gstark wrote:jamesw wrote:gstark wrote:If you don't buy new, a Mercedes can represent exceptional value for money.
Still not convinced
Look at prices and value. I have a friend with a $16K C Class that she loves. About the same time my sister bought a Tartlet for about the same $$$$. Who got the better deal?
I bought my SLK for around half of its original sticker price, with just 6K on the clock. I chose a half price, almost new SLK over a brand new Pug which would have cost the same. Which would you have chosen?
And yes, I much prefer European engineering, because - and this is expecially true of Mercedes - it is engineering.
What about ongoing costs - costs of servicing, spare parts, etc that inevitably pop up as cars age (regardless of mfg, of course).
Look at the cost of Honda parts.
Ongoing costs can be expensive with any make or
model; it's how the manufacturers make their money.
the reason why i said i was not convinced was because of the next line, ongoing costs. i do not debate that the costs of such cars come down drastically in price, given a few years (it is the name of the game with cars in general, really, given they do not have a cult following).
having a mother who absolutely loved volvos, cemented my hesitation to drive european cars. the inital outlay on her cars were reasonable, however servicing costs were appauling. this compared with my fathers indifference towards cars, and the relatively
modest servicing costs.
i was discussing in particular mercedes vs toyota. toyota, holden, and ford are particularly cheap to have serviced and get spare parts for.
in the end i guess its about what you want from your car, and what you are potentially prepared to pay in the long run.
after a long stint with v8s & japanese performance cars, i'm quite happy with my v6 economy pack vp commodore on gas (and having the difference in price in my bank account)
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:31 pm
