WHAT is so GREAT about owning a MERCEDES?

I think it is still mostly status symbol. Mercedes also makes darn good GT cars as well.

 

My neighor owns one they've had it for a few years and they bought it a year or two used so its about 5+ years old. Its white with tan inside. Its a great car its not particularly fun to drive or anything but it is comfortable and mercedes definetly has a reputation, a history and good quality. Definetly status symbol. I like the SLK convt. myself or the new r class. I'd say they are pretty great cars for sure.

 

I don't own one myself but I think all of their cars are pretty sweet and they do have some really nice ones right now like the SL 65 AMG and SLR. They just look classy.

 

I absolutely understand what you mean. Quite possibly, the newest Mercedes-Benz that I would ever own is an '02 SL500 Silver Arrow or a '99 S500 Grand Edition. My father had a few 87, 88, 89 560SL verts & those cars are simply amazing.

 

Nothing for the Same money (as a C-class) you can have a better car from Ford (500 Limted with All-wheel and CVT great car I drive my mom's it much bigger close to an S class) or a 300c(more power better looks) or if you must have a german I would go with a BWM just because the are nto every where

 

I work for Mercedes right now, and some of the cars are something else. The AMG cars are really awesome. We've had a few CL65's and SL65's come in and they sound and look awesome.

 

I agree as a matter of Fact but the Low end one YUCK

 

Had one of the better ones (before the accountants took over). They were nice, then.

The new ones do nothing for me. They're destroying the brand with the current model structure. Too cheap on the low end and the AMG models are almost twice the price as the regular version and look 95% the same.

 

I lost my passion for the brand after (repeated) horrible customer service from my local dealer and am looking forward more to buying a Subaru Outback when the time has come...

 

Subaru as to be one of the Greatest brands in the world super high not inculed

 

A hit I think MB is taking with the downmarketing. Porsche's line expansion could give the top lines a run for its money.

 

they're just status symbols, that's about it. Acura, Lexis, Infiniti, ect all make better cars for less. it's just people perceived notion of them. Heck, you can get a cheap c class and most people still think you're rich, wonder if they'll ever have the a class here :/
I think they look nice on the outside, but the inside is nothing special...to me that is. Plus, from what I've herd newer ones suck when it comes to reliablility, and Im sure someone will now pop up with the "i've never had a problem with mine"...so go ahead.
The sadest part is when you see some mom driving those crappy lil m class "suvs" when you know they "need" a minivan or a Toyota/Honda/Nissan suv much more, but because everyone on the neighborhood has a MB they need one too. The truely secure people buy what they need more in those situations, rather than the status of the badge.

 

it is a definite upgrade from my standpoint

 

The '02 Silver Arrow SL is gorgeous. But....I don't think there's much prestige among car enthusiasts now regarding Mercedes. Its mostly wanna-bees and people just wanting a luxury car. The C-class has really taken Merc down-market. Even though BMW is headed the same way, at least they still offer the almost all lines with a manual transmission. Merc lost that war a long time ago.

 

What about the CLS? Or the upcoming S-Class. Both cars that I think are really helping to boost the brands image once again. The SL is also one of the sexiest cars in the world IMHO.

 

What does "need" mean, if you say they don't need a SUV, but instead they should get a SUV from Japan?

As for MB,
They new CEO seems like he's got a good mind, hopefully he can pull it around. I just think Mercedes went overboard on model line expansion, and didn't think of the long-term situation. I love the new SLK.

 

I saw the CLS the other day. I like that it's somewhat differnet. The more I do look it over, it does grow on me alittle bit at a time. How is the quality of the new models (SLK, CLS, ect.)? I kinda wish MB would ax the C-class, taking the price upmarket alittle bit.

 

CLSs are all over Tokyo right now. I'm guessing that this is going to be a car that doesn't age very well. Too trendy, not timeless. Timeless being what most MB owners want.

 

They were workhorses, built like brick ****houses, and the majority of them were not luxurious. They are still used as cabs in many European countries for that reason. They were, like most 'foreign' cars, not too common in the States (my experience is limited to the post WWII years, really starting in the early 60's, when i first became aware of cars).
The 300 Gullwing was probably their last serious sportscar; i don't consider the SL, or even the McLarenized SLR to be a sportscar. So, that would be late 50's.
They last built these tank-like vehicles in the slab-sided version that appeared in the States in the early nineties. Those cars were seriously expensive for what you got, and MB got their ass handed to them by the Japanese, on a dollar/value basis. The redesigns focused on what they could get away with, at a lower price point. To me, it is not just a cheaping of the line by adding some downmarket models- the whole range is 'less' in terms of that bank-vault quality they used to be known for. (The doors used to make a distinctive sound, kinda like a Dupont lighter has a distinctive sound, when opening and closing).
As the 'lux/hi-end' market expanded in the US, it became a ubiquitous car.
But, the switch in design and construction emphasis, and the greater reliance on electronics, jeopardized the entire brand's long history for build quality/reliability. They currently rank pretty low in owner satisfaction studies and in empirical studies of reliability/recalls, etc.
Their 'SUV' is really a disguised mini-van and to me, did more to destroy their credibility than anything that Porsche did with the Cayenne, which when said and done, is still a well-built, comfortable, very driveable and nicely performing vehicle.
THe AMG branding is also less exclusive than it used to be, and while they make some behemoth HP/torque figures at the top of the line, the cars are still not thoroughbreds, they are more like old-style American musclecars- take a standard production car and stick a big motor in it. The CL 65 I checked out did not have body build/interior fitment quality commensurate with its price.
Anyway, i don't think much about MB these days, although I've owned a few along the way. The best was a 69 300 SEL 6.3- made when the company was still in its heyday.
Oh, yeah, and one final thought. Someone else commented that they have little lustre for enthusiasts, but non-car people may still be enchanted by the 3 pointed star. I find this to be true with alot of consumer goods that 'had' a reputation- lost, among the cognescenti, but still holding among those with less knowledge/more interest in the brandname than the reality. (Think: Harley, Lucchese boots, McIntosh hi-fi equipment, etc.)

 

My 97 E420 was a piece. It was early in the W210 production, and was a maintenance nightmare. I'll take my '01 740i any day of the week over the MB.

Having said that, I've just added a car to the stable that defies all logic. A 1993 Saturn SL with 145K miles on the clock. Manual windows, smells funny on the inside, looks like crap, never gonna be washed -- but runs quite nicely. There's something strangely liberating about it.

 

..or used to want.

The '02 Silver Arrow SL500 was the last of the old MB's. I remember delivering one (that had been leftover after the new model came out) and it still stands out in my mind; the '03 that I drove afterwards wasn't such a big deal (I remember it only because it was a Heather Locklear return.. raawwrrr).

CLS will not age well and 55/65's will be a nightmare to own once out of warranty.

 

Point taken. Big B for my next luxury barge, please.

 

New or old? Might as well be looking at Phaeton's if it's the former.

 

Old. Turbo R. Want a black/black 1989. Pre-electronic suspension.