The example that comes to mind is the suspension. Isn’t a softer luxury suspension less durable than a normal one? Do any luxury cars come with an air suspension anymore?
Doesn’t that added weight of the insulation put more strain on the engine? If both cars have the same engine, and one has more weight…
Probably not measurable , just like a vehicle that travels most of the time with only 1 or 2 passengers or on the travels with 3 or 4 . Not even worth worrying about.
I don’t know why that would be the case. The suspension in my '07 TL was original when I sold it this past summer. It was still fine. Also, not all luxury cars have “softer” suspensions. And more softness than you might think comes from the seat design than the suspension.
That used to be a factor in the old days, when cars often came with just enough power to get themselves down the road. Adding full Dyna-mat to a 1980’s Civic was a great way to slow it way down. 
These days cars have more than enough power to haul a little extra insulation around, and insulation doesn’t weigh all that much. My car weighs 3,649 pounds. The Avalon version weighs 3,583. If the Avalon driver hauls a teenager around, his car weighs more than mine.
Why? Wife’s 07 Lexus has over 230k miles. We had to replace the struts ONCE. Everything else is fine. It’s really a matter of Soft suspension vs Softer suspension. Cars and SUV’s really have what’s considered a soft suspension. Race cars on a track will have a firm suspension. Off-road race trucks will have a softer suspension.
No it isn’t less durable. Softer or firmer. But premium cars can afford premium suspensions with electronic shocks or air ride.
Yes, they are available - full air springs or air assist. In Ram trucks, too.
Air ride, BTW is generally not more durable.
I’ve always assumed air ride suspension was a big potential point of failure that is less reliable than a conventional suspension. Between the air bags being prone to damage and the compressor being yet another moving part that needs maintenance…
Lemme correct that just a tad… “lots of potential points of failure” 
Air lines, valves, height sensors, compressor, computer and 4 rubber bags rolling up and down a plastic piston with horrible under-car crud blasting it every mile! Lots of leak potential. Mostly reliable and not a huge problem to repair until the owners balked at the higher price for airsprings or sensors or controllers.
A purely mechanical system was installed on some Olds, Caddys and Pontiacs in the late 50’s. Leaked like a sieve when cold. Most were removed and replaced with standard.
As far as status cars are concerned, I took my cue from Lt. Columbo of the Los Angeles Police Department driving his old Peugeot. I drove the same 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass to work for 33 years–from the day I bought it in 1978 until the day I retired 33 years later. Mrs. Triedaq had a high level administration position and we made certain to drive that Oldsmobile to social functions with the higher ups. I wanted to go looking poor so people wouldn’t say we were making too much money.
I also had a Lt. Columbo type trench coat. However, it was stolen from a closet in our house. Nothing else was taken. Mrs. Triedaq thought the burglar must have picked the lock on our front door as there was no evidence of a break-in. A couple of days later I arrived home to find a new trench coat. Mrs.Triedaq said that our insurance company had replaced my old coat. I was surprised that the insurance company gave me a new coat because a week later I saw one exactly like the one stolen from me at our local Goodwill store.
@MikeInNH. You mentioned getting a better price on a Lexus as opposed to the Avalon. My brother bought a new SUV last summer. He looked at some Buick model SUV, but got a lower price on the equivalent Cadillac SUV that had a higher sticker price. I always thought that Cadillac was at a higher level of car than Buick. Maybe Cadillacs don’t sell as well as Buicks.
You forgot about Range Rover!
Did you know that Land Rovers are the most popular luxury SUVs? They also have the quickest turnover rate of all vehicles. That surprised me, but facts is facts.
No alternative facts here, btw.
Turnover rate?
In terms of how often they change hands?
A neighbor of mine–who seems to stumble from one unreliable vehicle to another–used to own some type of Range Rover. At least twice each month, a loaner Rover would appear in his driveway while his Rover was being repaired… again.
He took my advice, and dumped it after the warranty expired, then he replaced it with a VW Tiguan.
The good news is that the Tiguan is in the shop a little less often than the Rover was.
the differences in interior and ride previously worked to Lexus’ advantage against BMW and MB
Turnover rate is how long the vehicle is on the dealer’s lot until it’s sold.
The biggest radio-talk-show host at the time in this area not only hosted his show, he also advertised for Lexus. He’d say on his Monday morning show “well I took my Lexus in for servicing over the weekend, and my what a pleasant experience that was! Believe me Lexus not only knows how to design and manufacture luxury cars, they know how to service them too. The Lexus owner is never inconvenienced”
This sort of advertising rhetoric went on nearly every show for 2-3 years, Lexus is the best, no other luxury car should even be considered, all the others are sub-standard, etc etc, Then one day out of the blue Lexus is completely forgotten about, the host is now saying “Mercedes is the only true luxury automobile. Don’t even consider any other brands. Design, service, reliability, Mercedes is the only brand that gives you the car you deserve” … lol …
I had a marketing professor in junior college who collected old Mustangs and Corvettes. The way he described his experience in a Lexus service department, getting his wife’s Lexus serviced, made it sound like he was in a spa being pampered.
Evidently, Lexus knew (and maybe still knows) that the entire experience is worth managing.
As an aside, he wasn’t just a collector. He actually drove the cars in his collection.
So when he was promoting Ford in the early 1970s, you bought your 1974 Ford 4x4 truck . . . ?
And it goes without saying, during the early 1990s, the guy was promoting Toyota, which is how you wound up with a 1992 Corolla . . . ?!
That’s my kind of collector
I hate the idea of buying a car, immediately putting it in storage, only to take it out maybe once a year
Unless I’m missing something, cars are literally meant to be driven . . . ?!
Driving cars that are that old isn’t the safest thing you can do though. My girlfriend’s former boss died tragically in a collision that he would have lived through if he had been driving a modern car.
You never did mention the model years of those Mustangs and Corvettes . . .
Could be you and I aren’t on the same wave length . . .
Maybe I’m thinking of 1980s and you’re thinking of 1960s . . . ?!
Yes, 1960s. I suppose something from the 80s might be old enough to be a classic.
I can’t imagine many 1980s model cars ever being considered classic.