Am looking to purchase a new 2025 EQS 450 4Matic SUV here in Socal with MSRP $119K. Dealer is offering $108K out the door (tax and registration included). Should I take this deal? I abhor the stress of negotiating with auto salesman. The salesman mentioned all govt incentives are included in this deal. Your thoughts? Take this deal or walk? Tks in advance.

 

I don't know, especially because my knowledge is not local to you. But, I have been on this forum long enough to see the following items used in negotiations, being thrown in to sweeten the deal without dropping the selling price. See if you can snag any!
- Free A & B service for 2+ years
- Free charging for x years or y amount of $
- Free extended warranty for x years
- Free extended subscriptions to some digital extras (and believe me, you will want some)

I am sure others with local knowledge will jump in here about the deal you have in front of you.

 

Hi ScottC2 > Appreciate the advice!

 

I hate dealing with sales staff as well. Even for premium manufactures they are just typical "used car" salesmen in expensive suits trying their best to pull one over you.

Anything below MSRP is a deal compared to what was available over the last few years.

If you like the car, are sold on the advantages of EV's then go for it. But be aware that the depreciation rate is significant, as it could loose half its value in 2 years. This is not important if you plan to keep it for many years or have very high annual mileage.

The alternative is getting a CPO with low mileage that is hugely discounted where someone else has paid the depreciation.

 

I would ask for a detailed list of government incentives, because I don't think there are any for an outright purchase. Hopefully, you won't have to rely on public charging much in SoCal where I frequently found long queues at DC chargers.

 

I would suggest looking into a CPO 2024 model instead with low miles. You will get additional 30% discount and additional 2 years of warranty. The 24 year models also have slightly better range.

 

I would suggest leasing. And grab that lease before the $7500 lease credit disappears. And just for kicks, compare that lease to a BMW iX, where discounts range in SoCal from 10-12% with low money factors and more favorable residuals.

The depreciation and short-term future inherent in EV's means I would not want to tie up funds in a potentially deeply depreciating asset. I would much rather pay for the depreciation plus interest.

I believe most "experts" would advise leasing a luxury vehicle rather than purchasing.

I leased an EQB300 ordering it in Feb 2023 and taking delivery in uly 2023. It was at that point sold at MSRP and a high money factor that was the equivalent of about 7.5%. I'm not complaining in that regard. It was what (I thought) I wanted and you sometimes just pay the price to get what you want. Vehicle turned out to be a total lemon; lawyer could not get MB to lemon it since MB found their way out due to legal loopholes. I intended to lemon it and go iX. As an example, in May 2024, the iX I wanted listed over $30K above the EQB. The lease payment would have been $50 per month less.

I have no idea what kind of programs MB is currently offering in SoCal. Do you have AAA or any of the other fleet discounts available to you. Other than the incentives, what is the discount from MSRP? I think MB is really becoming aggressive both in price and money factor so the savings on the iX might be comparable. If you can stomach the design, I have the feeling the iX is a better vehicle but I also believe the EQE and EQS are much more dependable vehicles than my EQB.

I am currently at least $15K under water with the lease, which is a common thread among EV leasees. Still, I love EV's in concept and practice and would not have gone in any other direction. I just happened to have had bad luck.

My bottom line-- ponder the lease. Deal probably good but without seeing all the numbers, hard to assess.

 

2024s shouldn't actually have more range, they just used a slightly less conservative testing procedure.

 

Didn't the 2025 models get the new 118 kWh battery pack, up from 108 kWh? They should have the most range model year wise thus far

 

The SUVs got the big battery for '24, the sedans are catching up for '25.

 

The EQS SUV is a great car but unless you will be keeping at least six years, be prepared for major depreciation. If you only keep a car three years, leasing would be a more affordable option. For example, our MY23 EQS 580 SUV with a MSRP of $136K and less than 18K miles is only worth about $50K on a trade. That's hard to swallow! In retrospect, we should have leased it rather than buy it out right. Something to consider.

 

Since when they switch CPO back to 2yrs? Has been 1yr for quite some time now.

 

Best to lease for 2-3 years. As suggested by others , lease a new 2024. They have piled up and dealers can’t wait to get rid of these - 30% of msrp is standard + 7500$ EV lease cash. Money factor rn is .00101 (3ish %) but residuals are horrendous - 47% for 3 yr lease. This is a buyers market for EQS so you can ask for additional dealer lease cash incentives. It’s not unrealistic to walk away with a $650 monthly with tax with zero down. EQS is basically in liquidation now since MB is sunsetting the line in 2026.

 

Low mile Maybachs are now $130K. I'm tempted but really have no use for the back seats myself.