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Old 09-04-07, 10:18 AM
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Jace7
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Arrow give me your opinions on car choices

I have been thinking of a few cars. One the AUDI RS4, the E550 4 matic, RANGE ROVER SPORT-SUPERCHARGED, AND EVEN A M5 (BUT I THINK THAT'S A LITTLE MORE THAN I WANT TO SPEND) AND A FEW OTHERS.

which would you suggest purchasing and why?
I would be trading in my 450h.
I just get bored easy and want something more hands on, with a awesome luxury AND sport ride.

The RS4 I built was about 75K, same with the E550, and the sport was about 80K. I am not really considering BMW, b/c well I had and sold my 550i. would consider purchasing it again, but just wnat something different, and hopefully better...

Lend me your thoughts.


M.S.R.P.* $61,675
Exterior Color (Metallic paints are standard for this model.)
Indium Grey Metallic $0
Interior Color
Black/Sahara Beige Leather $0
Wood Trims
Black Birdseye Maple Trim $0
Options
Electronic Trunk Closer $530
Panorama Sunroof $1,010
Parktronic $1,120
Rear Side-Window Blinds $350
Voice Control $510
Packages
P2: Premium II $4,320
321 AMG Sport Package $2,000
Accessories
DVD COMAND Navigation Kit $1,445
iPod Integration Kit - E-Class $340
Blue illuminated door sills (set of 4) $735
Gas Guzzler Tax $1,700
Total $75,735

The RS4 was
MSRP: 75,460.00
Audi RS 4
Powertrain RS 4 4.2 quattro 420 HP 6 speed 66,910.00
Exterior Sprint Blue Pearl Effect 750.00
Interior
Seats: Recaro sports seat
Upholstery Black, Dashboard Black-Black, Carpet Black, Headliner Black
Individual options: 7,800.00
Audi Exclusive package from quattroŽ GmbH 3,800.00
Premium package with CD changer 4,000.00
MSRP: 75,460.00
Price as of September 1, 2007

The RR sport was well, about 75K with the supercharged engine, but nothing really special besides that.

Am I making a silly decision wanting to possibly sell the GS450h?

I just need variety and change.
Been looking at a F430 used of course and a S6, even the upcoming RS6... .

JUST TORN.

lend me your suggestions.

Last edited by Jace7; 09-04-07 at 04:38 PM.
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Old 09-04-07, 10:35 AM
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Just find yourself a big block muscle car from the 60's and your boredom will be solved. I just put my T/A back in storage (take it out only during the summer) and had a blast. Nothing...NOTHING beats a GM V8 with 'adequate' hp and torque.
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Old 09-04-07, 10:48 AM
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Yang1815
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Range Rover Sport > E550 > RS4.

BTW, you might get more responses from the general car discussion forum (and more appropriate perhaps).

Easier to read responses if you posted a poll as well.
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Old 09-04-07, 12:45 PM
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Have you considered the Porsche Cayanne S?
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Old 09-04-07, 01:45 PM
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just from the list

M5 (if possible) > RS4 > RR sport supercharged > E550

it seems like the choices are all over the place and not really within the same category. feels like you just want to try something new. You will definitely get bored of the E550 soon since there isn't really anything exciting about it.

RR will get you out of the sedan feeling into the high visibility SUV. M5/RS4 are definitely performance sedan that'll be a blast to drive.

cars are horrible investment, I say you find something that you KNOW will keep you on the edge of seats for the longest time and just stick with it.

but then if money is of no issue, get the F430, nothing beats the sound of the engine from a ferrari.

just a thought.
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Old 09-04-07, 01:45 PM
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Jason, my .02 is that the E550 is not a great car. The engine is really nice but the rest of the car is based on the prev gen S-class design. BMW and MB release their flagship sedans and then everything trickles down from there. Layout, switches, interior design, technology, electronics and most importantly, all of the problems. The prev gen S-class is a real POS. Trust me, I have had 2 now and they have had their share of problems. I honestly hate driving my wife's car and you know you're in trouble when you have to force yourself to drive a $92k car because it's just sitting in the garage! Coming from the GS, I think you will be very unhappy with the E. The CLS is also based on the older designs and is very problematic as well so don't bother going there either.

As far as the M5, every person that I know that has bought one has gotten rid of it within a year or so. They are good cars but the SMG tranny is problematic and they seem get bored with the car very quickly.

The RS4 is supposed to be a great car but it's kind of like a C55. Those who know what it is are in awe of the car because it is pretty damn quick but those that don't know look at it and say.... "That's a cute little Audi."

Maybe you should mix it up a little and get the RR supercharged or a Cayenne S/Turbo. Main thing to keep in mind though is that they perform very well for SUVs but they are not mind blowing experiences. I test drove a Cayenne Turbo S and I was always reading stuff about it being a beast and pulling like a freight train etc. I was anticipating some serious kick in the butt acceleration but it wasn't there. I drove there in the 997 so I'm sure it had a lot to do with it but I walked away thinking.... no big deal. It's damn fast for an SUV but compared to quick cars . Since you have a 450h, you will see what I mean when you stomp on a RR.

In other words, keep the GS.
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Old 09-04-07, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by 2thfixr
Jason, my .02 is that the E550 is not a great car. The engine is really nice but the rest of the car is based on the prev gen S-class design. BMW and MB release their flagship sedans and then everything trickles down from there. Layout, switches, interior design, technology, electronics and most importantly, all of the problems. The prev gen S-class is a real POS. Trust me, I have had 2 now and they have had their share of problems. I honestly hate driving my wife's car and you know you're in trouble when you have to force yourself to drive a $92k car because it's just sitting in the garage! Coming from the GS, I think you will be very unhappy with the E. The CLS is also based on the older designs and is very problematic as well so don't bother going there either.

As far as the M5, every person that I know that has bought one has gotten rid of it within a year or so. They are good cars but the SMG tranny is problematic and they seem get bored with the car very quickly.

The RS4 is supposed to be a great car but it's kind of like a C55. Those who know what it is are in awe of the car because it is pretty damn quick but those that don't know look at it and say.... "That's a cute little Audi."

Maybe you should mix it up a little and get the RR supercharged or a Cayenne S/Turbo. Main thing to keep in mind though is that they perform very well for SUVs but they are not mind blowing experiences. I test drove a Cayenne Turbo S and I was always reading stuff about it being a beast and pulling like a freight train etc. I was anticipating some serious kick in the butt acceleration but it wasn't there. I drove there in the 997 so I'm sure it had a lot to do with it but I walked away thinking.... no big deal. It's damn fast for an SUV but compared to quick cars . Since you have a 450h, you will see what I mean when you stomp on a RR.

In other words, keep the GS.
weird, everyone i know with the m5 loves it, i even went on a malibu M5 drive with 36 m5 and few ferrari, no one ever mentioned their dislikes.

SMG on bmw was developed by the same manufacturer for the ferrari and shifts a hell of a lot faster than the Ferrari F360/430. At its fastest setting, it's a bit rough, but that's just about how it is for all sequential gearbox car.
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Old 09-04-07, 02:02 PM
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What about some coupes? BMW 6 or Jaguar XK?

How about the new Jaguar sedan coming out? Might be pretty fun.
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Old 09-04-07, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Yang1815
What about some coupes? BMW 6 or Jaguar XK?

How about the new Jaguar sedan coming out? Might be pretty fun.
In my line of work it's kind of necessary that I have a 4 door. Maybe as a personal 2nd car in a bit, but at the moment, only ONE car personally and it needs to be a 4 door.
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Old 09-04-07, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by whlkev
just from the list

M5 (if possible) > RS4 > RR sport supercharged > E550

it seems like the choices are all over the place and not really within the same category. feels like you just want to try something new. You will definitely get bored of the E550 soon since there isn't really anything exciting about it.

RR will get you out of the sedan feeling into the high visibility SUV. M5/RS4 are definitely performance sedan that'll be a blast to drive.

cars are horrible investment, I say you find something that you KNOW will keep you on the edge of seats for the longest time and just stick with it.

but then if money is of no issue, get the F430, nothing beats the sound of the engine from a ferrari.

just a thought.
If money was no option I would have on order 1 of the 5 made in a year of the Veyron, but honestly momey isn't a huge concern, I might even lease it that option looks better financially and if I get maint. included.... I just want a car in the 50K-75/80K tops range for now for this purchase.
Ya all those cars I mentioned are all over the place. I want a 4 door sedan, with ballz, that is really luxurious, and really fun to drive.

I want the wow factor.
Granted, everyone I pass gives me the wow look when they see my hybrid, and when I start it up with no sound and pull away, they are like wtf, did you start it....
But honestly, I get bored easily and I don't have the wow factor for "me" any more.
I let my dogs just jump right on in and drool all over the place.
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Old 09-04-07, 04:37 PM
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The cars you list are pretty expensive....that's a LOT of money to spend on a set of wheels, and German-designed cars are not known for reliability these days. But...of the ones on the list, I think the Audi is the best choice. Plenty of power, Quattro AWD, impeccable interior and exterior fit-and-finish. And if you can get it with the DSG (I'm not sure if it is an option or not on the RS4) so much the better. It is perhaps the best and most versatile transmission in production today...better in some ways than CVTs.
The M5 has a killer engine and superb steering gear, but IMO little else to recommend it. The E550 has good safety engineering and crashworthiness, but too many reliability problems. The RS4 is also likely to be worse-than-average in reliability, but the record of Audi products in general is improving, and they have the AWD in most of their models that BMW and Mercedes restrict to only a few of their vehicles.
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Old 09-04-07, 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by whlkev
weird, everyone i know with the m5 loves it, i even went on a malibu M5 drive with 36 m5 and few ferrari, no one ever mentioned their dislikes.

SMG on bmw was developed by the same manufacturer for the ferrari and shifts a hell of a lot faster than the Ferrari F360/430. At its fastest setting, it's a bit rough, but that's just about how it is for all sequential gearbox car.
Everybody that I personally know that has had M5s have gotten rid of them within a year. Everybody = 4 people, not a huge sampling of M5 owners I will admit, but 4 out of 4 is still everybody. Why? I have no idea but I have heard complaints mostly related to the SMG tranny. 2 have had slipping issues and 2 complained that it simply wasn't smooth enough for use as a daily driver and would have preferred a tranny with a manual clutch.
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Old 09-04-07, 10:16 PM
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maybe you need an LS460.....
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Old 09-04-07, 10:39 PM
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LS460L I'd say.
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Old 09-05-07, 09:47 AM
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wouldn't want that "boaty" of a ride at this time in my life, but agreed it's a wonderful ride.
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