I totally agree with you.

I have had a few BMW's and Mercedes too.

Due to reliability issues and high maintenance cost, I swore I would never get a German car again.

I love the looks of the high end German sports cars but will not buy one ever.

I would buy a Porsche though or even a Corvette but as I get older, speed is not as high a priority as it used to be.

So... I am a proud LC500 owner. Reliability was high in my priorities when I made the decision.

Puertex

 

BMW 850's have two years of maintenance included and a great warranty, so not sure about costs being an issue.
I have have been blessed to own nearly every high-line marque and had problems with them all in one way or another (some major some minor) that required a trip to the dealership just as some have had here.
For the most part, today's new vehicles have come a long way in reliability and are light years ahead of where they were just 10 yrs ago.
Our daily beater is a 2019 Cadillac XTS which has some of the worst ratings ever and at 15k miles we've had 0 issues of any kind...wish I could have said the same about our previous FSport.
Bottom line, they're mostly all very good vehicles and the LC for one, is a beauty in and out.

 

Couldn't have say it better myself.

On a side note, If you think German cars are bad, my cousins "HAD" 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. During 2 years of ownership, he spent more time talking to his Service Advisor than better half, what a nightmare.......Finally came to his senses (sort of) and traded it in for a AMG GT 63 S. Both are a blast to drive, especially the Afla and the AMG sound track. But I would not even considered owning either one.

 

Agrees with your assessment, pertain to the quality of cars being built with today's manufacturing process.
The LC reminds me of the 1st generation SC, it was beautiful designed/built/owned.

 

Those v8's are nothing but trouble! I can't decide whether to call it a good v8 or not. On one hand sure, but on the other hand... so many problems.

 

Actually the engine didn’t give me any problem, although it only had 15k miles on it when it was totaled. It was those random/ghost electronic/sensors issues that got me, too many times at the dealer and most of the time dealer would just “reset” whatever they reset and “cannot duplicate issue”. BMW dealer services weren’t much of help either, they weren’t willing to do any diagnostic. They simply want to replace whatever and charge BMW through the nose.

 

No issues with the 4.4 TT in the M850's

 

Well, honestly, if you think that's bad try dealing with a Mazda dealer. Thankfully, one of the other cars in my fleet (2015 Mazda 6) has been highly reliable, dependable and overall quite enjoyable to own and maintain. But even if I did run into an issue, even if the car was still under warranty, you bet I'm going to get the work done somewhere other than the dealer.

15K isn't nearly enough mileage to determine reliability though. So to have electrical issues at such a mileage... well.. Plus, the E39, generally speaking was a very solid and reliable car. At least the 530i was.
They're only here to do whatever it takes to maximize profits. It is absurd how BMW says the ZF gearbox is a "sealed unit" with "lifetime" fluid when it is neither of the two. Then you go to ZF's website and they claim it is imperative you change the fluid and pan filter between 60-70K miles. go figure.

Well, it's been extensively updated over the years, but fundamentally it's a weird design. They run really hot. Early model examples of this engine found in like a 2009 750i or 2011 550i had tons and tons of issues with just about everything you could imagine.. Even for 2014+ 550i models, the first extensive update for the 4.4TT, still had it's share of issues. So I'd be weary.

The LC500 is just a safer choice.

 

I had a 2012 750 for a year and the dealer had to replace fuel pumps, fuel line, and a whole bank of cylinders. I believe I bought it with 30k miles and only put about 10k miles on it.

 

I had a 2011 528i with the Inline 6 cylinder engine (older engine in the newer body) and that was a great car. I had about 80k miles on it before I sold it with zero issues.

 

Surprised nobody is mentioning Audi as alternative. Consumer reports gives them better scores vs BMW and Mercedes. Especially as of late. ​​​​​​I had pretty good luck with my 2014 A8L. Minor things, like trunk motor, engine mount, suspension height sensor. Nothing that left me stranded. Put 50k miles on it and traded it in at the 100k smiles mark. The S series are really nice machines.

 

I own two recent German vehicles with no issues to speak of. IMO it's the occasional electronic gremlins that bring the ratings of a brand/model down most of the time now. The Italian brands are a whole different story...

 

My 2011 BMW 528i never gave me any issues. I had 80K miles on it. I'd expect to replace some gaskets (because those BMW's run atrociously hot for emissions, which ruins the spark plugs, ignition coils, seals and gaskets faster than usual) and probably the water pump by 100k or so, but the engine itself was like a brick in terms of build quality. The drivetrain and whole car was so solid.

 

Everybody has different experiences. In addition to the LC, we have a 2014 Maserati Gran Turismo Sport. It has been 100% bulletproof.

 

Wife has a '17 Ghibli. 30k miles. No mechanical problems yet. Warranty replaced the radio and a couple of interior pieces.