Quote:
Originally Posted by LogicalApex
I am far younger so I can't recall those days, but were the market realities any different? I'd imagine they had to be to covet that perception?
Today, lease rates allow people to rent more car than they could afford. So they can punch above their weight for the brand allure and many do. But car leasing isn't new and has been around since the 70s and probably longer in the US...
How was used car prices for luxury makes back then? Is used car prices were fractions of their new car MSRP (which I imagine they were) you'd still have people in older BMW or MB cars that were unable to afford them at full price new.
Where I am going is there has always been a disconnect from reality on that front. If you're very affluent you still tend to get moved around in a Mercedes as the car your driver has, but that doesn't mean your car isn't being picked up for fractions less used.
BMW and MB low cost offerings are the same they've always been. Designed to get you into the brand so you can climb up later. Meaning you start with that CLA once you graduate college and get your decent job and hopefully a few years later you're in a C class and eventually moving up to an E class. They have no real choice but to do this as mainstream cars include more luxury features buyers wonder why they should go for a MB or a BMW when they can get similar safety features and luxury in their Toyota while retaining reliability and lower TCO.
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You haven't said anything I disagree with. I should clarify I was merely making an observation. The world has changed and Mercedes had to change with it. Throwing out low cost bargain models is how you capture those buyers once they advance in their careers.
In LA, once these compact executive cars become 3+ yrs old, they get picked up by anybody and everybody. There's a lot of shit heads rolling around in banged up old 3-series, G37/Q50s, and Lexus IS acting like they own the road.
