What car would you hope to be never seen in? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Veloce300DT · #1 01-25-2006, 12:47 AM

I can see where a Lexus may rub off to be of lesser quality. In my eyes the plastics arent of lesser quality, but of lesser finish; On an MBZ the plastics are finished on all visible surfaces- even in crevices in the glove box door jam. On a Toyota/Lexus there is less attention to these details... for example on my friends ES300 the glove box door has an unsmoothed ridge along the inner top of the glove box door, lending to a more mass produced economy feel than a quality finished feel. The stitching of the leather seats is slightly crooked in parts and all of the knobs and speedo look as though they have been lifted out of a Camry.... trim pieces and fittings are shared between Toyota and Lexus... which depending upon ones viewpoint can be a good or bad thing.... Sure its great for Toyota, they can make it cheaper to produce a luxury car by taking parts from the toyota parts bin. That cost saving obviously doesnt filter down to the consumer level as Lexus' sell at a premium, comparable to certain MBZ's that offer a more individualized and finished feel when looking at the small little details throughout the interior.

That said, Lexus' in my eyes arent of lesser quality, but are slightly less refined. More pedestrian. But they are still very very nice cars, and offer great value... who could say a dressed up Toyota is a BAD thing. They certainly dont compare to an MBZ when it comes to many little details... they share commonalities in only 2 areas... features and price. And for many consumers, those are the two most important factors when buying a car. Thats how Lexus has survived; before Lexus, toyota was one of the first automakers to offer ample features and QUALITY at competitive prices...and the people whom bought toys then moved into Lexus when they wanted more luxury. They could still own their duruable toyota, but now with leather, alloys, and wood trimmings. The same goes for the Honda/Acura phenomena. Those consumers are less interested in the little details like finish.

As far as a car that I wouldnt want to be seen in....... hmmmmm
I like lots of cars, and lots of ugly cars.... I have a fetish for french cars.. Pugs, Citroens, even the Renault LeCar. Many would consider the cars I like as hideous, or of bad taste. I'll just cut to the chase. Anything GM, or American for that matter, esp. if it has a Bush decal on it. Im so typical. Forgive me.

t walgamuth · #2 01-25-2006, 01:01 AM

like the le car. it has a ton of character...style wise. i think it lacked quality though. or at least the buyers it attracted in the us maybe didnt take care of them either. but they were very rust prone as i remember.

sorry, cant warm up to that buick suv.

tom w

86560SEL · #3 01-25-2006, 01:06 AM

You would learn to love this SUV, Tom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

sorry, cant warm up to that buick suv.

tom w

H-townbenzoboy · #4 01-25-2006, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 86560SEL

You would learn to love this SUV, Tom.

I'm sorry too, but I don't like it either. The styling says "It's the Touareg of the retirement home."

But for all I know, it may be a very well built vehicle, it's just the styling I don't care for. What's with Buick and bringing back the portholes on the fenders on their new models? What's next, MB goes retro and puts front quarter windows on the next gen. C-class and puts Heckflosse style fintails on the next gen. E-class?

superlite17 · #5 01-25-2006, 07:42 PM

AMC Pacer and Gremlin are tempting choices but I will pick a red sun bleached Ford Pinto wagon since I have not seen it come up yet. I have hated these since the mid seventies...
Paul
______
98 E300

Mike J · #6 01-25-2006, 08:18 PM

Might be something here you wouldn't want to be seen in.

Might not. Some really fun stuff, and a marvelous collection.

http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tourindex.html

Hatterasguy · #7 01-25-2006, 10:09 AM

Cough you guys need to get your facts straight:
1. Lexus was developed only for the North American market, because they though and as VW proved no one in this country will pay big bucks for a low end badge. So Lexus was born.

Some Lexus vehicals are tarted up Camry's and deserve the crap they get, like the ES330. However some Lexus vehicals are Lexus only in this country and very expensive and high end in the rest of the world. LS430, SC430, GS series ect.

If you think they are junk pull your head out of the sand, no one that actually knows anything about them would make statements like that.

I am a die hard German car fan and rag on Lexus all the time, but I also give credit where it is due. The LS400/430 in paticular is the equal to any sedan anyone makes. Heck they are quiter on the highway then W140's and W220, without double pain glass.

1983/300CD · #8 01-25-2006, 11:06 AM

A Hummer.

Driving one of those on the pavement is like showing up to a dinner party in full SCUBA gear. Totally out of place.

my126benz · #9 01-25-2006, 06:35 PM

Stop the toyota bashing! -92 Corrola 150K miles before it needed a part(other than brakes battery tires, normal wear and tear stuff) The timing belt broke on it and the engine was at exactly top dead center so the engine was not runied. We put a timing belt on it and the timing did not need to be set. it was perfect. We also have a 1990 Camry with 300K on the v6 gasser with the orignal engine and Tranny.

86560SEL · #10 01-25-2006, 01:04 AM

I had a 1993 Toyota Camry LE V6 about two years ago - a very high quality car. It had 215K when I sold it and it was still 100% squeak and rattle free. The interior was very high quality, but I think the glove box door should have been padded, like it was on my 90' Honda Accord LX- which was also a high quality car.

I am not saying this to put down MB, but the 80s and early 90s Japanese cars (most of them) do deserve some attention for their quality.

The only reason I sold the Camry is because the struts had failed at every wheel. It was going to cost me over $600 to replace them (parts and labor), so I sold it. After I sold it, I wish I had of kept it. It was the best $2200 I spent. It was a 1-owner, garage kept car and was still like new. All miles were highway/freeway. The lady I sold it to had a NEW BMW 3-Series convertible, a new Toyota 4-Runner and a nearly new Honda Civic. She wanted this car because she wanted a 4-door just to run quick errands in. I think she still has it.

Here is a photo of it in my driveway. Wow, our driveway was not even paved then - this may have been more like three years ago then.

greasybenz · #11 01-25-2006, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloce300DT

I have a fetish for french cars.. Pugs, Citroens, even the Renault LeCar. Many would consider the cars I like as hideous, or of bad taste. I'll just cut to the chase.

One of my neighbors had a leCAR my dad always made fun of it passing buy

And i remember it having a for sale sign one day and my dad wanted a good laugh and took a look at it. was a total rust bucket inside. he wanted $300 for it im surprised it sold never seen so much rust in my life! but hey probably sold as a parts car.