Hi all,


I am really interested in the GL450 and would like some help finding the right car.


Looking at 2014 GL450, it ranges around $50,000-$60,000 depending on mileage, how much are dealers willing to negotiate on CPO's?


Is it worth looing at non CPO's, I really don't know how reliable these German cars are? Also, I have test driven the GLS450 and not the GL450 and the GLS450 has plenty of power and I really liked the driving dynamics of it. Is the GL450 very different than the GLS450?


Anything else to keep in mind about this car? I have been looking at the XC90 as well new, but for a little less I can get a CPO MB GL450, so I thought this would be a better car? what do you owners feel after having owned and experienced the GL450.


Also, do you use it as your DD and if so how is it driving around the city everyday, parking etc?

 

Both GL and GLS are awesome cars, and GL450 should get you same power as 2013-2014 GLS were V8 and 2015 + are now V6 you can test it out by driving 2014 model and make a call, as far as daily driver it drives like a car because of its UNi_Body style and you will enjoy it every bit of it.
Better and very strongly recommended to go with CPO as any German puppy without warranty may possibly become the worst night mare, or you may find a private first owner seller and ask that person to buy you ELW Mercedes Issued extended warranty.

And keep in mind in regards to Fuel efficiency GLS should be better because of 9Speed trans compare to 7Speed in 2014.

Good Luck with your search and while you getting CPO make sure you pick right optioned car such as Lighting package, 3Zone Climate Control etc which best fits your need.

 

14-15 GL450 is so much different than GLS450 in terms of performance. Back in a days when I was looking for the cars I did drive 15' GL450 (6-cyl) and was not impressed about performance at all. So I didn't look any further for GL450 and switched my preference to GL550 (but later pull a trigger on 63 ). But recently I did have a loaner GLS450 and that was super different than GL. I is really quick car with it's 9 speed transmission. I was really impressed. Of course the sound of the 6-cyl is funny when you go "pedal to the metal", but performance is OK.

 

I purchased a ML 350 not the GL but it was a CPO, same rules apply. To me it is worth paying more for a CPO car over a non-CPO car. The Mercedes CPO adds one year the original 4 year warranty but also increases the mileage from 50,000 to 100,00 miles. One catch is once you exceed 50,000 miles no matter how many years, the one year time extension kicks with the 100,000 mile warranty begins. You also have the option of purchasing an additional one or two year warranty to be added to the CPO warranty. But they are not cheap.

One other option if you buy a used Mercedes, that is still under the original 4 year 50,000 mile warranty, is purchasing an extended warranty on the car from a Mercedes dealer. There are some restrictions as to whether the car was purchased from a individual or non Mercedes dealer. If you find a Mercedes like this, just get the VIN number and call a Mercedes dealer and they can tell you if it qualifies for a Mercedes extended warrant and give you a price.

As for my CPO, I did not purchase the extra extended warranty when I purchased the car but still have time to buy one since it is still under the original warranty.

Last question, you can deal on the price of CPO cars, but not alot of wiggle room unless the dealer has alot of them on the lot. In my case I had a trade and wanted a specific ML350 on the lot vs several other MLs they had so, it limited my bargaining power.

 

Correction. CPO cars have no limit on miles. 100,000 miles warranty is the extended warranty on an existing MB that is still under warranty. If it is CPO-ed then mileage is unlimited.

 

Please understand there is a wide range of "value" that is based on the original factory options - a 2014 GL450 new could be $72K MSRP up to high $80's - and what options a GL450 has (or doesn't have) and the importance/value those options have for you - that is one KEY piece of your research. Again - what the GL450 has (or doesn't have - and what it does (or does not have) as it relates to what you want and/or appreciate - is KEY.

Example - "rarer" upgraded lighting package is a good forum discussion - do forum reading to find what features owners have now - like upgraded lighting - that owners say they will ALWAYS get on their next MB...

The Mercedes CPO warranty - yes - is unlimited mileage out to 5yrs from original in-service date by the original owner - and that anytime before the expiration of that CPO warranty can be extended by your choice at added cost - for up to 2 additional years for full 7yrs from original in service date.

You can't shop by in-service date - but so you know based on original in-service date - a 2014 GL450 in-service August 2013 would be CPO to Aug 2018 - a 2014 GL450 purchased Dec 2014 would have CPO to Dec 2019 - so the original in-service date/CPO ending date can have variance.

Yes - there can be a difference between "actual mileage" and "condition" - I had a customer who just purchase a 2013 with 83K miles (non-CPO) which looked/felt//drove like a 25K mile GL - I have seen 25K mile GL's that looked/or-felt-or-drove like 60K mile GL's.

Tires - and braked - are a cost item - and a felt/drive item as well - on two rigs - let's say equal rigs in condition - one with 15K miles with 80% tires - and a comparable condition 30K mile rig with 100% fresh tires - yes - that 30K rig (all other things equal) with fresh OE rubber all around will drive smoother...

 

Good catch, keep getting the different MB warranties mixed up.

 

Research this forum for getting discounted extended CPO (and ELW for those cases) rather than paying a selling dealer full retail. You'll save meaningful sums in either case. Service prepaid has less room for savings, but research timing on that here, too, if interested. You can price and buy these all after purchase from the discounting dealers but do it sooner than later for costs can change.
Negotiate new engine filter, cabin filter, tires brakes trans flush brake fluid all done for you and documented before you fully pay for your CPO car, then you're free of big ticket item for years, just a couple oil changes.
You pay retail for CPO car, but there's value if you do it right. Not much discounting I found, like fab says the optional features vary so limiting choice to those of us who are vary particular for 3rd row air, lighting, driver assist, leather, etc.

 

Thanks for the responses, but can some of you owners also share, how do you like it driving around the city everyday. Does it get too big or does parking become an issue?


Does it feel more car like? some people have said that their Tahoe/suburban felt bigger and the GL450 felt more car like.


Also, some of you have mentioned that the GL450 doe snot feel fast however the newer GLS450 with the 9speed transmission feels more quick. I did find the GLS450 when I test drove to be quick as well, never test drove the GL450.


One other question for those who lease, is it possible to get discounts on the GLS450 and would leasing be better than a CPO GL450?

 

>>
how do you like it driving around the city everyday. Does it get too big or does parking become an issue
<<

If you are used to driving any mid-sized 2-row or 3-row SUV, it will be about the same. Having the 360 surround view and backup camera helps with tighter parking spaces

>>
Does it feel more car like? some people have said that their Tahoe/suburban felt bigger and the GL450 felt more car like.
<<

Park a GL or GLS next to the extended wheelbase Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade and indeed the GL appears to be smaller though the difference is merely 3" in height. However, I believe it is because the Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade sits higher, thus giving it the illusion it is bigger.

As far as if it is car like, most of it is simply due to the body on frame construction of the Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade vs the unibody of the GL/GLS reasoning. However, did you know the BMW i3 and i8 are also body on frame? No one is going to say those 2 cars are not car-like for sure.

>>
Also, some of you have mentioned that the GL450 doe snot feel fast however the newer GLS450 with the 9speed transmission feels more quick. I did find the GLS450 when I test drove to be quick as well, never test drove the GL450
<<

0-60 times for the GL450 and GLS450 are .1sec apart according to this site:

http://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicle...-60-mph-times/

"Feel fast" sounds to be more like a feel of the pants situation which usually means it is the torque factor. Both cars have the same torque numbers 369 lb-ft @1700rpm (GL450 @1800rpm).

From caranddriver.com,

The GLS450 has the following numbers:

Top gear, 30-50 mph: 3.0 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 3.9 sec

GL450:
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 4.5 sec

So, indeed the new GLS450 will definitely feel faster and is faster if you are driving on the highway and trying to pass a vehicle.

If you can get a GLS450 for the same money as GL450, of course pick the GLS450 unless you want a NA V8 over the bi-turbo V6. GLS looks better exterior wise (IMO) and the interior due to the larger floating screen simply looks better.

For me, it came down to $$

 

Drives car like:
http://autoweek.com/article/car-revi...e-still-superb
Also other reviews saying GM products dont compare.

 

We've only had our CPO '13 GL450 for 3 weeks now so not sure I can answer your questions about drivability. We had a 5 series BMW so the GL450 took a bit of getting used to but now have no issues maneuvering through Boston traffic. As was stated backup camera is very helpful. Still haven't figured out where the front end is unless I'm parking in spot that has something in front of it to allow the sensors to work. It has plenty of power to get onto the highways. I find the mirrors a little small but the blind spot monitoring is nice. The ability to make really tight u-turns is really impressive with a SUV this size.


I found that end of month was best time to buy, and in our case it also corresponded to end of year so if the GL you are looking for is still available be aggressive with pricing. That's the catch, if you can wait it out then you might get a better deal, the downside is the GL could be gone. In our case the GL had been on the MB dealers lot for some time so the price went from 49.9K to 43.9K. I offered 39.5K in early Dec and they said no. Called them up just before Christmas and we agreed to $40K as long as I picked up by 12/31. I used cars.com to compile a list '13 CPOs across the country to get a feel for pricing. Also cargurus.com will tell you how long the car has been on the lot and what price changes have occurred. Plenty of tools on the internet to help you.

 

The surround view 360 camera would be handy for this since it splits the NAV screen into 2 different views. Also, you can manually toggle the display of the camera to the front as well.

 

Excellent job on the negotiating. I've told many people that 10-20% margin (or more) is there in many cases. Just have to be patient enough for one to come along. Increase your search area helps as well.

 

I should add that I had a friend who had access to the Manheim auto auction reports so I had that information as well. Knowing approx. what the dealer paid is great info. I think there is someone on this forum who can get the auction reports.

 

I'd be very interested to know that magic number, too. I really like one particular car, but to my surprise, I only got the dealer to go down 1K. It may be because they've only had it for 2 weeks, but he swore up and down that they won't be making any money on it if he budged.

 

Maybe the forum member in this thread could help you with that #??


https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-...r-pricing.html

 

Thank you, I will definitely reach out.
But here's another question and maybe someone else will be able to chime in:
If a dealer buys an end-of-lease car from Mercedes Financial Services, do they pay the full residual? I highly doubt that that's the case, but if someone who knows the number is willing to share the information, it would give a lot of people a great starting point.

 

Here you for 2014 GL450 Model pricing.

 

Much appreciated, thank you! Do you have GL350 numbers, too?

 

Please find attached, for GL350/GL550 just incase if you want extra power
Anyway a little FYI the cheaper the car you see the Condition Report of this car may be lower that means some minor cosmetic exterior\interior damage such as worn tires etc so just take the AVG number, and obviously a Dealer wont give the car for buying price, they need to do a RICH MAN polish aka "Detailing" etc and then who knows tires\brakes etc etc, and also you gotta add the CPO cost as well so roughly 3-4000$ minimum they spend to make the car CPO which includes the warranty and then the PROFIT as well.

Fab can chime in if the above is wrong....

















Hope it ease your buying tension.....

And a million dollar advice this is just a car so if you like it dont worry about 2-3K extra spending, you can't enjoy that big car on someones loss

Thanks

 

Again, thank you very much. All of this is very helpful, both the numbers and the advice.

 

The value of the cars varies greatly, just as do the sticker prices depending upon options and packages. The car might've been 65 base but it could be 85 loaded or more. The retail selling price and demand, as well as the wholesale price reflect these differences. Miles swings price quite a bit.
Add a few hundred auction fees, plus transport costs,to the gavel price then add the reconditioning and CPO costs already mentioned. The dealer is entitled to make a few thousand dollars profit on a $40-$50,000 sale.

 

I don't know where you are located, but after looking at those auction prices I found this online. Looks decent considering price and mileage,
http://www.mercedesbenzofvirginiabea...DF7CE8EA320597

 

Mercedes dealers typically are not buying at Mannheim/general auction - which were the screen shots posted.

Mercedes dealers are taking recent model trades - and/or recent lease turn ins...

On the lease turn-in's, MB exec brass hat, etc the like - Mercedes Financial "MB dealer auction" administered in some regions by Mannheim - and those #'s don't get posted to the genral Mannheim stats - if for any reason a the specific rig doesn't "go" after twon rounds "private" - then those sad cases do go to Mannheim general.

Mannheim is useful for the trend stats - meaning how a particular maker/model is trending over recent periods..

MB dealers have specific tools that bring up competitive auctions values - current market listing - all that good stuff.

Frankly - haven't bought Mannheim general auction in a long/long/long time..