I don't think you could ever, and I mean ever, convince me to buy an Acura RL (Legend for ya'all), Lexus GS, etc... They are just too boring on the outside, on the inside, and on the road. I may have been spoiled driving German cars for the past few years, and growing up around American cars may have tainted my view of Japanese models, but they arent as good as so many people think.
Low-Lux: CTS 3.6 vs X-Type vs Saab 9-3 vs Volvo S60 vs A4 3.2 vs C430 vs 330i vs IS330 vs G35... Unquestionably I am going to go with the Bimmer. I don't care if it is slower, I don't care if it has electronic problems... Simply put, it is one of the best driving cars on all of planet Earth, period.
Mid-Lux: STS V8 vs S-Type vs Volvo S80 vs A6 4.2 vs E500 vs 550i vs GS450 vs M45... I'm buying a Caddy. I can't stand the 5-series, it just isnt what it used to be. I don't like the GS (too much computer crap), and the M45 is a little too harsh for a luxury ride. Caddy might be a bit more expensive, and it may underperform, and hell, it might not be built as well... But atleast with a Cadillac, I know I'm going to be able to sleep at night knowing I bought something that isnt going to tell me how to drive.
Full-Lux: DTS 4.6 vs XJ8 Vanden Plas vs A8 vs S550 vs 750i vs LS450 vs Q45... I'm going with the Jag on this one. It is by far the best looking, and offers the best balance of all the aformentioned vehicles. Like the GS, the LS has too many supercomputers controling the car, and for the Q45... When was the last time it was compeditive?
The only (and I mean ONLY) Japanese cars you could convince me to buy right now would be the Honda Fit Sport and the Honda S2000. Almost every other Japanese model is just too "vanilla" to the American "stawberry" and the German "chocolate" flavors. Boring, slow, increasingly unreliable the Japanese models have become, esp. those comming from the docks of Toyota. You name any Japanese car, and I could probably think of a few good reasons not to buy it... High price, high insurance costs, and rising repair costs are all turn-offs for me. I buy American, and I buy German. Unless Honda figures out a way to make their dealers a little more pleasent to visit, I don't think I will be dropping buy again for a while...