| People are always asking me what the most reliable | | | | since even auto repair shop owners get tired of |
| car is to purchase. You know it took me quite a while | | | | having to have their vehicles serviced. Lexus vehicles |
| to figure this out as I grew up mainly because I grew | | | | hold up really well. But let's take a look at my |
| up in a family with recessive genes when it came to | | | | personal experience with my current set of vehicles |
| purchasing vehicles. My grandfather (the one who | | | | to really get under the hood of this question. |
| would sing Italian love songs after a glass of wine on | | | | I have a 1998 Lexus LS400, a 1999 Range Rover |
| my dad's back patio) was in love with Cadillacs. | | | | and a 1993 Mercedes 300e. So let's compare how |
| Picture this 5', 6" graying guy who looked like the | | | | well they have held up. The Lexus has 102,000 miles |
| typical image of the Mafia boss driving his 43-foot | | | | on it and over the last 8 years I've put maybe $3000 |
| long El Dorado down the street and you start to | | | | retail equivalent dollars (meaning what a person who |
| understand what I'm talking about. | | | | doesn't own an auto repair shop would pay) into it, |
| My grandfather had almost no problems with those | | | | including 2 rounds of tires and all the services it |
| Cadillacs since he bought a new one every 2 or 3 | | | | requires. It has never broken in any way. The Ranger |
| years. But he didn't seem to get the idea that was a | | | | Rover has 110,000 miles on it and I've put in the |
| very expensive approach to car purchasing (the | | | | equivalent retail service dollars of about $3,000 in the |
| biggest hit to depreciation in a car's value is usually in | | | | past year alone! The Mercedes has probably had an |
| the first 3 years as most of us know). But it made | | | | average of about $3000 total in the 7 years we've |
| him happy and that's what mattered. And he had a | | | | owned it. It has 132,000 miles on it. I've also owned a |
| ready source to purchase the aging vehicles. My dad. | | | | 1987 Mercedes 300e with 60,000 miles and a 1989 |
| Back in those days Cadillacs tended to hold up pretty | | | | 260e with 60,000 miles. Those cars cost me $2500 |
| well. Although they did come with a lot of new | | | | each every year I owned them! But neither of those |
| fangled gadgets such as one my dad referred to as | | | | cars ever broke down (the money was in things like |
| "an electric eye" that would automatically dim the | | | | air conditioning, interior lights, maintenance and leaks). |
| lights after about 5 seconds of blinding the oncoming | | | | Go figure all that variability |
| driver. Actually, I'm not sure if that's something that | | | | But that speaks to how I would answer folks when |
| Cadillacs came with or my dad installed it aftermarket. | | | | they ask about our shop's experience with different |
| What I am sure of is it didn't work all that well as | | | | vehicles. In our shop the Lexus's still reign king for |
| can be evidenced by a string of oncoming drivers | | | | less problems than any other vehicle that comes into |
| that drove off hair pin turns after being blinded by | | | | us. They are just amazingly well built cars. Every |
| my dad's "cool" technology gadget. | | | | other car that comes in has been variable and fairly |
| Today, though, I don't own any Cadillacs. My mother | | | | dependent on how it was treated by it's owners. Of |
| and sister also finally gave up their Cadillac addictions | | | | course some brands are seemingly more prone to |
| through a 12-step program. We're pretty much an all | | | | problems than others. As they say, "your mileage |
| Lexus family at this point for our primary vehicles - | | | | may vary". |