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      02-05-2013, 01:24 PM   #108
Mentos
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Drives: 640d GC Msport
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: London

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I think the point you're missing is that MSRPs are as the S in the acronym implies, purely suggested prices. In reality as with any commodity the market dictates the true price.

I can't comment about Canada, but in the UK there are big discounts available on all these cars, including the S7. At present the 640d, A7 bi-turbo and S7 are pretty close to parity for pre-reg/demo cars (3 months old with a couple of thousand miles on them). Finance deals aren't that far off either if you bide your time.

In my experience MSRPs are vastly inflated across the range. And I think this practice is primarily in place to make finance deals look more attractive then they really are. Instead of charging 20% less, but a realistic interest rate, manufacturers are bumping the MSRP and quoting a lower interest rate (plus other incentives such as dealer contributions). It's simply a way for premium manufacturers to avoid more obvious headline discounts which they feel devalue their brand.

Ultimately why does the MSRP matter to the consumer (the person that's actually buying the car). All I care about when cross shopping is what I'm asked to pay and i make my decision based on that.

And to be honest when youre dropping ~$100k, oddly enough quoted figures and perceived cache of an M/AMG/RS badge may not matter as much. An S7 still looks almost the same as a standard A7 to my eye, which I see regularly. It's funny how one may define rarity/desire ability/preference in a different way when they're taking the massive depreciation hit, rather then debating it as a hypothetical.

Of course things may be different in your market. Your priorities may be different. But I've been dragged kicking and screaming from two door coupes/sports cars due to circumstances. My priorities were aesthetics/how the car drives (I generally prefer RWD)/practicality. Price within 10-15% wasn't that relevant to me. Nor was a marginal difference in performance. Given that, the GC won hands down over the A7/S7/CLS/Panemera (they were all well within my price range,I just couldn't stomachs the looks of the panamera). The one car that gave me pause for thought was the upcoming Quattro Porte, but I still wasn't comfortable with a Maser as my only daily driver . That may well change in a year, but I hope not as ill have to take a swift kick in the balls if I decide to change that quickly

Last edited by Mentos; 02-05-2013 at 01:28 PM.. Reason: .
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