Interesting post, this. Exactly the same debate is going on in the UK. Without doubt the German prestige manufacturers are struggling against the Japanese onslaught and their quality is suffering as a result. I remember reading somewhere that Mercedes used to expend almost as many man-hours in rectifying and fettling an S Class than Lexus did in building an LS400 outright. Now this may be an exaggeration, but the point is clear. With the very high total employment costs in Germany, the prestige manufacturers could not afford to continue building cars in the way that they had been and keep their prices remotely competitive.

I drive an old Mercedes and an old BMW. I love them both and appreciate the quality of engineering design and workmanship that went into both. The SL has done 117000 miles and the BMW 125000. They drive almost without fault. I can't see the latest equivalents lasting that long, more due to the fact that in 20 years nobody will still have the computers to be able to fix them, rather than the fact that they'll be worn out.

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bobw
1983 380SL
1991 BMW 735iSE