Wife wants to give up SL and ML for 2003 ML500 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

G-Benz · #1 09-11-2002, 07:58 PM

She's at it again!

SL has "mortgage size" payments...ML is one payment away from the "balloon". Wife is tired of the ragtop (can't get in and out of car easily at her age, yada yada), and the large payments. She wants to dump the SL AND the ML and drive home a new ML500 (with goodies).

Her logic is that we get rid of one car note and a car that she is no longer in love with. We also avert the "balloon" and shrinking factory warranty on our current ML and start fresh.

I am in favor of refinancing the current payments and keeping them both. She thinks I'm being thick-headed and just want to keep them both because of pride (yeah, I'll admit that I like looking at 3 MBs in the garage).

Should I give in to her whims and consider her proposition or stay the course? Btw, she already has a an MB salesman hunting down the "right" ML500 as we speak, and has our figures...so we know it's do-able.

What should I do?

blau · #2 09-11-2002, 09:17 PM

Why don't you get rid of the 99 ML320 and sl and get a slk and 2003 ML320.

So, you still have 3 mercedes and all the new goddies. You do you need a ML500 anyways. Unless you are like me who goes ski-ing every weekend and likes to blow everyone away on the hills.

I don't have a ML500 just a ML320. Wish I had one though.

blau.

P.S.
And if you want to save money just get rid of the SL and get a SLK.

G-Benz · #3 09-12-2002, 11:04 AM

Lebenz, you are seeing things my way...

As you can see from my sig, mileage is low on both vehicles and they are currently trouble-free. I would like to hold on to all of my vehicles until the wheels fall off, so I can concentrate on more important life issues instead of what vehicle to buy every four or five years.

I think she just wants the short-term relief of one less payment coming out of the budget every month. She isn't a car lover anyway, so there is no concern on her part regarding depreciation losses, equity losses, etc. I look in the garage and see two pristine vehicles that are about to be given away in order to bring home yet another vehicle to start the whole payment cycle again...a scenario that ends up with a vehicle that will also depreciate so sharply that it won't be worth much come trade-in time again.

I have seen some great rates on the web too, and could refinance both with enough savings to rival whatever economic benefit we would gain with the ML500 deal.

I don't think she would complain as much if the car was paid for, but right now, this topic is festering into a real marriage breaker!

Cap'n Carageous · #4 09-13-2002, 12:23 PM

How does she compare to the cars? At her "age" isn't she going to require some major maintenance soon? Balance the cost of upkeep on her compared to you stable and you'll probably find the cars cheaper.

Also that would put you at the mercy of that 300E for transportation!! Not a safe bet. Drive the VW daily? I know better than that!! Don't get that baby dirty!!:p

So. The way I see it, pack her stuff in the ML, say "goodbye and best of luck", refinance the SL and your troubles are over! Wow, what a plan! I've gotta call Engatwork and tell him I have a solution for him too! I oughta start charging for this kind of advise!

G-Benz · #5 09-24-2002, 02:14 PM

Well, I stood my ground and she is (very reluctantly) accepting my decision...

...got the balloon on my ML refinanced...original financing was 9%, and is now down to 6.5%.

SL was bought used, and MB wanted to originally finance at 15%!!!

I balked, and they brought it down to 12% (w/balloon). Well, we've paid on it long enough to get offered a 9% rate...that puts the payments a few $$ higher than they are now, but the balloon goes away!

The paperwork to sign will arrive via FedEx

, and I will accept the terms. I know there are really good rates out there right now, but with two notes with balloons, I think I came out pretty well. It was painless, we were already pre-approved, and with home refinancing and home equity refinancing negotiations ending this week, I am pretty sick of looking at loan options right now!

mushedroom · #6 09-24-2002, 05:49 PM

why don't you wait until the new ML body style comes out?

plus...

personally, i can't justify spending an enormous amount of money for a german car that's manufactured in louisiana...(or somewhere in the south)...

just an opinion...
good luck in making your decision...

Kuan · #7 09-25-2002, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mushedroom
why don't you wait until the new ML body style comes out?

It's going to be unibody construction, ie., no frame. Probably heavier, more junk you don't need. I'm still waiting for a W163 diesel. I think Graz has switched to E-class production only. Hrm... Wolfgang?

Kuan

mushedroom · #8 09-25-2002, 03:29 PM

hey tracy, ...
no slam whatsoever...it's more of a money issue...i just don't feel it's right for a car company to capitalize on their name and make us pay so much. i mean if the ML is going to be manufactured in AL/USA or wherever else, i heard they have a plant in sinapore? (is this correct?), why not make it an inexpensive SUV at like 25-30K, instead it's a pricey 38K starting for the V6 and 47K starting for the V8 (you know pound for pound dollar for dollar, the US made cars are not as expensive to make than if the car were to be made in germany and then shipped over here...right off the bat)....just seems like MBZ is raking in the dough on these trucks...that's all...i have the same argument with my friends that own VW's...in that one of my friends owns a brazilian made GTi and the other owns a mexican made Jetta. the only one of my friends with a german made VW has a Passat. and don't get me started on VW capitalist crap...

regardless...
nice ML

G-Benz · #9 09-25-2002, 03:47 PM

SUVs are a high-profit margin product for ALL vehicle manufacturers.

Sure the domestic companies can produce them cheaply, so why shouldn't MB if they are produced in the US?

At least the MB SUV is designed to be one from the ground up...the domestic offerings (except for Jeep) are simply pickup truck chassis with a passenger shell...

Kuan · #10 09-25-2002, 03:48 PM

Car companies, or companies in general, don't price their product according to how much it costs. Think about it, most candy bars cost the same amount, but I'm sure some cost more to manufacture than others. Same with car companies, the only difference being that they have different price points. The M-class is priced the way it is simply because there are enough people who will purchase one at that price. Hopefully they will be able to make up for the added costs of manufacturing an E-class in Graz and marketing it in the US.

Kuan

PS: That's why I like the good ole US of A, the right to make a buck will never be repealed

mushedroom · #11 09-25-2002, 04:05 PM

good point...
but still...

something irks me when i see the "made in" badge on any german labeled car...

it's kinda like

buying prada made in malaysia...
gucci made in taiwan...
cartier made in mexico...
tag heuer made in russia...
yikes!!!

that's all...

Kuan · #12 09-25-2002, 04:12 PM

Man, try not to let that bother you. It used to bother me too that my ML was made in Alabama, but Hondas are made in Canada, and the BMW Z-cars are made down south as well. Give them a chance, sooner or later, they'll learn in Alabama how to make a Benz as well as they do in Sindelfingen

You may not see it till you're old and gray, but they will. Give them a chance

Kuan

mushedroom · #13 09-25-2002, 04:17 PM

hahahahaha...
good point...
but on the japanese point...
i have a 90 integra made in japan, and it totally was better than the accords made in america...

well one of these days i'll have my next dream car...the CL55

and hopefully those will remain as manufactured in the homeland deutschland!!!

for now i'll just have to be happy with my girl....brigitta...i love it when she wear's those BRABUS pumps of hers...hehehehehe

Kuan · #14 09-26-2002, 12:58 PM

On every Mercedes it's 7% over invoice plus 3% dealer holdback.

Kuan

#15 09-26-2002, 02:31 PM

All manufacturers have the greatest margin on their SUVs -- hence Porsche’s Cayenne.

God bless capitalism.