whither the luxurious car?

[xrystl]

Originally Posted by Fairlane 5OO

Yeah, the W126's were a beautiful car to drive & very reliable,
if you have the time to wait the parts can be bought quite reasonably most of the time on the net these days.

Yes , unfortunately when I had the Merc there was no internet and had to rely on Merc spares on the Gold Coast or my friendly Merc dealer , also had a couple of BMWs back in the nineties , a nice 528i and a E34 535 , nice cars but not in the same league as the Merc.--- now long retired and pulling a 23 foot van with a petrol V8 Landcruiser , now that's a way to watch a fuel gauge plummet

[xeeclipse]

Lexus ES350?? toyota felt generous and built a RWD Aurion??

Smooth, powerful and economy to rival a small 4 cylinder soft roader. It's almost a cut down version of the good old LS400 with the beaut 1UZ-FE.

[Chopped]

A few others have said it already, a Lexus Camry (ES).

Or a Skoda Superb

[Raptor]

Yes, of course.

Skoda Superb

Very under rated. The motoring journo's think they are a very good thing.





.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by NTF6

Yep sorry W12, my mistake. A weird cylinder configuration.

Yes im off on a tangent, the w12 is odd and interesting motor because its 2 vr6 style 6s made into 1. The vr6 layout is technically a v6 but the angle is tight enough to use a single cylinder head. Its almost an inline but packaged tighter then a conventional v6 so the w12 whilst technically it has 4 cylinder banks, has only 2 cylinder heads like that of a conventional v6 but has 12 cylinders.

[Sar4890]

Ive always liked jags but their reliabilty has been a concern for me.Having said that I was lent an XJS V12 for a couple of weeks when my falcon was getting some work done on it and was a awesome car to drive but its appetite for fuel made a 351 Cleveland look economical in comparison.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by xeeclipse

Lexus ES350?? toyota felt generous and built a RWD Aurion??

Smooth, powerful and economy to rival a small 4 cylinder soft roader. It's almost a cut down version of the good old LS400 with the beaut 1UZ-FE.

The ES is FWD and is based on the Camry/Avalon.

The GS is RWD.

[.:4:.]

Jags, dunno about the newer ones, did really well with the interiors. My old man still has the xtype he got new and whilst its more or less a ford underneath, the interior is still a nice place to be. The motor has been fine, but the gearbox puts the car into limp mode after maybe a half hour drive. He doesnt take the 16 year old thing far so its ok for that, but mechanics say its some stupidly expensive trans sensor thats the issue. Its been an issue for years but the car has under 130 on the clock and the old man doesnt drive it far, he has the audi for anything past a run to the shops. The new jags under new ownership may be a lot better, but the old ones (im talking older then the fake jag my dad has even with real wood accents) just are a bit of class. Even if they dont run.

[DJR-351]

[QUOTE=bathurst77;6228116.......or chrysler by chrysler.[/QUOTE]

I did love my big CH 360 Chrysler by Chrysler "cruisemobile", did a few Perth > Darwin > Perth trips in it in the mid 80s, those HUGE front buckets where as comfortable as a Jason Recliner.....

Sucked a ton of fuel through the 850 Double Pumper though, especially on them long boring straights with a heavy right boot...

[Sar4890]

Yeah im big fan of the valiants as well they for me capture the essence of what i like in a luxury car comfort first electronic dodads a very distant second.

[mike_nofx]

300c?

[Swordie]

Second hand WNII Caprice, VFII Calais V and FGX G6E. My guess is the G6E would have the softest suspension. The Holden's suspension will be a little more sporty.

I would also have a look at second hand Genesis. They come with 5yr warranty.

[Sprintey]

OP, we have a FG XR6 with Lux pack now in the family and it's a very nice place to be. I'd say the FG2/FGX G6E would be an even nicer place, would make a very comfortable town & country car. They are mechanically simple, and should last 3-400,000km.

Honourable mentions: BF V8 Fairlane: with 5.4 SOHC V8 and 6 speed ZF, they will spin at 1100 revs at 110km/h on the highway - that's cruising torque! Finding the V8 Ghia that's not a G8 with stiffer suspension is the harder task.

The final Holden Statesmen have acres of rear seat room, overall just a big luxo barge.

I have a soft spot for NL and AU (NU??) Ghias and LTDs...

[waimser]

Originally Posted by vbvbvb088

A white 1980 WB Statesman Caprice with red interior will do nicely thankyou.

A WB stateman is still the most comfortable car ive ever been in. I worked for Solitare Automotive for some time driving everything they have to offer. Nothing ever came close to that, wrapped in a cloud, feeling.

[BENT_8]

1st Generation Lexus LS 400.

[MethodX]

A Glammer... if you can find one.
At least people will think you are driving a Rolls Royce.

[hayseed]

An Old Toyota Crown...

[Fairlane 500]

I think it's amazing how far has this thread gone off topic.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by xrystl

Yes they were gas guzzlers , I had a 420 SE Merc back in the mid nineties and that used to use 20+ litres a 100km around the Gold Coast hinterland and it was half that on the freeway , reliability was quite good but parts were expensive if bought through a dealer , was nice to drive .

Half that on the highway is pretty decent for the day.
I have both a w126 560SEL and a w140 S600 V12 which return 11l/100km.
Same as my old FG XR8 ute.

So yeah, if looking for a decent luxo cruiser save $20k and buy a good condition W140 S320 which are by and large not a bad car. 170kw 3.2 straight 6 & 5 speed auto goes good.
One of my favourite cars is also the facelift BMW E39 530i especially in Sport guise. Staggered M wheels, a better car than a VE SV6 or FG XR6 despite being a product from 1995. Fit a dynavin head unit to bring it up to date and it'll be a more enjoyable car to own than anything recent IMO.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Fairlane 5OO

I think it's amazing how far has this thread gone off topic.

Yep it has! OP wouldn't want an SUV, but in the absence of anything like the old sedan glam he wishes for, perhaps some species of Range Rover - they've always been prestigious, had an image, had the comfy seats & more recent ones have had adjustable suspensions that can be set to pretty comfy settings.

Ford are really lucky that they do have a car with a touch of that 1960's chrome, Galaxie/Fairlane style and beautifully finished interior - the Lincoln Aviator. Bring that here to Oz!

[roddy1960]

What about this for U.S. $65,000...

Fancy Kia into full on luxury and V8 too at least in the USA ..


Doug likes it ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcriSRdaSDY ..

[Hawkeye84]

Kia Stinger GT - once you get over the badge....its a fantastic car that'll fit your brief

[FalconXV]

Lexus ES