Munich77

My wife's car (2008 E350 4matic) is at the dealer to get some repair work done. Our service advisor "treated" her to a brand new loaner - a 2018 E300 4matic. The car is awesome - P2 package, leather, warmth package etc. Very nice car indeed! Then I looked at the sticker - $67,XXX! I think the sticker on my 2014 E550 4matic was around that price! I am kind of shocked by how much the price of the E class has gone up in 4 model years. If I were to extrapolate this price for an E550 (which I know they do not make), I would be up in the 80kish range. The E class is nice but wow this is expensive!

cetialpha5

Mine is also a 2008 and the sticker was about 65k. Just depends what options it has. Mine had P2, parktronic, real leather, designo graphite, pano roof, folding rear seats and power trunk closer. They get rid of items too as the years go by so you get new options, but end up missing some old ones.

kajtek1

Engine options don't add that much to vehicle price.
Gadgets do,
This year I custom-order Ford Diesel Truck. Even diesel is $8k option, my truck come way cheaper than what was standing on dealer's lots
I skip sunroof, crew cab and 4 WD going only for supercab and LSD.
New MB do have big screen GPS with live traffic and "fly" option. You might not see it individual price hidden in package, but I bet it is more than adding 2 cylinders.

PaulE550

Just an FYI. The E43 AMG, which is the replacement to the E550, can easily hit the $90K mark depending on the options you select. Yes, the new interior looks great, but MB seems to be leveraging that AMG badge and the two larger LCD screens for all they can. I see lots of E300's on road around here, but I've only seen two E43 on the road so far.

mellonc

everyone is moving to the "lease and trash" business model. Jack up the price, take advantage of low interest rates and lease'em all day long. Whatever happened to ownership? I'd take a look at the CPO cars. Under 40K miles, these cars are as good as new. And you also get the benefit of knowing persistent issues (if your sales guy is willing to share the dealer computer screen with you) with the car before you buy. Don't forget the forums and boards where you can also find out model related issues. Finally, you can buy car even if it's officially discounted in the new car market. My diesel is not sold in the States anymore but I bought the 2014 model anyway with low miles and full history (former leased car at the dealer where I bought it - viewed the entire history down to each tire rotation)

Also I still think MB is better made than BMWs (the Ultimate Leasing Machine) which break down right at 50,001 mile mark in the tune of of at least 5K in repair cost......