RayRay'sBenz

Hello All,

I am new to the forum and I have almost convinced the wife to buy a GL. She is pretty humble and is not a woman with lots of wants. I should consider myself lucky in that respect as I am sure there are many with a long list of supposed needs. Regardless, she thinks that the styling of the 550 is overkill and doesn't seem to love it as much as I do. She mostly thinks it looks a little masculine but we have only seen the Black on Black in person. I have read here once you load up a 450 that the pricing becomes very close which is a possible argument to go the 550 route. I need other things, besides looks, to try and convince of her on the 550. Are there safety features on the 550 that are not available on the 450? Anything you can share with me to help convince her would be appreciated. As I understand it, besides enhanced wheel wells, larger rims and tires and the enhanced (larger front facia), you can make a 450 look like a 550. Is there is anything I am missing? Also, I am going to attempt to convince her I need the additional horsepower since I will be getting rid of a Limited Edition Range Rover Sport Supercharged. Last question, what car would you buy if you are going to buy a car (no 2 seaters and/or convertibles)? I am considering, BMW M5, E63 AMG and the CL63 AMG.

BoBcanada

go for CL63.

firefighter608

I'm not talking anybody's wife into anything

BeanCounter

If your wife likes things on the understated side then a 450 is the way to go over the 550. With that said, if you are talking about getting a fully loaded up GL, I really could not see getting a 450 when the 550 could be had for a few thousand more. I second the comment on the CL63, that is a sweet ride. I also love the S550...........

vinceching

just tell her resale wise... you are better off getting the 550

blazinginder

If you're looking for a loaded GL450 then just pay a little more for the GL550 which is just a few thousand more with same options.

Now regarding the car question, if the rear seat has to be useful for adults then I'd say E63 otherwise CLS63...CL63 IMO isn't worth it, I'd just get a S63, just personal preference.

Stumblefoot

Welcome to the forum RayRay. I love your post and just can't resist being a smart alec, so here's my two cents. Please don't take any of this personally.

That's what you think. As soon as you learn that we don't convince wives of anything, the better off you'll be.

That's how I feel about my wife too, but I haven't seen her return a single gemstone I've ever given her either. Jen... any comments please?
She's absolutely right and it is. That is why you like it so much.

Let's try the following...
1) Monster MB star. Cars in front of you naturally proceed to the slow lane when they see that star approaching in their rear view mirrow.
2) More hp. See point #1 above, because when they first see the 550, you are about 1/2 mile behind them. On their next look into the mirror they see that you are directly behind their bumper. At that very moment, their steering wheel turns right.
3) AMG 21" Wheels. For safety, nothing hugs the road like these, unless of course you are driving in slush, or standing water.

Nope. In fact, there are less... no ORP or Distronic.

Who's going to be the primary driver of the GL? If it's you, then get the 550. If it's going to be her, then get her an SUV she prefers. You'll be much happier for the next several years.

Best Wishes!!!

cjh.

Stumblefoot: You crack me up.

RayRay'sBenz: Well...if your wife is a woman of very few wants, then why does she want to get the 450 instead of the 550. See! That right there is a want, not a need. You don't need no stinkin' 450 when you could have a 550.



(I'm pretty much pullin a stumblefoot on this one)

way2evil

Be sure to mention the laser lights that zap traffic out of the way. lol just kidding. if you get a loaded 450 what would the price difference be between the 450 and the 550?

Newbie_2_MB

OK, female perspective here...

Who will be the primary driver of the GL? If it's her and she wants the 450, go with the 450. Happy wife, happy life. If she doesn't like it, then you can always say, "Well honey, it's what you wanted".

Trust me, if you get her the 550 and she truly doesn't want it, she'll find something wrong with it and it'll be your fault. Remember, this is coming from a woman (and a wife, although I'm the one that wanted the GL, not my husband!).

Newbie_2_MB

You are a very wise man and a good husband Brian!!

oknish

Tell you what RayRay, you buy a 550 and if she doesn't like it then I will trade you my 450 for your 550. Win-win all around.

Just pulling a Stumble on you, it being Fri and all

I do agree with what others have said. If it is her car, let her choose. Else you will not hear the end of it. With said, once she chooses 450 then work on selling her on 550 which has everything standard

And, if you are really brave, buy the 550 and put the key in a box with a 5 carat diamond ring. She will not say no.

Newbie_2_MB

Nish, I should have had Allen sit next to you at dinner...you could have given him some tips!!

Stumblefoot

AMEN SISTER!

Stumblefoot

Nish... you will never be allowed to sit next to my wife at dinner.

5 carats... what are you thinking man?

RayRay'sBenz

I would likely load up a 450 and it seems the jump financially to the 550 wouldn't be much but it is not about the money, it really is the styling. Rear seats not so much for adults but we have a young family and still need to accomodate infant/child seats. Is the seating in the CLS63 and/or CL63 pretty tight compared to E63? Of the CLS and CL I have only been inside the CL63. No offense to any S class owners but I just feel like the S, like the full size Range Rover, is bigger and more of a progression as I get older. Not that it is an old mans car by any means I just feel like a natural progression is the E then the S. It is crazy but I just feel like I need to turn at least 50 before I buy the flagship, largest and likely sweetest ride in a manufacturers line up (i.e. the S). I guess the sweetest might be the Maybach, but that is definitely for later in life.

Like the resale angle and the best part is that it is likely very true. Thanks

Thanks for the vote.

RayRay'sBenz

Thanks for the welcome. Always business, never personal.

I need to remind myself of that all the time.

Unfortunately she never returns things because she thinks that it is rude. Which is almost worse because now she has the largest diamond I have bought to date, sitting in her jewelry box because she thinks it is too nice for everyday jewelry. She is great, she would rather wear a simple mother and child pendant I gave her when she had our daughter.

I do tend to go over the top a little on toys.

I can use #2 and 3. Thanks.

Does it at least have an extra cup holder. I could have really used an extra air bag in the situation.

Unfortunately she will be the primary driver. Thanks for taking the time to respond so throughly.

RayRay'sBenz

Nice approach. I wish I could use it. Unfortunately she doesn't even want the 450. It is has taken me a lot of work to get her past the Acura MDX and Lexus GX4 whatever. If it were up to her she would probably have 250K miles on the Ford Probe she had in high school.

RayRay'sBenz

I am desperate. I would have used the laser light thing if I thought it would fly. She is a true blonde but in this case, unfortunately, she also has it squared away upstairs. Civil Engineer with all the extra credentials. She does buy some of my other BS so I might give it a try.

RayRay'sBenz

I know, I know. Why are women always right? I will get her the 450 already, but I am not going to be happy about it. I should be happy with the progress I made, although I know she is still thinking about the extra 20-30K it is going to cost to get even the 450 compared to the Acura and Lexus.

patsy1099

RayRay, you can tell her that the GL450 won Motor Trends SUV of the year, that should help get her mind off of the Acura and the others.

As far as the 450 vs the 550, it really is mostly styling and 47 extra HP. Couple of points IMO:
1.) there will probably be less 550's on the road so she can be a little rare(er).
2.) the extra HP can be sold as a safety issue since they are making the SUV's faster and faster, the 550 will give her (more) power to maneuver is difficult situations.
3.) the 550 is sooooo sweet that people will notice her and will be less likely to crash into her (although they will crash into someone else probably!)
4.) I definitely think resale will be great but you said money isn't really the issue.
5.) the 550 is more likely to get stolen, at which point she can go get the 450 and then tell you "I told you so"

At the end of the day if she wants the 450, get that. At least it won't be another SUV. And if you load up the 450, it's going to be awesome. Either way, you win.

WAH63

I can completely understand what you mean about your wife not wanting to spend the money, I was the same.

But when it comes to comparing the LEXUS, ACURA and the 450, all you need to ask her is to look at the kids and realise that 30 - 40 K for one of the safest SUV's that you can get has got to be good value. Sure, at the offset crash test speed of 60km/hour, they probably don't look that much different but at a crash at 80km/hr, I know which one would come out the best. You do get what you pay for. Convincing you as a family to get a Mercedes for the extra money I think is easy.

Convincing her to get a 550 over a 450, that is a lot harder. I have had the 'PRACTICAL' car my whole life, my last car was an E320. Yeh, sure, nice car, but like you, there was no way at my age I was going to buy the next step up and get an S class.

This time I seriously wanted something that looked good, sounded great, and handled brilliantly. For me, it was an ML 63 AMG. I will never regret it, I love this car everytime I drive or look at it and when I am 98 I will look back and say 'now that was a car'.

Having the more powerful engine doesn't mean you have to drive it like an idiot. But even in day to day driving, whether it be merging into traffic, pulling out through busy intersections or rapidly getting out of the way if god forbid you ever had too, it is nice to know that the car has the power to do it. Not only that, it looks a hell of a lot better. Don't go the way of adding on to the 450. You still end up with a 'nearly 550' and you will lose it all on resale.

Above all that, life is short, if you can afford it, enjoy!!!!

Puggy

Where do you find a wife like that?

Stumblefoot

Then I'd go with the 450 and trick the inside out with all the trinkets and trash you can add on to it through the option packages. I really like Patsy's thoughts on SUV of the Year and WAH's thoughts on safety. Those ideas really put the GL way ahead of the Acura and Lexus. Personally, there is nothing more important to me than safety for my wife and daughter and I rest very easy knowing the GL will protect them the best should the need every arise.

Best of Luck to you and your family and thanks for taking my silliness in stride yesterday.

ReachWest

Get the 450 and load it up - you'll be happy (spoken like a guy who has a 450) - she'll be happy - all will be good.