Msujohn

I am in the market to buy a car later this summer. I'm strongly considering a GS350. I'd like to know what other cars you considered buying besides the GS350. Right now I plan to look at the following cars: Audi A6, BMW 5 series, Infiniti Q50S, and Cadillac CTS.


I currently drive a 2006 Acura TL.

Davenlei

iTrader: (1)

Before switching to a 13 GS350 FSport, I drove an 06 Acura TL as well. I test drove the BMW 535 M Sport and Audi A6 3.0T.

I liked some things about the Audi but it did not 'grab' me and make me say 'buy it!" It was fast and I liked it, but I did not see myself owning one for some reason.

I really liked the BMW 535 M Sport. The looks and the power were good but there were a few things that steered me away from it.
1) Long term reliability concerned me since I keep cars for 9-10 years and usually rack up 130-150K miles. I had a BMW 3 series back in the day and felt I was taking it in the shop more than I should to fix various things. Also my neighbor constantly had a loaner car parked in his driveway instead of his X5 M Sport. When I test drove one at the dealer, it had the engine light on. The dealer said that apparently just happened since it was fine the day before.
2) The 5 series and 3 series look very similar. I think there needs to be more body style differentiation between classes of car.
3) Practically everything is an option on the car including rear view camera. So finding a used one with the exact set of equipment you want takes a little more work.

When I test drove the GS350, it was not as peppy as the BMW or Audi but I did like the interior better. I really like the fact I can depend on it and it should not become a big money pit when the mileage gets up there as well. I would prefer to spend my money on appreciating assets or other things I like than depreciating assets constantly needing expensive maintenance.

The saying "Lease European. Buy Japanese." kept playing in my head when thinking about it.

Msujohn

I keep my cars for 10 years as well. I also like the reliability of Japanese cars. Just want to make sure I do my homework on cars to test drive. Looking at the GS 350, I'll have to decide if I want a sport or not (test drive will help me) Also need to consider if I should get all the safety features. Do people like them or not?

shurik74

iTrader: (5)

Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Cadillac CTS are not a good idea to buy used or new and keep for a long time

ItzFilyO

LOL at the BMW engine light during test drive.

My neighbor always has a loaner Q50 instead of her Q50 too. Her car must be having a lot of problem. The only time I got a loaner was when I want to test drive the newer model cars, like the new ES when it just came out. Lexus is bulletproof!!!

My friend's G35 was always having problem too with engine overheating and he got fed up with it and traded it in for a 328i and now the damn thing is always in the shop like once a week for various reasons.

ronsinsc

Audi A6, BMW 5 series, Mercedes 350 sedan, GS 350..

Recently purchased the GS 350. Very satisfied with it. It will be used as a midsize Sedan for driving around town.

islandbeef

My previous BMW's were also "money pits". I moved to a GS from an Acura also.

For me, the GS hit the "sweet spot" amongst the other luxury sedans in this class.

Reliability was another huge factor.

1111GS

If you plan to keep it long, it's safer bet to get a Lexus imo. The GS looks reseanably nice inside out too. It drives great compared to the rest in the group. And you can't beat the price for what it's equipped with.

Not sure if it's for the same reason but Q50 recently made top 10 worst cars.