Originally Posted by AndrewAZ

Troll alert...

Originally Posted by carsinamerica

Not sure I see one.... Whyso?

Originally Posted by thisistheone

It is very rare for me to respond to unfounded accusations, but for the sake of protecting the reputation of the other user who might have asked a similar question, I will just say that I am not him/her and leave it at that.

Originally Posted by 996GTR

buying a used s500 could be a bad choice if you don't have a lot of time and $$$ to keep up with the maintenance. I had w220 s500 with tons of problems i end up dump that car for next to nothing. I would suggest you look for a E class that have warrenty or even save up for w221 s550. Once i drove the S550 I never look back. The w220 s500 is probably most unreliable MB I ever had

Originally Posted by Oxygen

Take it easy with the W220 bashing... just don't buy a piece of **** S-Class, buy one from a dealer.

Originally Posted by thisistheone

I find it fascinating that I continue to be impressed by the comments every time I log-in. There has been great insight in this thread and I appreciate every participant's perspectives.

There are many senior brokers who make seven-figure salaries, yet choose to drive an older ('01-'03) BMW 325, C240, and older Lexus cars to work. I know for a fact that at least a few own very expensive cars, but most do not choose to drive them to work at all. Granted that I have never been to a client meeting with a broker other than my partner, I have a feeling that they do not go back home to pick up their other more expensive cars when going to meet a client. This is definitely an area that I have overlooked and that I should give some consideration.

I feel comfortable with purchasing a car up to thirty-five thousand. I can be somewhat malleable, but I would like to keep it in this range, as I am saving up for a house. As such, the new E350 and E550 is out of my price range. However, I am looking much more closely at slightly older E350s since reading your responses. Although I am not the biggest fan of Jaguars, I am starting to take a closer look at a Lexus as a result of some of the suggestions, though I have to say that I currently would prefer a Mercedes.

As a side note, commercial brokerage, at least in the area that I work (Northern California), is much different than residential. The latter is almost the opposite of commercial brokerage in terms of its flexibility on formality, dress code, and overall behavior. One aspect that is somewhat relevant to the discussion is the fact that a great relationship with only a few developers/investors is all that it really takes for one's career to take off in this business. I hope that I will be able to establish myself and foster such relationships in the near future, so I will not have to worry about creating a negative impression while driving a high-end vehicle to a meeting with investors who know my work.

Originally Posted by pmb600

Oxygen, what color is yours? It looks Black Opal in the picture.

Originally Posted by Oxygen

No idea what the technical term is... I just call it "black".

I have lots of pictures here... https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=175034

Originally Posted by bzliteyear

you seem like a smart guy and very aware of your surroundings. i grew up in LA where it was common for someone to lease a porsche, wear armani suits and impress people outside - even if the person had no money and lived with his parents.

when i got out of b-school, i learned a very different culture in 1992 when i was working at a top investment bank(NY and SF). there were only 153 partners out of 6,000 employes and they were all were very rich. so what kind of watch did they wear? many of them wore $30 timex ironman watches. what kind of cars did they drive? the VPs who made $500k-$1M+(back in 1992) drove $30k acura legends. your observations reminded me of those two examples. since then, even though there's nothing wrong with spending lots of money for a car, i've tried to keep my car purchases at $25k max(though i've not always been successful in doing that).

from what you've shared, i think spending $25k for a 2003 E500 would be a smart move and could accomplish all of your goals. it's classy, fast, fairly reliable, and not too flashy. take the extra $10k that you'd spend and co-invest w/ your smart investors. it'll help you get closer to your clients and you'll learn how they got wealthy. lastly, you won't miss the $10k and it'll likely appreciate over the next 10 yrs. indeed, it'll certainly be worth more than if you put the extra $10k in to the car.

happy holidays everyone

Originally Posted by thisistheone

Thanks everyone for responding. You guys have helped me much more than I had originally anticipated and I highly appreciate it! I will be sure to post an update on my new E500 as soon as I get it

Originally Posted by Townshend

I started a thread the other day on a very similiar issue I am facing. I've always been a Mercedes fan, and don't even want to look at a Lexus (never liked them..). I've been debating either a 2001 S500 or a 2003 E500. Which do you guys find to be more reliable? Also, I'd get an extended warranty, wouldn't most issues (airmatic..) be covered under that?

Best,

Walter

PS..don't mean to hi-jack the thread, sorry! But it's relevant IMHO.

Originally Posted by tgood

Depends, a W220 has Navigation and comes pretty well equipped as a standard. A 2003 E500 could or could not have navigation, and usually does not have what comes standard in a W220. Yes, 100k warranty is key.

I still have the CL, but I have to drive out to Phoenix/Scottsdale (5 hours each way) so much for business now that I purchased an 02 S430 with 100k warranty. Before tint and rims, it was the most elderly looking car. I actually bought my rims from a member here on MBworld, very very smooth transaction. I vouch for the S-class being one of the best long-distance cars..

Originally Posted by kenstudios

Ask yourself this question. If one of your wealthy clients decides to ride with you to an open house, would you rather drive him fast on a chevy or smooth in the S500? or even so a prelide? Go with the benz. It been said, your credibility will not be judged by what you drive but heck, show up in a clean S500 and you earn a sense of respect not found on a chevy. Also get something newer than 02. Just my thought.

Originally Posted by Baked Benz

ref 1).And just lie about what you own, how is the Infiniti running Ken>?

Or buy a Prius with a bike rack and just pretend you care.

Or just be your own man and not care about "car" impressions; buy what you like and not to impress,as you get older you may see that many ppl are not really impressed by what you drive but more for what you are.In fact many ppl get intimidated by big *** in your face cars.

Originally Posted by SLR N8

Well if you have a good personality it helps you out when you talk to people, but if you are, lets say buying a house which agent would you choose. one with the s500 or the one with the beat down chevy?