Safest car?

A Buick LeSabre ranking top in safety??

Could you please give an online source?

Give more info about the Mercedes. Which year, which engine?

Juergen (A BUICK LESABRE AS SAFE AS A MERCEDES W210???)

You can buy either a 1997 - 2000 used Buick LeSabre OR a 1997 - 2000 used Mercedes "E" Class for the same price?? Buicks must have gone up - a lot!

Mercedes-Benz cars are very well engineered - conceptually - and are quite advanced BUT, unfortunately, their component quality is only average and, considering the Mercedes' premium price, their component quality is unsatisfactory, in my experience (since 1980).

In fact the latest issue of a consumer magazine tested various luxury cars and could not recommend the M-B model due to M-B's lousy repair record despite the testers being very favorably impressed with the car's on the road performance. We M-B owners have a love-hate relationship with our cars - the on the road performance is excellent but too often the drive is to the dealer for a repair. If you buy a M-B be sure it has a "Starmark" extended warranty so its major repairs, if any will be paid by the warranty for dealer service is very expensive.

As a prospective owner you ought to think of european luxury cars, BMW, Jaguar and M-B as you would a "trophy wife" - lots of glamour but potentially VERY expensive. Are you up to it?

Like I said, 1997-2000 is my target. I would only consider the 4.2L V8 in the Mercedes.

Hmmm, interesting. I talk to several people who said their quality was very high. Also read a used buyers guide that also stated they were known for their high levels of quality, maybe you got a lemon..?

Agreed. Wouldn't consider one without it. Can I extend a starmark once its time period of a year has ended?

I am an EMT, if you saw some of the car accidents I have responded to, you would want a safe car too.

I'd stay home!

Boy you had better do your homework. Late model MBs have terrible reliabilty and quality control problems.

I've heard people having problems with the newer Mercedes and even my uncle (he's a garage manager) says that their quality has just gone downhill since they and DC merged.

I'm pretty sure that it's something that's only done by the dealership under MBs authority (not positive though) when they're selling them.

Maybe you should look at full-size cars too, like the S-Class or 7-Series.

I own a 1980 Mercedes and two newer Mercedes. The newer cars are more lightly built with lots of plastic parts. Fasteners have become smaller, oil filters have shrunk. Overall, the quality of the newer cars has decreased and the cost of replacment parts has increased a lot.

If safety is the #1 issue then you might consider a minivan like a Windstar or Honda. You sit high. Later models have all the bells and whistles for safety (ABS, Traction, multiple airbags). Lots of mass and better handling than an SUV. If you are thinking car then later Volvo's with side air bags and side impact rails offer lots of protection. I think what you want is a car with multiple (including side) airbags and as much mass as you are willing to pay to drive around. Howard

Yes! Forgot to even mention that I looked at a 5 series and that was a real joy to drive! It doesn't look like its as solid as the Benz but if I hear good things I would consider it. Out of all the sedans thats one of the more handsome cars on the market. I was lucky enough to drive the 540i, love the V8 power and smoothness.

Safe? The safest is probably that monster Mercedes SUV. Reasonable that we can afford? Volvo is pretty good, as is Mercedes and BMW.

Well, it's kind of like GM. Good engines and such, but lately, Mercedes are plagued with electrical and computer gremlins. Autostick this and integrated alarm system that...

My recommedation - get a previous generation Mercedes. The old tanks that were built to last 20 years or more.(1995/6, IIRC, was the last year)

Go for a 1996 or earlier (previous generation) Mercedes. They were tanks, inside and out. Absolutely the best at the time, and they stopped making anything as reliable since then.

If that's too much - there is another Buick you should look at - the Roadmaster. They put $25K in raw materials and labor into each one and actually sold them at their cost. It was also incredibly overbuilt. They intended for it to compete with a Towncar.

Obviously, it never caught on and was not making them money, so they dropped it. Still, it was the best Buick made at the time, and is a fine used choice. It's about the same size as a Park Avenue, but has a great V8(260hp!) and tons of luxury features as well as rear wheel drive.

Safety comes in 2 forms - active and passive. The crash tests results will give you an indication of how much a car can protect you when you get into an accident, but what you really want is to not get into an accident in the first place. From that perspective, I think (IMHO) the MB is a better choice, especially if you can get Electronic Stability Control with it (on top of the ABS, air bags, etc.).

Just because something is heavy it doesn't make it safe...

Have a look at:

They are they only proper crash testing facility that makes all of its results available to the public. Both the C and E class Mercs gained 5 out of 5.

Spending your money on a prestige car is not necessarily the same as spending it on a reliable car. German cars have traditionally been considered very reliable, but that is beginning to slip, especially Volkswagen, but less so with Merc, and BMW is being let down by the new Mini.

If you want a reliable car, buy a Honda or Toyota.

If you want reliability and prestige, Lexus. But OTOH I think that Lexus cars are deviod of any personality, a typical Japanese straight copy of Merc with a few improvements thrown in.

Yes, I was thinking Unimog myself.

Its a shame Mercedes got scared off when they announced that they were going to have an SUV version for the USA.

The typical Excursion, Suburban, Hummer just seems to lack the necessary throw weight.