throw away cars

[sean sherry]

I've resigned to the fact that not only are Manufactures shortening the life cycle of their Cars, we are now in line with all other household appliances, just buy a new one. Nothing is or can be repaired. Nothing new in that we are just way behind the Americans, I recall over 20 years ago when I was repairing the Computer Controls on Renault Automatics Transmissions my contacts in the States told me that Renault 12s were throwaway cars and nobody bothered to either repair or replace the Computer when it failed. The car was scrapped.
My old Transmission Shop in Brisbane tells me that anything more than 6 or 7 years old rarely has money spent on it unless a second hand box can be sourced. Mercedes is no different.... Will the Dealerships want to trade anything more than 5 years old or will Mercedes still back second hand units with a Warranty ? Will I get out of our 2010 C 200 now whilst I can get a decent price for it, or just run it for as long as I can and hope for the best.
All are in the same boat , the only difference in depreciation is that 20% of $60 to $80 thousand for a Merc is a lot more that 20% of $20 to $30 thousand for an Asian Car., .....after 6 or 7 years.
Maybe in Germany where cars run at 150KPH plus does a Merc or Porsche make sense. Here , any Asian shopping cart with all the bells and whistles is perfectly happy with our 100K speed limits. White goods on wheels....... Sean

But if you can afford it why not

 

[Michel]

I have for the last 10-15 years been advocating that high end vehicles (including Benzes) built from about 2000 on, should be leased for 3-5 years max (depending on the length of their warranties) and then traded on a new one... and the cycle continues. (why do you think they 'drop' so much in value?)
Yes Sean, the idea behind selling cars is... you guessed it, selling more new cars.
If new vehicles were to last (without major money spent) for 10-15 years, car companies would go broke as the principle of growing businesses by 10 per cent annually would collapse.

Now on the principle of comparing Japanese (and Korean for that matter) cars with Mercedes Benz, you would need to find the same type of oranges (Lexus-Infiniti) otherwise it would be the old 'apple vs oranges' evaluation.

I've just collected an A-Class for testing, an A200 to be precise and we are also testing a Subaru Forrester at the same time. Not one against the other, as they are different category vehicles.
However, I can assure you the feeling I get behind the baby Benz is a more comfy, luxurious and 'happy' feeling then when I am behind the wheel of the Subaru.
My thoughts only

 

[sean sherry]

Can't disagree with that Michel, if you can afford it, take it on the chin and be happy. We like our C Class for it's driveability, and will give it another year to see if it stays the course. The Specialist ,who services the car ,also told me a couple of years ago that 5 years was the limit for ownership. I will listen to people at the coal face.
Maybe I live too much in the past and probably will never ,at this late stage , ( 80 is very close ) come to terms with our Granddaughters generation.
Back in the olden days they say .. The 1980's !
Sean

 

[BenzBoy]

Well Sean - my 2001 ML320 has just hit 150,000 and this week I've done plugs/harmonic balancer/air mass sensor/front way bar bushes/auto trans flush and filter/engine oil and filter all for a whisker less than $2000. at the official dealer. The 2007 CLK350 has just done 60,000 with only routine services.
I don't view either as a throw away product and it would not make any financial sense if I were to treat them as such.
I look at the competition and don't believe there is any there I really want - although when I reach retirement age (85+ because I like spending money) I guess I will buy a Hyundai and not care about anything other than the 5 year warranty.
Regards,
Brian

 

[sean sherry]

Point taken Gents, I guess when all is said and done a Mercedes is hard to go past. I wonder Michel if the power to weight Ratio of the base A Class 1.8
(Read a 1.6 ) works out to be the same as the C200 ( read 1.8 ) Both are Turbo I believe. I'm a convert to Turbo with our C 200 GLI, amazing Torque for such a small capacity. If the new A rides and feels like a Mercedes who knows what I may do......
Sean

 

[Michel]

Point taken Gents, I guess when all is said and done a Mercedes is hard to go past. I wonder Michel if the power to weight Ratio of the base A Class 1.8
(Read a 1.6 ) works out to be the same as the C200 ( read 1.8 ) Both are Turbo I believe. I'm a convert to Turbo with our C 200 GLI, amazing Torque for such a small capacity. If the new A rides and feels like a Mercedes who knows what I may do......
Sean

Are you mobile again Sean?
I have the A200 until Monday.
I'm quite happy to catch up with you sometime before then and take you for a drive as well as let you drive it and feel for yourself.
Just let me know when

 

[SEL_69L]

Has anybody guessed why a Getz is my normal drive car yet?
I have long since given in.

Just as computers are junked, so are cars. Modern cars are loaded with electronics, which are not replaceable. Electronics are not replaceable in laptops or i Pads. Why should electronics or any other part for cars be replaceable beyond the period which leglislation requires?

A Mercedes 'A' class costs a lot more than a Getz, because they are the product of more recent research and development. If you want 'state of the art', you have to pay for the R&D. It is up to the Mercedes customer to pay for this.

Both the 'A' Class and the Getz have a depreciation to zero, over about 15 years. The 15 years is the amount of time that leglislation requires for a manufacturer to support their product with spare parts, both within and beyond warranty. German and Asian manufacturers both now work to that time life span for a motor vehicle.

After that, the owner of a 15+ year old car is on their own. Good luck!

 

[sean sherry]

Thanks Michel , I would jump at the chance ! I'm on the road to recovery and now feel much much better in the mornings but tend to fade a bit after lunch i.e., I start to get tired. ....Learning to pace myself.
Sean........ 98162107...0418207165

 

[260ebenz]

Drive in the A200 sounds good Michel enjoy.

Any chance you could bring the A200 or another Mercedes to the AGD and go for a drive Michel?