[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

1997-02 Audi A8L Quattro/S8. I love the way these look and drive. Their styling is restrained and quiet, yet still very elegant and even though it's a full size, it hides it's mass very well. I drove a '99 A8 shortly after I bought my '99 S320 and the A8 was much nimbler and much quicker. It didn't ride as quite as nice or feel as elegant as the S Class, but it's much smaller and more of a driver's car by design. For as much as I love looking at them and driving them, I'd simply be afraid to own them, as I've heard tons of horror stories regarding the late '90s, early '00s Audis, and this is the biggest, and most complex of the Audi/VW family.

1993-95 Cadillac Seville STS. $2,500 headgasket replacement, need I say more? Again, with the Audi, I love the way these look and drive. I drove a white/white '94 STS years back and it was the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel of a Cadillac. It offered a great steering feel, great engine/exhaust sound and tremendous power for the early '90s. I think it's one of the best looking Cadillacs from the last 20 years.

1970-75 Citroen SM. Love the goofy, French styling, endless amount of bizarre French engineering innovations (air/hydraulic oil suspension, maserati sourced V6, one spoke steering wheel, etc) excellent roadability and good power. Would be extremely afraid to own one because of a lack of knowledgeable service and parts, not to mention when you do find any good parts & service, it'll make any Audi or Mercedes seem like a Hyundai by comparison.

 

[Stingroo]

Hmm... I don't know if I could think of anything I really WANT that I'd be scared to own... (most of it's LT/LS powered... :lol

 

[ThumperPup]

id love to have a GMC Typhoon but i have heard form a few ppl that have goen threw 2 or 3 transmisions in those in a 5 year period

id like to have a chrysler Pacifica all wheel drive touring but i have heard really bad things about the MPG those things get worst then 40 percent of the crosse overs

id want another caddy id love a 96-02 Eldorado Convertible but scared to have to go threw another Headgasket repaire

 

[Jesda]

We were just talking about this car at SaabCentral. Amazing forward thinking design.

AWESOME SEATS.


Audi A8 is on my list too. My cousin has an A6 and its beautiful inside and out. Shockingly, he's had no issues other than a bad coil pack (which made it possible to buy the car for quite a discount).

Jaguar XJS is my ultimate mechanically nightmarish indulgence:

 

[Stingroo]

Yeah I'd rock a Sy/Ty. mmmmm.

 

[Aron9000]

This has to be the best looking Cadillac probably going back to model year 1970. Almost bought a mid 90's one back in 2003 instead of a Z28 Camaro. Looking back, I'm glad I went with the Camaro, it was really trouble free and a blast to drive as well.

I'd really like an e38 7 series or e39 5 series BMW as well. Definitely a manual shift e39 though. Those are just like the Eldorado though, you can easily spend as much on repairs in 2-3 years of ownership as you originally paid for the damn car to start with. An E30 3 series would be really tempting since they're easier to work on and a lot less complicated though.

 

[Playdrv4me]

And a couple that I'd drive despite the red flags...

 

[ga_etc]

Aron, the ETC you have pictured is virtually IDENTICAL to mine. Same wheels and all. I also have a similar tag on mine.

Mine has been good to me so far. Josiah and I are taking it to Chicago this weekend for the meet and I have full confidence in her abilities.


As far as my list goes, this is what comes to mind right now.

I might regret it, but one of these days I will have a 560 SEL. Those and the late '70s to early '80s SL are what comes to mind first when I think Mercedes.

Same story as the MB. It might bite me in the ass but I'll have one before it's all said and done. And yes, I even like the flush headlights on the XJ6 that everyone detests so much.

I'm not as afraid of the TL Type-S as I am the Jag and M-B, but walking into a car and expecting the trans to go at any time is never fun. I think the '01-'03 TL Type-S is one of the best looking cars Acura has made to date.

 

[Jesda]

The only TL to buy is the Type-S with 6-speed manual. Nice clutch, precise shift action.

 

[ga_etc]

Unfortunately the '01-'03 wasn't offered with a stick even though the CL was. TL didn't get a manual till '04, if memory serves correctly.

 

[Aron9000]

Aron, the ETC you have pictured is virtually IDENTICAL to mine. Same wheels and all. I also have a similar tag on mine.

Mine has been good to me so far. Josiah and I are taking it to Chicago this weekend for the meet and I have full confidence in her abilities.

Man I have serious Cadillac envy with that Eldorado of yours. That red color with the beige leather is my favorite color combo. A guy at my work has a pearl white Eldorado ETC on some 20" wheels that looks really sharp as well. His car is immaculate, always looks like it was freshly waxed and blinds you.



As for the Acura TL, I've always thought that the 2004-2008 models were the sharpest looking mainstream 4 door sedans on the market, along with the 1st gen TSX. Both of those are some of my favorite cars of the 00's.

The 04-08 TL is really the spiritual sucessor to the 2nd gen Acura Legend. Both were very tasteful yet unique, bold and beautiful designs that IMO look a million times better than the models that replaced them.

Getting back on topic, I think a diesel VW would be a lot of fun. My aunt owns a diesel VW new Beetle and gets 40-50mpg. I'd go for a less gay diesel Golf myself, hatchbacks are a lot more handy than the conventional Jetta sedan. People claim the VW diesels are reliable, but I still don't trust a VW or Audi with some age or miles on them.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

I'd love to own a Buick GnX or Grand National. But EVERY one I've seen, without fail, has been trashed and beat to within an inch of its life. I've gone to look at low milage one owner cars and seen torque induced stretch marks in the sheet metal from holeshots, as well as puddles of liquids forming underneath. The T-top equipped cars seem to fare even worse. Many if not most have been modified at some point, and that tends to make stuff worse for wear as well.

Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2's, Monte Carlo SS's, Olds 442/Hurst - they all get absolutely trashed. Many have been stolen at least once in their lives as well.

Pass..

 

[96Fleetwood]

Volvo S60R:

Saab 9-3 Viggen:

Mercedes 190E 2.3 16 valve Cosworth:

Mercedes 500E (built by Porsche):

Porsche 928 GTS:

BMW 850 CSi:

I could post many many more.. but those are a few off the top of my head.

 

[mhamilton]

I'd love one of the last 2 generations Jaguar Xj8-L Super8, but a supercharged Jag?... eh... makes me worry. Would definitely (and hope to) buy a Xj8-L.

Similarly, the STS-V is an intriguing car to me... SC Northstar :drool: but again, for some reason supercharged engines in a daily driver make me think twice.

I also like the new S-class, but I'm not convinced Merc worked out their quality issues from 10 years ago.

ga_etc, I don't think you'd have a bad time with the w126 series cars. They were the last of the 'real' Mercedes, very tank-like in construction and fairly easy to service. There actually wasn't all that much complexity to them, at least by comparison to the next series.

 

[orconn]

The car I'd love to own, but am deterred not buy maintenance cost .... but just getting competent work done on it at all, is the Citroen SM. This also goes for the CX as well. Back in the 1980's when I came very close to buying a mint condition SM there was only one guy in all of L.A. who was really competent working on Citroens. The fact the he was nearing retirement age put me off buying the car.

I am not put off with owning '93-'95 Seville STS's. I have owned a '93 for seven years with only problems that you might expect of any car. Same goes for my '95 and '02 SLS. Given the huge discount these cars bring to the table used, plus the styling and performance, having the head gasket repair a possibility is of less concern than paying a similar amount to fix a relatively minor issue on the European luxury cars. Japanese cars just don't do it for me.

There are plenty of "collector" cars I would like to won, but non would be suitable for daily driving. Also the chore of driving several cars (I've done that) to keep them running properly is not a chore I would forward to doing!

 

[Aron9000]

Also, 300ZX Twin Turbo:drool:

I've heard that the non-turbo model 300zx is actually a lot easier on your wallet and pretty reliable. I'm still skeptical about that, because there is about two competent mechanics in Nashville that know how to work on these things, so you know its $$$ to keep one on the road in tip-top shape. Which is why you see so many of these poor things ragged out by some 20 year old punk who can't afford to keep it running right.

 

[Jesda]

Its just VG30. Doesnt seem complicated, but the fit is pretty tight, especially TT

 

[ga_etc]

Yeah, they really have that 3.0 V6 shoe horned in there. Not something I would want to have to deal with. I've always like the 300ZX with the pop up lights, especially the last few years of them when they cleaned them up and made them sleeker looking. There's more room in the previous body style too.

 

[ga_etc]

ga_etc, I don't think you'd have a bad time with the w126 series cars. They were the last of the 'real' Mercedes, very tank-like in construction and fairly easy to service. There actually wasn't all that much complexity to them, at least by comparison to the next series.

It's not the fear of it constantly breaking, it's the fear of what it would cost to fix it when it does. I'm not at the point in my life right now where I can own one of these machines, but I will have one eventually.

This one on the local CL has been tempting me for a while. Good thing I don't have the money.
http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/cto/2171525132.html

 

[orconn]

Boy, that Mercedes looks like a money pit! Who cares if it's built like a vault, and that weighs about the same, if getting a heater blower fixed costs $1500. and the rest of repairs go up from there. The only way to own a Mercedes is buy one new and get an extended "bumper to bumper" warranty. Then enjoy the prestige and exclusivity you think it brings you ....... and sell it as soon as the warranty runs out!

Mercedes-Benz should have as their slogan "Luxury it's all in your head!"