Mercedes or Audi in Europe?

[BenzBob]

My neighbor is from Holland and claims that people in Europe who have significant assets prefer Audi over Mercedes. I find this hard to believe as I always thought that Mercedes was the premier luxury vehicle in the world.

Just wondered if what he is saying is accurate.

[HuskyMan]

How people perceive an automobile's image in the marketplace is EVERYTHING. For instance, there are far far fewer Porsche automobiles than there are Mercedes Benz automobiles. This may be one reason why Porsche maintains its value very well over time. In other words, the market isn't flooded with Porsche automobiles whereas there are a LOT of benzers out there. In Europe, a Mercedes Benz automobile is a fairly common sight. Taxi cab services use them.

Many rich or wealthy people do not want to be viewed as "commoners" so they try to acquire things or items that are more "exclusive". To date, an Audi could be perceived as being more "exclusive" than a Mercedes. The local parts guys tell me the pricing for LED tail lights for an Audi are somewhere around $800!!!

This is where the wealthy or rich want to be. I have a machine that is more exclusive and far pricier than your machine, therefore I am better than you. My sh** is gold sir, while your sh** is sh**.

Now, eat sh**.

[BenzBob]

Makes sense to me. Why would I want to be driving a brand that is commonly used for Taxi's.

I understand that the new Mercedes S Class also has very expensive parts, including such things as $800 LED tail lights. It will be interesting to see what the cost of operation is for this vehicle as ALL lighting is LED and the car is so complex that it will be a nightmare to own as it gets older.

Seems that all cars these days are going to be something that you don't want to own outside of warranty, given their complexity and computerization.

[Stretch]

Mercedes - particularly taxi Mercedes or small car Mercedes - are quite a common sight over here. Audi is often considered to be a little bit more exclusive and a nice step up from VW rather than going the Mercedes route. However because most people - particularly high end business users - seem to be driving Audi's over here they are loosing that exclusivity.

In England anyone driving a BMW used to be considered a right ham shanker - but now most people think that the real cock heads are driving Audi's. In my opinion the cock head Audi effect isn't quite as bad in Holland as it is in England - that crown still goes to the narcissistic Volvo driver...

...though the majority of business users seem to be driving something French (with the luckier ones in a VW)

[Jim B.]

The Audi seems to be the "HOT" car to have, right now I think. There are lots of them on the German schnellstrasse, and the females especially like to drive the big Audi convertibles.

I saw virtually no Porsches on the Autobahn, but MANY Mercedes Benz, Audi, and BMW autos there in equal number proibably. They are designed, of course to do high speeds on the Autobahn. Most of the Autobahn Polizei drive Skoda wagons now,.... passding on the right is the BIGGEST crime there...it creates chaos...

My rental Audi A6 (seen here in Kientzheim France, outside my hotel)

also had a Sat Nav I could use,



and a 2.0 turbodiesel engine and I really thrashed it hard on the Autobahn. I was there to DRIVE, so I stayed in the passing lane, and passed EVERYTHING I could (except in the speed limited parts of the Autobahn that goes through cities). But as 100 kph = 62 mph, the speedoeters are in kph only so mostly I did not know how fast I drove while there.

But checked when I got home by looking on the dual mph/kph speedometer of my US spec 560 SEC.

I found out I went from 130-160 mph D A I L Y !! And did it safely, legally, and serenely. The drivers are attentive, no texting, eating, drinking, and so on, everyone signals and drives safely and obeys the rule "Slower traffic keep to the right" and further, the Autobahn is butter smooth, even the stripes are about 50' long as in the USA they are about 39' at most, so at 150 mph on the Autobgahn it doesn't feel that fast, and the highways are banked pproperly, and much deeper; whereas in the US interstates, by comparison, the roads are often all patched up, and shallow and bumpier overall, and they are full of left lane bandits that hog the fast lane, texting, distracted, drinking, eating, drivers, often with headphones in their ears all of them to me are dangerous and inattentive and careless.

I went through driving heaven over there, thoughout the western Bavaria from Frankfurt to Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest, through Triborg and Elzach. etc, the French wine country from Strasbourg to Colmar, Austria to the ski country out to Innsbruck, then Lichtenstein, Switerland (Zurich, Geneva etc) and into Italy a bit, bgack over into Switzerland and into Franch again, and finally back into Germany some more and left the country at the airport in Nuremburg.

Fun fun fun. Glad I did it and will go certainly plan to go back again . American drivers and American roads, really suck goats compared to their German equivalents.

Fuel alone costs about $8 to $9 per gallon for the litre equivalent in Euros, and so diesels are the the preferred variants usually;

It inspired me to get my 2011 e350 when I got home from a US dealer and trade in my '11 Subaru Outbgack on it.



But got bored with the competent e350 after 8 months and 19k and went for the new BMW.5er I bought at the end of May, which is not boring like my e350 was and the Bimmer has rolled up 13k already! It really is a driver's car for sure. Loved it for my trip to Canada a couple of months ago.

And people ask me "How come you got rid of your new Mercedes for a BMW? We always thought you LOVED Mercedes, you have 3 of them, and always drove a Mercedes..

Maybe the visit to the just-released "Gran Coupe" @ the BMW museum in Munich had something to do with it...





I would say - every time. "Well, you take TWO really good German car companies - one builds trucks and buses. The other builds motorcycles. YOU do the math."

Nothing more was necessary to say..

People ALWAYS understand why I did it.


Mein neue 5er, bj. 2013:

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by BenzBob

Makes sense to me. Why would I want to be driving a brand that is commonly used for Taxi's.

I would TOTALLY want a car that's normally used as a taxi. If the cab companies buy or lease them, it means that can have the living snot beat out of them for five years and still remain reliable.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by spdrun

I would TOTALLY want a car that's normally used as a taxi. If the cab companies buy or lease them, it means that can have the living snot beat out of them for five years and still remain reliable.

Yes but that's a becoming your Dad type of reason not a I'm a young free single wealthy sex god desirable special type of a reason.

[MTI]

From this past season of Top Gear:

"The fastest car in the world . . . is the rental."

[spdrun]

Oldie but goodie ...

Bunch of hooligans rent a Dodge Neon, add homemade nitrous-injection system. Hilarity ensues...

Say 'Bye to Neon

[Since66]

Audi may be preferable to MB for the same reason some folks who can afford a Rolls drive a Bentley; less ostentatious in their view.

[JamesDean]

Originally Posted by Stretch

a right ham shanker

I dont know what this means or if it was a typo (I'm hoping its not a typo) But its freaking hilarious.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by JamesDean

I dont know what this means or if it was a typo (I'm hoping its not a typo) But its freaking hilarious.

It is me doing a bit of west country cockney rhyming slang

[pj67coll]

Originally Posted by BenzBob

Makes sense to me. Why would I want to be driving a brand that is commonly used for Taxi's.

That's an American attitude. Never been an issue in the rest of the world. Mercedes have made taxi's since before WWII. It never hurt their exclusivity before.

- Peter.

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by Stretch

In England anyone driving a BMW used to be considered a right ham shanker -

Originally Posted by JamesDean

I dont know what this means or if it was a typo (I'm hoping its not a typo) But its freaking hilarious.

My thoughts exactly!

[JB3]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Yes but that's a becoming your Dad type of reason not a I'm a young free single wealthy sex god desirable special type of a reason.

ah hahahaha

I agree with spdrun about wanting something indestructible like a taxi, but ive never been hip or a wealthy sex god, so it could be im missing out in my smokey taxi.