Mercedes may drop quality survey goal
#16
Actually, Marshall brings up a very good point here. This is not the first time I have heard anyone knocking JD-Powers. One of my friends is also an editor for a travel magazine, and she has described several times on how JD Powers fails to verify/validate their resources. In short, she gave me very strong reasons to have little faith in JD Powers.
Hey Marshall, I might drop you a PM on a new car I'm interested in but I woud like you sincere feedback on it.
Hey Marshall, I might drop you a PM on a new car I'm interested in but I woud like you sincere feedback on it.
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Well, XeroK00L, I can tell you this; That I have been a J.D. Power panelist and automotive focus group member myself (not just a random survey in the mail) a number of times and I can say I am not very impressed with how Power does their research. Consumer Reports, IMO, does a MUCH better job....especially in the auto reliability section.
I do agree with you, though, that M-B cannot blame Power for their troubles.
I do agree with you, though, that M-B cannot blame Power for their troubles.
#17
Lexus Champion
Originally Posted by reggiek
.I don't get it. One reason is horsepower. Another is the tremendous safety aspects. Another is certainly the styling. To me, none of that means a crap when the car is always in the shop.
MB can be at the bottom of the poll by JD and they still selling cars like no other. MB is a global's status of wealthy and this will not change anytime soon.
#18
Lexus Champion
personally i think a lot of repeat customers buy for safety...
MB's make IMO the safest cars. Volvo's are safe, but if you ram a S80 and a S class head on...i'd rather be in the S class
my cousins are sworn purchasers after they got broadsided in their E320 by a Tahoe that ran a red light going 40. Walked out with only cuts and bruises..
MB's make IMO the safest cars. Volvo's are safe, but if you ram a S80 and a S class head on...i'd rather be in the S class
my cousins are sworn purchasers after they got broadsided in their E320 by a Tahoe that ran a red light going 40. Walked out with only cuts and bruises..
#19
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
Originally Posted by texan629
Reliability doesn't mean crap if the car bores you to death puts you to sleep and makes you drive into a brick wall.
#20
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Originally Posted by reggiek
I get your point, it's easy to get it since you so strongly expressed it. The counter point is you can have both elsewhere. Lexus for instance. You get styling, safety and reliability. Only the extreme power levels are missing. Then there's BMW. You get styling, safety, power but only a little more reliability than benz. Bottom line is there are too many choices to accept inferior reliability for the sake of what some perceive as a prestigious nameplate. We wouldn't accept that anywhere else....why do it with a car? No one goes to Brandsmart for the TV that breaks down every other month.
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by jracerlmn
personally i think a lot of repeat customers buy for safety...
MB's make IMO the safest cars. Volvo's are safe, but if you ram a S80 and a S class head on...i'd rather be in the S class
my cousins are sworn purchasers after they got broadsided in their E320 by a Tahoe that ran a red light going 40. Walked out with only cuts and bruises..
MB's make IMO the safest cars. Volvo's are safe, but if you ram a S80 and a S class head on...i'd rather be in the S class
my cousins are sworn purchasers after they got broadsided in their E320 by a Tahoe that ran a red light going 40. Walked out with only cuts and bruises..
Mercedes and Volvo in general do indeed make the best cars as far as crashworthiness and safety features are concerned. We have discussed this numerous times on CL and have given them their due in these areas. They combine en extremely strong roll cage around the cabin to protect the occupants with highly effective crushable structures at both ends to deform and absorb impacts. The main problem with both makes is not safety but crappy electronics and lousy quality control. Volvos, for instance, are notorious for poor circuts and burning out bulbs. Mercedes has problems with poorly attached hardware and, especially, the electronic brake systems.
Consumer Reports, however, gives the Lexus IS300 not only one of the highest reliability ratings but also one of the highest safety ones as well.
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-08-05 at 03:24 PM.
#25
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
turnarounds DO happen even for the worst of compaines.
in that case, watch out for hyundai and kia. they are no kidding around anymore. i looked at the kia amanti the other day and i was pretty impressed.
but toyota wasnt the worst company 15 years ago and neither is hyundai today.
#26
Somewhere in that 1st post, the fellow from MB mentioned something about image; there was a time when the image meant something, now it's just an image.
If Chrysler can come back from K-cars, then MB can once again build cars with functional electrical systems.
If Chrysler can come back from K-cars, then MB can once again build cars with functional electrical systems.
#27
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Mercedes and Volvo in general do indeed make the best cars as far as crashworthiness and safety features are concerned. We have discussed this numerous times on CL and have given them their due in these areas. They combine en extremely strong roll cage around the cabin to protect the occupants with highly effective crushable structures at both ends to deform and absorb impacts. The main problem with both makes is not safety but crappy electronics and lousy quality control. Volvos, for instance, are notorious for poor circuts and burning out bulbs. Mercedes has problems with poorly attached hardware and, especially, the electronic brake systems.
Consumer Reports, however, gives the Lexus IS300 not only one of the highest reliability ratings but also one of the highest safety ones as well.
Consumer Reports, however, gives the Lexus IS300 not only one of the highest reliability ratings but also one of the highest safety ones as well.
I'd rather be in a crash in an LS430 vs. E320 or S430 and I'd much rather be in a crash in ANYTHING but a MB C230 tin can.
#28
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Originally Posted by Gekko
While I do not deny that MB and Volvo are relatively "safe" cars, I do not think that they are any safer than any other high quality manufacturer - ie Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, BMW, Nissan/Infiniti of comparable (car) size. I do think that MB and Volvo have been good at MARKETING/PROPAGANDIZING the myth that they are "safer" than everyone else. If you look at crash test results and not anecdotal evidence, it bears this out.
I'd rather be in a crash in an LS430 vs. E320 or S430 and I'd much rather be in a crash in ANYTHING but a MB C230 tin can.
I'd rather be in a crash in an LS430 vs. E320 or S430 and I'd much rather be in a crash in ANYTHING but a MB C230 tin can.
#30
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Incendiary
I also wonder whether they're still the safest cars. Problem is a lot of the models of not just those two but pretty much every manufacturer aren't really tested (or at least not listed as such) on the IIHS and NHTSA safety sites. In fact, IIRC, not a single Lexus is listed. I wanted to prove to my dad that Lexus/Toyota have come a long way from the tin car days of the 80's, but all the fields were N/A...