Why Australians love luxury cars

[mik]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Source the parts overseas and don't pay local prices, and a BMW/Merc is easily maintainable for no more than a Ford or a Toyota. The problem is Australia is filled with opportunist shark businesses who cite lack of economies of scale, as a reason for price gouging.

That's alright for the run of the mill parts, when you need something special it might be a problem.

[Dash_XR]

I'd rather be an average bloke in a Falcon then another ********* in a BMW.

[Franco Cozzo]

Lesbians buy Jeeps because hummers are the only dildos they like.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Got to love the assumptions in this thread

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Dash_XR

I'd rather be an average bloke in a Falcon then another ********* in a BMW.

What if someone owns both?
I've had BMWs and Falcons since I was a teenager. Ive recently bought an E39 530i Motorsport for $3500 as a beater. Except the newer FG feels like the beater... BMW has 200k on the clock, superior build quality to an FG, better handler than FG XR6, better ride quality, better fuel consumption, an all round better car and niceer place to sit in, with ten times the mileage of the FG. The only thing I give the Falcon is the trusty 4.0. Should have bought one years ago.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Got to love the assumptions in this thread

I reckon, as if the average Australian isnt an idiot...

[Dash_XR]

Originally Posted by smoo

What if someone owns both?
I've had BMWs and Falcons since I was a teenager. Ive recently bought an E39 530i Motorsport for $3500 as a beater. Except the newer FG feels like the beater... BMW has 200k on the clock, superior build quality to an FG, better handler than FG XR6, better ride quality, better fuel consumption, an all round better car and niceer place to sit in, with ten times the mileage of the FG. The only thing I give the Falcon is the trusty 4.0. Should have bought one years ago.

Then they are only half ****wit lol.

I was more referring to later models, the type that buys an X5 then takes half an hour to park it or upgrades their M series every fews years cause they like the look of the headlights etc.

Only one I'd ever own would be an E46 M3, but my FG is still newer and faster for the same price. And doesn't cost and arm and a leg to fix.

[mik]

Originally Posted by smoo

What if someone owns both?
I've had BMWs and Falcons since I was a teenager. Ive recently bought an E39 530i Motorsport for $3500 as a beater. Except the newer FG feels like the beater... BMW has 200k on the clock, superior build quality to an FG, better handler than FG XR6, better ride quality, better fuel consumption, an all round better car and niceer place to sit in, with ten times the mileage of the FG. The only thing I give the Falcon is the trusty 4.0. Should have bought one years ago.

too each his own Smoo, the falcons and its faults are well known , but a bit of a google shows beemers also have their share of faults, as for the handling , i would think a model with the branding "motorsport"in the name would depict not a family hack but a much more focused handling package , and therefore should infact handle a lot better than the xr6 family which is really a family taxi with sporting overtones........ albeit a capable one .

[mr smith]

Originally Posted by FairmontGS

The average Australian isn't an idiot.

Laugh of the week.

[mr smith]

Australians have become two bob millionaires and brand snobs. Nothing special about owning a flash car these days.

[Qwerty321]

Define "luxury cars". I'm by no means a brand snob, but personally luxury/executive sedans have been my niche. Had a Toyota Windom (Lexus ES300) and now own a Fairlane. Personally just like the extra comfort (I swear to god the Fairlanes are basically just lounges with wheels. Soooo comfortable), space and the little techy things that make the car feel amazing. Plus the Fairlane and the Windom were by no means slouches, you put the foot down and the engines go from whisper to roar, with power to match. Both cars handled the corners like champs too.

So there's nothing wrong with loving luxury cars. They're damn good! Now if you just buy euro cars cause you want to say "I have a merc, beemer etc.", you're an idiot. Euro cars are no different to Aussie/American/Japanese cars, some are well designed and some are *****. Apart from Volvo, those things are tanks. You literally cannot ever get a bad Volvo

[Express]

Originally Posted by tempted

They can also empty your wallet and bank account beautifully when it comes to servicing, repairs, insurance etc.

This subject has been discussed at length before.

If you can’t afford to service, maintain, repair or insure a vehicle you can’t afford to own it to start with.

The insurance for my C63 at twice the market value is cheaper than my HSV, apparently my HSV is a high risk vehicle where the AMG isn’t.

The insurance for my BMW is cheaper than my SS Ute.

The servicing of my Euros is about $250 a year more expensive than my Commodore Ute and almost equivalent to my HSV, the higher cost of servicing is offset by my Euros being cheaper to insure plus I get a loan car in the service price for the AMG and for the BMW I’m charged an extra $39 per day for a new demo, Holden offers to drive me home and back again in their mini bus and it depends on how many others are in the bus to how long it takes to get there.

Even if it did cost a little more for the Euros I’d still pay for the pleasure of owning such a fine motor vehicle and for the fact the dealers actually do a very good job at pretending you are of importance to them.

The Head Unit in my BMW that controls the audio, navigation, phone, park assist etc. failed last week, the car is just over two years out of warranty and because of the low miles (30,000 in 5 years) BMW Australia has decided to good will warranty the part if I pay the $150 labour charge to install it.

That is the first failure of anything I’ve ever had in my BMW, C63 and E63.

If you wish to save even more money on your Euro then have it serviced by an independent workshop, there are many good ones around that will do the job for half the cost of the Dealerships in the same way that independents do for Ford and Holdens.

Originally Posted by tempted

Waiting weeks for a part to arrive from overseas is out of the question if you rely on your car on a daily basis.

You’ll find the good independent repairers already source their parts from aftermarket and authorised overseas suppliers at far cheaper prices than the dealerships and will have most common parts in stock and can source from overseas in a matter of days not weeks.

A lot of people are starting to find the ownership of Euros is not as bad as some non-owners would like to have you believe and the high percentage of return patronage confirms that.

For those who are thinking of buying Euros do your homework and get onto the appropriate Forums and suss out what the actual owners are saying about reliability and where the best service and spare parts can be had and then make an informed decision.

Owning Euros doesn't suit everyone but neither does owning Camry's.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Dash_XR

Then they are only half ****wit lol.

I was more referring to later models, the type that buys an X5 then takes half an hour to park it or upgrades their M series every fews years cause they like the look of the headlights etc.

Only one I'd ever own would be an E46 M3, but my FG is still newer and faster for the same price. And doesn't cost and arm and a leg to fix.

Sorry but this post reeks of Envy.
Calling people names because they can afford an X5. for the record they are Probably easier to park than your FG. a common misconception about SUVs
costing an arm & leg is irrelevant if its under warranty, and doesn't break down in the first place.

[DK30RB]

I think the biggest issue with the Euro's is the resale value. I generally buy new.

I have just looked at a new 2016 Sahara, and a new 2016 Audi Q7. The toyota had more features for slightly less money. Yes the Q7 was nice, but i usually sell after 3 to 4 years.

I looked at what a 3 year old Q7 is worth and what a 3 year old Sahara is worth. The Toyota was about 30k in front.

I just sold my Dec 2011 build, Jan 2012 Complied, Purchased new in Jan 2013 Landcruiser for a great price, in fact it was 8k more than i paid for it!!! (i got it for a bargain). I sold it for fair market price and still ended up in front.

I ended up ordering the Sahara...

I've owned a recent volvo and it wasn't as reliable as you would expect. Resale was woeful.

[Dash_XR]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Sorry but this post reeks of Envy.
Calling people names because they can afford an X5. for the record they are Probably easier to park than your FG. a common misconception about SUVs
costing an arm & leg is irrelevant if its under warranty, and doesn't break down in the first place.

I envy lots of cars mate but not BMW's. And BMW was the first one that come to my head, any euro would work for that joke.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by tempted

Your one or two examples are hardly an accurate representation in the grand scheme of things.
It is common knowledge that Euro cars are far more complex when it comes to repairs and maintenance, have exorbitantly priced parts and generally cost a lot more to own.
You have probably been lucky, but from what I have seen, most people who own Euro cars get bent over and reamed with a large cactus when it comes to servicing, repairs and general ownership costs.

It's only common knowledge amongst those who have never owned a Euro.

New Fords and Holdens are fairly complex. Take them to your friendly local Ford/GM dealer and see what they charge.

As Express mentioned, if you own a Euro find an independent mechanic, these guys are often just as clued up on your car and you don't have to go through the receptionist-service dept-service manager to get anything done.

But yes, there are those (usually Dr's or other professional people) who just rock up to their local Benz/BMW dealer and say 'fix it', then happily pay the $175 per hour labour charge. I'm just not one of them.

[Express]

Originally Posted by tempted

Your one or two examples are hardly an accurate representation in the grand scheme of things.
It is common knowledge that Euro cars are far more complex when it comes to repairs and maintenance, have exorbitantly priced parts and generally cost a lot more to own.
You have probably been lucky, but from what I have seen, most people who own Euro cars get bent over and reamed with a large cactus when it comes to servicing, repairs and general ownership costs.

That’s typical of someone who’s had a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend tell them so therefore it must be true.

A know a lot of people who own Euros that don’t have problems or complain about over the top costs.

Though I have to admit I was once one of those people who saw them as an unreliable not made for Aussie conditions overpriced POS.

My mate who owns a Holden and MB dealership tried to get me out of HSV’s and into an AMG for years and it wasn’t until my brother-in-law left his new M3 for me look after for 12 months while he was working overseas that I realise just how good they really were and finally relented and bought an E63 and I haven’t looked back.

I still buy locally produced performance cars because I think they are great value but outside of engine performance for the purchase price I don’t rate them and wouldn’t purchase one just on reliability alone as the Euros perform just as well in that area.

Almost everything is more complex these days from phones to television and that doesn’t make parts and repairs any more costly as manufacturing costs plus knowledge and knowhow evolve with the technology.

You sound more like someone looking for a reason not to own one which I can understand as I use the same mentality to keep myself out of white goods Toyotas.

[Express]

Originally Posted by tempted

IMO nothing screams 'pretentious w****r' louder than a Euro SUV. Sure that doesn't apply to all Euro suv owners, but the large majority of them.

This type of shallow generalising is enough for me to dismiss any argument you’d offer on the subject.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by DK30RB

I think the biggest issue with the Euro's is the resale value. I generally buy new.

I have just looked at a new 2016 Sahara, and a new 2016 Audi Q7. The toyota had more features for slightly less money. Yes the Q7 was nice, but i usually sell after 3 to 4 years.

I looked at what a 3 year old Q7 is worth and what a 3 year old Sahara is worth. The Toyota was about 30k in front.

I just sold my Dec 2011 build, Jan 2012 Complied, Purchased new in Jan 2013 Landcruiser for a great price, in fact it was 8k more than i paid for it!!! (i got it for a bargain). I sold it for fair market price and still ended up in front.

I ended up ordering the Sahara...

I've owned a recent volvo and it wasn't as reliable as you would expect. Resale was woeful.

Great post. I can confirm this also occurs further down the price scale at Prado vs Territory (let's say pricing in 2007, not Prado pricing today), the Prado being light years in front resale wise...

[Dash_XR]

Originally Posted by Express

This type of shallow generalising is enough for me to dismiss any argument you’d offer on the subject.

Without knowing every owner personally all we can do is generalize based on our own experiences.

[Ross 1]

My wifes 06 c200 and my daughters 93 220e are the cheapest cars for maintenance and fuel costs we've ever had. Wifes one averages $4-500 a year in service costs at Mercedes and gets 7.1L/100 in city traffic, it has only needed a new battery in 6 years of ownership. My daughters 93 model, in 4 years has also only ever needed a new battery.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by tempted

bent over and reamed with a large cactus

My poor parents, continuing to buy the Euros they loved from the Continent and hold outside warranty after we moved to Australia. I watched it for 15 years... Compounded by the fact Dad wasn't a car guy or hands-on guy... His joy in his first simple Commodore wagon, and his second...

[FPV+fteT3]

My Lotus goes to the dealer for servicing @$110/hr and fixed prices for A and B service cheaper than getting my ford done at the local dealer.

Lotus Dealer service costs as lifted from their web site,

$295* + PARTS
Service 1 is in accordance with Lotus Cars'
service schedule recommendations.
Recommended annually.

$695* + PARTS
This is essential for any serious track car
and recommended at least once every 7-8
track days.

I think thats quite reasonable compared to the local made car service costs and my information is not based on hearsay, I actually own a Euro and its a bespoke limited build and I don't get raped at service time as some people on here would have you think. I prefer the Lotus dealer as they know the cars and what to check at a service for what its worth 0 recalls, 0 problems, and never been told they all do that or its within spec or given it back noting your handbrake needs adjusting we recommend you bring it back for adjustment as done by my ford dealer. Christ you had it on the hoist but couldn't adjust it while it was there? at least at Lotus everything is checked and if anything needs adjusting its done while they have it after all its there for a service not a report that says it needs more service next week. As you can tell my ford does not get done at fraud anymore as their service at the local ford dealer is an expensive joke.

[Express]

Originally Posted by Dash_XR

Without knowing every owner personally all we can do is generalize based on our own experiences.

He has no experience.

[Dash_XR]

I didn't actually answer the op, people are buying luxury cars cause interest rates are low and credit is easy to get.

[Sabantien]

If there's one thing I found out about cars when I was shopping around, everyone's got a mate who had one and it was a lemon and expensive to run, expensive to maintain, expensive to fix. Every. Car. Ever.

My G6E is nice and comfy, and it keeps on chugging, but services and parts through Ford are insanely expensive (I got my bushes done for about 1/3 of what Ford were wanting to charge), and quite honestly, the build quality is pretty horrible. So many interior panels are ill fitting.

Both Ford and Holden have come out with some pretty crap cars and they seem to be 10+ years behind Asia and Europe on the technology side.

I think another big driver is the local car industry is closing down. Soon there won't be a local car to buy, so people are starting to look elsewhere, and the 'prestige' European (they're mostly just cars in Europe, not luxury cars) are starting to advertise here more than ever before.

I get the sense that a lot of people on the forum just hate european cars, hate japanese cars, hate anything that's not a Ford or Holden. Which I guess is fair enough, it's a Ford forum.

[commodorenutt]

Reminds me of a guy at work who questioned why I was buying my G6.

He said "for the same money, you can buy a 10 year old mercedes benz like mine, and have a much more prestigious car instead of a Ford - it's just a taxi"

My German colleague beside me piped up with "in my country, Mercedes Benz are taxi"

Touche!

[Express]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

Reminds me of a guy at work who questioned why I was buying my G6.

He said "for the same money, you can buy a 10 year old mercedes benz like mine, and have a much more prestigious car instead of a Ford - it's just a taxi"

My German colleague beside me piped up with "in my country, Mercedes Benz are taxi"

Touche!

Yeah in Germany Mercedes is a big player and apart from their many models they also produce cars to be used as Taxis much the same as what Ford ended up doing with the Crown Victoria.

Parry!

[Express]

I’m not saying Euros are the is all and end all of cars as they are far from it, what I am saying is they are not the bogeyman as some seem to think and at the end of the day you will purchase a vehicle that best represents your needs.

The higher end Euros don’t just offer luxury and/or performance they are also at the forefront with technology and safety innovations.

That technology in time filters down to their lesser models and into the mainstream market with other manufactures.

High end cars have always sold well here and the Euros obviously see the world wide lower middle part of the market as a good place to be as they are now offering more and more models to go head to head in this sector than ever before.

The Asian manufacturers when trying to take over the car world didn’t try to outdo Ford and GM by copying them, they copied the Euros and forced companies like Ford and Holden to belatedly join the party while kicking and screaming all the way.

Unfortunately by the time they started to play catch up the game was over and the market had moved on.

The Asians are still selling and so are the Euros and that wouldn’t be the case if the majority of owners weren’t satisfied.

If Euros are so bad why when the imports from Ford and Holden are discussed do people lean toward the Euro manufactured cars in preference to their Asian siblings?

Aussies are starting to love Euros because they are now offering more and more price competitive models with an aftersales service that leaves many others for dead and they are also now offering fixed price servicing.

Yeah the badge might be attractive for its perceived prestige but like it or not so are the deals the Euros are offering these days.

[malazn mafia]

What are the sales breakdowns of specification for BMW/Merc? To me, A 316i or a C180, E200 or 520i shouts 'try hard' and holds about as much prestige as a fake handbag or Rolex. Even worse is when said owner, often a P player, sticks an M-power,AMG badge, 'sport kit' or wheels on it. Sickening.