Am I missing what's so special about an expensive luxury car? Driving one now...
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Anonymous
| My dealership's service department gave me a new Mercedes GLS 580 SUV loaner with the sticker still attached. This is a $130,000 vehicle. It's fine but I honestly don't get what's the big deal. I don't feel special driving it. I don't detect anyone cares or even notices it on the road or in a parking lot or anything like that. Some people, including our neighbors, seem almost addicted to driving really nice vehicles like this. What am I missing here? |
Anonymous
| It is just a status symbol. You could probably buy a Toyota Camry for 90K less and get potentially similar experience but to each his own if it makes someone happy. |
Anonymous
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What's your usual car? A Mercedes loaner suggests a Mercedes.
I drive a <$100K BMW. Not a 6 figure BMW I might get as a loaner. I don't think that's where you find the big difference. When I get in my kid's Honda or a rental car, yes, there's a difference that I am not going back to. |
Anonymous
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It's a status symbol for people who are insecure, and suckers.
The kind of car you drive bears absolutely zero relevance to your net worth, income, or "status." |
Anonymous
| The secret is to buy a 2-3 year old one and it's basically new but 50% less |
Anonymous
NP. I don’t get it. What is the difference that you are not going back to? What is so special about your bmw? |
Anonymous
Not really the norm post COVID with the used car market skyrocketing but yes pre 2021 this was the hack to buy an off lease luxury car for 50+ % off |
Anonymous
| I have a Mercedes. My DC has a Hyundai. You can really feel the difference. But my regular Mercedes is not $130,000, so I can’t speak to that end of things. |
Anonymous
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It’s because you are telling the people around you that you have moneys, ergo you be better than them.
Are you slow or something? |
Anonymous
Different poster but ride quality, road noise, infotainment, and material quality would be the big ones for me. |
Anonymous
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It's not about showing off. It's a better car. Quieter on the inside, better safety equipment, nicer sound system, good handling (sometimes), faster.
I drive a luxury car and when I get a rental.. usually a Kia or similar.. I can notice the difference. Noisier, slow acceleration, cheap interior materials, and so on. |
Anonymous
Not anymore. The prices on new and 2-3 year old vehicles are closer than they used to be. |
Anonymous
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There is a difference ofcourse, but not big enough to want to own one.
I feel a bigger difference between the size and the type of the car and whether it's electric or not. I don't care for the extras at all. And then there's this experience where every luxury car has been in shop or stopped at the side of the road. I don't know where you live, but nobody in my neighborhood (20016) has a luxury car that stands out. |
Anonymous
| OP, I get it. I have a Toyota Highlander, DH has an Audi A8, I don’t see much difference at all between the two. |
Anonymous
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The things I appreciate and want to pay for are synthetic leather (I don’t care, just not fabric), quiet and lack of vibration. I also appreciate heated seats and seats that adjust a lot.
I dgaf about the engine or anything else really so the right car for me is usually like a Toyota with one or two levels up of trim. Maybe a Volvo. |