PowerStroker wrote:

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Well guys, I think i'm at a point in my career when I deserve a status symbol.  As a car guy, I think a nice car would do the trick.  I understand Mercedes vehicles usually fit the bill, but I don't really know much about them.  Could you please answer me the following:

Why is Mercedes better than BMW?

1st off, Mercedes COST more than BMW. If you are looking for luxury and refinement Mercedes has the edge over BMW. If you are looking for a sporty German automobile that feels like riding in a bobsled the BMW is for you. Just sit in any year S class, then the same year BMW 7 series. You will know the difference. BMW's are somewhat cheap feeling, while the Mercedes is quality... Regal almost.

What is the heirarchy with the different classes of Mercedes vehicles from top of the line to elcheapo?

The top of the line would be considered the "AMG" Roadsters aka the performance breed. Then you would have the AMG S class which is a performance luxury class. Then you would have the S class. If you have a lot of passengers the Roadsters might not fit your needs.

Then there are the other series. I don't care for them, but they do offer some really cool "sporty" cars, I just prefer a big car and a V8.

You can understand I don't want to get a low grade Mercedes, or an old piece of crap one.  I want my fellow Mercedes enthusiasts to see my car and say to themselves "wow, that's a nice one, that guy has some real money."

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes PowerStroker. If you are buying your Mercedes for reasons outside of value then you might not be Mercedes stock. The ONLY way you can play the part of a rich man PowerStroker is to be a rich man (with good taste might I add). A rich man will have a brand new top of the line AMG S-class every two years PERIOD. Unfortunately for you PowerStroker there is no way fake that. Still, there are other vehicles that out-rank a Mercedes in terms of cost, but we are talking $1,000,000.00+ cars, exotics that would mean you have a chauffeur. Most wealthy collectors will have many different vehicles in his stable, where as a rich/wealthy Mercedes affectionado may just have several different years and models of Mercedes. Make no mistake, they look rich, because they are.... at the moment anyway.

Basically I don't want to just become one of the guys who pick up an old cheap one and pretend to be all that, I want to know what years and models are still respected as status symbols, and what I should expect to pay for one.

My Mercedes has had to EARN it's place in my driveway. Not only has it made me a living over the course of a few years it has had to cart me and my family around as a daily driver. Kids put an enormous amount of wear on a vehicle, but so does the every day grind. For me owning a Mercedes is all about value, quality, performance, room and features. I could drive any kind of vehicle I wanted, but I admire a vehicle that pays me to drive it. Not everyone can grasp that, which is what makes Mercedes ownership elusive to many. If you buy a Mercedes and sell it in a year then you are not a Mercedes owner, and never really were, the Mercedes owned you. If you own a brand new top of the line Mercedes and get a new one every two years you are rich. If you own a older Mercedes and have been driving Mercedes for 10+ years with 100's of thousands of ownership miles under your belt then yes, you are a Mercedes Benz Owner.

The old saying about used Mercedes that many parrot, "If it didn't cost at least $10,000 then its not a Mercedes" is somewhat true. Sometimes you can pick them up for peanuts, but to get them running and or road worthy it will likely end up costing 10K+ even more depending on how bad the condition it. Not only that a V8 S class Benz will cost you about 5 times what a normal car to plate and register. My registration and plates are almost $400 per year, and thats for a 1991 560 SEL! To put things in perspective my 1991 Mustang only cost $28 to plate and register, my 2003 F250 Super Duty Diesel Crew cost $120.

My Mercedes was hand built from a bare chassis by myself, the wife and the kids using 4 other donor vehicles. It has become part of the family. My kid always points out Mercedes on the road and I have to explain to him the only reason we drive a Mercedes is because the car pays us to drive them, otherwise we would be driving a Mustang or Camaro. I tell him not to fall for the "trap" which is someone buying a vehicle they either cannot afford to pay for - maintain or even worse yet buy a vehicle thinking that it's the car that makes the man.

Hope that helps.

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-- Edited by SELLC on Sunday 30th of October 2011 06:16:14 PM

But just incase I opt for the Benz, what do you think about the C and E class? Are they anywhere near the league of S class or are they like a poor mans Benz?

I kinda like the look of Hydrostreams

http://www.hydrostream.org/Specific%20Models/Models.htm

hello,
I know Mercedes is very innovative car and it shows the person personality but I don't think,
you can have a cannoneer linked to another cannoneer.
Especially since they already have Pirates Rage (i think thats the link skill) is this true?


what do they achieve Mercedes today?
Thanks,
Annie

Shut Your mouth who allow you to write like this? you are like a biggest.................... bull dog how dare you say like that.....i am not say anything to you

Yes You are right.....but how can he say like this...........