Ridiculousness of Mercedes

[Tdefrees]

Just for shits-n-giggles, I played around with building a new A-class out of curiosity. I know Audi, Merc, and BMW are pricey in regards to options, but tonight set a new low in terms of raping your customer. On the new A-class, you don't even get a garage opener. Its a f-ing option for $280! God I love my Genesis!

 

[Ducatislave]

Mercedes probably figure that you have a personal driver who will open your door, hold the umbrella for you and then go park the car. So things like a garage door opener are (in hoity toity voice) for the plebeians who don't own a Mercedes Benz.

 

[EdP]

Mercedes probably figure that you have a personal driver who will open your door, hold the umbrella for you and then go park the car. So things like a garage door opener are (in hoity toity voice) for the plebeians who don't own a Mercedes Benz.

Mercedes allegedly put the priority on driving. They were always behind on creature comforts we expect like cup holders and sound systems. Had one, not interested in another. Can you spell a r r o g a n c e?

 

[farandaway]

at least they're not bundling it into some "convenience" package and charging $2000 for it!

 

[Philip2]

In my old age, I am now convinced that these "designer labels" are mostly a rip off. I had a Mercedes and I honestly do not see where it was any better than my G80. More impressive to be seen in though. I am not going to get into the rip off repair prices.
I may be delusional but I think most people who buy the 3 German luxury cars are insecure and looking for "label validation"

 

[PMCErnie]

In my old age, I am now convinced that these "designer labels" are mostly a rip off. I had a Mercedes and I honestly do not see where it was any better than my G80. More impressive to be seen in though. I am not going to get into the rip off repair prices.
I may be delusional but I think most people who buy the 3 German luxury cars are insecure and looking for "label validation"

My only BMW (a ‘70 2002) was a lemon. Still, it would be worth plenty today.

 

[ThoughtfulOne]

In my old age, I am now convinced that these "designer labels" are mostly a rip off. I had a Mercedes and I honestly do not see where it was any better than my G80. More impressive to be seen in though. I am not going to get into the rip off repair prices.

Yep - German part prices tend to easily be 2-4x as expensive as Genesis, which in turn cost more than Hyundai. Lots of things also are more labour intensive. One issue with the 5.0 Genesis is that the oil change is difficult, although with the G80, they added doors underneath.

The Germans are even crazier, with some oil changes having a book time of 1 hour for just labour.

The issue is that they made vehicles more for leasing than long-term ownership. Genesis has its flaws, such as the higher fuel consumption as well, but they seem to be closer to Lexus in reliability and the next generation G80 is reportedly going to be a lighter weight vehicle.

I may be delusional but I think most people who buy the 3 German luxury cars are insecure and looking for "label validation"

A large number are.

There is another group that is looking for performance. That said, the Cadillac CTS V is a better value I think and perhaps someday we will see a Genesis performance division as well, like the Cadillac V, BMW M, Daimler AMG, etc.

 

[Dai Uy Ted]

I don't see the prestige cache of the label so much anymore. I live in an area which could be charitably labelled "modest income", yet I see just about as many Mercedes as I do Toyotas. The star is as visible on cheapos and oldies as it is on high-end models.

 

[PMCErnie]

I don't see the prestige cache of the label so much anymore. I live in an area which could be charitably labelled "modest income", yet I see just about as many Mercedes as I do Toyotas. The star is as visible on cheapos and oldies as it is on high-end models.

It’s sad when people who can’t afford things jump into debt way over their heads and lose their lives financially. As my Dad used to say: “Any $&@# can buy a Cadillac.”

 

[RCH04]

In my old age, I am now convinced that these "designer labels" are mostly a rip off. I had a Mercedes and I honestly do not see where it was any better than my G80. More impressive to be seen in though. I am not going to get into the rip off repair prices.
I may be delusional but I think most people who buy the 3 German luxury cars are insecure and looking for "label validation"

I've never bought into these labels on the people who drive various brands of cars. We can only imagine the label put on those who drive Genesis or any other brand (usually these things aren't favorable).

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[Rodney Dangerfield]

Mercedes allegedly put the priority on driving. They were always behind on creature comforts we expect like cup holders and sound systems. Had one, not interested in another. Can you spell a r r o g a n c e?

Euro spec German cars generally don't have cupholders in their vehicles because they focus on driving. It's a foreign concept to them that they would do anything while driving other than paying attention to the road. If they're thirsty, they pull over and have a drink then get back on the road. That being said, they have to go through something like two years of schooling and a lot of money to get their licenses so it stands to reason they would have a different approach to driving that we do in America. It's us dumb Americans that try to do everything including long division using an abacus while driving.

 

[Alfer]

Speaking of...I drove next to one of those laughable "Jaguar" cars that were made during the Ford era of ownership. I always laughed when I saw people (few) buying these horrible cars that basically looked like a rebadged Taurus thinking they had some kind of prestigious car.

 

[EdP]

Euro spec German cars generally don't have cupholders in their vehicles because they focus on driving. It's a foreign concept to them that they would do anything while driving other than paying attention to the road. If they're thirsty, they pull over and have a drink then get back on the road. That being said, they have to go through something like two years of schooling and a lot of money to get their licenses so it stands to reason they would have a different approach to driving that we do in America. It's us dumb Americans that try to do everything including long division using an abacus while driving.

Driving in Europe is different. I know some countries do not allow taking that drink of water or coffee while driving. Someone here also pointed out they respect the left lane. If you are not passing you won't be there. They also seem to interpret things a bit different. The solid yellow line often seems to mean "pass really fast" and they do zip around.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

It’s sad when people who can’t afford things jump into debt way over their heads and lose their lives financially. As my Dad used to say: “Any $&@# can buy a Cadillac.”

This is exactly why I buy underwear at garage sales.

 

[PMCErnie]

Speaking of...I drove next to one of those laughable "Jaguar" cars that were made during the Ford era of ownership. I always laughed when I saw people (few) buying these horrible cars that basically looked like a rebadged Taurus thinking they had some kind of prestigious car.

Yes, and the Aston Martin brand had problems then too.

 

[PMCErnie]

This is exactly why I buy underwear at garage sales.

Is that because it burns when you pee?

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Is that because it burns when you pee?

Actually the burning started after I made the decision to stop buying new underwear. Might be something I need to look into. Could be a correlation I'm not putting together...

 

[joegr]

Speaking of...I drove next to one of those laughable "Jaguar" cars that were made during the Ford era of ownership. I always laughed when I saw people (few) buying these horrible cars that basically looked like a rebadged Taurus thinking they had some kind of prestigious car.

That would be the X-type, FWD and all.
On the other hand, the S-type (from the same era) was actually pretty good.

 

[ThoughtfulOne]

I've never bought into these labels on the people who drive various brands of cars. We can only imagine the label put on those who drive Genesis or any other brand (usually these things aren't favorable).

For sure. Many German vehicle fans are critical of Lexus owners, who they see as "too cheap" to buy what they consider to be the "real thing".

I suspect that must think similarly of Genesis. In fact, they may even think less of us Genesis owners. To be honest, I don't really care. We are not buying a car to validate ourselves in front of them. We are not trying to impress anyone and certainly not brand snobs. Buy a vehicle because it fits your needs and because it is a good car for your particular needs. Buy for value, reliability, comfort, etc.

Performance car fans (I'd say they make up a minority) generally care more about performance, so sometimes they can be open minded, although there are also many badge obsessed status seekers among them. Typically the car that gets the best 0-60 mph (0 to 100 km/h) or quarter mile or lap times gets the most favorable reviews from them.

I'll say it again, I really think Genesis should be pushing for a performance marque (BMW M, Cadillac V, AMG, etc). It might win people from that demographic. The G70 has been quite popular among the folks in the performance demographic. The halo effect could be very beneficial.

One critique they do have (valid IMO) is that Genesis seems to not have a transmission that shifts as fast as the ZF 8 speed. At least that's a fair critique, unlike the brand obsessed folks. The other is that many of them criticize their companies (on many BMW forums for example, it is ok to criticize certain BMW vehicles) when they fail to deliver what their base wants. It also gives Genesis something to work on for the next generation. Same with the feedback about the current chassis used by the G80/90/70 being a bit too heavy and high fuel consumption. It's valid feedback (at least outside of the performance segment where fuel economy is not as an issue, which Genesis doesn't really have as discussed above).