Audi A8L, BMW 745Li, or Mercedes S500?
 

a coworker is considering buying one of these luxo-barges, used and from the years 2003-2004. Which of these would be the 'used car best buy', in terms of reliability, resale, and cost to own? i guess styling is subjective, and i bet all 3 have great comfy rides and have tons of room inside.

I'd go with the A8L - the nicest interior, a great engine, and since they have the worst resale, you can get one at a better price as more depreciation will have kicked in. They are great deals compared to the other two and are as reliable as the other two..

That's a tough one. All 3 have significant positives and negatives.

1. A8 - Handles well, AWD but all aluminum means its very expensive to repair.
2. 745i - the best motor, handles well. BMW pimping. but ugly grill, poor ergonomics.
3. S500 - looks dated and the motor is weak at 302 HP.

IMHO the contest is between the A8L and the 745Li. He just needs to drive them. The quirky ergnomics and the i-drive might scare him away from the 7 series. The Audi would get my vote. Just don't get in a MVA. :p

I'd take the Audi.

thanks guys. i also really like the new Audi A8 and wanna tell him to get the Audi, but a few things that worry me:

***1. Audi reliability (or the lack thereof) is LEGENDARY. i suspect the A8 is no exception.
2. $hitty Audi dealers. if you think MB/BMW dealers are bad..
3. 2004 is the first year of the current gen. A8. 1st year glitches galore?

AGREEED..

i might be wrong... but '04 means the Benz got the face-lift, but the Bimmer didnt... the facelifted Benz doesnt look dated to me.. still holds its own on any road or in front of any country club IMO... still the status and prestige car of the 3... also on the interior, the Benz is more nicer/warmer/ergonomic than the 7...

the Bimmer is hands down the drivers' car of the bunch and will outhandle and out-accelerate the other 2... however, i particularly dislike the pre face-lifted 7 series design... The Bimmer will also maintain the most resale value and probably has the most reliable powertrain of the 3...

i agree the Audi has great design inside and out... solid, quality materials... and AWD stability for snow or rain... most under-stated... but reliability maybe an issue as others have stated...

choice depends on what the prospective owner is looking for...

Jaguar, anyone? They depreciate even more than the Audi/BMW/MB, so they will be cheaper, and they are less complicated to boot. Also, by 2004 or so, Jag was doing pretty well, relaibility-wise.

Let me just state that Audi reliability is no worse than BMW reliability - the company makes better cars than it used to.

Audi dealers are jerkoffs - and the service departments are greedy jerkoffs - one dept wanted $1500 to replace an alternator, I mean wtf? Just like MB. Find a good Eurpean car garage for maint work.

Why not buy an 03 A8L? The 03-04 cars are not that different despite the body change.

It'd be a tough choice for me between the A8L and 745Li. I have a friend with a few-years-old (1st Gen, maybe 2000) used A8 and he had nothing bad to say about it.