Mercedes now too popular

[Pappilo]

£500pm for a C63 is not just cheap but a giveaway. I paid more for my first, second hand E300 in 1999.

£6000 down and £600/month for a C63 isnt cheap (to me at least). Thats £9200 a year and £28000 over 3 years.

 

[Naraic]

£6000 down and £600/month for a C63 isnt cheap (to me at least). Thats £9200 a year and £28000 over 3 years.

I don't mean to say it is cheap to you. But think about it...if things had been the same as they were in 1999 it would be double that...so, in relative speak...cheap.

 

[d215yq]

£6000 down and £600/month for a C63 isnt cheap (to me at least). Thats £9200 a year and £28000 over 3 years.

Leasing a new mercedes benz is expensive and everyone else has one in the street which you don't like. How about use this as an excuse to save some cash and just buy an old merc or some "lesser" but rarer brand like a Ford Mondeo and be done with it.

You won't be the same as everyone else, you save a lot of cash and you will probably get more trouble free motoring out of the bargain too...

 

[gizze]

Mercs *lease* well to anyone with a pulse and a credit rating as they are £300 a month, or £500 a month if you want a C63.

Quite where Mercedes sales will end up when all the cheepo lease deals end?

That is the point, Mercedes get the cars back when they contract hire them out, they stay in complete control of the used market value (well as much as anyone can).


Buying a new car for cash is antiquated and plain dumb as a private buyer.
Let the companies who can claim back some vat and write it down against profits do that, and that includes hire firms.


In fact anyone who buys and swaps every 2-4 years who buys cash needs to do some proper sums, a 3 year old car will be around the same depreciation as a new one on contract hire will cost you.


We live in a world of credit, when credit is cheaper than cash using cash is not smart.



I have had to go to an 02 plate ML to save money on cars, I was looking at a 56-57 plate at first, but couldn't see how that would be cheaper than contract hiring a brand new ML250cdi.
Once I worked out the overall costs for a new ML250cdi vs a 7 year old ML280cdi vs a 10 year old ML270cdi that was surprisingly little between the first two, it wasn't until I got to a £4k cash purchase that savings could be seen, savings that outweighed the comfort of a new car with warranty etc anyway.

Mercedes are probably like Ford, who said in 2009 when things were going tits up "Ford cars our not our product, they are simply a tool to sell our new product, finance."
This was in reaction to 0% lending and how if it went on too long it could be disastrous for them and other 'car makers'.



I blame labour in the 70's for all this nonsense, or was it the tories in the 80's, I always forget, anyway it was one of them I blame, trying to let the working classes think they have a place in society, have a right and all that nonsense, unions stepped in and look at the situation now, regular working class people can afford a Mercedes.
The country is on it's knees I tell thee!!

 

[alexanderfoti]

That is the point, Mercedes get the cars back when they contract hire them out, they stay in complete control of the used market value (well as much as anyone can).

Additionally, they will then lease out the used cars for another 3 years!

 

[st4]

£500pm for a C63 is not just cheap but a giveaway. I paid more for my first, second hand E300 in 1999.

Difference was, you kept your e class. The pcp/lease its handed back.

If the finance covered the whole cost of the car the payments would double and by extension there would be very many less C63s on the road

 

[gizze]

Difference was, you kept your e class. The pcp/lease its handed back.

You only kept your E Class for a few years, you will only probably keep your C Class for a few years, you will probably only keep your next car for a few years.

If someone who has kept a car for 10 years says that, then it makes sense, but for someone who swaps every 4 years or sooner it makes no sense.

Unless it is a car that doesn't depreciate, Audi Q5 for example, Disco4, buy new and get back 75% after 3 years.
But in general take advantage of discounts simply not available when you buy.

 

[Pappilo]

If someone who has kept a car for 10 years says that, then it makes sense, but for someone who swaps every 4 years or sooner it makes no sense.

Even if you keep the car for 10 years, you wont have spent that much less than someone who leases a new one every 3 years. So far I have spent £34,500 to own my E200 CGI Sport. The only non service thing I have done is 4 new tyres. I have budgeted £5500 to take care of the car over the next 6 years. I will definitely need another complete set of tyres in the next 6 years and 6 MOTs so thats £1000 guaranteed to be spent and £4500 left for any problems that may arise.

In the next 6 years the car will be worth nothing. That means I would have spent approximately £4000/year.

Now compare this to someone who leases an E220 CDI Sport through his company every 3 years at £315/month (exc VAT) on a 6 + 35 basis. This would only cost £4305 per year. No break downs, no MOTs. He gets to drive a current model, facelift and an all new model in different colours and with improved equipment over the same 10 years where I have had the same and now banger car. All this for an extra £3000!

I like to own my cars and keep them for long so wont perpetually take out a lease but I sure cant begrudge people who are smart and change cars every 2/3 years on lease deals. They are doing the most sensible thing!

 

[Pappilo]

Difference was, you kept your e class. The pcp/lease its handed back.

If the finance covered the whole cost of the car the payments would double and by extension there would be very many less C63s on the road

Not true. If it covered the whole cost, people will just own the car for longer and instead of 3 years, we would have 5 year leases. Its not like these people stop driving after 3 yrs. They go back and lease another car. They have the money, let them spend it the way they see fit.

 

[robparker]

I bough my c240 4 years ago for £900 and spent a total of £500 on it during that time, it runs on LPG (there when I bought it) so does "50mpg", thats what cheap motoring really is.

Dont buy a new car thinking you are getting some sort of cheap motoring deal, you aren't.

 

[turbopete]

tyres are a wear and tear item anyhow. dad bought my car 10 years ago (near enough) as a finance reposession with 7k miles on it. now it has 117k miles on it and the TOTAL repairs have been (without taking into account wear and tear items like tyres)

1 heated rear screen (warranty)
1 injector (warranty)
2 rear suspension springs
1 front suspension spring (other probably needed for MOT)
2 sets front discs/pads replaced
2 sets rear discs/pads/handbrake shoes replaced
1 bottom suspension arm (ball joint)
1 thermostat
1 intercooler

the car has worked hard through its life, on mostly country roads so not all on motorways, and dad has MS so relies on a car to get him even very short distances (anything over 1/4 mile and a car is ESSENTIAL for him) so brakes often corroded (discs) or the liners fell off the backplate. overall, i think that this car has served us well so far, and continues to do so.

using a budget like that and accounting for tyres within it is, IMO, a way to convince yourself all will be well. but it leaves no room for unforseen problems.

people will change cars as they see fit, regardless of lease agreements OR cash sales etc. IMO cash should still be king, and get you bigger discounts. sadly, credit sharks just want their comission rather than to give customers a fair deal!

 

[lwbnick]

We live in a world of credit, when credit is cheaper than cash using cash is not smart.

But what happens when the cheap credit runs out?

How do you start selling cars when people have got used to hiring them for £300 a month?

 

[lwbnick]

people will change cars as they see fit, regardless of lease agreements OR cash sales etc. IMO cash should still be king, and get you bigger discounts. sadly, credit sharks just want their comission rather than to give customers a fair deal!

When I first started, people who worked hard and became succesful owned Mercedes, now it seems anyone can have one and W204 are a sort of defacto Mondeo/Vectra, which sort of defeats the object.

 

[Pappilo]

When I first started, people who worked hard and became succesful owned Mercedes, now it seems anyone can have one and W204 are a sort of defacto Mondeo/Vectra, which sort of defeats the object.

Sorry mate, that was then, this is now. Get wid tha program. In your time few people owned their own homes but now even us peasants own 1 or 2 and we drive Mercedes cars. Thats just the way it is. If you are really working that 'hard' shirley you should have graduated to a Roller by now....No?

 

[television]

Sorry mate, that was then, this is now. Get wid tha program. In your time few people owned their own homes but now even us peasants own 1 or 2 and we drive Mercedes cars. Thats just the way it is. If you are really working that 'hard' shirley you should have graduated to a Roller by now....No?

I have to agree with Nick, I lived and worked from 1950, even in the 70's it was only upper classes that owned mercedes, the 190 201 was the first peoples car from from MB. In 1985 a second hand 5 year old 123 280TE was in the order of £10k

 

[lwbnick]

Thats just the way it is.

Thanks to massive levels of personal debt.

Which may not be a very good plan.

 

[lwbnick]

I have to agree with Nick, I lived and worked from 1950, even in the 70's it was only upper classes that owned mercedes, the 190 201 was the first peoples car from from MB. In 1985 a second hand 5 year old 123 280TE was in the order of £10k

When I first started, a 10 year old 124 saloon or a 10 year old 123 estate was £10k, now a ten year old Mercedes saloon or estate is around £1k, and I have brought 10 year old cars for scrap money just to break up.

 

[Pappilo]

I have to agree with Nick, I lived and worked from 1950, even in the 70's it was only upper classes that owned mercedes, the 190 201 was the first peoples car from from MB. In 1985 a second hand 5 year old 123 280TE was in the order of £10k

I dont doubt this but change is the only constant thing. My dad had a brick like Nokia 190 mobile phone in west Africa in 1989 and he was the only one with one for miles. Last week my sister just bought her twin 6 year old sons their first mobile phones. I doubt their grandad is sitting there, feeling bitter just because in his time only company directors could afford mobile phones.

 

[dgbmvb]

Two in my street, guy next door has a 51 plate W210 and my 09 W211 Sport, if anyone else buys one then they have equally good taste

 

[NW_Merc]

If you are really working that 'hard' shirley you should have graduated to a Roller by now....No?

No and the home ownership thing still hasnt changed, it's gotten worse. People have easier access to finance particularly for cars.