First Merc SLR auctions for $2.1MM | FerrariChat

First Merc SLR auctions for $2.1MM

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Jason, Feb 26, 2004.

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  1. Jason

    Jason Karting

    Dec 1, 2001
    127
    #1 Jason, Feb 26, 2004
    The title of this news article should be 'more money than brains'. My personal feelings are the SLR is the stupidest 'supercar' ever built. The damn thing doesn't even know what it's supposed to be. A sportscar? Too heavy and not with that auto tranny. A luxury car? Not with the crappy ride all the media tests have reported. Even the brakes are terrible on the car, they've been described as working like an on/off switch. The big plastic pieces in the dash are also ridiculous for a car asking $400k. But $2.1MM??? GETOUTOFFREAKINGTOWN!

    Personal feelings aside, how could anyone value that car at $2.1MM?? It's not a very limited production, they plan on making some 3500 units of the thing. The last unsold McLaren F1 is only asking $1.8MM for crying out loud. Incredible....

    http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/25/nyregion/25car.html

    2 Doors, 617 Horses, One Easy Payment of $2.1 Million
    By PATRICK HEALY

    Published: February 25, 2004

    ROSLYN, N.Y., Feb. 24 - The Gold Coast of Long Island needs more opulence the way the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez needs a raise, but early this year, another million-dollar bauble rolled into East Egg.

    It is the first Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren ever made, a silver coupe that sold for $2.1 million, making it one of the most expensive new cars anyone has ever bought. The anyone, in this case, is Juliana Terian, who runs a luxury car dealership in Roslyn.

    A shrewd businesswoman who also visits psychics, Ms. Terian said the price was fair for such a trophy. "It was a steal," she said.

    Steal or not, it made sense in the showroom of Ms. Terian's dealership, Rallye Motors, a North Shore business where the parking lot is filled with B.M.W.'s and personal license plates declare, "N1CE EH."

    Ms. Terian is still deciding whether to hold it for a while or sell it right away, but for now it is just one more reminder that while booms and busts may come and go, there are places where there is always an appetite for just the right status symbol.

    In the whirl of Long Island's car culture, this two-door sports car is "totally the apex," Ms. Terian said.

    So on this sleety, gray Tuesday afternoon, customers rhapsodized about the way the car's doors open vertically, like wings. They discussed its specs: a 617-horsepower engine, a carbon frame, a top speed of 200 miles per hour, red seats. They asked, How much?

    "This is a piece of sculpture," said Michael Barone, a South Shore Long Islander looking to replace his Oldsmobile with a Mercedes. "Just smell it. I would have to sell my house and all my stocks to buy this."

    Ms. Terian simply raised a paddle. She was at a charity auction last year when the car went up for bidding. Silently, she watched as bidders drove the price up to around $2 million, and then as it was going, going, Ms. Terian said, she snagged it.

    She told this story in her office, as well-lacquered salesmen shook customers' hands and patted backs in the showroom outside her door. Ms. Terian once ran her own architecture firm, but took over Rallye Motors after her husband, Peter, died of prostate cancer in October 2002.

    Tuesday was a busy day. She spent the morning having a cracked tooth replaced; it had broken as she bit into an apple. She needed a new tooth in time for her flight to Los Angeles to attend Vanity Fair's party after the Academy Awards.

    The dealership sells 300 Mercedes-Benzes each month, and it pursues rare, expensive and limited-edition cars that other dealerships do not get from the factory. While other cars of the limited-edition SLR McLaren model will be offered for sale for a modest $425,000, Ms. Terian said this Mercedes was worth the $2 million because of its singularity.

    Customers were more interested in the body. "It's like the Batmobile," declared one.

    Melanie Reeves of Uniondale peered inside the car, examined the gray suede headliner and relayed what she saw to her husband via cellphone. "It's like a house on wheels - a mansion on wheels," she said. "I'd be afraid to drive it."

    Another customer, Eddie Sazinski, said the car was nice, but no bargain.

    "Two million dollars?" he asked. "That's ridiculous. I don't have that much money yet.''
     
  2. Auraraptor

    Auraraptor F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Sep 25, 2002
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    #2 Auraraptor, Feb 26, 2004
    I would take the F1...
     
  3. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 Etcetera, Feb 26, 2004
    SLR is the silliest car released in a long, long time.

    It's ugly, and as the starter of this thread said, it doesn't know what it wants to be.

    It's a direct result of having too many cooks in the kitchen.

    Paying 2.1 million for one is just plain silly.
     
  4. Maximo_Tifoso

    Maximo_Tifoso Karting

    Jan 8, 2004
    223
    Houston TX
    #4 Maximo_Tifoso, Feb 26, 2004
    I don't care too much for the production version of the SLR. I saw the concept version at Indy in 2000, and it looked and sounded amazing. I think the more Mclaren tampered with it, the uglier it got.
     
  5. LAfun2

    LAfun2 Three Time F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
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    #5 LAfun2, Feb 26, 2004
    I actually saw a new SLR being driven the other day in South Africa on the MTV episode. SOme rap star was vacationing there and attended the official unveiling. He then got the keys and lit the tires up, looked good in the video.

    Though it is not my cup of tea, this woman seems to have bought the car to attract more business to her dealership. More like a publicity stunt, and she will flip the car sooner or later.

    It seems more of a business move than actually a love for the SLR.
     
  6. Greg G

    Greg G F1 Rookie

    Jul 5, 2003
    3,902
    northern New Jersey
    #6 Greg G, Feb 26, 2004
    So she will display the car in her showroom which she hopes will increase floor traffic. In actuality, it will remind prospective customers just how lucrative her dealership is. Im not impressed.
     
  7. vraa

    vraa F1 Rookie
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    #7 vraa, Feb 26, 2004
    Ludacris
     
  8. Jason

    Jason Karting

    Dec 1, 2001
    127
    #8 Jason, Feb 26, 2004
    Agree 100%, plus she'll take a bath when she sells it. I can't imagine there are many people stupid enough to pay that much, unless they use the same psychic as her :)

    The good thing is at least the money she spent went to charity.
     
  9. ralfabco

    ralfabco Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 ralfabco, Feb 26, 2004
    Be the first clown on your block with the "new" "in" sports car. Of course you have to PAY for that benefit to impress the locals. Do you want heads to snap while you drive ? Their are less expensive methods. Try a Vector. At least you will not have to pay 2.1 Mil for the head snapper.


    I am sure a few will get desperate to obtain the new Ford GT for their garage and "force" their way to the front of the line. Gotta get one before they are "all" sold. LOL Remember the ZR-1 in 1990 ?
     
  10. Tyler

    Tyler F1 Rookie

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    #10 Tyler, Feb 27, 2004

    LOL, I remember the ZR-1. I know two guys who had to have the first ones around. One paid 85 the other paid 90.

    While I think the SLR is hideous and I would never want one, I do respect the womans right to pay whatever the hell she wants for it. Any given item is worth exactly what people are willing to pay for it. She was willing to pay 2.1MM, so good for her. I know a guy who paid close to 1MM to have an F40 back in the day. He lost a ton of money when he sold it, but it was worth it to him to have it NOW. Money is one of the smaller considerations when considering supercars.
     
  11. NY Joe 360

    NY Joe 360 Karting

    Nov 2, 2003
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    #11 NY Joe 360, Feb 27, 2004
    Heh that dealership sells over 300 cars a month. Plus thats not counting the biggest profit in a dealership - the service area. That 2.1 million is just a month plus afew weeks worth of profit. Raindrops in the ocean.
     
  12. stokpro

    stokpro F1 Rookie
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    Jun 25, 2003
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    #12 stokpro, Feb 27, 2004
    Yeh, she got a "steal" alright, she straight out got robbed!!!
     
  13. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ
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    #13 Senna1994, Feb 27, 2004
    I would take the F1 anyday over the SLR. I loved the SLR when I saw it run at Indy, it was incredible and sounded terrific, the production car is not as nice. I don't think McLaren screwed it up though.
     
  14. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    May 1, 2003
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    #14 Kds, Feb 27, 2004
    This is a repost that didn't "emphasize" enough one of the most important points about this auction.

    http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4381&highlight=Mclaren+SLR+auction

    All proceeds went to charity.

    Can you spell tax write-off ? I'm sure it's at least a 50% deduction in the US....isn't it ? She isn't stupid at all.

    Any advertising is good advertising.....so if they got a 50% write-off the car really cost half.......and while having it sit there nets her a cost of about $50K a month in advertising expense.........it is probably worth it in the initial first year from a PR standpoint. If it's really sold out maybe she can sell it for a million....then what has this little PR exercise really cost ?

    I agree with everyone here that the car is butt ugly, overpriced and an outright joke !!
     
  15. DropGems

    DropGems Formula Junior

    Nov 4, 2003
    407
    Atlantic City, NJ
    #15 DropGems, Feb 27, 2004
    I don't think the car is that ugly, I actually like it.
     
  16. pdiack

    pdiack Karting

    Nov 19, 2003
    239
    #16 pdiack, Feb 27, 2004
    I saw her being interviewed on one of the news networks (CNBC I think). She indicated she bought it for 1. tax writeoff and 2. draws traffic into the showroom (the dealership she owns is a MB dealership). She indicated sales has increased significantly due to the SLR being present in the dealership. It's interesting she thinks (and apparently is accurate) that people would buy from her because of the SLR. Would you buy from a specific Ferrari dealer because they have an Enzo sitting in the showroom? Strange...
     
  17. rennen

    rennen Karting

    Nov 1, 2003
    139
    New York
    #17 rennen, Feb 27, 2004
    I saw the SLR when I was there the other day. I thought it was ugly in pictures, and even worse in person. It's about the last thing I would buy for 400k. I don't care how fast it is, it still has a slushbox.
     

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