I agree with you completely. My wife bought a 2006 Jaquar XJ Long Wheel base all options new - she had a 1997 before. Great in the looks department but I can tell you we are seriously dissapointed with the car - from bizarre noises behind the dash, rattling in the headliner and a stink out of the a/c vent etc... The 2 yr. lease is up this Oct and we are letting it go. As per my earlier post, we are really considering the Maserati as an alternative...She's been a long time Jaquar customer, but they lost her as a loyal customer for now.
Similarly, and not to hijack this thread, last year I had bought a 2006 F150 and after 18,000 miles I realized it was not a heavy duty truck, plus Ford's cloth interior is awful - stains like crazy. I went shopping for a quad door fully optioned 4X4 Diesel. I test drove Chevy, Ford and Dodge. Top of the criteria for me was towing and hauling. Dodge did not do it for me - seriously under powered. I liked the looks and ergonomics of the Ford Super Duty the best. When it came to shear torque, power, towing and minimal turbo lag, in my opinion the Duramax out performed them all, and that is what I ended up with.
Along the way I noticed how desperation is kicking in for all auto sales - not just domestic cars/trucks. I think this high performing economy is quickly slowing down. Ford did a huge mistake by releasing the 2008 models early - they were giving the 2007s away. Last month when I bought the 2007 Duramax, there were no 2008 chevy models. In any event all three were dipping into their hold backs. Within an hour of negotiating, I had them $1500 below invoice PLUS $1500 rebate PLUS $1000 of dealer coupons. I guess flooring is costing them and they'd rather get rid of inventory.
