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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#31 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 888
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The steering wheel looks nice though.
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#32 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,077
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Quote:
But then again I seem to remember reading somewhere that a GT is just an XR8 with a starter button....... |
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#33 | ||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 48,986
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I'm one for technology but that screen rates fairly high on my cheap afterthought scale.
It looks like they've designed the car, but forgot about the stereo and decided to chuck an aftermarket GPS on the dash. for $36,500 I'd expect more than 90KW out of the thing, given my WS Fiesta puts out 88KW for less than half the price. Oh well I'm poor now because my latest purchase so no new car for me next year. |
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#34 | |||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Have owned Mercedes's before, they are the equivalent to our Ford/Holdens here and anywhere else in the world they're less than half the price we pay here. In Germany they're nothing special; they even use them as taxi's whereas here they are revered because they're expensive.
Ultimately, they're expensive rubbish; the equivalent to the new mid nineties Hyundai Excel with a six figure price tag - fit and finish is good, but once the warranty runs out sell it fast. With all the cutting edge gadgetry in them they tend to break.... Often. Same as BMW's 7 series - has electrical issues all the time. Parts take weeks/months to come over and you're without your car whilst the car sits broken in the workshop. Ever wondered why a Mercedes/BMW workshop is so big? It's for the cars that can't be repaired until the parts arrive. Like Mercedes or BMW aren't aware of a little known means of travel called an aeroplane; they still send the bits by ship. I had an S500 which I managed to get 80,000klm out of before things went bang, pop and drip. One side of the air suspension failed and the car dropped on the left side and bounced on the road, sending it violently yawing into the guard rail on the M4 at 100klm/h. After that, it took a serious fight to get the car repaired and resprayed. Then the little light that illuminates the cluster blew. Waited 8 weeks for that, and it cost $1917.00 plus GST for that little xenon type globe - happened just outside of warranty too and Mercedes didn't want to know. There were more problems such as water pumps, hoses and other temperature related issues which put a serious dent in the account which led me to leave it in the garage for 4 years before I'd had enough and sold it for 12K. We seriously have it good here with our local offerings, especially since the falcon often goes for several hundred thousand klm before needing expensive repairs. Need a clutch on your falcon? A few hundred dollars and its installed. For MB, try $3200.00 for the part which was built in Korea. Done a head gasket on your I6? $1200.00 will see a dealer do it. For MB, try around 17K for a German V8 as they have to strip and machine the block as well as the heads. It's all the little things such as parts, complexity and lack of reliability that make it a complete bucket of German poo.
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Last edited by AU1XLS; 28-02-2013 at 08:55 PM. |
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#35 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,527
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Most dont have their new car for more than 3,5 years or till the lease or loan is paid, sometimes that new car is long gone under 3,5 years
the old adage of, wait till it hits 100,000 or 200,000 Ks ,most unload that ford or holden under that as well For a similar price ,but perhaps smaller,alot better build quality ,better features and possibly better resale , why wouldnt people step outside the box ??? |
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#36 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 487
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Quote:
Here at Ford Forums we spend a lot of time bemoaning the main Australian Ford product, but really we should be very sanguine. If you want something to complain about, try reading and empathising with the VW 118 TSi forums here in Australia... Last edited by AU1XLS; 28-02-2013 at 08:56 PM. |
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#37 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Quote:
Doing falcon clutch for few hundred dollars... LALA land.... ![]() ![]() Last edited by AU1XLS; 28-02-2013 at 08:57 PM. |
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#38 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,077
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Quote:
The fashion industry caught on a long time ago that there was money in making low end product for the "wannabe" market. The "look at me" generation just love to show off their D&G mobile phone, <insert expensive brand here> clothes, shoes and fake Tag or Omega as a fake Rolex is just too much of a give away. This is the perfect car for them. You don't think there is already "look at me" targeted marketing? Do the catch phrases "Hot heels to go" and "Plug in and go" make you want to "Drive Further"? A $36k tiny bubble car with a prestige badge. You can get an Aston Martin bubble car as well although I don't think it is available in Australia yet. If you wish to compare to a Commodore or Falcon then look at the 1800kg V6 model Mercs, The A class is a Fiesta or Barina...... |
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#39 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
How much do you pay for your clutches?
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
Last edited by AU1XLS; 28-02-2013 at 08:58 PM. Reason: Dont make it personal |
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#40 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Quote:
We all know falcodore sales are down and the Aussie car landscape has / is changing. More and more small cars plenty of Benz, BMW and Audi. Compare the amount of Euros now to 20 years ago. When I was at school it was rare now to see German cars, now it's the norm. |
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#41 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Quote:
So I guess it was an 20 year old 1970 Merc that you are comparing to a 90's Hyundai.... Yep all makes sense now apologies for my confusion.... ![]() |
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#42 | |||
335 - STILL THE BOSS ...
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melb East
Posts: 11,421
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Quote:
Article should have been titled "Why is the Merc A $18,000 more than a Fiesta?" I know just the badge is important to many but that much more? You do pay more for a badge that says GT ..... but then that is important to some of us ![]()
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'73 Landau - 10.82 @ 131mph '11 FG GT335 - 12.43 @ 116mph '95 XG ute - 3 minutes, 21.14 @ 64mph 101,436 MEMBERS ......... 101,436 OPINIONS ..... What could possibly go wrong! Clevo Mafia [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] |
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#43 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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it does`nt take long to clock up 50,000 k`s.
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#44 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,077
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#45 | ||
Barra Turbo > V8
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 25,668
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I do like the A class Benz but for 'around' that money I'd have an ST or an OPC Astra.
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-2011 XR6 Turbo Ute -2022 Hyundai Tucson Highlander Diesel N Line |
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#46 | ||
Donating Member
![]() Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 4,523
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You can be sure of it.
There (MB's) staff is 5 times that of Fords and the have the same again working via agencies, booking agents, conference organisers, and whatever. All this to sell 20 to 30 thousand cars per annum. A fraction of fords. All this whilst using many images and raw info sourced from Europe. Giving them access to great imagery at low cost. Never. They struggle to pay under warranty. And the bills are large.
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Oooh baby living in Miami....
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#47 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,123
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Quote:
Ironic that people go on about badge snobbery and image when talking about the A Class/German Corolla, when it is the complete opposite of what Mercedes built its image with decades ago. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#48 | ||||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 1,308
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Quote:
Quote:
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Current car: 2016 Ford MD Mondeo Titanium EcoBoost (2016-) Previous cars: 2005 Ford BF Fairmont (2006-2019) 1989 Ford EA Falcon GL (2000-2007) 1982 Ford KA Laser Ghia (1999-2000) |
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#49 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,527
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Quote:
Not only new cars goin against the main ford,holden camps Look how many projects,builds, restos goin on out there that arent ford or holden People are investing in the foreign old skool cars, cause some of them are better value than our own ford,holden brand Out of 10 cars here,theres only 4 fords,( one of them is the daily ute) the rest foreign brands |
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#50 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central Q..10kms west of Rocky...
Posts: 8,307
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Rolls Royce headlight is $30K!! that was posted here awhile back
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CSGhia |
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#51 | ||
Trev
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Was Perth, now country Vic
Posts: 8,017
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Old school cars definitely go foreign these days. You can get an awesome 60s Stang, Camaro, Vette or Cuda with all the fruit for less than you would pay for a replica XY, lol. It's hilarious really.
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Trev (FPV FG II GT-E thus the fully loaded burger with the lot as standard +Alpine/Dynamat fitout - 2 of only 4 ever made GT-E factory 9" rear rims - Michelin Pilot Supersports - Shockworks Suspension) |
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#52 | ||
XR50th
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 354
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Yeah I think I'll have the focus St instead.
Pocket rocket over snob car any day of the week.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Daily-2010 FG 50th Anniversary XR6 in Winter white Herrod Cat back + K&N filter + Tune.
Mrs- 2006 Focus Zetec in Titanium Grey Runabout- 1997 XH longreach in white. Project- 1976 ZH fairlane 500 |
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#53 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,119
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My main concern is the data on imported vehicles
"Imported cars now account for 90 per cent of new vehicles sold. A decade ago, imports represented 75 per cent of the market. Half a century ago, they represented less than half of new-car sales" Before that he states this. "The prices of imported cars are at record lows thanks to the sustained strength of the dollar, and Australians are living it up" The people in Australian manufacturing aren't living it up but instead being made redundant and jobs going offshore to make these cheap vehicles... They wont be all that cheap after they have 100% of the market. |
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#54 | ||
Trev
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Was Perth, now country Vic
Posts: 8,017
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And a lot of them will be in wreckers when something minor goes wrong out of warranty that costs more to fix than the car would be worth :-)
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Trev (FPV FG II GT-E thus the fully loaded burger with the lot as standard +Alpine/Dynamat fitout - 2 of only 4 ever made GT-E factory 9" rear rims - Michelin Pilot Supersports - Shockworks Suspension) |
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#55 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Quote:
How so? Funny thing is wreckers are loaded with row upon row of 13 year old Falcodors. AU galore, plus whatever the Commo equivilent is. Toyotas, Mitsubishi of the same vintage. Not too many Euros... Certainly no 6 year old Mercs, BMWs or Audis. |
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#56 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
First of all, it was an early 1997 EL, and had 160,000klm on the clock. That's why it had no warranty. My brother was a sales rep, this was his car and he kept it for 2 more years, did another 100 plus thousand k's on the new clutch without issue. The point is here in Australia, we are lucky that there is sufficient volume for after market parts, and not the stringent intellectual property laws restricting after market parts manufacturers from making spares. In Germany, you'd probably find the situation would be the reverse of here; as their car company is German, our car company in Australia is Australian. It's a matter of geography and licence. You're still stuck on the comparison though. The car I had was a 2003 W220 S500 which I bought purely because I wanted to buy one and for tax deduction purposes at the time. On it was a lot of electronic gadgetry which looked amazing in the showroom, but translated into many glitches and visits to the dealer. After several components failed repeatedly and the car was off the road frequently, I learnt at the dealership that others had had similar experiences with the same failed components. If I had of bought a Lexus at the time it would have outlasted the Benz easily. The 1997 Hyundai Excel was the updated version of the earlier 1995 car that won COTY. It was reasonably reliable but nowhere near as good as Hyundai is now. Between the S500 and the excel, build quality and fit and finish on both were not too good and the technology was not bad, but once you started entering warranty expiry time you find some things break again and again; much more-so in the Mercedes. Both do their job, but unless you spent another 100K on the S600 V12, you knew the car was the middle of the range with a lot of deleted features. Same for Hyundai at that time - it wasn't as good as the more popular corolla. Secondly, you knew the resale would be poo, just like the Hyundai, as big German cars value is in fact mostly tax - it doesn't quite depreciate the same way as the car does. Then there was the issue of drive-ability; both had recalls to prevent fatal accidents. Then other things like plastics becoming brittle after a few years was also what they had in common. Both had problems which would be fixed by a dealer yet keep occurring as the the repair was more of the same faulty part. Essentially, both looked great but beneath the surface had a number of durability issues. This is not in any way like the Mercedes Benz's of old which would last and last for years. The litmus test would simply be to ask yourself the following question; out of warranty, would I be prepared to keep this car or should I sell it just before it runs out.
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#57 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
As I wrote above, ford and holden parts are cheaper because the cars are built here. Mercedes and the other marque's have intellectual property protection preventing others from making after market parts. I referred to the cost of ownership, my comparison is valid and frankly I don't know how apples have something to do with experience I proffered. Maybe you and stefan and any others who love all things Euro over our cars might like to research a little on some of the European offerings, like VW and their 118 TSI engine and just how many have failed before finding another excuse to belittle the efforts of the Australian companies.
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#58 | |||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Quote:
And yes, there is plenty of cars less the 6 years old that they are dismantling right now....2010 C250... 2011 C180...2010 X5's, 07 E90's, 2012 535I... And they arn't the only euro specialist around...
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#59 | |||
335 - STILL THE BOSS ...
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Melb East
Posts: 11,421
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Quote:
http://www.peninsulabm.com/ I have had Audi's BMW's, Range Rovers etc ...... but will always have Fords in the driveway so I can have something to drive when the others break down and can't afford to fix the euro's ![]()
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'73 Landau - 10.82 @ 131mph '11 FG GT335 - 12.43 @ 116mph '95 XG ute - 3 minutes, 21.14 @ 64mph 101,436 MEMBERS ......... 101,436 OPINIONS ..... What could possibly go wrong! Clevo Mafia [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Last edited by Auslandau; 01-03-2013 at 06:03 PM. |
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#60 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5,193
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Quote:
WTF, The cars have been in major accidents. Not being wrecked because they are due for a 50K service or written off because it needs a new headlight as was being alluded to. |
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