle response is just horrible on both BMW and MB. Their fly-by wire system is too slow. The only thing that I really find impressive about them is their electronics and optional HID! Their instument panels and navigation systems are cool, and theres all kinds of switches for everything you can think of, including the sun shades on some cars. Ive driven the Lexus GS300 and 400 as well as the IS300, nothing really impressive there either. As far as comfort, the new 2004 Malibu is REALLY comfortable! To sum things up, BMW, LEXUS, MB, their all overated and have nothing really overly impressive other than their electronics and safety. As far as reliability, Ive never owned either, so I wouldnt know......

[TimeLord]

No prob PWMIN !!!

I hope the BMW and the MB aren't the ones built[assembled] in the U.S.,if they are that hurts.If they are the true imports then they have slipped badly and they will lose sales due to it.

The chief designer at BMW is doing a great job to limit sales in my opinion,the 7 and now the 5 series he has penned are horrible compared to their predecessors!!!