Has Mercedes lost its class, prestige and exclusivity?

[scumbag]

Does anyone aspire to own a FORD or VW?


It does not matter where you come from or what model you wish to buy, nobody sets their heart and minds on buying a car from the above. You may have decided that over engineering, or over pricing is the reason you intend to make an MB or a BMW your purchase, but it makes no difference. You don't aspire to buy a run of the mill car.

i think that generates the feeling of presitige and it makes the purchaser feel good.

Exclusivity is not an issue, nor aspirational with any mass produced car.

Class? whats that then? The only people who think class is something are living next door to the Jones's!!

I would not care where you come from, or how you look. If you go to a GTG and want to look in my car, just ask! As I see it, it maybe the only time some will have the opportunity to get in one, and in some cases, it may be just another version of an estate car. Makes no difference to me. A car is just a car, and I was able to chose from a number of differing ones and made my choice.


Mind you, its only the 2nd on the island, and I am told, they have only made 53 of them so far. Could be 53 right hand drive models!

I doubt it will be the last car I ever buy.

 

[kth286]

You know when you are in a situation, perhaps you are an actor, and other people envy your occupation.

You know it is really not a very good profession, because unless you are at the very top, the pay can be spasmodic, and you are always living on your nerves awaiting the phone call for the next audition; you really cannot recommend the profession to anyone, especially not your kids.

Well, owning a modern merc is like that most of the time.

People that do not own one and do not understand what is involved, think you are quite privileged.

The reality of course, is that you have to contend with sloppy dealer service, rust, big depreciation etc etc.

You often cannot in all honesty recommend your friends buy one.

But as a merc is still perceived as aspirational, they will likely eventually buy one, and go through all the trauma that we have gone through.

Merc must be experiencing a very big churning effect where the experience was disappointing and many owners are not prepared to get bitten twice.

Good job that new people are still being born.

The Merc heritage is the best part though, and I feel buying a classic is the way to go with Mercs.

If the condition is looked after, it will be an excellent investment and enjoyable too.

 

[bpsorrel]

Interesting question. Before I bought my S211 I was thinking of straying from the marque as both my previous MBs (CLK and my wife's C Sport Coupe) had been disappointing for various reasons that I won't bore you all with right now, and as we'd decided to trade her's for the new Saab and also now wanted an esate car my first choice was a Volvo V70 as I'd had three happy years with an S60 before. BUT, and here's the thing, once I'd tried an S211, the V70 and even a BMW 5 Tourer and VW Passat that I tried also, just didn't have the indefinable "feel" or maybe "feel good" factor, that the MB had. So, despite some rough times with both previous MBs and dealer service that was shockingly poor, I signed the order form and am still a happy (most of the time!) Mercedes owner! There is "something" special about these cars, no matter now common they seem to be (some streets are full of them!) or frustrating they can be sometimes, that special feel seems to make up for it! As someone said, you don't aspire to a Vauxhall or a Ford do you....

 

[bpsorrel]

It might be based on the attitudes that people outside of Germany had about Mercedes and that those attitudes are changing. From my experience, MB's qualities are functionality and solid engineering in Germany but are not "prestige" the way BMWs are. I may be wrong though, and maybe listened to long to Bavarians.

I think you're dead right! I have friends who live in Weis-Baden and they say exactly the same thing: MBs are solid, reliable etc, BMW are the prestige cars! Whenever we go there I'm always amazed at the rows of MB taxis - never any BMW taxis though...

 

[hawk20]

I think you're dead right! I have friends who live in Weis-Baden and they say exactly the same thing: MBs are solid, reliable etc, BMW are the prestige cars! Whenever we go there I'm always amazed at the rows of MB taxis - never any BMW taxis though...

Well that is certainly not what I found in Germany. In fact they said the opposite. And look what Prime Ministers, cabinet members and ambassadors drive -nearly always the S class. Virtually every major motoring magazine in the world has chosen the S class as best luxury saloon car in the world. For example see What Car 3 years in a row.

Cabbies I have asked about why they use the Mercedes say a) they last longer
b) you get more customers if you drive the best.

 

[James Rothwell]

I think Mercedes still have a degree of prestige about them, I still look at a W221 with admiring/envious glances. People think my old W140 is something special even though it's a worthless, old, 130k bus. I still like driving it as it does feel different to other 10 year old cars and to me I think it looks nice but only because I like big ungainly oppulent silly cars.

 

[J400uk]

There is "something" special about these cars, no matter now common they seem to be (some streets are full of them!) or frustrating they can be sometimes, that special feel seems to make up for it! As someone said, you don't aspire to a Vauxhall or a Ford do you....

Well said, completely agree.

 

[garystu1965]

Well let's use one example, being the death of Princess Diana. In all the documentaries they always say "the Mercedes was driven by...", "their Mercedes crashed". If it was any other car it would be "their car crashed" etc. If you see what I mean.

 

[scumbag]

Somebody has a signature on here that says....

" I don't drive a car, I drive a Mercedes!"

 

[Geezer255]

Somebody has a signature on here that says....

" I don't drive a car, I drive a Mercedes!"

LOL, funny you should say that, the missus bought a set of plastic cutlery for our daughter a few weeks back and just tried to give me a plastic knife with my lunch.... the reply was " I am NOT eating my lunch with plastic knife, I drive a MERCEDES!!!" lol

 

[Will]

How out of touch with reality this thread must seem to normal people on average incomes. An E class estate, just the relatively small engined 220cdi avantgarde, automatic, with modest extras, lists at not a lot under £40k. Go for bigger engines and more extras and you can easily get up to 50/60 or even £70k.

S class's go for up to £100k and beyond -more than some can afford for the house they live in.

Well I see myself as a fairly normal person on an average income. I don't see that driving a Mercedes is quite the big cheese that it was a few decades ago. As the OP in this thread is questioning 'exclusivity', etc, I think that it's a valid point.

25ish years ago was the launch of the 'baby benz' W201. Before that, the model range did not cater so much for the masses - they were large/expensive/well engineered and luxurious cars that most people would never own. This made them exclusive.

Now you can buy something like an A-class for in the low-teens brand new. As a percentage of peoples earnings that is surely significantly cheaper than they used to be years ago. Most people could afford to buy a Mercedes if they really wanted to.

For me personally, I try to buy a little more wisely and generally opt for older cars that I know have done most of the depreciation. You could probably buy two of my CLK55s for what a mid-range Ford mondeo would cost. Weren't they crowned the most depreciating car of all time a few years back? Surely keeping up with the depreciation would be more expensive than a few repairs on an older Mercedes.

You don't have to be rich to buy a Mercedes these days, either a new or secondhand one. Sure, you can't work as a dustman/cleaner and expect to run a new £100k S-class, but you could buy a smaller/older model if you really wanted to own one.

My old 300TE cost £320 a year or so back and has cost very little to maintain. You can buy a C-class for well under a grand. I'm sure cars don't get all that much cheaper than that?

I don't drive Mercedes-Benz cars because I think they're all that exclusive or especially reliable etc (they're not that much anymore), but because I like the cars and am happy with them as an overall ownership experience

Will

 

[Dryce]

with so many models and so many sold cars/yr, is mercedes now the common mans / womans car?

your thoughts please?

Yes: I drive one.

No: My passengers (relatives / neighbours) almost always comment on it.

 

[Dieselman]

Sure, you can't work as a dustman/cleaner and expect to run a new £100k S-class, but you could buy a smaller/older model if you really wanted to own one.

Like my neighbours cleaner that drives a new ML320Cdi...

 

[Mudster]

How out of touch with reality this thread must seem to normal people on average incomes. An E class estate, just the relatively small engined 220cdi avantgarde, automatic, with modest extras, lists at not a lot under £40k. Go for bigger engines and more extras and you can easily get up to 50/60 or even £70k.

S class's go for up to £100k and beyond -more than some can afford for the house they live in.

The list price of a vehicle is now on the whole completely irrelevant. What matters now is what the monthly payment is and can you get the finance for it.

There's nothing out of touch with reality at all here. Like houses, more and more ingenious ways of financing vehicles are developed to enable the list price of these vehicles to continue to climb.

£100K vehicles sell becasue people don't actually have to pay £100K for them.

Point in case, I've never seen so many Aston Martins on the road as I see nowadays. I'd hazard a guess over 80% aren't paid for in full.

 

[stripe]

This is all down to individual taste

• I have a work colleague who aspires to a Vauxhall Astra VRX, he has a SRi TD and although he is older than me, think mercedes are olds mans car
  • He is very much likes his cars ruff and raw!
• My older brother in-law drives a Saab and asked for lift 250 yards to his house (he walks 5 miles for fun), he would give his eye teeth for a Mercedes.
  • He has progressively upgraded his car from Vectra's through Renaults, Subaru and Volvo's aiming for class and comfort within his budget.

It's all a case of horses for courses, 1 man meat is another man poison etc... I think it is great that we have the choice available today and that Mercedes will always draw a certain individual looking for that extra perceved bit of quality.

 

[S17MMA]

Like my neighbours cleaner that drives a new ML320Cdi...

I must be in the wrong line of work

 

[scumbag]

[*]I have a work colleague who aspires to a Vauxhall Astra VRX, he has a SRi TD and although he is older than me, think mercedes are olds mans car
.

He needs to get a grip if he really Aspires to that! I suggest he has a good look at the definition of aspire.*


As far as the old man comment is concerned, someone on the BBC F1 forum complained about the fact a slow lumbering cruiser is selected as the safety car. (The facts about the car were posted by Martin Brundle, which basically shows that it will safely monster 90% of even exclusive high performace cars). I guess the Old man comment stems from years ago when those who had acheived were able to buy a Mercedes in the main, were older. Its the same type of person who look down their nose at you when they see your car has an Auto and not a stick you twiddle about yourself. Apparently Autos are boring.**

I guess the reality of these types of people is that they have not researched the cars they intend to spend some money on (which a number of people fail to do and even £1000 is a lot of money) and, if aspiring to a Astra, they obvioulsy have no interest in cars.

We can therefore safey ignore thier opinions and know they won't be buying a car we would want to spend any time in. That is not saying the cars they buy are bad.


* saving up within a budget for the next model up from what you have, does not qualify as aspire. Thats just making a choice and does not suggest that an Astra is bad in anyway. At least he is not wanting a FORD!


** I defy anyone to sit next to me and tell me my car is boring, without swearing about its performance first.

 

[RoseTattoo]

I have a photo somewhere of my wife's grandfather, whom I am sure will not have minded me calling him an ordinary man, behind the wheel of his Mercedes in 1936 or so in Germany.
Even then they made a range of cars to suit people ranging from Heads of State to more or less ordinary people.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

yes of course as they took the decision to be a mass producer in order to stay alive.

The c class can easily be compared to lesser cars such as mondeos these days.

However i think they still have the prestige when it comes to the S, SL, SLR etc..

They can't be posh and exclusive - I've got one!!!

but then again, I have been told that I suffer from delusions of adequacy......

 

[James Rothwell]

I have a photo somewhere of my wife's grandfather, whom I am sure will not have minded me calling him an ordinary man, behind the wheel of his Mercedes in 1936 or so in Germany.
Even then they made a range of cars to suit people ranging from Heads of State to more or less ordinary people.

That's probably a very cool photo! You should take good care of it, I'm sure that photograph will be worth a few hundred quid if it's a good size and good condition.