coupe vs sedan
02-02-2018, 10:26 PM
#1
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coupe vs sedan
In looking at S550's I am noticing that the coupes are a lot more money for essentially the same car with two fewer doors. I think MSRP is higher on the coupes but I am surprised at how much they are holding value. Any insights here.
02-03-2018, 10:00 AM
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Compared to the sedans, the coupes are rare. Not many made. In addition, IMO, to secondary buyers, who tend to be younger and more interested in “BLING,” for lack of a better word, the coupes are of interest, creating a supply/demand dynamic.
I’m not a fan of the S Class Coupe. To allow entry to the rear seats, the doors are huge, making it more difficult to enter/exit the car when parked in tighter spaces, which seem to be proliferating these days. They don’t ride as well as the sedans, the interior is not as spacious and, to me, the current S Class Coupe just isn’t attractive enough to sway me from my bigger, better, more comfortable sedan. In most every way, the S Coupe gives the owner less than the sedan, but, as pointed out, they are considerably more expensive. To me, the S Coupe makes no sense at all, appealing to a very small segment of the market. Don’t even get me started on the S Cabriolet, which I personally feel was a magnificent opportunity that was fumbled by the folks in Germany.
I’m not a fan of the S Class Coupe. To allow entry to the rear seats, the doors are huge, making it more difficult to enter/exit the car when parked in tighter spaces, which seem to be proliferating these days. They don’t ride as well as the sedans, the interior is not as spacious and, to me, the current S Class Coupe just isn’t attractive enough to sway me from my bigger, better, more comfortable sedan. In most every way, the S Coupe gives the owner less than the sedan, but, as pointed out, they are considerably more expensive. To me, the S Coupe makes no sense at all, appealing to a very small segment of the market. Don’t even get me started on the S Cabriolet, which I personally feel was a magnificent opportunity that was fumbled by the folks in Germany.
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Utopia Texas (02-03-2018)
02-03-2018, 11:05 AM
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Agreed, the other thing I am noticing is a huge swing in perceived value for the used sedans. I am looking for a specific MY15 S550 4Matic with sport and rear seat package under 30K miles and the pricing is all over the place. I can get one for 52K or 75K for essentially the same car. I get there are some stealerships out there that think they can get 20K profit on a used car but the pricing is all over the place.
02-03-2018, 01:12 PM
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Apart from individual preferences here, coupes and convertibles are traditionally a step up from sedans, both in rank/prestige and price. This is nothing new and has been the case with Mercedes for at least 60+ years. A Mercedes coupe/convertible was always more special and rare than a sedan. Practicality is clearly secondary on these cars.
In terms of costs, higher manufacturing volume of course creates economies of scale that make the cars cheaper.
This is a bit different in the secondary market. Coupes normally don't hold their value better; they are typically worst than the sedans. The latest C217 coupes are better because they have been build/sold in low volumes compared to the wildly successful W222 sedan which is now available in large volumes on the used market as these cars have been rolling off leases. So for the moment they are doing ok but keep in mind that many coupes MSRP was an easy $30k-$40k higher than the typical sedan.
And then there are the financial differences. It's not just the higher MSRP. A good 80% of S-Class sedans are leased and they are financially discounted as a commodity car (albeit high-end). That's not the case with the coupes/cabs. These are specialty cars with standard MF rates (which are at minimum twice as high). The result is the monthly lease rate is significantly higher than the sedan, even if similarly priced. A lot of coupes/cabs are purchased rather than leased for that reason.
That said, I prefer a coupe of a sedan any day of the week (no kids so no issues here). I find that the coupe looks much better than the sedan and drives better. It is the classiest S-Class Mercedes has as the cab's roof line suffers greatly from having a soft top.
In terms of costs, higher manufacturing volume of course creates economies of scale that make the cars cheaper.
This is a bit different in the secondary market. Coupes normally don't hold their value better; they are typically worst than the sedans. The latest C217 coupes are better because they have been build/sold in low volumes compared to the wildly successful W222 sedan which is now available in large volumes on the used market as these cars have been rolling off leases. So for the moment they are doing ok but keep in mind that many coupes MSRP was an easy $30k-$40k higher than the typical sedan.
And then there are the financial differences. It's not just the higher MSRP. A good 80% of S-Class sedans are leased and they are financially discounted as a commodity car (albeit high-end). That's not the case with the coupes/cabs. These are specialty cars with standard MF rates (which are at minimum twice as high). The result is the monthly lease rate is significantly higher than the sedan, even if similarly priced. A lot of coupes/cabs are purchased rather than leased for that reason.
That said, I prefer a coupe of a sedan any day of the week (no kids so no issues here). I find that the coupe looks much better than the sedan and drives better. It is the classiest S-Class Mercedes has as the cab's roof line suffers greatly from having a soft top.
Last edited by Wolfman; 02-03-2018 at 01:20 PM.
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02-03-2018, 02:19 PM
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I would prefer the coupes for the shorter length and exterior styling. Also I don't need much of a back seat. What I don't like about the coupes is what makes them look sleek on the outside feels claustrophobic on the inside. It's not that I am big, I'm not but I don't like looking out of a slot like windows. Also I prefer the dash of the sedan. Also I agree with Streamliner the doors are a real PITA.
Last edited by MBNUT1; 02-03-2018 at 02:36 PM.
02-03-2018, 03:45 PM
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I would prefer the coupes for the shorter length and exterior styling. Also I don't need much of a back seat. What I don't like about the coupes is what makes them look sleek on the outside feels claustrophobic on the inside. It's not that I am big, I'm not but I don't like looking out of a slot like windows. Also I prefer the dash of the sedan. Also I agree with Streamliner the doors are a real PITA.
02-03-2018, 03:57 PM
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Compared to the sedans, the coupes are rare. Not many made. In addition, IMO, to secondary buyers, who tend to be younger and more interested in “BLING,” for lack of a better word, the coupes are of interest, creating a supply/demand dynamic.
I’m not a fan of the S Class Coupe. To allow entry to the rear seats, the doors are huge, making it more difficult to enter/exit the car when parked in tighter spaces, which seem to be proliferating these days. They don’t ride as well as the sedans, the interior is not as spacious and, to me, the current S Class Coupe just isn’t attractive enough to sway me from my bigger, better, more comfortable sedan. In most every way, the S Coupe gives the owner less than the sedan, but, as pointed out, they are considerably more expensive. To me, the S Coupe makes no sense at all, appealing to a very small segment of the market. Don’t even get me started on the S Cabriolet, which I personally feel was a magnificent opportunity that was fumbled by the folks in Germany.
I’m not a fan of the S Class Coupe. To allow entry to the rear seats, the doors are huge, making it more difficult to enter/exit the car when parked in tighter spaces, which seem to be proliferating these days. They don’t ride as well as the sedans, the interior is not as spacious and, to me, the current S Class Coupe just isn’t attractive enough to sway me from my bigger, better, more comfortable sedan. In most every way, the S Coupe gives the owner less than the sedan, but, as pointed out, they are considerably more expensive. To me, the S Coupe makes no sense at all, appealing to a very small segment of the market. Don’t even get me started on the S Cabriolet, which I personally feel was a magnificent opportunity that was fumbled by the folks in Germany.
could you be please more specific about the A217 Cabriolet? Why don't you like it?
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02-03-2018, 05:57 PM
#9
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Agreed-- The window vertical size appears to be much smaller than the previous model W216 coupes. Over the years Mercedes continues to reduce the vertical size of the windows. The windows remind me of chopped 1930's and 1940's vehicles that were popular with hot modified rodrs. Hopefully, the next generation will have taller windows.
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MBNUT1 (02-03-2018)
02-03-2018, 08:13 PM
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Last edited by Streamliner; 02-03-2018 at 08:18 PM.
02-04-2018, 11:24 PM
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The S Class Cabriolet is a huge compromise and, to me, a huge disappointment. The rear seats are almost unusable by anyone other than pre-teens, if the front seats are in a comfortable position for average to taller adults. For such a large car, the interior dimensions are what I would call cramped. The car that was teased, the Ocean Drive, a full size, 4-door convertible is the car they should have made. Sure, it would have been difficult to engineer, expensive to build and thus very exclusive, but what a genuine halo car it would have been! To me, the SL is a better car than the S Cab all the way around. From an SL, I don’t aspire to have an S Cab. If the Ocean Drive had been built, our grandchildren’s college fund would be toast!
I agree what an elegant car. My dad had a '65 Lincoln convertible. Similar concept.
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Streamliner (02-04-2018)
02-05-2018, 02:39 AM
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To me a proper S Class is sedan not coupe .I had owned a coupe and I must say it was very useless ,getting in /out of the rear seats was terrible and very difficult . I like S Coupes and they're cool but not for me .It would help to not make people think one drive's his dad's car that's it
02-05-2018, 04:18 PM
#13
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seems the coupe cost more new and used, no real thiking needed there. If they were closer I would have looked at the coupe but I have 2 kids so 4 doors for me is perfect. P.s I think the coupe is gorgeous.
