Toys4RJill

I have seen nobody on car chat say they bought a new BMW or MB for the long haul. I have seen nobody advocate the long term value of owning a German car, paid with cash for the long haul. I think leasing a BMW or MB is probably a smarter move than buying one.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Leasing ANY car is a smarter move than buying one, unless you drive too many or too little miles.

SW17LS

The difference is how simply it is to find somebody to do the work

I don't think thats true. I can think of several CL members who post on CarChat that have older BMW and MB cars. And again, this IS a Lexus forum. Members here who no longer drive Lexus cars only made that change after they became members here and moved on from their Lexus cars. Most people who buy any expensive luxury car do not pay cash, and don't keep them a long time (the majority of luxury cars sold are leased, thats the case with every brand).

I'm not saying a BMW or MB is going to be as trouble free or as inexpensive to maintain as a Lexus long term, I'm just saying its not the "nightmare" people here make them out to be.

I know a good many people who have older BMWs and MBs, and some of them have had issues, but most of them have been fine. And again, cost of upkeep is not the ONLY factor at play here. Many people are not averse to paying more to maintain a vehicle that they really enjoy.

Toys4RJill

I would say there are more people who buy (finance or cash) a Lexus than there are those who lease, in comparison to the German brands. Lexus should be increasing the lease base, however.

I do sort of agree.


Some interesting posts here:

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1239658

Frog98

It says it right on the press release! Not one or two or three German brands. All German brands!!! Read it for yourself! Below is not above.

Bob04

Yeah, no. With a few exceptions, like business owners.

SW17LS

That may be true, I don't have any statistics on that, but still most of them are leased.

Okay, well the question is what does that prove? One does not buy a car made by "every german manufacturer" you choose to buy one built by one manufacturer.

By your logic, the reliability of a Lexus is diminished by the fact that multiple other asian brands are routinely well below average. That doesnt make any sense either.

The point is you can't assign reliability to a brand simply because of what country it comes from. There are Japanese cars that are rated very highly, and very poorly. There are American cars that are rated very highly and very poorly. There are German cars that are rated very highly and very poorly.

Most people believe "The japanese make the most reliable cars" and thats just simply not true. Nor is it true that "Germans make cars that are the least reliable"

SW17LS

Unless you're going to keep the car 6 years or longer, its cheaper to lease. I've done the math many times, and thats without the benefit of business deductions, etc.

Toys4RJill

I don't have the stats either. I think more are owned than leased, 60/40 or 55/45 for the Lexus brand. The very strong resale value hints that buying a Lexus IS the most cost effective.

Och

iTrader: (3)

And it can be cheaper to lease even past 6 years, when you account for repairs and continuing depreciation.

EZZ

I drive ~18k miles a year. Cheaper to own in that case.

Frog98

I just stated a fact. There wasn’t any opinion to it. It is J. D. Power’s logic. Argue with them. Isn’t Lexus the most reliable car brand according to this study? Isn’t it Japanese? You are now saying that the Japanese don’t make the Lexus brand?

AJT123

I just want a car that's mine, that I know free and clear I'll own after it's paid off. Cars last a very long time these days, and I don't care about having something new every couple years.

I certainly get why people do lease, however.

SW17LS

Those numbers are just totally made up though. According to the finance manager at my Lexus dealer about 65% of buyers lease. He has previously worked for BMW, and other domestic brands and he says that BMW is similar.

And again, it’s not just about being cost effective. This is a luxury purchase, by its very nature cost and value are taking a backseat to other considerations.

But just because Lexus is the most reliable doesn’t mean that all Japanese brands or cars are also extremely reliable.

You can’t make a blanket statement about all cars manufactured by a company from a particular country is my point.

EZZ

Not all Japanese brands are reliable. Go own a Nissan and you'll see. Not all German cars are unreliable. Many friends with 10yr BMWs that had no issues. Generally, higher the performance capability, higher the chance things go wrong. It's not surprising German cars are less reliable given their performance advantage over their Japanese counterparts.