Some of you guys response are very funny. I constantly hear on this board how the S class is unreliable. I have only had 1 problem with my S class. The car has over 50k miles.
The problem was cover under warranty. Mercedes cpo warranty isn't trash. I have purchase 3 cpo Benz's. Stop living in the old days when MB was with Chrysler.
I don't care how you get the car lease or buy. You still got make the monthly payment so what's your point.

I guess I can be honest unlike some other people on here. I have purchased previous car for status... Granturismo, NSX, CL550, CLS....If I didn't care about status I would have purchase a corolla and save alot money.

 

They're not all that reliable LOL. I know several people who have last generation S Classes, they are without a doubt considerably less reliable than say, an LS460. Not having any issues with one until its over 50k miles isn't really saying much, ask people who have them with 100k miles. Lots of suspension issues, electrical issues, air suspension failure.

If I were choosing a car to drive for 100k miles, I would think twice about an S Class yet wouldn't be concerned about an LS. Leasing, S Class would be fine. Although, I know people with new S Classes that have had some annoying issues too.

Who isn't being honest? Anybody who buys a $70k+ car is lying if they tell you status has nothing to do with it. However, if you don't see a tangible difference between a Corolla and a car of this caliber I think you're totally wasting your money...

 

For real wealthy guy, he does not care. He just drives what he wants/likes. I have a local car who have a big house built with 9 stall garage just outside city limit on a piece of land. He is a MB car nut. MB made him a large size lone star logo for his cars per his request. His house has a guard at the entrance gate. I heard his primary job is taking care of his cars first in any event. Heard this things from one of my son's jamming buddy who works in his company as a structural engineer.

 

In NYC, S-Classes and Maybachs are all around as you see drivers in front of the buildings of big banks and large corporate headquarters. Every day I step out of my of my building at work, there is a Maybach sitting outside while I hit up the good old MTA to get home lol. Its such a beautiful ride but it exemplifies opulence and richness with a slight snobbish undertone. Its rare to find a 7 series, A8 or LS in this same manner sitting, waiting for a passenger but they are sprinkled about.

OP: I think the S-Class is so intimidating because most of the folks either driving them or being driven in them are typically wealthier folks who don't mind showing you that they are just that wealthy - that this is a normal or standard car for them and something that most of us couldn't really afford to have as comfortably as they have. It has that filthy rich aura surrounding it.

Also, there are quite a few shady folks sitting in S-Classes and Maybach's in my neck of the woods as well..so the car presents itself in two ways: that filthy rich stigma or the dirty money stank. It gives off both...

 

As impressive as the S-Class is from a safety and ride-comfort standpoint, I don't think that, in terms of interior ambience or classic styling, it can compare with an average Bentley or Rolls-Royce. Of course, the Brits, can, in some cases, cost two or three times what an S-Class does.

 

I should've gone to HK, lol.

 

Try 4-5 times. The new Phantom is a $400-500k car.

 

True, but different versions of the S-Class can vary significantly in price. AMG's, for instance, can run almost 200K.

 

Yeah, I will add to that. I think success or wealth is money in the bank as well as assets.

 

I get what you are saying. It is difficult to learn that at a young age. True wealthy people who have the money do not tend to tell you they can buy or afford certain things. They either do it or they do not.

I remember this book. The most frequent car brand among millionaires in the book was a Buick.

 

How about that e*trade commercial, that guy golfing on a yacht, that's not you. I guarantee it's nobody on this thread (haha I could be very wrong I admit).

Like I said, I know a guy at work who had a 56' Sea Ray and a wife my age (how come it often goes that way). He was fired and they walked him out. How wealthy is he now? Some of those big boys actually live large and are leveraged. I know his car was leased (well by the firm) but so was his Toyota Tundra (per his wife). Now something as insignificant as a Tundra, wouldn't a person who flies on the corporate jet and has a Sea Ray, buy it outright?

As far as the S class goes, to an ordinary human being, it's a very nice car. Our CEO still has one and he stated he was gonna go car free as his penthouse is in the city, uses Uber. Why pay for something that sits 20-22 hours per day doing nothing (our cars)? There are alternatives now, that didn't exist 15 yrs. ago.

edit And the presumed status thing when you spend more than x for a car, I said I've liked the Grand Sport manual Corvette since I drove one this summer (non Grand Sport). It lists for $80k the way I like it, I bet it sells for less. If I got it and drove it to work, my status would go down. Everybody I told my test drive experience to said they don't like that car in any way. The tendency is that all the nice cars are European.

I like the Vette, I would get it if the time were right. So I don't want it for status, I want it for the sheer hardware and na performance. Status is so 2000 and late imho. Nobody cares, again, people already assume you lease a car if it is expensive. There no status there.

 

My folks can afford and S-class but (a) my mom views Mercs as boats for old folks and (b) my dad just isn't willing to spend that much money on a car. He is used to putting money into things that appreciate whereas something like an S-class is just like flushing money down the toilet. And unlike say, an M4 or a 911, the S-class does not "bottom out" in pricing after a certain number of years. It consistently falls which is why you find so many for under $10k.

There are many lease trade in CPOs sitting for around $60K which is a good deal compared to $100k new, but they will still just keep falling in value.

 

Disagree, the styling on the S-class is nothing special, it's too soft, too blob-ular, too "big black taxi". It's just not very exciting or impressive IRL.

Maybe it's because they're all over the place here in Vancouver.

Personally I would not buy an S-class because it's just a terrible investment. It depreciates extremely quickly, and the car itself has not proven reliable enough to own for decades (negating depreciation). If I wanted an S-class I'd look at 3-5 year old examples with ~50-70k miles for less than half the sticker price. But even then I don't find the concept of a big black German taxi all that appealing.

 

If a person has some money, imho buying a M car is not all that bad. There are 2008 M3 coupes selling for 28k today. A 335i coupe, maybe 13-14k at best. Now, yes, they did start off with a likely 12k delta. But in retrospect, that would have been worth it for many. I was put off by the 19 mpg highway and the $7,100 list priced extended warranty. Yes, I was scared. But as Red Foo said,

"We headed to the bar, baby don't be nervous, No shoes, no shirt, and I still get service."

Sometimes I wonder if not getting a M car, is like buying a Porsche without an S....