Without starting a ruckus!

I have an 83 Mercedes AMG SEC 500.
Before that a 320hp Volvo 740 turbo.
Before that a 1985 BMW M535i.
Never ever ever will I be tempted to buy any of the Falcodore taxis, or anything Japanese; though my work car is a Mazda Atenza.
Driving that is like eating McDonalds, an end to a means, barely.

Have to agree about Audis. I've had a few and reliability is faultless. Actually one I've still got is an '85 90 Quattro with the standard 5 cyl. WOF boys reckon I've lost the baffles in the middle muffler so around suburbia it needs to stay under about 3000rpm otherwise it sounds like an S1 Group B.altho it'd never be mistaken for a ricey boyracer. Any plans to uprate brakes etc when the V8 goes in.!

Y would you change to left hand drive all cars here are rh drive!

I had a Mercedes Benz 500 SEL for nine years and was a great reliable car. I also had a BMW 740i and found that great too, parts are quite cheap and easy to get from the dealer. I now have a BA Fairmont 5.4 litre job and find it a let down in some ways but will stick with it as the dealer is very good here.

Euros are much nicer to drive as a rule. Even an ordinary car like the Opel Astra G rides and handles (thanks to things like electric assisted power steering) much better than most Japanese cars do.

Yea I have a set of porsche calipers for the front and will be using s6 calipers and rotors on the rear

Ive had a 740i and a 320i they went forever with routine maintanance but no one wants to hear that! the both drive really well to and the 740i has far better power and torgue than an falcodore of the same age.

So join the sheeple get a falcodore zzzz zzzzz zzzzz.

i drive a euro truck.the good part.i dont own it.lol

Mine got the repair thru Farmers Group in Tauranga and their service department guys said be happy at $10,000 for the trans, as they started off at $30,000 each. Farmers (Bay Prestige) sold eight W8s new and six of them didnt need a new trans so thats a 75% pass mark for VW. They build great engines but they seem to miss the boat with the trans.

I also like the V10 TD Touareg, but am told they are even more efficient than the W8 at eating transmissions.

Or even ameans to an end.

I've got a '67 VW Beetle that my dad owned for 37 years. It broke down once that I know of - conrod broke. My latest model MGBGT broke down once on me - coil contact snapped off.

I preferteutonic german engineering thanjap super efficiency

In fairness mate--I can't remember ever seeing you drive it. I do see ya in a lil mitzi and nissan though

I own 2 Mercedes W124 300Es,a 500SEL, a 420SEL, and a GWagen.Also an L200 Ute because MB don't make utes.I am hardcore after I dozed off at the wheel of another W124 (260E) and went sideways at 80k into a telephone pole and flipped the car on it's head.I got out without a scratchexcept where I cut my head on glass that was lying in the roof lining when I undid the seatbelt and dropped!Doh!Pole hit the car square on the drivers door.The drivers "Cell" was solid.The door locks on the drivers door held.The only straight panel was the boot lid.Brilliant cars.I've owned jappas and holdens, 80s Mercs are the best.Wouldn't gve you tuppence for a C class or anything between 93 and 07ish

Last time I drove the VW was only about 2 1/2 years ago. The blink of an eye at rob_man's age (as the young people say - just jokes).

There is probably enough room for A8 discs on the front. I can't find what the 500hp rally cars used. I messed around with that 'soft brake' feel trying diff. pads and brake fluid etc butbraided lines are the best.

Rats love Holdens, I've seen the same thing in a 2010 SV6 Ute, the smell was horrible!

Have to put in a good word for our beloved 93 W124 320E ???Kraut Falcon???. We??

i love my 2003 bmw 525 specifically and euro's in general. I'm not a motor head at all and can't tell you what most stuff under the hood is.but I drive a lot.40,000k per year in my own, plushire cars when i fly-drive.I always look forward to getting back to my car after driving new falcons and commodores (bleh) and even worse new camry's or whatever that 6 cylinder toymotor is.aurion or something.the one that it looks like the gear selector will snap off.i said the same about the volvo V70 I owned. always good to get out of the jap stuff and back into mine, even when mine is 10 years older.

euros are a better drive, they're better appointed and they're safer. like a lot of subjects it seems quite emotive and you'll get people that just decide because its euro its expensive to repair or unreliable or something (dunno where that comes from tho, in my experience,- apart from one dodgy ex-singapore one,they are very reliable)

they are built better.you can tell.

I stuffed up a new falcon a couple of years back.how!coke spilled into the gear changer because it wasn't sealed (and because i spiled the coke of course).but seriously who puts the drink holders right next to something thats unsealed, that will be ruined by a spilled drink! duh! (the coke fused bits of plastic together or something i dunno.ford wasn't going to fix it tho.the tossers, until i argued it was a design fault and went to another dealer).I mean seriously its stuff like that.oh, and it was a 2009 model I think and you still had to wind the windows down in the back.with a stupid drank-handle thing connected by one screw.awesome, for 30 grand you sit in the back and act like one of those sailors on a race yacht pumping away at a handle :)and the silly bar under the seat that you use to move forward and back.either by a yard or nothing at all. ick

Id take a 10 year old beamer over a new falcon,commodore, toyota, nissan any day.

I got everything electric, there's no crank handles anywhere, memorised seat positions, the mirrors adjust when you put it in reverse, the wipers come on automatically when it starts raining, the seats are heated,the whole interior is lovely full leather, the dash looks nice with wood grain etc.not acres of plastic (even though its plastic, i know.but you know what i mean - its better! all the joins are 1 millimetre wide, not 5 !). The air con is superb throughout, including in the back.thats all window dressing you might say, but its important if you do heaps of miles and you're shelling out tens of thousands of dollars!

it has 10 air bags and numerous other safety features. the sound system is awesome.16 speakers or something.

and of course the drive. well, i'm not a race driver but my 525 seems to handle very well and has heaps of grunt, i don't notice the X6's that I sometimes get upgraded to by Avis being any more powerful.

they'rejust "much more car" (groan) as they say.than the non-euros.

I love 'em :)(if you couldn't tell)

my next one will be a 7 series.luxury car porn basically. and I bet I can get a REALLY NICE one for the price of a poxy falcon :)

correction - i think i meant those XR6's that avis upgrade me to.the Ford's anyway.my 525 seems as grunty as those. but not shite inside :)

nuff from me.

There is something special about the "clunk" that a big heavy Euro makes when the door closes, that really the Jappas cant seem to emulate. (even the Lexus doesnt sound so solid).

I still look at the CL500 Mercs from around 1999 - 2003 and reckon its still way better looking than pretty much anything made since

I`m hankering for a CL500, but Mrs H seems to think they look too ordinary !

Speaking from experience, they like the same place in falcons.Whatever you do, do not spray deoderant into the airbox to mask the smell.Warmed up Lynx and rat piss make a truly horrific odour that never ever ever goes away.It was the significant factor in why I sold the car.

It has nothing to do with logic, mechanics or costs.

Its got everything to do with psychology though. The explanation is not simple, there are multiple factors at play.I am happy to explain what I know about it but the explanation will likely be ridiculed in this forum.

Interestingly though, the reason the explanation will likely be heckled is actually a big part of how these psychological phenomenon work.

And no. I havn't been drinking and my tinfoil is on the roll not on my head. That answers are fascinating though and something I have enjoyed reading about for years.

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hmm decisions decisionshahaha