Automotive enthusiasts?

@BarryFromMars  
It isn’t metallic paint, is it? I had to paint a replacement side mirror years ago and I couldn’t quite get the color to match. It’s not obvious to a casual eye but there is a difference up close.
 
 
@SeraphimDawn  
I think with vehicles like the Bentley you quickly reach a point of diminishing returns. Is a Mulsanne really over $200,000 better than a top of the line Mercedes or Audi? I rather doubt it. Then again, if I was in the market for a Bentley I would be loaded enough that I would not sweat expenses.

@kleptomage  
the hand-crafted nature of Bentley is why it cost so much, which is why I’d pick a Mercedes S550 any day… the worst part is the dumb tablet trays that hide in the seats… what a joke. just buy an iPad on your own

@kleptomage  
From what I understand, there’s two main types of luxury on the market.
 
The comfort luxury suite on wheels.
 
And the high end sporty performance demon models.
 
 
The Bentley is for people who have too much money to spend. It is the definition of excess. I never saw the point of headlight washers or wipers(older models of Volvo cars have them).
 
 
Can Lincoln, Lexus and Acura even be considered luxury brands? They feel like and look like rental vehicles with leather seats slapped on.
 
 
@RainbowDash69  
BMW used to handcraft their cars from what I’ve heard. But they stopped that sometime in the 90s.

@Prince Artemis
 
If I were as rich as Warren Buffet maybe I’d have a different opinion on things such as actual silver inside the car. As it sits now I’m content with something much cheaper.
 
@kleptomage
 
It is. Metallic Silver. Thankfully the places that need repaired are either little spots or down low where rocks flew behind the mud flaps.
 
@SeraphimDawn
 
I’ve seen headlight wipers on a Saab too. In many environments they’re pointless but if you live somewhere that “salts” the roads or if you simply get slush on your headlights easily they’re easily beneficial. I wonder how well simply waxing the light covers would work to keep dust away though.
 
…
 
While we’re on the subject of luxurious cars how about one of these?
 

 
Ah ha ha hah… Yes, I’m serious. This is no ordinary crappy looking (due to the finish and in some spots, lack thereof) 1950s car! Have a look here at Jay Leno’s Garage.

@SeraphimDawn  
I disagree about sports cars being considered luxury. I mean, they’re luxury in the sense that they are exclusive and made for enjoyment but luxury means comfort and comfort is not the point of a car like a Ferrari.
 
Lincoln, Lexus (with the exception of some higher models), and Acura are entry luxury, the same as Mercury was back in the day. Mostly that means leather seats and a few more features than the regular models their vehicles are derived from. Some of the Lincoln Blackwood interiors are swanky though.
 
 
@BarryFromMars  
Funny you mention Warren Buffet. Last I heard, his car is an Cadillac XTS - considerably downmarket from a Mulsanne.
 
Bentley has a metallic silver color they call Extreme Silver. I’m not a big fan of silver paint for cars but this one has shades of violet depends on the light.
 

I don’t care much about excess luxury. it doesn’t sound like fun over a long term use. though a v12 would be so cool to have on a budget. (that would be the Mercedes)
 
@BarryFromMars  
Ah, the most practical classic car. never worry about the paint…  
the car sounds amazing and it has plenty of cargo space! perfect.
 
 
@SeraphimDawn  
yes and apparently the Toyota Sequoia is kinda hand-crafted as well. I have no good source!

@kleptomage  

 
This looks like an interior that would belong to a basic consumer level model car back in 2009.  
But then again, Lincoln is supposed to be the “quiet luxury” according to Ford.  
Mercury was supposed to be the brand at the same level as Chrysler, Buick and VW. Kia seems to have somewhat reached this tier of luxury in the recent years as a brand.

@SeraphimDawn  
How old is the interior in the picture? It looks very dated.

@kleptomage  
Probably a 2002.  
Of course, it was luxury back then.
 
Here is a 2009 Ford Explorer for comparison.  

@SeraphimDawn  
ah American car interiors were so bad in the 2000s

@SeraphimDawn  
I swear he is not German. That guy sounds Italian American.

@SeraphimDawn  
Ah cool! It is a lot of fun to see a German dude give so much praise to a muscle car. I was afraid it would be partly negative, but he summed up exactly why so many of us, me included love raw muscle power!
 
he called it a “boss” and that’s so true, even though it isn’t the Boss 302! :)

@Prince Artemis  
I know right?
 
But apparently Mustangs are pretty popular among Germans as well.
 
 
@RainbowDash69  
Raw Power! That is the stereotypical American perspective to sports cars.

@SeraphimDawn  
Considering how expensive European cars are I can see why. Especially with the V8. The Mustang is pretty much all about having a cheap, powerful, fun to drive car.

@kleptomage
 
I watched a documentary about Warren Buffet recently. I recall he was driving a Cadillac.
 
…
 
Thought I’d mention another gruesome “dead end” movie of the automobile world…
 
“Blood on the Windscreen” (Mid 1950s? Yes, dead bodies are included.)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D6KK3Yh1TE

@BarryFromMars  
They didn’t fuck around back then…

@BarryFromMars  
he had one of the cool Cadillacs… the DTS, the last old-school American luxury sedan besides the Town Car! still with all the cool features you’d expect
 

 
he sold this for charity lol
 
btw, those car crash scenes are horrifying. easily the worst thing I’ve seen from the 1950s, and I watch lots of horror movies. peeling off a body from metal would be the worst thing!
 
Still, nobody has learned how to respect the laws of physics, I guess.

2009 Mercury Grand Marquis.  

@SeraphimDawn  
that would be the last one.
 
too bad the interiors were still kinda bad. body on frame full-size sedans could be a real cool thing if they had nice interiors

@RainbowDash69
 
Didn’t I already reply? Darn.
 
Common Features of old cars:
 
1: All Drum Brakes  
2: Single Master Cylinder  
3: No Safety Glass  
5: No Airbags Anywhere  
6: No Cameras  
7: Non-Collapsible Steering Column (It could impale people in a head-on)  
8: Fuel Pump never shuts off in collisions  
9: Bias-Ply Tires  
10: Steel Dashboard (“yummy”)  
11: No Seatbelts  
12: Bench Seats (Take a corner fast without seatbelts and you’ll slide)
 
More uncommon feature: Weird Gear Selection (Reverse being AFTER the drive gears in automatics; yes. P-D-L-R or the like.)
 
I could list more. There are more old films too; “Red Asphalt”, “Signal 30”, “Wheels of Tragedy” etc. Graphic. “Red Asphalt” appeared to have a Corvair wreck in which the front end was smashed in and the driver Seemed impaled or smashed against the steering wheel and then his jaw was sliced up to his nose. Have a look at the story of Sammy Davis Jr. as well, old Cadillacs had a “Bullet” in the middle of a steering wheel which could impale you even better. He was lucky enough to only lose an eye and get banged up when he hit the rear end of another car that stopped and reversed on a highway. Nobody died in the wreck even though his car careened into the oncoming lane.

@BarryFromMars  
A bullet on the steering wheel? dang, people were so dumb. they were unsafe and bad for the environment… absolutely nothing was good (besides the nice design)
 
one thing that haunts me is how bright the blood looks in those movies. it looks fake, but you say it’s real? it’s so disturbing to see all that bright red blood :\

@RainbowDash69  
!upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/RamonMagsaysayjf7442_15.JPG/1920px-RamonMagsaysayjf7442_15.JPG!
 
Sleek looking, but even in an era with limited safety standards, it really should have occurred to Cadillac that this was a dumb idea.

@Flying Pancake  
I wish to know what they were thinking… any decent human would’ve realized the issue after the first crash.

@RainbowDash69  
Company CEOs are not decant humans though.