Would You Buy An Attractive Vehicle Over A More Reliable Brand?

NOPE...

People are stupid. That interior won't do you much good when the car won't start.

Of course! My daughter wanted a MINI and that's what I got her. Lots of models in this price range that are more reliable (albeit with more recalls - LoL!) in the market but I still went ahead and bought it. It has been great so far and she receives complements on a daily basis which she probably would not receive if she was driving a Civic or Corolla.

By the way, how do you explain record sales for Audi, BMW , RR and so on? I guess a bunch of "stupid" people with lots of discretionary income which most on this board don't have.

all new cars are remarkably reliable. reliability is no longer a serious competitive strength...it's slicing hairs. so, yes, DEFINITELY get the better looking, better performing car.

Exactly !

Agreed. The differences in reliability are minimal at best, making a bad roll of the dice a better chance of getting an unreliable one.

My 2010 CC (2 years of ownership) has over 40K on the odometer so far without any issues at all.

The dealer did perform two TSB's when the car was in for scheduled maintenance, but it never delayed anything. The vehicle was always ready when I dropped the loaner off in the PM.

BTW ZERO Recalls on this car.

Our 2008 Rx450h (4 years of ownership) with 65K on the odometer

1 - Recall for cooling system overheating
3 - Visits for faulty TPS sensors
2 - Visits for fogging headlamp
1 - Dead in garage with bad starter battery (TSB)

Like I said a roll of the dice. You would easily believe the reverse was true.

The 450h has been replaced with a 2012 RX350. The wife fell in love with the console mouse of all things. Only time will tell of this one though. I would expect it to be far better.

Buyers with lots of discretionary income do not know or care about reliability. If they can afford a BMW or MB, they can afford a little less reliability. While not being rich, I've been fortunate enough to have owned many Euro-branded cars over the years. And yes, I knew I was exposing myself to these risks, but I actually had fairly good luck, anyway. Back then, the difference was felt behind the wheel in a much greater quantity.
Reliability is a concern now that us common folk are driving our vehicles so much longer, and the Asians may build the most reliable long lasting cars, but the gap is becoming quite narrow, actually. Most modern cars, generally speaking, are pretty reliable and will last a long time.
As far as justifying laying out thousands additional for a premium brand, I think it is harder than ever for other reasons. The benefits are becoming less and less all the time. As the popular priced cars compete for their share of their respective segment, they are moving closer and closer in equipment, features, and performance to the high-end cars.
For instance, compare a '5' series or 'E' class to a Fusion or Accord. While the Euro's are just fabulous, and I will never disagree with that; are they worth two to three times as much? Why is a ten year old '5' worth about as much as a ten year old Honda?
Then consider that reliability along with a high content of similar features, crash safety, interior/trunk dimensions, fuel economy, etc., I mean, really?
I appreciate the notion or need for prestige or making a statement, been there, done that. It's just that my most recent experiences behind the wheel of Benz(few years old) and a BMW(latest gen) are leaving me scratching my head. The distinction over the imitators has shrunk severely for me. At one time, nothing drove like a BMW. Nowadays, BMW's don't either.
I will agree on the interiors, they are very nice. There again, little justification for all that extra cash, but there's a difference. Audi does a nice job and I haven't driven an Audi in many years.
As far as prestige,and maybe it's an "old age" thing, but when I see a car in traffic that sends the message that the purchaser made a very INTELLIGENT choice, that, to me, is prestige. And lately, it costs less.

Irishmike, you do bring some very valid points. Maybe some day I will buy me another Accord and save thousands in the long run.

Well said irishmike. My garage will be changing drastically for the very same reasons.

german cars are selling cuz of competitive leases, and reliability is not that bad.. im on my 4th bmw ( 2nd m3) and dont really have any problems with the car..
i think german cars are great the first 4 years/ 50k miles, i have no clue what they are like after that period, although my parents do have a vw touareg ( 2005, 4.2 v8 ) lots of little annoyances, my parents hate the damn car, lol.