my observation... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

davestlouis · #1 12-10-2005, 09:32 PM

I'm a little puzzled by something...my 17 year old destroyed her car and is doing without for awhile, so I have been driving her and her brother to high school every morning. I normally drive a shiny dark green 98 Cadillac Deville, it's a very clean, low mile car. None of the kids mine go to school with have said anything about it, good, bad or indifferent. I drove them one day in my beater 1986 420SEL. They both came home that night raving about all the comments from other students, asking which subdivision we live in, because we must be rich?!
I can't understand why the perceived value of a 19 year old, beat up SEL is so much greater than that of a 7 year old, clean Deville.
Any comments?

Azimyth · #2 12-10-2005, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davestlouis

I'm a little puzzled by something...my 17 year old destroyed her car and is doing without for awhile, so I have been driving her and her brother to high school every morning. I normally drive a shiny dark green 98 Cadillac Deville, it's a very clean, low mile car. None of the kids mine go to school with have said anything about it, good, bad or indifferent. I drove them one day in my beater 1986 420SEL. They both came home that night raving about all the comments from other students, asking which subdivision we live in, because we must be rich?!
I can't understand why the perceived value of a 19 year old, beat up SEL is so much greater than that of a 7 year old, clean Deville.
Any comments?

#3 12-10-2005, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azimyth

BINGO

This last spring the daughter of a friend of my wife asked me if I would chauffer her and her date to the prom in my 1999 E300. She had not even seen the car. She just knew that I had a newer Merc and that is what she wanted to ride in to arrive at the prom.

Ara T. · #4 12-10-2005, 10:23 PM

Mercedes has obviously spent hundreds of billions of trillions of millions of dollars building this image. It obviously works, hopefully they can bring quality up though.

davestlouis · #5 12-10-2005, 10:36 PM

I work at a multi-line luxury dealership and when I was pondering buying my first M-B I called one of the Mercedes service writers and asked her what the main issues were with the car I was thinking about buying. Her response was "the 3-pointed star on the hood". I keep hearing horror stories from service on the new production cars, especially E-Class. The tow truck driver we use drives old W114's as beaters, but he pointed out that he never has to tow a Lexus unless it's wrecked, but could get rich towing newer Mercedes that won't start in the morning.

Austin85 · #6 12-11-2005, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davestlouis

I work at a multi-line luxury dealership and when I was pondering buying my first M-B I called one of the Mercedes service writers and asked her what the main issues were with the car I was thinking about buying. Her response was "the 3-pointed star on the hood". I keep hearing horror stories from service on the new production cars, especially E-Class. The tow truck driver we use drives old W114's as beaters, but he pointed out that he never has to tow a Lexus unless it's wrecked, but could get rich towing newer Mercedes that won't start in the morning.

Ditto on that. An ex girlfriend had a Lexus, when I was with her. Then I left so in order to get another guy, (-: I guess...she got one of those '04 new M-B 2 seat convertables....NIce lookin but , next time I ran into her she had a new Volvo that was in the shop all the time, and got rid of the M-B because of all the trouble it gave her.....

G-Benz · #7 12-11-2005, 08:22 AM

You still can see and hear the brand name emanating from every form of media, whether in commercials, sitcoms, movies or song.

Most kids 6 and up know what Mercedes-Benz is...needless to say, my daughter's friends think we got Bill Gates' money!

engatwork · #8 12-11-2005, 08:48 AM

Quote:

The tow truck driver we use drives old W114's as beaters

You will never go wrong if you drive what the tow truck driver drives

. I've been messing with MB's for only 7 years now and the only time I have ever had to be towed home was in the '81 300D when the fuel tank screen blinded over. A Honda CRV towed it home on a rope

.

davestlouis · #9 12-11-2005, 09:14 AM

the tow guy also does long distance dealer trades, so he has several one-ton dually's with 5th wheel trailers...swears by old square (pre 1994) Ram 3500's with the Cummins diesel. Primitive old trucks but they just run forever.

Hatterasguy · #10 12-11-2005, 08:38 PM

I was surprised that I got compliments on my $500 beater SD. I have been around MB's long enough that the shine of the star doesn't have much affect on me anymore. Their just another car.

iwrock · #11 12-11-2005, 08:49 PM

My dad teaches at the same school I go to. All of my friends know where my parking spot is and where mine it. So, when my dad got his new (to us) SL600, and it was parked in his spot, they were all like "where is your dads car at? Someone with a black Mercedes is parked in his spot." I responed by saying that was his car, and that we had just got it. They couldn'f fathom the thought of a teacher owning an SL600. They were like "how can your dad afford that car, that is like a 100,000 dollar car." Well guys, its plain and simple, that sl600 new was like 120,000. We bought it used and its ten years old, so we got a bargain. We only paid the mere price of 23,500$. That is a savings of over 50%.

But the funniest thing is I roll up in my 400E, and everybody just goes look at that guy. He must be rich if his parents can afford for him to drive that kind of car. Well I gots news for ya too, they dont cost a fortune to buy. It is just the public view that any Mercedes on the road has got to cost 100,000$. Cmon people get a grip, no one could drive a car like this if it did cost that much.

Moneypit SEL · #12 12-11-2005, 08:53 PM

Mebby them folks ain't so stupid. If you can afford a new Benz, you're doing OK. If you can afford to keep an old Benz on the road, you're still doing OK.

Hatterasguy · #13 12-11-2005, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moneypit SEL

Mebby them folks ain't so stupid. If you can afford a new Benz, you're doing OK. If you can afford to keep an old Benz on the road, you're still doing OK.

I think this is very true. I think some people who pick up an old MB's for $3k-$4k get stiker shock when they need to actually fix it. Remember these were expensive cars new so it will bleed your wallet like a $50k car when something breaks.

As they say: You gotta pay to play.

TheDon · #14 12-11-2005, 09:30 PM

peopl ein my area are idiots.. my friends at work/school ask me what kinda car i have i say a mercedes benz they then say man what model you have.. i tell them 1985 mercedes benz 300D turbodiesel.. they are like man thats old and crappy..

well its old but not crappy just needs some touch ups.. no one in my area understands quality they all drive either honduh's with ironing boards or monster trucks

JamesDean · #15 12-11-2005, 10:16 PM

i got a couple of compliements from a lot of people. once at the corner store getting some milk..."nice car"

then while getting diesel fuel...the guy on the other side had a GMC 3500HD with a 130g

tank...i watched as he put $225 in his tank (74g)

he offered to buy or trade my 300SD..trade for convertible or harley...