Why does an S class intimidate so many people?
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 8,580
Likes: 391
From: PA
Some of the comments here seem to be off track from OPs post, but I think I can contribute here as I used to sell Mercedes.
Why do people buy the S class? Because they have been told that it is the best and they can afford it. I have sold dozens of S classes and there are two types of customers that buy them new. The wealthy customer that doesn’t want the attention of a Bentley or Rolls brings and the customer that wants to show the world that he has made it, that he is successful.
The S class is a status symbol for sure, so much that some of my buyers HATED the rest of the Mercedes lineup. They wouldn’t be caught dead in an E class or CLS as they were less expensive, therefore not as good. Some of my customers could stroke a check for the dealership, but they bought an S class so they didn’t look so pretentious to their friends.
New S class buyers tend to be old money, mostly business owners. I saw very few young people that had recently acquired money in the market for an S560.
The preowned market is completely different. More than half of my preowned S class buyers would buy a high mileage model for cheap. Most of the time they could barely afford it and wanted to show off to their friends. The joke at the dealership was to call your customers that want to “roll deep for cheap” if we took in a high mileage S. Others stated that they could buy new, but didn’t want to waste the money. After seeing their income when they went to finance, nost of them were lying.
Very rarely do customers shop other brands when looking at a new S class. I worked for Mercedes for 3 years. Over my time there, I had 2 customers cross shop the LS460 and 3 cross shop the 7 series. That was literally it. Everyone else came in and knew exactly what they wanted down to the color combination. Of the Lexus cross shoppers, both bought the LS460, they said “the ride was close enough and they offered me a discount.” I would politely tell them that we were at sticker because the S class sells itself and it really does. Anyone could sell that car. I did not discount the S class unless the new model year was at the dealership. All three of my BMW buyers bought the S class. My counter was, if you want something sporty, go buy a sports car, if you want a sedan that is built for comfort, here it is. That seemed to work.
Both the S class and the LS are fantastic cars. Easily the best two in the large sedan segment. The LS grabs the buyer that cares about maintence cost, longevity, and doesn’t want to waste money on cars. Most new S class buyers simply doesn’t care, they plan on replacing it in a few years. We actually had a lady that would order a new S560 black on black every 6 months and trade in her 6 month old car. We loved getting her trades in.
Forgot to mention, 80% of my customers paid cash, the other 20% leased through their business.
Why do people buy the S class? Because they have been told that it is the best and they can afford it. I have sold dozens of S classes and there are two types of customers that buy them new. The wealthy customer that doesn’t want the attention of a Bentley or Rolls brings and the customer that wants to show the world that he has made it, that he is successful.
The S class is a status symbol for sure, so much that some of my buyers HATED the rest of the Mercedes lineup. They wouldn’t be caught dead in an E class or CLS as they were less expensive, therefore not as good. Some of my customers could stroke a check for the dealership, but they bought an S class so they didn’t look so pretentious to their friends.
New S class buyers tend to be old money, mostly business owners. I saw very few young people that had recently acquired money in the market for an S560.
The preowned market is completely different. More than half of my preowned S class buyers would buy a high mileage model for cheap. Most of the time they could barely afford it and wanted to show off to their friends. The joke at the dealership was to call your customers that want to “roll deep for cheap” if we took in a high mileage S. Others stated that they could buy new, but didn’t want to waste the money. After seeing their income when they went to finance, nost of them were lying.
Very rarely do customers shop other brands when looking at a new S class. I worked for Mercedes for 3 years. Over my time there, I had 2 customers cross shop the LS460 and 3 cross shop the 7 series. That was literally it. Everyone else came in and knew exactly what they wanted down to the color combination. Of the Lexus cross shoppers, both bought the LS460, they said “the ride was close enough and they offered me a discount.” I would politely tell them that we were at sticker because the S class sells itself and it really does. Anyone could sell that car. I did not discount the S class unless the new model year was at the dealership. All three of my BMW buyers bought the S class. My counter was, if you want something sporty, go buy a sports car, if you want a sedan that is built for comfort, here it is. That seemed to work.
Both the S class and the LS are fantastic cars. Easily the best two in the large sedan segment. The LS grabs the buyer that cares about maintence cost, longevity, and doesn’t want to waste money on cars. Most new S class buyers simply doesn’t care, they plan on replacing it in a few years. We actually had a lady that would order a new S560 black on black every 6 months and trade in her 6 month old car. We loved getting her trades in.
Forgot to mention, 80% of my customers paid cash, the other 20% leased through their business.
You could be a new and very young billionaire (aren't there many these days), and without someone from the old money side, you can't golf at an exclusive club (say a young owner of a NBA team). You can't bypass the wait list based on your net worth. You have to know someone and be connected. My thoughts were that is real status, not the price of your car, weight of your credit card, etc. How much status do the kids on the YouTube channels have just because they drive a Lambo? Not very much as I've seen on their vlogs, and how people respond to them.
I think this S class thing is no different than the Corvette thing at my work. I talked about driving it, and every person I talked to said I don't like that car. I do like it so I am different, but there is a certain thing as these material objects being suitable or not suitable for a person or persons...do you wear a $3k suit like Manafort, then get a synthetic leather belt and rubber soled shoes at Kohl's? Of course you don't...
Dang me and my notion of a '13 S550, I do want to roll deep for cheep and I ain't afraid to show it, show it...
Last edited by Johnhav430; Jul 26, 2018 at 01:34 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,498
Likes: 389
From: ON/NY
Thank you for the comments, I appreciate it. So what happen if you default? and you cannot find someone to take over the lease. Are you on the hook for that debt?
Racer
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,846
Likes: 117
From: Sacramento, CA
Excuse my ignorance, what other materials are there for soles? You mean dress shoes with the smooth, slippery, and hard material for the heel and sole?
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 13,282
Likes: 1,890
From: WA
If I were to try to do that with my GS right now, I would most definitely be left owing money.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,498
Likes: 389
From: ON/NY
Two of my past leases I've decided to get out of early, and in both cases I just sold the cars. No big deal. The money from the sale pays off the residual plus remaining payments. If, after that, there is money left over, Lexus Financial gives you the extra. If the money from the sale is not enough, you owe the difference. In both cases for me, the value of the car was high enough that I received extra money back. This works the same as selling a financed car.
If I were to try to do that with my GS right now, I would most definitely be left owing money.
If I were to try to do that with my GS right now, I would most definitely be left owing money.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 13,282
Likes: 1,890
From: WA
), I've done both finance and lease. I stopped financing several cars back and switched to leasing because I always tend to get bored of my car at around the 2-3 year mark. It makes it much easier to move into something else at that point.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,498
Likes: 389
From: ON/NY
Well, at the risk of going slightly off topic (though this thread did have an extensive Disneyland/world tangent ), I've done both finance and lease. I stopped financing several cars back and switched to leasing because I always tend to get bored of my car at around the 2-3 year mark. It makes it much easier to move into something else at that point.
), I've done both finance and lease. I stopped financing several cars back and switched to leasing because I always tend to get bored of my car at around the 2-3 year mark. It makes it much easier to move into something else at that point.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 8,580
Likes: 391
From: PA
I don't wear $500 shoes. They are not me. Would feel awkward. Probably some on this thread do, just too rich for my blood. I can do $150? Yes, leather is what I was thinking for soles. A clothier will say they can tell a lot about a person based on their shoes. So again, I think lots love the S class, but it's just not them as a person, not a natural fit.
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Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2014
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From: fl
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,354
Likes: 555
From: fl
Some of the comments here seem to be off track from OPs post, but I think I can contribute here as I used to sell Mercedes.
Why do people buy the S class? Because they have been told that it is the best and they can afford it. I have sold dozens of S classes and there are two types of customers that buy them new. The wealthy customer that doesn’t want the attention of a Bentley or Rolls brings and the customer that wants to show the world that he has made it, that he is successful.
The S class is a status symbol for sure, so much that some of my buyers HATED the rest of the Mercedes lineup. They wouldn’t be caught dead in an E class or CLS as they were less expensive, therefore not as good. Some of my customers could stroke a check for the dealership, but they bought an S class so they didn’t look so pretentious to their friends.
New S class buyers tend to be old money, mostly business owners. I saw very few young people that had recently acquired money in the market for an S560.
The preowned market is completely different. More than half of my preowned S class buyers would buy a high mileage model for cheap. Most of the time they could barely afford it and wanted to show off to their friends. The joke at the dealership was to call your customers that want to “roll deep for cheap” if we took in a high mileage S. Others stated that they could buy new, but didn’t want to waste the money. After seeing their income when they went to finance, nost of them were lying.
Very rarely do customers shop other brands when looking at a new S class. I worked for Mercedes for 3 years. Over my time there, I had 2 customers cross shop the LS460 and 3 cross shop the 7 series. That was literally it. Everyone else came in and knew exactly what they wanted down to the color combination. Of the Lexus cross shoppers, both bought the LS460, they said “the ride was close enough and they offered me a discount.” I would politely tell them that we were at sticker because the S class sells itself and it really does. Anyone could sell that car. I did not discount the S class unless the new model year was at the dealership. All three of my BMW buyers bought the S class. My counter was, if you want something sporty, go buy a sports car, if you want a sedan that is built for comfort, here it is. That seemed to work.
Both the S class and the LS are fantastic cars. Easily the best two in the large sedan segment. The LS grabs the buyer that cares about maintence cost, longevity, and doesn’t want to waste money on cars. Most new S class buyers simply doesn’t care, they plan on replacing it in a few years. We actually had a lady that would order a new S560 black on black every 6 months and trade in her 6 month old car. We loved getting her trades in.
Forgot to mention, 80% of my customers paid cash, the other 20% leased through their business.
Why do people buy the S class? Because they have been told that it is the best and they can afford it. I have sold dozens of S classes and there are two types of customers that buy them new. The wealthy customer that doesn’t want the attention of a Bentley or Rolls brings and the customer that wants to show the world that he has made it, that he is successful.
The S class is a status symbol for sure, so much that some of my buyers HATED the rest of the Mercedes lineup. They wouldn’t be caught dead in an E class or CLS as they were less expensive, therefore not as good. Some of my customers could stroke a check for the dealership, but they bought an S class so they didn’t look so pretentious to their friends.
New S class buyers tend to be old money, mostly business owners. I saw very few young people that had recently acquired money in the market for an S560.
The preowned market is completely different. More than half of my preowned S class buyers would buy a high mileage model for cheap. Most of the time they could barely afford it and wanted to show off to their friends. The joke at the dealership was to call your customers that want to “roll deep for cheap” if we took in a high mileage S. Others stated that they could buy new, but didn’t want to waste the money. After seeing their income when they went to finance, nost of them were lying.
Very rarely do customers shop other brands when looking at a new S class. I worked for Mercedes for 3 years. Over my time there, I had 2 customers cross shop the LS460 and 3 cross shop the 7 series. That was literally it. Everyone else came in and knew exactly what they wanted down to the color combination. Of the Lexus cross shoppers, both bought the LS460, they said “the ride was close enough and they offered me a discount.” I would politely tell them that we were at sticker because the S class sells itself and it really does. Anyone could sell that car. I did not discount the S class unless the new model year was at the dealership. All three of my BMW buyers bought the S class. My counter was, if you want something sporty, go buy a sports car, if you want a sedan that is built for comfort, here it is. That seemed to work.
Both the S class and the LS are fantastic cars. Easily the best two in the large sedan segment. The LS grabs the buyer that cares about maintence cost, longevity, and doesn’t want to waste money on cars. Most new S class buyers simply doesn’t care, they plan on replacing it in a few years. We actually had a lady that would order a new S560 black on black every 6 months and trade in her 6 month old car. We loved getting her trades in.
Forgot to mention, 80% of my customers paid cash, the other 20% leased through their business.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,846
Likes: 117
From: Sacramento, CA
Interesting. I thought the $200 pair of Eccos my wife got me were nice and comfy, but there must be an entirely different level of shoes I'm not accustomed to. I'm having a hard time imagining leather as a durable outsole material. Of course, I'm probably not the intended demographic for such nice shoes.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,846
Likes: 117
From: Sacramento, CA
Two of my past leases I've decided to get out of early, and in both cases I just sold the cars. No big deal. The money from the sale pays off the residual plus remaining payments. If, after that, there is money left over, Lexus Financial gives you the extra. If the money from the sale is not enough, you owe the difference. In both cases for me, the value of the car was high enough that I received extra money back. This works the same as selling a financed car.
If I were to try to do that with my GS right now, I would most definitely be left owing money.
If I were to try to do that with my GS right now, I would most definitely be left owing money.
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 260
Likes: 4
From: WA
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 13,282
Likes: 1,890
From: WA
When going through a dealer, they’ll file and facilitate the title transfer for you.