Keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and then tell apart which is which!

[ccap41]

I don't see a 4 or 6 cylinder in the Escalade. Or a 2.0T in the Corvette. Because buyers of those cars want a V8. The current G-wagon is so heavy, a V6 isn't enough. There is a turbo V6 diesel in Europe, but the current weight is around 5800 lbs or something, if they take 440 pounds out then the turbo 6 becomes a more viable option. However that would have a low take rate still, the people buying a G-wagon want a V8, or V12 even.

They also aren't bilking customers, they are giving the customers what they want. The people buying G-wagons want a 560 hp V8 retro off road tank. The G is unique vehicle with no rival really, that is why people pay top dollar for it, and sales keep climbing.

It's the oldest, least techy, least modern and most restricted SUV in the catalog.

That is why it sells. The more outdated it is, the better it sells.

No they are not. They are only selling 3000 a year when they could be selling 9000 a year by just actually updating it while keeping the V8 you allege they love.

And again, no one outside of the Sahara desert is taking one of those off road.

Do you see the fault in your reasoning while you dog other makes for doing the same thing?

Legit question, how many range rovers are sold each year because that's what I see it compared the most to because they're both luxury great off roaders who've never lost their off road touch.

[oldshurst442]

CCAP

It was the Land Cruiser Series 70 that Toyota reproduced for Japan and Australia for 1 year. 30th anniversary.

Updated with modern engines and I dont remember what else...

[G. David Felt]

CCAP

It was the Land Cruiser Series 70 that Toyota reproduced for Japan and Australia for 1 year. 30th anniversary.

Updated with modern engines and I dont remember what else...

Didn't Toyota just update the land cruiser and lexus version recently? I am sure they have gone through more updates than the G-Wagon.

[oldshurst442]

Could be Mr. DFELT.

 

I dont follow the SUVs as I hate them so I dont know what is what with them.

[ccap41]

I wonder if it's really going to keep those same, clunky, non-integrated, U.S. Mail-jeep turn indicators, plopped on the top of the fenders with thick exposed rubber gaskets.

Or, are those one of the features the SO SO MANY buyers don't want to change?

 

WHERE'S THE CONCEPT VEHICLE??? 

I hope they do keep them. They look gnarly..plus they already have them integrated in the mirrors anyway for the people who want their "touch-o-modern" on their G Wagen.

[ccap41]

CCAP

It was the Land Cruiser Series 70 that Toyota reproduced for Japan and Australia for 1 year. 30th anniversary.

Updated with modern engines and I don't remember what else...

YES! Thank you, Olds! Exactly what I was thinking of. ..and it's just a one year special(for Japan and Australia) and it's gone again. 

[ccap41]

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/05/new-2017-mercedes-benz-g350d.html

 

http://blog.caranddriver.com/back-to-basics-mercedes-benz-g-wagen-professional-returns/

 

They make exactly what you guys want! 89k price tag, lesser and more fuel efficient engines! Lifted just a tad with 16 inch wheels. This is a working man's G Glass.. but ya know..still 89k.  

[surreal1272]

So this is confirmation that Mercedes is bilking their customers?

"Hey we have this modern SUV with everything you need for less that $60K or you can buy our $140K SUV that offers none of those things except worse gas mileage and a four wheel drive system than 99.99999999% of you will never use."

Got to give them credit though. Their sheep eat that up but it doesn't speak well to their buying intelligence.

No it's giving the customers who want a G...a G. They sell every one they make, they're hand made still.

99.99% never touch 200mph in their exotics but it's something they need to do.

People buying cars like this or a 458 aren't buying the car to DO what it can do. They're buying the capability to do it and frankly to say, " hey my car can do this."

Personally, I don't understand the hatred towards the G because of how capable and tank-like that they are. They're a modern old school like the Toyota (I forgot the name of the one they're making a retro version of) that everybody freakin loves. If they got rid of it people would ask, "why can't we get a vehicle to do XXX?" So they just never stopped making it as opposed to most that make soemthing super awesome and get rid of it a few years later. Like the Chevy SS. Its the almost perfect enthusiast car, 6.2 Chevy V8, manual transmission, sedan(because as adults coupes just aren't practical) and it's leaving us already. I just hope I can score a used one in a few years.

It's not so much the hatred of a severely outdated brick on wheels as exposing SMKs defense of said brick. Sorry, but if this were from GM or Ford, he would have a 180 degree opinion of this.

Oh and all that is being done for $140K+ which is insane for an outdated brick, I don't care how advanced the four wheel drive is or what kind of history it is has. The only history I see is a brick with the same boxy design since 1972. Sorry, but it does nothing for me.

Edited July 6, 2016 by surreal1272

[ccap41]

 

 

So this is confirmation that Mercedes is bilking their customers?

"Hey we have this modern SUV with everything you need for less that $60K or you can buy our $140K SUV that offers none of those things except worse gas mileage and a four wheel drive system than 99.99999999% of you will never use."

Got to give them credit though. Their sheep eat that up but it doesn't speak well to their buying intelligence.

No it's giving the customers who want a G...a G. They sell every one they make, they're hand made still.

99.99% never touch 200mph in their exotics but it's something they need to do.

People buying cars like this or a 458 aren't buying the car to DO what it can do. They're buying the capability to do it and frankly to say, " hey my car can do this."

Personally, I don't understand the hatred towards the G because of how capable and tank-like that they are. They're a modern old school like the Toyota (I forgot the name of the one they're making a retro version of) that everybody freakin loves. If they got rid of it people would ask, "why can't we get a vehicle to do XXX?" So they just never stopped making it as opposed to most that make soemthing super awesome and get rid of it a few years later. Like the Chevy SS. Its the almost perfect enthusiast car, 6.2 Chevy V8, manual transmission, sedan(because as adults coupes just aren't practical) and it's leaving us already. I just hope I can score a used one in a few years.

It's not so much the hatred of a severely outdated brick on wheels as exposing SMKs defense of said brick. Sorry, but if this were from GM or Ford, he would have a 180 degree opinion of this.

Oh and all that is being done for $140K+ which is insane for an outdated brick, I don't care how advanced the four wheel drive is or what kind of history it is has. The only history I see is a brick with the same boxy design since 1972. Sorry, but it does nothing for me.

 

But what else can do what it can do straight off of the show room floor? Range Rovers, Wranglers and there's about nothing in between. So for perspective buyers it's either a Rover or a G.

 

After reading a bit prior to posting it appears the Land Cruiser can also handle its own off the beaten path.

 

Not liking it's style is one thing, that's fine. Even though I find it ironic that people say X is bland and Y and bland and then there's something with some actual character and people dislike that too. It's a lose-lose. 

[oldshurst442]

Well..

after talking about Nazis in another thread

 

The only way Id like to see a German "wagen" is this way!

Whether it be a "G", "Panzerkammpf" or "Volks"

 

[surreal1272]

So this is confirmation that Mercedes is bilking their customers?

"Hey we have this modern SUV with everything you need for less that $60K or you can buy our $140K SUV that offers none of those things except worse gas mileage and a four wheel drive system than 99.99999999% of you will never use."

Got to give them credit though. Their sheep eat that up but it doesn't speak well to their buying intelligence.

No it's giving the customers who want a G...a G. They sell every one they make, they're hand made still.

99.99% never touch 200mph in their exotics but it's something they need to do.

People buying cars like this or a 458 aren't buying the car to DO what it can do. They're buying the capability to do it and frankly to say, " hey my car can do this."

Personally, I don't understand the hatred towards the G because of how capable and tank-like that they are. They're a modern old school like the Toyota (I forgot the name of the one they're making a retro version of) that everybody freakin loves. If they got rid of it people would ask, "why can't we get a vehicle to do XXX?" So they just never stopped making it as opposed to most that make soemthing super awesome and get rid of it a few years later. Like the Chevy SS. Its the almost perfect enthusiast car, 6.2 Chevy V8, manual transmission, sedan(because as adults coupes just aren't practical) and it's leaving us already. I just hope I can score a used one in a few years.

It's not so much the hatred of a severely outdated brick on wheels as exposing SMKs defense of said brick. Sorry, but if this were from GM or Ford, he would have a 180 degree opinion of this.

Oh and all that is being done for $140K+ which is insane for an outdated brick, I don't care how advanced the four wheel drive is or what kind of history it is has. The only history I see is a brick with the same boxy design since 1972. Sorry, but it does nothing for me.

But what else can do what it can do straight off of the show room floor? Range Rovers, Wranglers and there's about nothing in between. So for perspective buyers it's either a Rover or a G.

After reading a bit prior to posting it appears the Land Cruiser can also handle its own off the beaten path.

Not liking it's style is one thing, that's fine. Even though I find it ironic that people say X is bland and Y and bland and then there's something with some actual character and people dislike that too. It's a lose-lose.

Bringing up the Land Cruiser brings up an even better point. It can do everything the G Wagon can do, on or off road, and can be had for less than half the price and it also has a V8.

Sorry but the G Wagon is one of the biggest examples of bilking clueless sheep buyers when you consider the much better options out there for far less dough. That's relying on your past instead of moving into the future, especially when considering the make involved.

Edited July 6, 2016 by surreal1272

[ccap41]

 

 

 

 

So this is confirmation that Mercedes is bilking their customers?

"Hey we have this modern SUV with everything you need for less that $60K or you can buy our $140K SUV that offers none of those things except worse gas mileage and a four wheel drive system than 99.99999999% of you will never use."

Got to give them credit though. Their sheep eat that up but it doesn't speak well to their buying intelligence.

No it's giving the customers who want a G...a G. They sell every one they make, they're hand made still.

99.99% never touch 200mph in their exotics but it's something they need to do.

People buying cars like this or a 458 aren't buying the car to DO what it can do. They're buying the capability to do it and frankly to say, " hey my car can do this."

Personally, I don't understand the hatred towards the G because of how capable and tank-like that they are. They're a modern old school like the Toyota (I forgot the name of the one they're making a retro version of) that everybody freakin loves. If they got rid of it people would ask, "why can't we get a vehicle to do XXX?" So they just never stopped making it as opposed to most that make soemthing super awesome and get rid of it a few years later. Like the Chevy SS. Its the almost perfect enthusiast car, 6.2 Chevy V8, manual transmission, sedan(because as adults coupes just aren't practical) and it's leaving us already. I just hope I can score a used one in a few years.

It's not so much the hatred of a severely outdated brick on wheels as exposing SMKs defense of said brick. Sorry, but if this were from GM or Ford, he would have a 180 degree opinion of this.

Oh and all that is being done for $140K+ which is insane for an outdated brick, I don't care how advanced the four wheel drive is or what kind of history it is has. The only history I see is a brick with the same boxy design since 1972. Sorry, but it does nothing for me.

But what else can do what it can do straight off of the show room floor? Range Rovers, Wranglers and there's about nothing in between. So for perspective buyers it's either a Rover or a G.

After reading a bit prior to posting it appears the Land Cruiser can also handle its own off the beaten path.

Not liking it's style is one thing, that's fine. Even though I find it ironic that people say X is bland and Y and bland and then there's something with some actual character and people dislike that too. It's a lose-lose.

Bringing up the Land Cruiser brings up an even better point. It can do everything the G Wagon can do, on or off road, and can be had for less than half the price and it also has a V8.

Sorry but the G Wagon is one of the biggest examples of bilking clueless sheep buyers when you consider the much better options out there for far less dough. That's relying on your past instead of moving into the future, especially when considering the make involved.

 

The only other options in the luxury 4X4 world are the Land Cruiser and Range Rover though, right? 

 

They've updated the interior and driveline multiple times so it isn't like they are completely leaving it stagnant. just the exterior. The next most stagnant exterior out of any vehicle on the road is the Wrangler and people eat that up as well. People just love the unconventional-ness of the G(and Wrangler)

Edited July 6, 2016 by ccap41

[oldshurst442]

Uh...I dont think the likes of these  idiots care all that much for the Toyota badge, it being cheaper and all that.

 

Its an image thing.

3 Pointed Star.

One Hundred Thousand Dollar Car.

It is an SUV, the hottest thing around.

 

And...the Pope even has one!

 

But then again he has a Jeep also.

 

That is right....part of the SUV craze.

 

 

 

But at least with the last two guys...these guys are the real deal:

Stallone owned this

 

Ahnold owned this

[surreal1272]

So this is confirmation that Mercedes is bilking their customers?

"Hey we have this modern SUV with everything you need for less that $60K or you can buy our $140K SUV that offers none of those things except worse gas mileage and a four wheel drive system than 99.99999999% of you will never use."

Got to give them credit though. Their sheep eat that up but it doesn't speak well to their buying intelligence.

No it's giving the customers who want a G...a G. They sell every one they make, they're hand made still.

99.99% never touch 200mph in their exotics but it's something they need to do.

People buying cars like this or a 458 aren't buying the car to DO what it can do. They're buying the capability to do it and frankly to say, " hey my car can do this."

Personally, I don't understand the hatred towards the G because of how capable and tank-like that they are. They're a modern old school like the Toyota (I forgot the name of the one they're making a retro version of) that everybody freakin loves. If they got rid of it people would ask, "why can't we get a vehicle to do XXX?" So they just never stopped making it as opposed to most that make soemthing super awesome and get rid of it a few years later. Like the Chevy SS. Its the almost perfect enthusiast car, 6.2 Chevy V8, manual transmission, sedan(because as adults coupes just aren't practical) and it's leaving us already. I just hope I can score a used one in a few years.

It's not so much the hatred of a severely outdated brick on wheels as exposing SMKs defense of said brick. Sorry, but if this were from GM or Ford, he would have a 180 degree opinion of this.

Oh and all that is being done for $140K+ which is insane for an outdated brick, I don't care how advanced the four wheel drive is or what kind of history it is has. The only history I see is a brick with the same boxy design since 1972. Sorry, but it does nothing for me.

But what else can do what it can do straight off of the show room floor? Range Rovers, Wranglers and there's about nothing in between. So for perspective buyers it's either a Rover or a G.

After reading a bit prior to posting it appears the Land Cruiser can also handle its own off the beaten path.

Not liking it's style is one thing, that's fine. Even though I find it ironic that people say X is bland and Y and bland and then there's something with some actual character and people dislike that too. It's a lose-lose.

Bringing up the Land Cruiser brings up an even better point. It can do everything the G Wagon can do, on or off road, and can be had for less than half the price and it also has a V8.

Sorry but the G Wagon is one of the biggest examples of bilking clueless sheep buyers when you consider the much better options out there for far less dough. That's relying on your past instead of moving into the future, especially when considering the make involved.

The only other options in the luxury 4X4 world are the Land Cruiser and Range Rover though, right? 

 

They've updated the interior and driveline multiple times so it isn't like they are completely leaving it stagnant. just the exterior. The next most stagnant exterior out of any vehicle on the road is the Wrangler and people eat that up as well. People just love the unconventional-ness of the G(and Wrangler)

It has been using the same basic unpinnings and the same frame for decades. There is no R&D with this one, only a purely profit machine. Now before anyone loses it on that statement, understand that I have no problem with profit. However, a company such as Benz should be moving forward with the G Wagon, not hanging on to the past which is contradictory to every other model they make.

[ccap41]

See, that's actually why I am fine with it. It's still a raw OLD off road 4x4 dressed up for the Hollywoods of the world. They don't drive great, they don't stop or turn very well, terrible mpg but they're old school. Nothing else is like it other than a Wrangler, really. 

 

Yeah, it'd be cool if it got an all-new chassis but nobody wants it to look any different. Make it even more off-road worthy for those who won't even take a step in their own yard let alone take one of these in the mud. 

 

In your opinion, what would YOU change about the G? 

[surreal1272]

See, that's actually why I am fine with it. It's still a raw OLD off road 4x4 dressed up for the Hollywoods of the world. They don't drive great, they don't stop or turn very well, terrible mpg but they're old school. Nothing else is like it other than a Wrangler, really. 

 

Yeah, it'd be cool if it got an all-new chassis but nobody wants it to look any different. Make it even more off-road worthy for those who won't even take a step in their own yard let alone take one of these in the mud. 

 

In your opinion, what would YOU change about the G?

Let's start with everything but the V8 and the 4WD system. It is woefully outdated everywhere quite honestly which makes that $140K price tag even more absurd.

[smk4565]

The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year.  This will be the first major update since 1979.  And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer.  Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing.  No reason to change what is successful.

[G. David Felt]

The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year.  This will be the first major update since 1979.  And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer.  Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing.  No reason to change what is successful.

2014 G Wagon sold 3090

2015 G Wagon sold 3616

 

If that is your idea of HUGE DEMAND, I would hate to think what you think is profitable demand should be. The G Wagon by any other company would have been killed off as a retail auto with numbers like that.

 

Now I admit, the web site I looked at could be wrong, but then I did not see G Wagon in the listing for numbers sold in the cheers and gears section, so did a quick search and came up with these numbers based on other auto sites.

 

No matter how you look at it, it still looks like a failure.

[ccap41]

 

The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year.  This will be the first major update since 1979.  And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer.  Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing.  No reason to change what is successful.

2014 G Wagon sold 3090

2015 G Wagon sold 3616

 

If that is your idea of HUGE DEMAND, I would hate to think what you think is profitable demand should be. The G Wagon by any other company would have been killed off as a retail auto with numbers like that.

 

Now I admit, the web site I looked at could be wrong, but then I did not see G Wagon in the listing for numbers sold in the cheers and gears section, so did a quick search and came up with these numbers based on other auto sites.

 

No matter how you look at it, it still looks like a failure.

 

Then do you consider the Miata(2014 sales: 4745, 2015 sales: 8591), Panamera(2014: 5740, 2015: 4985), Jag F-Type(2014: 4112 2015: 4629) all to be failures? Especially the Miata, right? Development costs must make margins a hell of a lot tighter than a G Wagen. Miatas must be failures then...  AXE THE MIATA! F-Types are so new the R&D cannot be paid for already. That too much be a failure especially because they start well under 100k. FAIL.

 

Uh oh, Genesis Coupe has only sold 1514 units in 2014 and 1029 units in 2015. That vehicle must be a failure as well.  

[smk4565]

The G-wagon sells great for a $145,000 vehicle. Look at BMW i8 or Audi R8 sales. Or Bentley Continental sales. Norhing in this price range is high volume and they do have global sales, they are probably selling over 10,000 globally, and these have to have $20,000+ margins.

[Suaviloquent]

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

 

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

 

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

 

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

 

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

 

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less. 

 

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

 

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME. 

[balthazar]

The G-wagon sells great for a $145,000 vehicle. Look at BMW i8 or Audi R8 sales. Or Bentley Continental sales. Norhing in this price range is high volume and they do have global sales, they are probably selling over 10,000 globally, and these have to have $20,000+ margins.

OH NO you don't. Here 'we' only quote base MSRPs. G-wagon is a "$119K vehicle".

 

i8 and R8 are sports cars and the Continental is no where NEAR the price of the g-wagon. Invalid.

 

Just looked briefly at the g-wagon builder…. did everyone here know the 550 is only available in black, white or grey? Only 3 colors????

This is what I have been referring to- there's no choice!

[ccap41]

The G-wagon sells great for a $145,000 vehicle. Look at BMW i8 or Audi R8 sales. Or Bentley Continental sales. Norhing in this price range is high volume and they do have global sales, they are probably selling over 10,000 globally, and these have to have $20,000+ margins.

I read somewhere today that they produce 56 Gs a day so you can do the math for yearly numbers.

[ccap41]

The G-wagon sells great for a $145,000 vehicle. Look at BMW i8 or Audi R8 sales. Or Bentley Continental sales. Norhing in this price range is high volume and they do have global sales, they are probably selling over 10,000 globally, and these have to have $20,000+ margins.

OH NO you don't. Here 'we' only quote base MSRPs. G-wagon is a "$119K vehicle".

i8 and R8 are sports cars and the Continental is no where NEAR the price of the g-wagon. Invalid.

Just looked briefly at the g-wagon builder…. did everyone here know the 550 is only available in black, white or grey? Only 3 colors????

This is what I have been referring to- there's no choice!

What're you talking about? I just looked and there are 13 choices of colors...

Then 13 more premium colors to choose from.

26 paint choices.

Edited July 7, 2016 by ccap41

[balthazar]

Was on Edmunds, using the builder there. When I clicked on G550, it gave 3 exterior colors to then chose from. Clicked around some more, I did find a list of 15 colors BUT 8 of them are gray and black. Not bad, but not befitting the price- needs to be a LOT better.

[surreal1272]

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less.

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME.

From my perspective, if one can find better options for far less money but only buy the overpriced one because of the badge on the hood, that is the very definition of being a sheep. Edited July 7, 2016 by surreal1272

[G. David Felt]

 

 

The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year.  This will be the first major update since 1979.  And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer.  Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing.  No reason to change what is successful.

2014 G Wagon sold 3090

2015 G Wagon sold 3616

 

If that is your idea of HUGE DEMAND, I would hate to think what you think is profitable demand should be. The G Wagon by any other company would have been killed off as a retail auto with numbers like that.

 

Now I admit, the web site I looked at could be wrong, but then I did not see G Wagon in the listing for numbers sold in the cheers and gears section, so did a quick search and came up with these numbers based on other auto sites.

 

No matter how you look at it, it still looks like a failure.

 

Then do you consider the Miata(2014 sales: 4745, 2015 sales: 8591), Panamera(2014: 5740, 2015: 4985), Jag F-Type(2014: 4112 2015: 4629) all to be failures? Especially the Miata, right? Development costs must make margins a hell of a lot tighter than a G Wagen. Miatas must be failures then...  AXE THE MIATA! F-Types are so new the R&D cannot be paid for already. That too much be a failure especially because they start well under 100k. FAIL.

 

Uh oh, Genesis Coupe has only sold 1514 units in 2014 and 1029 units in 2015. That vehicle must be a failure as well.  

 

Yup, I see no value in those auto's so would not bother with them. Failures too!

 

Course your talking to an SUV guy who has little use for the sardine car market since EPA forced MPG which forced down sizing, which put them to be a coffin on wheels. So yes, I will stick with my big full size SUVs thank you and I still consider the G Wagon a failure along with the cars you mentioned.

 

G-Wagon is a MAJOR FAILURE when I look at the pictures Drew posted of the Brand New one on the auto show floor with different screws, poor fit n finish. For the price, the buyers are taken to the cleaners for a sub par SUV.

[ccap41]

Was on Edmunds, using the builder there. When I clicked on G550, it gave 3 exterior colors to then chose from. Clicked around some more, I did find a list of 15 colors BUT 8 of them are gray and black. Not bad, but not befitting the price- needs to be a LOT better.

Go to MB's website... 26 Colors. Half of the 26 are $6500 option but there are mixes of reds, blues, browns, greens on top of the whites->blacks. I made all of those plural because there are more than one of each "black" and "green". 

 

Check out the "black opal metallic". It says black but it looks very blue in the picture. I bet it's an awesome color in person.. as it should be for 6500 bucks. 

[ccap41]

 

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less.

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME.

From my perspective, if one can find better options for far less money but only buy the overpriced one because of the badge on the hood, that is the very definition of being a sheep.

 

I understand.. but kind of disagree.. That would put Audi, BMW, MB, Bentley, Rolls... all out of business. Yes, nobody makes cars like Rolls does but "for the money" they are as overpriced as they come because you could buy an Impala and have it all customed to make it uber luxurious for waaaaaay less than the 250k+ or whatever it costs. 

 

There is an awkward medium in there.

[ccap41]

 

 

 

The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year.  This will be the first major update since 1979.  And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer.  Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing.  No reason to change what is successful.

2014 G Wagon sold 3090

2015 G Wagon sold 3616

 

If that is your idea of HUGE DEMAND, I would hate to think what you think is profitable demand should be. The G Wagon by any other company would have been killed off as a retail auto with numbers like that.

 

Now I admit, the web site I looked at could be wrong, but then I did not see G Wagon in the listing for numbers sold in the cheers and gears section, so did a quick search and came up with these numbers based on other auto sites.

 

No matter how you look at it, it still looks like a failure.

 

Then do you consider the Miata(2014 sales: 4745, 2015 sales: 8591), Panamera(2014: 5740, 2015: 4985), Jag F-Type(2014: 4112 2015: 4629) all to be failures? Especially the Miata, right? Development costs must make margins a hell of a lot tighter than a G Wagen. Miatas must be failures then...  AXE THE MIATA! F-Types are so new the R&D cannot be paid for already. That too much be a failure especially because they start well under 100k. FAIL.

 

Uh oh, Genesis Coupe has only sold 1514 units in 2014 and 1029 units in 2015. That vehicle must be a failure as well.  

 

Yup, I see no value in those auto's so would not bother with them. Failures too!

 

Course your talking to an SUV guy who has little use for the sardine car market since EPA forced MPG which forced down sizing, which put them to be a coffin on wheels. So yes, I will stick with my big full size SUVs thank you and I still consider the G Wagon a failure along with the cars you mentioned.

 

G-Wagon is a MAJOR FAILURE when I look at the pictures Drew posted of the Brand New one on the auto show floor with different screws, poor fit n finish. For the price, the buyers are taken to the cleaners for a sub par SUV.

 

You really think the Miata is a failure?!?! (I thought this was my golden ticket to a good rebuttal - lol )

 

What sales credit a vehicle for not being a failure in your eyes? 

[surreal1272]

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less.

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME.

From my perspective, if one can find better options for far less money but only buy the overpriced one because of the badge on the hood, that is the very definition of being a sheep.

I understand.. but kind of disagree.. That would put Audi, BMW, MB, Bentley, Rolls... all out of business. Yes, nobody makes cars like Rolls does but "for the money" they are as overpriced as they come because you could buy an Impala and have it all customed to make it uber luxurious for waaaaaay less than the 250k+ or whatever it costs. 

 

There is an awkward medium in there.

There's no medium here. If there are far better SUVs out there for far less money (and there are) yet your average Benz buyer still flocks to the G? Sheep.

[oldshurst442]

Better in what way?

 

The G Wagen in military form is still a formidable off roader...

A TRUE off roader where even a Land Rover and Jeep or Toyota Hilux or Land Cruiser 70 might have difficulties venturing...

Yes I know...a 100 000 dollar G Wagen never sees this...

Lifted Jeep Wranglers or Grand Cherokees in a city that cost 1\3 the price of the G Wagen dont see of roading either...

Like a civilian Hummer H1 or the Hummer H2 before it..

 

Better in what way?

Fit and finish?

 

Who cares???!!!

It is a MILITARY truck sold to the civilians that obviously 3000/year folk dont seem to care...

In the same vein how NOBODY gave a shyte how the Hummer H1 was crap on the inside...

And then GM did the Hummer H2 and THAT sold MORE than 3000/year and the interior was not that much better than the G Wagen...

OK...the Hummer H2 had matching screws!

 

I understand Balthy's point of view FULLY in which up dated better fit and finish G Wagen may mean 30 000/year rather than 3000/year...but these people are not sheep...

THIS is what they truly want.

 

Stallone and Schwarzenegger actually buy this to promote their tough guy Hollywood images...good for business when promoting the next Rocky, Expendables and Terminator movies.

 

The Kardashians are not sheep. Just more money than brains.

The oil sheik Saudis...they got more money than Allah.

 

The rest....I think its safe to say that the other owners have other toys in their stables...the G Wagen is just another collection to their already ostentatious collection of stupendous and unnecessary purchases.  A gluttony of consumption...

 

Like this one...a garage door for a boat in a yacht...

I bet you this dude also owns 3 G Wagens!!!

1 in Monaco, 1 in Dubai  and 1 in Miami beach!!!

Traded up from his  Land Rover, H2 and Escalade!

Edited July 7, 2016 by oldshurst442

[ccap41]

 

 

 

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less.

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME.

From my perspective, if one can find better options for far less money but only buy the overpriced one because of the badge on the hood, that is the very definition of being a sheep.

I understand.. but kind of disagree.. That would put Audi, BMW, MB, Bentley, Rolls... all out of business. Yes, nobody makes cars like Rolls does but "for the money" they are as overpriced as they come because you could buy an Impala and have it all customed to make it uber luxurious for waaaaaay less than the 250k+ or whatever it costs. 

 

There is an awkward medium in there.

There's no medium here. If there are far better SUVs out there for far less money (and there are) yet your average Benz buyer still flocks to the G? Sheep.

 

So why ever buy any BMW/MB over a Corvette, Mustang, Fusion, Impala, Edge,? "dynamics" don't make a car "better". They have less room, less efficient, if one metric is better..like lateral grip.. does that make it better and worth buying over an Impala or Camry? 

 

"Better" is an relative term. Better for you is different than better for me. What SUVs do what the G does and does it better?  There are only a few SUVs that even compete in the category the G does. Range Rover, Wrangler, Land Cruiser and they are all over the place in comparison to each other. Nobody looking for a Mercedes is thinking of a Jeep or Toyota. Heck those two are slow as balls in comparison to a G550. Maybe the customer wants a Land Cruiser but they want some balls under the hood. 

[smk4565]

All I know is I want a boat with a garage door.

The genius to the G-wagen is that once the V12 went on sale and Schwarzenegger buys one, then a guy like Stallone looks inferior in his G63, so then he has to go buy a G65. Kim and Kanye will need one too.

[ccap41]

All I know is I want a boat with a garage door.

The genius to the G-wagen is that once the V12 went on sale and Schwarzenegger buys one, then a guy like Stallone looks inferior in his G63, so then he has to go buy a G65. Kim and Kanye will need one too.

What motor is in the G(squared)  (or whatever it is called) 

 

Is it the G550 engine? or the G63? Orrrrr the G65's V12? I am assuming it isn't the G350d's diesel motor.

[surreal1272]

Well, we live in a society where we don't ultimately end up judging people for the vehicle they buy - we judge the company that creates the vehicle instead.

Even the Camry and Corolla are vehicles that at one point to many people in the family were tried and true like bread and butter. Simply a stale commodity, with similar expectations of the utility of a spartan breakfast.

When my dad first came here, HE was totally against American cars. Then when his certifications were finally recognized, he got better a much better job where he would travel to Atlanta for 2 weeks every 2 months, get the hotel room, car allowance, food allowance.

And he'd rent all kinds of cars, mostly big American sedans - cushy Buicks and Impalas...and now he's fully into the American car companies, but owns a rather demure family sedan, because we're regular people.

Given ~3500 or so sales of this vehicle in the U.S. per year, sheep do not buy this vehicle.

Mercedes itself sells the "better" options for far less.

And quite frankly, the people who own this relic, probably have the dough to acquire the better options or probably tried the better options, but decided to get the ostentatious relic anyways.

I don't understand why this vehicle is the way it is, but Mercedes has something here which more than just a vehicle, it's MEME.

From my perspective, if one can find better options for far less money but only buy the overpriced one because of the badge on the hood, that is the very definition of being a sheep.

I understand.. but kind of disagree.. That would put Audi, BMW, MB, Bentley, Rolls... all out of business. Yes, nobody makes cars like Rolls does but "for the money" they are as overpriced as they come because you could buy an Impala and have it all customed to make it uber luxurious for waaaaaay less than the 250k+ or whatever it costs. 

 

There is an awkward medium in there.

There's no medium here. If there are far better SUVs out there for far less money (and there are) yet your average Benz buyer still flocks to the G? Sheep.

So why ever buy any BMW/MB over a Corvette, Mustang, Fusion, Impala, Edge,? "dynamics" don't make a car "better". They have less room, less efficient, if one metric is better..like lateral grip.. does that make it better and worth buying over an Impala or Camry? 

 

"Better" is an relative term. Better for you is different than better for me. What SUVs do what the G does and does it better?  There are only a few SUVs that even compete in the category the G does. Range Rover, Wrangler, Land Cruiser and they are all over the place in comparison to each other. Nobody looking for a Mercedes is thinking of a Jeep or Toyota. Heck those two are slow as balls in comparison to a G550. Maybe the customer wants a Land Cruiser but they want some balls under the hood.

If you are buying an luxury SUV for its "balls", then you are buying the wrong type of vehicle. I stand by my assertion, even though I do see what you're getting at but you cannot deny the sheep mentality towards something like that when there are better options. A Land Cruiser has plenty of power and has a far better rep off road and it is unsurpassed in the reliability and high resale department. The drop off on the G wagon after just a few years is insane.

[surreal1272]

All I know is I want a boat with a garage door.

The genius to the G-wagen is that once the V12 went on sale and Schwarzenegger buys one, then a guy like Stallone looks inferior in his G63, so then he has to go buy a G65. Kim and Kanye will need one too.

So aside from the V12, Benz is just doing what GM did with the Hummer H1 for years as far as cachet and Hollywood appeal went. How'd that work out for GM btw?

[ccap41]

 

 

 

There's no medium here. If there are far better SUVs out there for far less money (and there are) yet your average Benz buyer still flocks to the G? Sheep.

So why ever buy any BMW/MB over a Corvette, Mustang, Fusion, Impala, Edge,? "dynamics" don't make a car "better". They have less room, less efficient, if one metric is better..like lateral grip.. does that make it better and worth buying over an Impala or Camry? 

 

"Better" is an relative term. Better for you is different than better for me. What SUVs do what the G does and does it better?  There are only a few SUVs that even compete in the category the G does. Range Rover, Wrangler, Land Cruiser and they are all over the place in comparison to each other. Nobody looking for a Mercedes is thinking of a Jeep or Toyota. Heck those two are slow as balls in comparison to a G550. Maybe the customer wants a Land Cruiser but they want some balls under the hood.

If you are buying an luxury SUV for its "balls", then you are buying the wrong type of vehicle. I stand by my assertion, even though I do see what you're getting at but you cannot deny the sheep mentality towards something like that when there are better options. A Land Cruiser has plenty of power and has a far better rep off road and it is unsurpassed in the reliability and high resale department. The drop off on the G wagon after just a few years is insane.

 

 

Why does it have to be the wrong type of vehicle? Why can't a vehicle run a mid-low 14's in the 1/4(g550) and still be able to rock crawl with a Wrangler off the showroom floor? 

 

Sheep will flock to ANYTHING that is rare/exotic with a label to it though. Hell, people are going to buy those nasty GLC Coupes, GLE Coupes, X4's, X6's... I bet  A LOT of it is because the brand. But the G Wagen actually has some very impressive capabilities both in straight line performance and off the beaten path. 

 

Toyota HANDS DOWN has a great rep for reliability but this Land Cruiser is an 8 seater.. That's a big-ass SUV compared to a G Wagen. Hard to even compare them other than their off-road worthiness. I'm not sure what the resale will be on an 85k Toyota but it'll likely be dog$h! a long with anything else in this price range and up. G Wagens don't have a terrible resale considering.

 

Alright, I randomly KBB'd a 2005 G500 and Land Cruiser @150,000 miles and the only option box I checked was the color and I made them both black. Both to private parties and both "good" condition(middle choise)

Land Cruiser: $12,702

G500: $23,283

 

Same thing for 2010 but 100,000 miles instead.

Land Cruiser: $31,746

G550: $44,723

 

Seems like they both keep roughly the same % away from each other as they depreciate. 

[surreal1272]

There's no medium here. If there are far better SUVs out there for far less money (and there are) yet your average Benz buyer still flocks to the G? Sheep.

So why ever buy any BMW/MB over a Corvette, Mustang, Fusion, Impala, Edge,? "dynamics" don't make a car "better". They have less room, less efficient, if one metric is better..like lateral grip.. does that make it better and worth buying over an Impala or Camry?

"Better" is an relative term. Better for you is different than better for me. What SUVs do what the G does and does it better? There are only a few SUVs that even compete in the category the G does. Range Rover, Wrangler, Land Cruiser and they are all over the place in comparison to each other. Nobody looking for a Mercedes is thinking of a Jeep or Toyota. Heck those two are slow as balls in comparison to a G550. Maybe the customer wants a Land Cruiser but they want some balls under the hood.

If you are buying an luxury SUV for its "balls", then you are buying the wrong type of vehicle. I stand by my assertion, even though I do see what you're getting at but you cannot deny the sheep mentality towards something like that when there are better options. A Land Cruiser has plenty of power and has a far better rep off road and it is unsurpassed in the reliability and high resale department. The drop off on the G wagon after just a few years is insane.

Why does it have to be the wrong type of vehicle? Why can't a vehicle run a mid-low 14's in the 1/4(g550) and still be able to rock crawl with a Wrangler off the showroom floor?

Sheep will flock to ANYTHING that is rare/exotic with a label to it though. Hell, people are going to buy those nasty GLC Coupes, GLE Coupes, X4's, X6's... I bet A LOT of it is because the brand. But the G Wagen actually has some very impressive capabilities both in straight line performance and off the beaten path.

Toyota HANDS DOWN has a great rep for reliability but this Land Cruiser is an 8 seater.. That's a big-ass SUV compared to a G Wagen. Hard to even compare them other than their off-road worthiness. I'm not sure what the resale will be on an 85k Toyota but it'll likely be dog$h! a long with anything else in this price range and up. G Wagens don't have a terrible resale considering.

Alright, I randomly KBB'd a 2005 G500 and Land Cruiser @150,000 miles and the only option box I checked was the color and I made them both black. Both to private parties and both "good" condition(middle choise)

Land Cruiser: $12,702

G500: $23,283

Same thing for 2010 but 100,000 miles instead.

Land Cruiser: $31,746

G550: $44,723

Seems like they both keep roughly the same % away from each other as they depreciate.

The Land Cruiser has one of the highest resale values out there. It shames any Mercedes in that category. Sorry but no one is exploiting that 0-60 time or the 1/4 mile with that G Wagon. It only sells because of the badge on the hood, hence my sheep assessment.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2013/11/18/cars-that-return-top-resale-values/#314f9a98d36f

I found this as well which covers the resale value of the G Wagon in a nutshell (while comparing it to the Land Cruiser).

"ALG, a company that tracks vehicle residuals, says both the G550 and G63 AMG will retain just 34 percent of their values after five years of ownership. That’s better than a Range Rover (25-30 percent) but well below the Toyota Land Cruiser (41 percent). Research firm Intellichoice, which tracks cost of ownership including depreciation and maintenance, rates the G-Class as “Poor,” saying this SUV will cost well above the class average to own over five years."

http://carpreview.com/mercedes-benz/g-class/2015/review

Edited July 7, 2016 by surreal1272

[G. David Felt]

Remember the LMOO2 from Lamborghini?

 

http://www.lamborghini.com/en/masterpieces/lm002/#!

 

That was crazy priced, very fast for a big brick and ugly as hell and it sold to kings, actors and the ubber 1/10th of 1% that could afford it to show off even if it never went off road. The G-Wagon is the same thing as is most Range Rovers, Jeep Rubicons, hell all jeeps and all Land Cruisers. Pretty much all your crazy priced and cheap priced SUVs rarely go off road.

 

Most would consider driving on a dirt road to be off road or on snow.

 

Most do not really understand off roading.

 

Course with that said, I do wonder in 2017 when this comes to market how it will do?

 

[Suaviloquent]

People who have the means can buy whatever they want. That doesn't make them sheep.

 

And what if it is just the badge?

 

My dad said when he was young, in the 70s, every American novel/book he read mentioned the ultimate dream of Americans was to own a Cadillac or Lincoln, and if they didn't have the means, then settle for a Buick or Oldsmobile. And it was all about the badge, nothing to do with how reliable or well built the car was. It was all about the prestige.

 

And no matter what anyone says - Cadillac definitely wants to make its vehicles a decision of the kind of prestige they want. Do they want a value, an economical choice or do they want that aura of American luxury?

 

There's going to be a new Discovery Model by Land Rover, and if the G-wagon is getting updated soon, they're going to be competing right against each other.

 

Here's one thing that the Gelandewagen has going for it - it's still built very much by hand, using old production methods that limit the quantity that can even be produced.

 

It's an old vehicle, there's plenty of cars that are much more rational, much better for your pocket....BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS. I don't like the G-Wagon, but the people who own this, probably can afford one of each. What I mean is, they've got a garage decked with all kinds of luxury and performance. This is just another whip.

 

When you're buying this level of vehicle, this kind of purchase, rationality is thrown out the window. All that remains is that this is a very macho looking vehicle, and it's probably something Pablo Escobar owned while his cronies all drove Land Cruisers. 

[ccap41]

You don't have to exploit the full potential of 0-60 to appreciate the quicker vehicle. 

 

Depreciation does not make one vehicle better or worse than the other, hence S Class. 

 

It's also funny that I found an article stating the G Class is in the top 10 lowest depreciation in the first year of ownership. 

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/cars-that-depreciate-the-slowest/#slide-3339824

 

Regardless of opinion the G Wagen sells very well for what it is. That's why the average transaction price was only $1100 under MSRP. People love it. People pay for it. 

 

We can agree to disagree. 

[surreal1272]

You don't have to exploit the full potential of 0-60 to appreciate the quicker vehicle. 

 

Depreciation does not make one vehicle better or worse than the other, hence S Class. 

 

It's also funny that I found an article stating the G Class is in the top 10 lowest depreciation in the first year of ownership. 

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/cars-that-depreciate-the-slowest/#slide-3339824

 

Regardless of opinion the G Wagen sells very well for what it is. That's why the average transaction price was only $1100 under MSRP. People love it. People pay for it. 

 

We can agree to disagree.

Yes we can but you know there is a big difference between first year and five year depreciation and it doesn't take away from my sheep remark given the evidence I presented.

[ccap41]

 

You don't have to exploit the full potential of 0-60 to appreciate the quicker vehicle. 

 

Depreciation does not make one vehicle better or worse than the other, hence S Class. 

 

It's also funny that I found an article stating the G Class is in the top 10 lowest depreciation in the first year of ownership. 

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/cars-that-depreciate-the-slowest/#slide-3339824

 

Regardless of opinion the G Wagen sells very well for what it is. That's why the average transaction price was only $1100 under MSRP. People love it. People pay for it. 

 

We can agree to disagree.

Yes we can but you know there is a big difference between first year and five year depreciation and it doesn't take away from my sheep remark given the evidence I presented.

 

Depreciation % makes a buyer a sheep? GMC Yukon is on the top ten list of 5 year depreciation %, Chevy Impala, CTS, MKS are all on two of the top 10 depreciation lists I saw.. I don't think any Lincoln buyer is a following some trend obliviously.  

 

That's a lot of sheep out there then.  

[surreal1272]

You don't have to exploit the full potential of 0-60 to appreciate the quicker vehicle. 

 

Depreciation does not make one vehicle better or worse than the other, hence S Class. 

 

It's also funny that I found an article stating the G Class is in the top 10 lowest depreciation in the first year of ownership. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/cars-that-depreciate-the-slowest/#slide-3339824

 

Regardless of opinion the G Wagen sells very well for what it is. That's why the average transaction price was only $1100 under MSRP. People love it. People pay for it. 

 

We can agree to disagree.

Yes we can but you know there is a big difference between first year and five year depreciation and it doesn't take away from my sheep remark given the evidence I presented.

Depreciation % makes a buyer a sheep? GMC Yukon is on the top ten list of 5 year depreciation %, Chevy Impala, CTS, MKS are all on two of the top 10 depreciation lists I saw.. I don't think any Lincoln buyer is a following some trend obliviously.  

 

That's a lot of sheep out there then.

Should have rephrased that. I am not connecting depreciation to one being a sheep (thought that was obvious but clearly it wasn't). It's what mentioned earlier that makes one a sheep. If the only reason you are buying an outdated SUV is because of the badge, then yes you are being a sheep. That would apply to any badge btw.

[ccap41]

But almost nothing competes with what it can do. If you want a luxury off-roader you have like two choices..

[Suaviloquent]

Well then I'm a sheep.

 

I love Cadillacs. I aspire, like how my dad mentions - to own a Cadillac. Now it's no longer about what the company makes. I like the badge, and I love the styling from the CTS and CT6.

 

My dad is still very fond of the Impalas, especially the Impala SS he used to lease from the company allowance way back when.

 

When he saw the new Impala in 2014 he instantly recognized it from the badge on the C - pillar. And Impala, big, floaty, cushy and luxo, that's his fav.

 

I would like to be able though to get him a Cadillac down the line, he can enjoy his retirement then in a very smart, and luxo rebirth of Cadillac.

 

And I know very much the classic myth that S-Class owners get a new one every 2 years.

 

Years ago, a former school teacher (who is a Lexus fanatic becuz Lexus......but his biggest reason to buy a maxed out IS and RX was the legend that has become their quality and reliability)...he told me some of his investment banker friends...all they did replace S-class every 2 years. They'd been doing it now for 16 years. YEA. They didn't really shop outside, they had thought about 7 Series or A8, but really superficially.

 

The biggest thing is that the most lucrative customers are current customers. Our marketing course was so much about remembering when you do a big change, think of ways to mitigate any side effects on current customers.

 

That's what the XTS was I think. When the new CTS came out, there had to be a luxo car for near the same price, but much larger car. It was a 2 pronged attack. 

 

I think everyone knows most Benzes have $h!ty resale, but most cars past $100k....they have $h!ty resale unless it's a Lexus or Porsche or a limited quantity model or special edition of a high volume model. When most of those cars are also leased, it's a question of whether it'll be competitive or not - but there's no hassle with trade-in or selling a car private party wise.

[balthazar]

RE depreciation / the link above ::

 

G-wagon is down supposedly @ 8% after the first year. Interestingly, the Wrangler, mentioned often in this thread, is at 7%. Hmmm.

 

Point being, and based on MSRP, the Wrangler costs the owner $2300 in depreciation after year 1.

Where the G-wagon falls flat on it's nose is that it's MSRP starts where it does, and 8% here equals $9600 after year 1. Solidly over $10,000 based on the ATP, in 12 months. 

 

Whoops- You dint save $h!e, and your 'best', sucks. 

[surreal1272]

Well then I'm a sheep.

 

I love Cadillacs. I aspire, like how my dad mentions - to own a Cadillac. Now it's no longer about what the company makes. I like the badge, and I love the styling from the CTS and CT6.

 

My dad is still very fond of the Impalas, especially the Impala SS he used to lease from the company allowance way back when.

 

When he saw the new Impala in 2014 he instantly recognized it from the badge on the C - pillar. And Impala, big, floaty, cushy and luxo, that's his fav.

 

I would like to be able though to get him a Cadillac down the line, he can enjoy his retirement then in a very smart, and luxo rebirth of Cadillac.

 

And I know very much the classic myth that S-Class owners get a new one every 2 years.

 

Years ago, a former school teacher (who is a Lexus fanatic becuz Lexus......but his biggest reason to buy a maxed out IS and RX was the legend that has become their quality and reliability)...he told me some of his investment banker friends...all they did replace S-class every 2 years. They'd been doing it now for 16 years. YEA. They didn't really shop outside, they had thought about 7 Series or A8, but really superficially.

 

The biggest thing is that the most lucrative customers are current customers. Our marketing course was so much about remembering when you do a big change, think of ways to mitigate any side effects on current customers.

 

That's what the XTS was I think. When the new CTS came out, there had to be a luxo car for near the same price, but much larger car. It was a 2 pronged attack. 

 

I think everyone knows most Benzes have $h!ty resale, but most cars past $100k....they have $h!ty resale unless it's a Lexus or Porsche or a limited quantity model or special edition of a high volume model. When most of those cars are also leased, it's a question of whether it'll be competitive or not - but there's no hassle with trade-in or selling a car private party wise.

Oh good grief Sauve. Stop being a drama queen about it. You know full well how badge snobbery works and to me, that is a sheep mentality. There is no other way to put it.

[smk4565]

First off, G-wagen buyers could care less about depreciation.  The NBAer that makes $18 million a year doesn't care, Kim Kardashian doesn't care, Sylvester Stallone doesn't care, etc.  It could get 4 mpg and they wouldn't care.  The fact that it is expensive is what makes it appealing.  

 

Car and Driver just had an article on depreciation after 3 years, industry average is to retain 53% of value.  The G-class is in most cases going to be above that. I just did a search on Auto trader for G550 within 100 miles of Pittsburgh.   There aren't many, but a 2014 is $89,900, a 2012 is $79,900 and there are a pair of 2003's for $35,000.  That is a 13 year old truck still selling for $35,000.   Using the 2012 model, it is still worth 67% of what it was new after 4 years.

 

For fun, the top 6 in resale value are Toyota FJ Cruiser (98%), Toyota Tacoma (77%), Jeep Wrangler (76%), Toyota 4Runner (75%), Honda Ridgeline (74%)  Range Rover (72%).  A pair of Subarus, the Avalanche and Tundra round out the top 10.

 

The 10 worst in resale are Smart ForTwo, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Suzuki Kizashi, Chevy Impala, Suzuki SX4, Chevy Caprice, Fiat 500, Lincoln MKS, Chevy Sonic, Ford Fiesta. 

 

For large SUV, the GMC Yukon was the worst, Toyota Sequoia was best, for luxury SUV, Lincoln Navigator was worst, Range Rover best.