What are the easiest used luxury cars to own?

[BattleRabbit]

I see threads pop up here from time to time about "hey, I found a 7-series/A8/S-class/Quattroporte for the price of a three year old Sentra owned by a smoker with the trots, should I buy it?"

Well, I'm kind of curious as to which of the used flagships is easiest to own. The easy point goes to Lexus, so let's ignore them entirely. A used Lexus is likely no worse own than a used Toyota, and even their ambitious engineering seems to work forever because the people that make Lexuses are clearly all warlocks. Correct me if I'm wrong, I dare you. The Lexus warlocks dare you.

But anyways, what of the other flagships? What of the S-classes, A8s, 7-serieses, Quattroportes, large Buicks/Cadillacs(maybe, though they are much less flagship), full size Infinitis, and things of that nature that I am likely forgetting? Are all S-classes designed to bankrupt the second owner, or do S-classes exist that will coddle you in the finest of leathers and woods while still costing no more to own per year than a Jetta VR6?

I put it to you, Car Lounge; what is the easiest flagship to own?

*note, I'd prefer since like 1985, but if someone can make a compelling case that one could daily a 1965 Maserati Quattroporte for a reasonable outlay, I am ALL ears.

[zzman916]

following bump

[blue75vette]

I owned a used 2003 cl55 which has similar electronics to the S. I sold it last year after the aftermarket "warranty" ended. It had quite a bit of repair work done to it over its 70k mile life. Needed a shifter, hydraulic shock/spring thing, had a full top end replacement, AC compressor exploded... cant remember everything else.

The dash would randomly start to dim a little, the hydraulic suspension fluid pump was whining and the supercharger was ticking when I sold it.

I'd love to hear some good examples of people owning S classes without any issues.

[BattleRabbit]

There are quite a few W126 S-classes in my neighborhood(4 or so), which is on the whole fairly low income. All but one of them are impeccably maintained. The fact that they are the only "flagship" cars in my neighborhood seems to bode well for them... They also look quite striking amidst 15 year old Saturns, Camrys and exceedingly tired 90s GM cars.

[sethgood]

I just pulled the ripchord on my 7 series after many years of ownership. Not easy to own or all that fun to drive.

[TangoRed]

The W220 S-class and E66 7-series are a wash when it comes to maintenance and potential problems. Which is to say I'd buy neither of them. The W221 S-class was significantly better.

[Spray`]

Not a traditional flagship, or that old, but I had a great two years in my Infiniti M45.

Zero repairs required, everything just worked.

They're widely viewed as being incredibly reliable.

In fact In the future i plan to get an m56 when prices come down.

[initiation]

These share the same 5.0 used in the Mustang. Everything that isn't available new is even cheaper at any junkyard.

[eurospec 24vT]

that standard s500 and s550

[TM87]

Let me guess your budget is 2-3k and u want trouble free luxury car under 75k miles , less then 10yrs old,45 mpgs and warranty???

[P-Body]

Let me guess your budget is 2-3k and u want trouble free luxury car under 75k miles , less then 10yrs old,45 mpgs and warranty???

My dad briefly considered keeping his 2004 LS430 long term.

The thought never even entered his mind about this 2008 S450.

We'll see how the A8 does.

I'd guess that the Japanese flagships are the ones to go for here. An RL, M, or LS would be a safe bet.

[thetopdog]

I has a bunch of issues with my 1999 GS400 I owned briefly. Believe it or not that car cost a whole lot more to maintain in its first 4 months of ownership than my Gallardo has, and they're about the same age (I bought my GS in 2006, so it was ~7 years old, the Gallardo is ~6 years old) and the GS had a PPI, the Gallardo was bought sight unseen!

[patrikman]

LS400.

[BattleRabbit]

Let me guess your budget is 2-3k and u want trouble free luxury car under 75k miles , less then 10yrs old,45 mpgs and warranty???

You didn't read my post very well, I don't want one at all! I'm just curious if any of them are any good used.

I think my 9-3 is too long. I have no business in an S-Class.

[Subwoofers]

Luxus?

[Fettes Brot]

Volvo 960/V90. Very much a "brick".

[mojocoggo]

Find an E32 (735i/iL 740i/iL, or 750iL) without twisted seats and as long as the interior isn't falling apart, you will be solid. The V8 has the best balance of reliability and cost to maintain, while the V12 tends to be even more reliable, but can cost much more when something does go wrong.

If you can work on cars yourself, you can find anything for an E32 in a junkyard whenever you want. They're all over the place.

These cars are extremely smooth and quiet at all speeds, and can easily get out of their own way.

My 750iL was trouble-free other than a failed fuel pump, which can be found cheaply at a junkyard.





I also had a W140 600SEL. Definitely the nicest interior of the bunch but will probably be the most expensive to own. For example, my alternator failed and a new OEM Bosch one is about $300. It's not particularly easy to change out, either.

[BRealistic]

[AKADriver]

One of the best engineered cars ever built.



People can talk all day about the advanced engineering features of the S-class or the surprising dynamics of the 7er and A8, but there's a reason you see more LS400s on 20s in da hood: they. don't. break.

Now, you'll get more out of it if you DO maintain it, but you can treat it like a Corolla and it'll still run and run and run. Even the Q45 can't really do that; maintaining one of those is like driving two 240SXs simultaneously.

About the only problems these cars have: the climate control displays conk out (busted LCD crystal), the optional auto leveling air suspension develops leaks, and the sensors for the optional traction control go bad.

[grondie]

Lexus 01-05 GS300/430, stock suspension is 'floaty' though
07+ GS350 RWD, 08+ GS460 - Great cars, numb stearing, some rattle issue addressed with TSB's, the 3.5 is a great motor
07+ GS450h's are a bargin but share the same issues with all 3G GS's
if you're into the rolling isolation chamber, you can't go wrong with the LS430's - Rock Solid
07+ LS460's are nice, however, do have some wind noise issues and some don't care for the styling.

[BRealistic]

One of the best engineered cars ever built.
.

Great cars.
But age has caught up with them.
When something breaks on a 1st gen LS 400- it not cheap to fix.

My dad came || close to buying a 200k mile one owner LS 400 a few years ago, but literally as he was deciding to buy or not the owner (a family friend) had to drop like five thousand in for engine and LCD screen issues.
Dad decided against.

[DerSpiegel]

Easiest luxury cars to own overall? I know you said to ignore them but the general consensus remains....





And I'm just not being a fanboi here, I've had to put significant money into my GS400.....but most of that was just deferred maintenance and a few age related repairs.

The one thing that did bitch-slap me though was a new ABS pump/controller unit. $1900 for the part. Yeah baby......

Despite my undying love for German cars, my second place would probably be Cadillac.

[delrio]

in for more

[sicklyscott]

Id like to nominate the current version of the s80. They're tremendously priced right now.

[71camaro]

D2 A/S8. Other than the trans (which, despite rumors, isn't all of them) they are incredibly well-built and robust. I wouldn't mind owning mine another 10 years.

[nairmac]

My E34 BMW 525 has been ridiculously reliable. It's the M50 staight six with a 5 speed manual. 264,xxx miles on the body and about 130,000 on the current engine (swapped before I got it).

[redsoxreturns]

lol @ including the Maserati.

The cheapest tires will set you back $250 a corner and typically don't last more than 12k miles. The brake parts will set you back well OVER 1k for the front. A service at the dealer will typically set you back anywhere between $800 - $2800 depending on mileage/requirements.

Then there's the parts issue. Need a part that someone doesn't have in stock? you could wait 2-3 weeks, or more. If it's August or September? See you in mid October.

IMO a Japanese luxury car may be easiest to own. Most Lexus parts are readily available, and more importantly have Toyota stamp on the part.

[Hurt]

Crown Vic.

[Jan PL S6]

D2 A/S8. Other than the trans (which, despite rumors, isn't all of them) they are incredibly well-built and robust. I wouldn't mind owning mine another 10 years.

This. My father owned a D2 A8 and drove it up to 164,000 miles. Not a single problem with the transmission and the only thing he had to fix on it was the hand brake and a coil pack replacement. Other than that the car was bulletproof. We still keep in touch with the guy who bought it and only thing he's done so far is regular maintenance.

He moved on to a D3 A8L and I went for one as well. We both still own them and both still love them. The only problems we've had in almost 4 years of ownership is he had to replace his door locks and I had to replace a leaky radiator. Other than that, bulletproof.

I won't lie to you, maintenance can be pretty expensive. We do all our own work so cost is basically all parts. Gas is a killer but frankly I don't mind dishing out $80 a week with all the comfort involved. Your ass will thank you when you're sitting in traffic for a couple hours

As much as people want to complain about them saying they're "maintenance nightmares", I will vouch for these things to the death of me. When buying a car like this, you don't go for the steal. If someone puts it for such a low price, they're trying to get rid of it and there's a damn good reason for it. When sh*t hits the fan, your wallet will be taking a bigger pounding than a thai hooker. You'll save a lot more money by dishing out a little extra cash when buying it than paying for fixing it up.

[KeiCar]

Volvo 960/V90. Very much a "brick".

I did a quick google image search to try and find a better interior picture then the 1 you used (1st pic in Google, I gotch) to see if that ATROCIOUS wood (plastic) trim was optional, but from what I can tell thats stock, save for the radio. Ughh, that would turn me off right there and Im not much of a dash stroker, but thats the worst fake wood trim Ive seen in a long time. Thank god that has slowly tricked itself out of most mainstream cars' interiors. So gaudy and garish...Yuk!

When sh*t hits the fan, your wallet will be taking a bigger pounding than a thai hooker.

There not expensive Ga-Rii

[thetopdog]

Easiest luxury cars to own overall? I know you said to ignore them but the general consensus remains....





And I'm just not being a fanboi here, I've had to put significant money into my GS400.....but most of that was just deferred maintenance and a few age related repairs.

The one thing that did bitch-slap me though was a new ABS pump/controller unit. $1900 for the part. Yeah baby......

Despite my undying love for German cars, my second place would probably be Cadillac.

I can't speak for other Lexuses but the 2nd Gen GS is NOT a cheap car to own