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And he was talking about my wife's 95 T Bird!
When I had an 89 S-class people used to either think it was almost new, or a vintage car. I have met people who thought my fintail was worth 30-50K, due to the price of a new MB. The opinions of non-car people can be amusing.
This would make you a rich republican in our country, Fintail!
I think another thing that Mercedes Benz has going for it, and to a lesser degree BMW, is that the styles just don't age, like most other cars do. So a well-kept 20 year old Benz just doesn't LOOK like a 20 year old car to the "unwashed masses".
Back in 2000, a private elementary school got built just up the street from me. I see a lot of expensive vehicles come and go from there, but I must be jaded, because my first though is "leased" My second though is usually "maxed out HELOC"! :P
You do have to have big bucks to maintain one of those however, so maybe even an old one deserves that aura.
My co-workers, most of whom have no knowledge of cars in any way, think my E55 is new...some have asked how I afford it, not knowing it cost the same as their Camry. As Andre says, the cars age well and the same basic styling cues can exist for 15-20 years, so if you keep the car shiny and tuned up, people can misread it. The W210 which came out for MY 1996 has many styling cues shared with a brand new E-class. Of course, then there are obsessives like me who can tell the year of a MB by the wheels or upholstery pattern or steering wheel, I probably am an enemy to the posers.
Also on that note, when I tell people the fintail is worth maybe 5K on a good day, they don't believe me a bit. They look at me like I am dumb or crazy.
To me Escalades and overly blinged out Harleys driven by middle aged accountants scream "HELOC"
The ex-boyfriend of a co-worker of mine just had his newish Jaguar repo'd. He's now driving his Mom's old Contour. So much for the flashy young executive!
I have respect for well kept older cars, too. And in my eyes, an old granny in a mint 20 year old MB says "money" a lot more than a 30 year old in a leased 3er.
A guy in a cared for Contour is probably smarter than one in a used Jag financed at 9% for 84 months.
I remember reading years ago, that Buick was the car of choice for many investment bankers, particularly something like a LeSabre, Electra, or Riviera. While this may not be true anymore, at one time, evidently it sent just the right image, and tended to make the clients feel comfortable. A Ford, Chevy, or Plymouth just didn't come off as successful enough, while a Cadillac or Lincoln said that you were living too high off the hog, and perhaps taking advantage of people. I think a Chrysler indicated that you were either too much of a risk taker, or just behind the times. And a foreign luxury car just said that you weren't patriotic.
I think Oldsmobile might have sent mixed images, with the Delta 88/Ninety Eight being deemed too conservative and the Toronado being considered too risky.
one of my bils is an md. he drives a passat 4motion wagon, a pretty practical choice. a doctor also live up the street. he drives a grey toyota carmy hybrid, a pretty unassuming choice.
High End Leased Other Car could work.
Introducing the new Dodge SubPrime. Hey, does that thing have a Heloc?
Please email pr@edmunds.com by November 4, 2011 with your daytime phone number and a comment about your experience.