Cars

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Rajoo

I had the misfortune (entirely my fault) of trading my 2014 Audi A8L last year for a 2022 Rx Lexus. Audi had over 225K miles on it yet it was in perfect condition.

The Lexus is a joke, the A8 beyond the luxury is a technological marvel, way ahead of its time. The A8 replaced an MBZ S500 and it was much more reliable than the Audi. Love German cars having owned VW's since 70's and later Mercedes, 280, 450SL and so on. But here in Reno not very many places to get the car serviced like in the Bay Area where I had an independent mechanic for both my MBZ and Audi, but we still own the 2016 Audi Q5 now with about 90K miles and its staying put, perhaps the best midsize SUV we have owned.

Next up, a Lucid Aire, soon very soon.

I liked German cars while living in Germany. Not so much in the USA. Their electrical systems (switches, relays, sensors, motors (power windows, wipers), grounding system, etc.) are too fickle for my taste. Bosch electrical components simply don't have the reliability of their Japanese counterparts (e.g., Denso). I did enjoy my Porsche 924 Turbo and Audi Coupe GT while in Germany, but given the frequency of repair of twitchy electrical systems and the haughtiness of the dealer network here, both are a hard pass here.

My older son continues to bug me to buy a Porsche Cayman, but I'm happy with my 2014 Mazda6 with a 6-speed manual. It has been absolutely bullet-proof over 12 years of ownership despite being the first year of their greatly revamped design. It is literally like new in terms of appearance and reliability. Their Soul Red paint job is considered the best paint job available outside of high priced exotics. Freshly waxed, it's a sight to behold.