Matt is bomb said:
You have to remember that Germany is in a recession, so mercedes is probably hiring as many people as they can to keep the unemployed rate as low as possible (its basically a socialist country, mercedes may have been forced). Anyway to make up for higher labor costs they might have to boot up the cost of the actual product because so many people (than necessary) are being used to build it. Thats just a theory of mine though, so take it for what its worth.
This doesn't account for the fact that MB are more expensive than the other
German manufactures - if your theory was sound then the other manufactures (BMW, Audi.. hell, even Opel or VW) would be in the same situation. But they're not, they're significantly cheaper than the equivalent Merc.
When dad was buying his 530i Sport he was seriously contemplating an E350. The difference, however, was a whopping
AU$15,000 between the 530 and the
base model Elegance (AU$110,000 to MB's $125,000). On top of that was
12,000 for the Merc's sport's package compared to the bimmers' $4,000.
The thing is, there seemed no tangable benefit in spending the extra $15,000. Each car, both the 5 and E, are extraordinary products, offering essentially the best of what they set out to be: in the 5's case, a sports-executive saloon, and in the E's, a luxury, dignified saloon. The each offer comparible engines, transmissions, features, quality, safety, technology, etc, each having their strong points and their relative weaknesses. When dad asked the Merc salesman on what grounds could he justify the $15,000 difference, the salesman waffled something about superior quality and workmanship, mentioning something about the engine seals and other details. The difference in quality just cannot be seen, in my eyes, and as such the price difference is unjustified and based entirely on perception of brand quality and image rather than a superior product. MB
can ask for more, so they do, but that doesn't make their essential product of more value or worth.
Merc1 said:
I think a Mercedes is worth the extra money in most cases, but that is just me. I just like a Mercedes and don't pretend that they are some type of value. I think Mercedes still holds a safety advantage over other cars, even BMW and Audi, but it isn't a huge advantage. A Volvo is likely safer than everything else but a Benz.
I just like the way a Benz is made and how it goes down the road, along with all the other reasons other people like Mercedes.
This comment seems to be solely subjective opinion. You are under the belief that 'Mercedes still holds a safety advantage over other cars', but I'd like to challenge you to find some quantifiable data to justify your claim: I think you'd find that in most, if not all cases BMW, Audi and all other competitors rival MB in safety ratings (the 5 series being one notable expection, which was given 4 stars as opposed to the A6's and E350's 5). As a general rule, basically all premium vehicles on the road hold a 5 star safety rating. The position that Merc has some sort of 'advantage' over these cars safety-wise I'd suggest is based on one's own 'personal hunch' or own perception or whatever - nothing to do with, dare I say, the truth.
Your comment that 'A Volvo is likely safer than everything else but a Benz' seems to confirm the subjective nature of your claims. Another conception out there is that Volvos are Safe cars, that if you want to buy a Safe car for your Family, buy a good-ol', rugged Volvo. Volvo has done their best to exploit this image and have been extremely successful in doing so, I think you'd find if the majority were asked 'What's the safest car maker' they'd undoubtedly say Volvo (or Merc) but the reality is that Volvo once again holds no magical safety ingredient above its competitors, simply quality capitalisation of the general public's perception and clever marketing.
Again, your comment 'I just like the way a Benz is made and how it goes down the road' is subjective opinion and can hardly, in my mind at least, justify the huge cost difference between Mercs and their competitors. Undoubtedly they're great products and brilliant cars, but I also firmly believe its competitors are too, and if you compare both side by side and inch by inch I think most would be hard-pressed to see any justification for the difference in price other than perceived brand quality..
