BenzV12

One of the funniest things in the new 3 Series is you can get your keyfob in various colors lol Normally, key fobs are black by default but BMW has taken a step furher on customization job

hyperion667

don't mean to go agaisnt the idea, but I kind of like the fact that you can customize bmw's more so than our cars...........isn't that true? seems they have a lot more options from factory......like ordering black ex.trim instead of chrome?

BenzV12

The idea of customization is palatable actually but I can not imagine a girl order a BMW lol Well, assuming chicks are into pink colored things , everything is in pink .By strethch of imagination , let's say your car is broken and you need to drive your gf's car which is a pink BMW with pink colored interior lol
Well, I would take a taxi then pick up her car

CEB

So why is your car parked in the "trade-in" lot?

K-A

Probably best spot in the house to avoid door dings (I always scan for that kind of spot.... yesterday it was a Hybrid plug in spot. ).

newyorktoLA

LOL whenever i go to the dealership for a new car of ANY brand, I always go in a super cheap car to avoid them seeing my Benzes and thus, refusing to negotiate...

K-A

Good point. Yet I find that when I pull up with my E, I get immediate and serious treatment. From my experiences, the Star commands quite some respect at Dealerships. If you're just going to test drive and mess around, taking the M-B is good, but if you're serious about buying, go and present yourself as close to a broke a$$ as possible.

rjm

What? You've got to be kidding!! You are really hung up on your "status" symbol. Car dealers couldn't give a flip what you drive. Trust me.

ImInPA

Hey, lighten up on K-A. Sure he loves the status of his Benz. He still puts his pants on just like the rest of us, one leg at a time. His just happen to be satin.

K-A

LOL. You don't know squat about the specific scenario's of which I'm talking about, therefore I have no reason to "trust you".

This isn't ideology or my opinion, it's based on factual experiences I've had the many times I've taken my car to a Dealer.

rjm

Here is an interesting survey. MB wins in the Most Prestigious Category again for good reason. Buyers perceive them to be the most prestigious. Around the DFW area they are as common as Chevy's. For good reason. Among the premium brands, MB offers the highest discount of any of them. 7-10K off of MSRP is not uncommon, 3-5K off of a Lexus or BMW would be typical. If you go to the high-dollar areas (such as Valley Ranch where the Cowboys train) or the Highland Park area you will see lots of Cadillac Esplanades, Lexus GX-470's and LS-460's, and BMW 750i's with very few MB's in sight. Every blue-haired real estate lady in North Texas drives a Mercedes. Big status-symbol, huh? And when you go to trade your car in or sell it yourself and find out it's worth 30% of what you paid for it, be sure and tell them what a status symbol it is.



2012 Brand Image Awards:

The 2012 Brand Image Awards, presented to the top brands in 12 categories, are based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence's Brand Watch study. Brand Watch is an online brand perception tracking study tapping into in-market new-vehicle shoppers annually on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. The Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public.

This marks the fifth year Kelley Blue Book has awarded auto manufacturers the Brand Image Awards, and this year, there are multiple repeat winners. Mercedes-Benz has captured Most Prestigious Brand for the fifth year in a row, demonstrating its unwavering stance in the minds of in-market car shoppers as the brand with the highest prestige. One of the most important factors among new truck buyers is "ruggedness," and for four years running Ford has claimed the Most Rugged Truck Brand title among consumers. Furthermore, Honda is awarded Best Value Brand for the second year running, and Cadillac is named Best Comfort Brand for the second year in a row.

Ford will bring home the most 2012 Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards, receiving four out of the 12 trophies given this year. Ford is taking top honors for its great design, sweeping both the Best Exterior Design and Best Interior Design Awards in the Non-Luxury categories. In addition, this year Ford is the standout among car shoppers as Most Family-Friendly Brand, and it also wins the aforementioned award for Most Rugged Truck Brand.

Kelley Blue Book's 2012 Brand Image Award Winners:

2012 Best Value Brand: Honda

2012 Most Trusted Brand: Honda

2012 Most Family-Friendly Brand: Ford

2012 Most Rugged Truck Brand: Ford

2012 Best Exterior Design Brand - Non-Luxury: Ford

2012 Best Interior Design Brand - Non-Luxury: Ford

2012 Best Exterior Design Brand - Luxury: BMW

2012 Best Interior Design Brand - Luxury: Cadillac

2012 Best Comfort Brand: Cadillac

2012 Best Performance Brand: Porsche

2012 Coolest Brand: Porsche

2012 Most Prestigious Brand: Mercedes-Benz

hyperion667

LOL

K-A

So, based on your anecdotal "observations" in Texas, which have Cowboy's of which I've never even seen in real life, a place where I've never been, M-B's brand has no "prestige". Yet, you show an Award that gives M-B the most Prestigious Brand victory, and pretend like you're riding shotgun with me and experiencing how I've experienced salesman react to an M-B?

GTFO out of my Thread with the obvious unvalidated bitterness, Tex.

rjm

You've never heard of the Dallas Cowboys?

Have you been hiding under a rock or what?

Those satin britches must be chaffing you a bit.

The point of the Brand Image Awards points out that the survey "is based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence's Brand Watch study.....tapping into in-market new-vehicle shoppers annually on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.....creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public."

Nobody is running down your favorite brand of Kool-Aid, only that prestige, not exterior design, interior design, quality, beauty, longevity, re-sale value, handling, or performance is the primary basis most Mercedes owner's pick that particular brand. There is nothing wrong with that....if that is what trips your trigger. It just mystifies me that in your initial review on your car when it was new you stated basically that it was, among other complaints, a rattle-trap, and then you went on for 2 or 3 paragraphs complaining what a piece of junk it was and how disappointed you were with the quality of your new "status symbol". Now you get on here and tell us nothing else compares to your car and BMW's and Lexus' are junk. I maintain you are deluding yourself. Quite a contrast between then and now.

K-A

I meant actual Cowboys.

You're the troll who comes here solely to trash troll M-B's and uptalk other cars, like Lexus, Hyundai, etc. It's a clear symptom of somebody who has some weird bias where they try their hardest to convince themselves against a car they're drawn to, hence their coming to a Message Board solely dedicated to said car, only appearing in Threads to downtalk it.

I was that guy here once.... then I figured out the issue, and bought the W212.

You don't have to theorize with me, I know what I'm speaking about here. I don't buy MY M-B for "prestige", however, I recognize the cachet the brand houses.

My issues with my car have been resolved. And any negatives are mightily outweighed by the positives. Lexus' don't inspire me, I think the new ones look terrible, and BMW's are alright, fine but to me, they don't fully compare to my car. If they did, I'd drive one.

I sat in a 6-Series, which is a beautiful car, yet when I got back to my car, I liked mine more. This isn't prestige babble, it's my tastes toward the cars at hand and how my senses react to them.

Now, be gone.

K-A

This is utter BS.

You act as if M-B is the only brand that suffers from cachet-****** as buyers.

I buy my M-B for "exterior design, interior design, quality, beauty, longevity, luxury, heritage, safety, timelessness". Re-Sale value on M-B's are no worse than any other Luxury competitor, I'd wager the reliability improvements of newer ones are working it toward the tip of resale compared to its most direct German competitors.

Also, as far as incentives go, BMW lead in that department last year, not M-B.

K-A

Everybody here should already know how highly I feel about the 328i that I test drove. The drive was almost unthinkably brilliant considering the specs the car was working with. The only things I didn't like are the looks (don't dislike them except for the fugly front, just think it's "meh"), and the cheesily kiddish plasty-looking wood in the modern trim car (though it's different and playful to have as an Option, I agree).

I just had a C250 as a Loaner for a couple of days. Thoughts:

Complete dog. It performs how you'd expect a 4 cylinder to, unlike the 328i who makes you scratch your head and think.... "how the ffffff"???? The takeoff and acceleration are lazy and lethargic. I am not a speed demon by any means, I don't need much power in a car, and I'm a conservative driver for the most part, however, I need *effortless* motion. The C250 strains and isn't effortless to me. Also, both cars suffer from the hideous "4-Banger tick-tap-mini tractor diesel sound", and the C's sounded very bad.

Handling? Not bad, but nothing as exhilarating as the 3-Series.

What do I like about the C over the 3? I was VERY impressed by how well of an environment the C's interior is now (after the putrid pre-facelift's interior especially). I feel that the 3 is a little busier and more "tech-oriented", not as relaxing and soothing as the C's. The C is a very mature and elegant car to drive around in now, I feel.... though my GF, who may be spoiled by my E, yet isn't a car fanatic in the least (the opposite of one), said the interior reminded her of a "Honda, not a luxury car at all".

Also, the chassis of the C is absolutely STELLAR, it literally feels bomb-proof. That thing would go over anything on the roads, and not a hitch or harsh element transmitted to the frame. I can't say enough how sturdy and incredibly solid this car feels. My E-Class has 18" wheels, and honestly, they make the ride quite harshly upsetting for an E-Class when I go over rough patches (though it's absolutely sublime over smooth roads), yet the C250 with the Sport Package comes with 17's.... And they absorb SO MUCH more harshness than even the E with 18's does.

All in all, I still gotta say the 3 has this segment down pat, but the new C is a true "Mercedes alternative", and does certain things that the 3 doesn't, in terms of what you'd expect from a Benz. In short, those things are what make me pick the E over a 5, or an S over a 7, but in this case, by a small margin, not a C over a 3.