Also, the legions of people whose ads say “Will trade for truck or 4x4.”

Yeah, the “It just needs a...” is a red flag. If it just needed that, you’d have just done that.

Fun story. I once wrote software for a now-defunct (got shut down by the Feds for fraud) Kia dealership. Since their website vendor (Dealer.com, I believe) didn’t grant API access, my software scraped their website and pre-composed Craigslist ads for their used cars. One of the things the software did was just drop…

Awww, come on. You don’t want a Chevy Camero?

Or, worse “There’s nothing wrong with it. Flawless.”

With the notable exception of Lincoln, I’ve always had good experiences at luxury car dealerships, many of whom still have the same sorts of affordable cars you’d find at mainstream-brand dealerships.

Agreed. The fact of the matter is that the leather in a lot of the European cars just isn’t very nice, unless you spend a lot of money. The Dakota leather you cite (which is the first step up from the Sensatec leatherette on those cars) is durable, but really not very premium. I know; I had a 2011 X5 xDrive35i Premium…

I’m really not a fan of any N-body product, and I think they were all some of the most boring, dowdy, uninspired cars you could buy, so I agree. Moreover, GM’s tactic of trying to invoke European characteristics in a car without doing any of the engineering work to make that happen (probably because their inefficient…

Lexus leather does not wear well at all. I don’t know why. It’s really offensive when you’re looking for a cheap-but-reliable and affordable AWD/4WD SUV to leave in another state...and people are asking $8,000 for a 2004 Lexus GX 470 with 250,000 miles, leather that looks like Edward Scissorhands used it for…

Yes. That is why I said

Thanks. Fortunately, the timing chain doesn’t seem to be an issue for the early 4.0T, but it is indeed at the back of the engine and would at least require dropping the subframe and removing the engine and transaxle from the bottom of the car. I may be looking at some of that work anyway, because I think one of the…

Yes, the W221 S-Class is problematic in the early years, not so much between about 2009 and 2011. In 2012, when they swapped the N/A 5.5-liter “M273" V8 for the bi-turbo 4.7-liter “M278" V8, they began having issues again.

I pray to the Deity of German Hoopties every time I start my 2013 A8 L 4.0T. Fortunately, the turbos were replaced under an extended campaign before I got it, and the worst that’s happened is that an air strut failed (they are wear items, after all).

I don’t quite understand the QX80 one. It’s at least as nice as any of the outdated stuff Lexus sold until recently. You can get basically the same experience in an Armada or Patrol...but that was also true of the LX in the past.

I actually thought the first-gen Cruze was the better car. I owned the second-gen, in fully-loaded Premier RS spec, and found it underwhelming compared to the distinguished, mature feeling of the first-gen.

And still better than either, really.

Count me as a fan. I like it. The lighting signatures at the bottom remind me of a bit of what VW did on the Mk.8 GTI. Otherwise, it kinda harkens back to the R34.

It’s not even the 7MT. It doesn’t even have that going for it. No Dice.

That’s some Final Destination shit right there. I don’t know how you avoid that.

The massagers are particularly good in this car. I was surprised when I bought it, last June.