Kjgraz

Hey guys, just to be clear I could not care less what my car is badged as however I am concerned that the resale will take a significant hit.

I order my C450 two months ago and it currently has a build date of Jan 25. It's obviously configured exactly how I want it. I was originally planning on purchasing it but with the upcoming name change it seems like a lease will be the safest move.

Anyone else taking delivery in the next few weeks? If so are you asking for a larger discount, and what are your thoughts on the lease vs buy situation?

z28lt1

Yes, I'm taking delivery in the next few weeks. This is my opinion only, but I'm not sure why a name change would materially impact resale. It's not like it is currently called a Kia and they are renaming it to an AMG-MB.

Lease versus buy would depend upon so many factors (what each deal was, how long will you keep the car, how many miles will you put on it). That said, again, I don't see how a name change materially impacts this decision though, as those factors existed before.

tron786

Can't you just change the badges when they become available at the parts Dept?

inhartwetrust

...his car is still a C450, and it would be pretty shady to try to sell it to someone as a C43.

tron786

I guess it's ok for MB to be shady then....

Kjgraz

I'm just concerned that a name change may deter/confuse future used car buyers and therefore negativity affect resale.

A lease essentially transfers that risk away for you to MB. As long as the residual/MF are decent I think I will be more comfortable with a lease as I like to get in and out of cars quickly.

Regardless this move by MB is pretty annoying, it just adds unnecessary complexity and confusion.

Kjgraz

Yeah, that would look very shady. I also don't care what the badge reads at all. I just don't want to take a hit on the cars value for no reason other then MB confusing everyone.

inhartwetrust

My point was that changing the damn badges doesn't change the fact it is a C450 and not a C43, which was the OP's concern...he asked how the model name change would impact his resale value.

If he were to rebadge it as a C43, and sell it as such...that's shady. Selling it as a C450 with C43 badges isn't, because he's being honest, but that wasn't what he asked. Don't be so dense.

Xtrema

Crapshoot, lease if you are worry as long as you understand the residuals.

In Canada, residual is around 66% after 39 months. Typical depreciation of C class is around 36% after 3 years. So it's really a draw if rate is the same.

C400 is really an exception. So many lease returns of C400 just go directly to auction because residual is higher than market value. So leasing C400 definitely is way better than buying one. But C400 is also made inferior by C450, I really doubt rebadge to C43 will has as big of a impact of C450.

As least that's what I'm telling myself because I probably gonna order one in spring as I can't wait for the rebadge to happen.

rbrylaw

Really?? In just what way is MB being shady? They're changing the name of some cars. They're not hiding anything. I fail to see how that's shady in any way. And while none of us knows the date this will take place, it's unlikely they'll just start re-badging C450's one day in this model year, with new badges. They'll likely make some changes as the newly badged cars roll off the assembly line.

netboy

Who cares about resale value if you dont plan to sell it. I plan to keep it that's why i finance it.

Xtrema

I never like to keep Germans past warranty period is over. It's just Russian roulette when you do. For the potential problem and cost of them, may as well jump on a new car. Especially how they improved generation after generation.

So to some, resale matters.

mvw

Sam view from a different perspective. I lease and just assume it will go back to the dealer. If it never gets in an accident and residuals hold up I may trade it in instead to take the value out, but safest thing is just expecting to walk away and just be ready to argue about the little tiny scratches they tell you will cost 2k to fix...

ggonzaga

Residual values.. that's one of the ways of knowing if you're getting a good deal on the lease or not.

My salesperson sent me these residual values (meaning how much the car should be worth after the lease terms):
36 months: 59%
42 months: 56%
48 months: 54%

The residuals are based on the MSRP of the particular car which was of around 64k before tax, after tax/registration/fees it was 69k.

AMG_BUFF

I wouldn't think any name shuffling would cause a huge difference in resale. Also, I bought the C450 for what it is and not for what it will bring back in a trade later. It's going to depreciate regardless.