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Ok so what I am writing is not meant to offend or judge anybody socially or economically. To purchase a brand new Mercedes, You need to be rich weather it is entry level or not.
Absolutely not. The average new car price is near $32,000. The Mercedes CLA starts at $29,000 and the C-class at $36,000. Both of these are relativaly affordable for anyone who wants one. If we add in leasing, then I can drive an E-class for a lower monthly payment then it would take to buy a Ford Fusion.
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To buy a CPO car, not always but it is still expensive and is out of financial reach for most.
Given that Mercedes, like most luxury cars, depreciate like rocks, CPO cars are actually rather affordable. I can go out today and buy a 4-5 year old CPO S550 with under 40k miles for $30k-$40k. Brand new it's a $115,000+ car. That price is well within the range of "affordable" for many people.
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If you buy a Mercedes it is expected that you can afford to maintenance, fuel, and pay for the car. To maintenance some over 3-4 years can coast near to a brand new base model ford.
What maintenance equalling the "cost of a new Ford" is one performing on their awesome-sauce Mercedes in the first few years of ownership. I'll give it to you that when things break, they break big of a Mercedes and often cost a lot. If you want to avoid that though, just buy an Audi or BMW.
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Now I own a Mercedes (not to brag) so I know alot about them.
When people say "not to brag" they are in fact bragging and in what is generally perceived as a "douchey" way. As for what you know about Mercedes, that has yet to be proven.
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Now another topic to bring up that I read on another forum, Are mercedes common? There are probably around 5-7 million towns in the USA. So roughly 20,000 of those towns are very wealthy which is where the mercedes, Bmw, Land rover, Audi, Porchea, Bently, and some other brands are common. That may sound like a lot of towns but it actually is not when compared to the amount of towns that are in the USA. These wealthy areas are mainly found in the wealthiest states like Florida, California, New Jersey, New york, Masachuesetts. Now these towns are only in certain parts of the states. So when you see a Mercedes its only common and normal in your small community but not really outside it. Yo may see an exspensive car driving to get somewhere through a non aflluance area but it does not mean that it is from there. , where you see a lot of them but when I leave my area I don't see them anymore. So Mercedes are not common they are only popular in small areas that they consume and their are not a lot of them so it may seem like they are all over the place but they are really and truly not they, are rare in most places.
There is some truth to what you are saying. They are certainly far more common on the coasts and then they are in the midwest. However, they are certainly common enough that no one is going to see one and go all slack-jawed and scream "golly look here at dat fancy car". I live in NJ, near Philadelphia and I see dozens of Mercedes a day, so they are not uncommon to me. However, I also see them being driven by a broad cross-section of people, most of whom are decidedly NOT wealthy.
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Now I am very fortunate to live in a very wealthy community (not to brag)
See above about saying "not to brag".
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You may see alot also because The german cars stay on the road forever so they add up.
That may be one of the funniest things I have ever read. In the same post you claim to know "a lot about Mercedes" you also state that "German cars stay on the road forever"...
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A 3rd topic I want to hit is why mercedes tend to coast less then a Bently would. Well Bentlys are hand built which does not make them better, It just coasts the company a fortune to pay someone to build the car which raises the price significantly. I bet it coasts the brand 50,000 to pay the employee to build each car so then they add another 50k so that the company does not loose money paying the employees. Now they are at 100,000$ so if the car if the car was not hand built like an s550 Mercedes, which is right under 100,000$ or above, The Bently would be priced about the same as well. Bently also needs to make a profit so including the hand built coast they need to add an extra 100,000$. The 50,000 is part of the shipping, tax, dealer profits, etc. So Mercedes and Bently make around the same profit per unit.
It really depends on what Bentley you are talking about. A Continental is not hand built and is made largely via regular mass production techniques. I would not say that a Bentley Continental Flying Spur is inherently "better" than something like a S-class, but it is certainly more exclusive and uses higher end trim and finishings. When we move onto cars like the Mulsanne, Arnage and Azure, they are still largely handmade with very high attention to detail. The exclusivity is what drives the price premium of the Bentley and places it above vehicles from Mercedes. Mercedes tried to play that game with Maybach, but buyers in that price range, weren't just going to buy a lowly, common, rebadged Mercedes...
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I hope that nobody takes any thing that I wrote the wrong way I am not trying to Show Off!
Well, to drive a new Mercedes, you tend to need a lot of money.
What's been said is true. A lot of wealthy people drive average cars. The guy a rented my first apartment from, drove a 1987 nissan pickup truck. This was 10 years ago, he still drives it today. His wife has a kia spectra.
He owns A massive chicken farm, hundreds of apartments, and commercial properties.
The guy I bought my last house from owned 9 nursing homes, 3,000 rental properties, 19 developments, and one of his accounts had 8,000,000 in it. Drove a 1993 sedan deville until he died a couple years ago.
Driving through the wealthy, million dollar+ houses, in my old town and you find a lot of minivans, civics, and suvs from the big 3.
Driving through wealthier sections here in vegas nets similar results.
There was a listing of the average cars in the richest areas, not too long ago, I'll see if I can find it.
Well, to drive a new Mercedes, you tend to need a lot of money.
What's been said is true. A lot of wealthy people drive average cars. The guy a rented my first apartment from, drove a 1987 nissan pickup truck. This was 10 years ago, he still drives it today. His wife has a kia spectra.
He owns A massive chicken farm, hundreds of apartments, and commercial properties.
The guy I bought my last house from owned 9 nursing homes, 3,000 rental properties, 19 developments, and one of his accounts had 8,000,000 in it. Drove a 1993 sedan deville until he died a couple years ago.
Driving through the wealthy, million dollar+ houses, in my old town and you find a lot of minivans, civics, and suvs from the big 3.
Driving through wealthier sections here in vegas nets similar results.
There was a listing of the average cars in the richest areas, not too long ago, I'll see if I can find it.
The book "Millionaire Next Door" goes into many details about who millionaires actually are, where they live, what they drive, etc. The book sites the Ford F150 as being the most common vehicle driven by millionaires. Among them the average age of that F150 is over 5 years. The book goes on to point out that most often the people with an outward display of wealth living in fancy developments, driving a highend car, etc. are not actually "rich" by any definition. Most of them are simply upper-middleclass and far poorer then the guy who owns the local janitorial services company and drives an E150 work van.
Ok so what I am writing is not meant to offend or judge anybody socially or economically. To purchase a brand new Mercedes, You need to be rich weather it is entry level or not. To buy a CPO car, not always but it is still expensive and is out of financial reach for most. If you buy a Mercedes it is expected that you can afford to maintenance, fuel, and pay for the car. To maintenance some over 3-4 years can coast near to a brand new base model ford. Now I own a Mercedes (not to brag) so I know alot about them. Now another topic to bring up that I read on another forum, Are mercedes common? There are probably around 5-7 million towns in the USA. So roughly 20,000 of those towns are very wealthy which is where the mercedes, Bmw, Land rover, Audi, Porchea, Bently, and some other brands are common. That may sound like a lot of towns but it actually is not when compared to the amount of towns that are in the USA. These wealthy areas are mainly found in the wealthiest states like Florida, California, New Jersey, New york, Masachuesetts. Now these towns are only in certain parts of the states. So when you see a Mercedes its only common and normal in your small community but not really outside it. Yo may see an exspensive car driving to get somewhere through a non aflluance area but it does not mean that it is from there. Now I am very fortunate to live in a very wealthy community (not to brag), where you see a lot of them but when I leave my area I don't see them anymore. You may see alot also because The german cars stay on the road forever so they add up. So Mercedes are not common they are only popular in small areas that they consume and their are not a lot of them so it may seem like they are all over the place but they are really and truly not they, are rare in most places. A 3rd topic I want to hit is why mercedes tend to coast less then a Bently would. Well Bentlys are hand built which does not make them better, It just coasts the company a fortune to pay someone to build the car which raises the price significantly. I bet it coasts the brand 50,000 to pay the employee to build each car so then they add another 50k so that the company does not loose money paying the employees. Now they are at 100,000$ so if the car if the car was not hand built like an s550 Mercedes, which is right under 100,000$ or above, The Bently would be priced about the same as well. Bently also needs to make a profit so including the hand built coast they need to add an extra 100,000$. The 50,000 is part of the shipping, tax, dealer profits, etc. So Mercedes and Bently make around the same profit per unit.
I hope that nobody takes any thing that I wrote the wrong way I am not trying to Show Off!
You bumped a year old thread to basically... try to show off. Notice I said "try."
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Originally Posted by PokerMunkee
With your spelling and writing skills, no one here believes you are driving a late model Mercedes-Benz.
Hey, most professional basketball and football players can barely read and write!
The book "Millionaire Next Door" goes into many details about who millionaires actually are, where they live, what they drive, etc. The book sites the Ford F150 as being the most common vehicle driven by millionaires. Among them the average age of that F150 is over 5 years. The book goes on to point out that most often the people with an outward display of wealth living in fancy developments, driving a highend car, etc. are not actually "rich" by any definition. Most of them are simply upper-middleclass and far poorer then the guy who owns the local janitorial services company and drives an E150 work van.
Agreed. Most millionaires I know are very frugal people. But... they don't have much fun, either.
It's the ones who are rich AND show it that are fun people to hang out with LOL
from my uneducated view, a really attractive Mercedes is very expensive while a really attractive audi is less expensive. also, my mom always had Mercedes growing up and it has a somewhat feminine feeling to the brand for me. an audi feels more like a young stud muffin car.
My great uncle who has since passed was worth over $45M. Yes he always had some nice cars, but nothing too extravagant. If I had his money I would have have had an Aston Martin, not a Benz. But with my thinking that's why I'll never be a millionaire.
If I could afford it I would drive an expensive car. I like the way they ride and how I feel when driving them.
from my uneducated view, a really attractive Mercedes is very expensive while a really attractive audi is less expensive. also, my mom always had Mercedes growing up and it has a somewhat feminine feeling to the brand for me. an audi feels more like a young stud muffin car.
I agree. I find the higher end Mercedes to be nice looking cars, but the lower end ones not so much. I don't think their current design language translates well on the smaller cars.
The book "Millionaire Next Door" goes into many details about who millionaires actually are, where they live, what they drive, etc. The book sites the Ford F150 as being the most common vehicle driven by millionaires. Among them the average age of that F150 is over 5 years. The book goes on to point out that most often the people with an outward display of wealth living in fancy developments, driving a highend car, etc. are not actually "rich" by any definition. Most of them are simply upper-middleclass and far poorer then the guy who owns the local janitorial services company and drives an E150 work van.
Takes a lot of self control to get rich. I was just talking to a friend last night about that. He's 26, been working 30k a year or less jobs since he turned 18, has well over 100k in the bank, an 800whp c6 vette, just sold the cleanest fc rx7 with a 400whp lsx in it, has a big diesel truck, and lives in the country club.
He started investing in mutual funds at 19 with a broker. Said his smallest return has been 12%. 39% this year. He's never bought a new car, pays cash for everything, doesn't pay interest, and doesn't go out blowing money. Looking at him, he looks like a typical 26 year old. He's well on his way to becoming a millionaire. The housing market where he lives is a buyer's market. He's about to step into the real estate world. He has a lot of restraint.
I do not. I've made more than him, by triple, from work income and have little to show for it because I blew a lot of it. I'm 31 with kids and don't have half his restraint. After hitting this rough patch for the last year, it's made me more aware, and want to follow his example. I've just landed a pretty sweet job. My first course of action is get caught up, pay off and cut my credit cards, get out of my truck loan (sell with cash on top) and invest/save. It's really hard, there's so much I want to buy, but I don't want my kids being broke again.
I had a good job for the last 8 years, as long as the money came in, I didn't worry. Well, the money dried up and it was rough.
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