syswei

...the "special offers" part of the MBUSA website doesn't seem to be working.

I noticed that Feb sales for the S in the US were down -28% YTY.

Diesel Benz

With the current dollar-to-euro exchange ratio MB probably would prefer no US owner buying their cars. Making sales "better" at lower price would definitely mean loss per sold car.

syswei

I disagree, at least for the high-end cars like the S550 and up. The INCREMENTAL margin on additional unit sales, given that R&D, tooling, dealer network, etc. are already-sunk costs, is in my opinion still substantial, even at current FX and even once hedges roll off.

I predict that the US market will see substantial incentives on the S. It is just a matter of when, not if, imho.

RajwanyS550

S class is not made in mass numbers, when i got mine last month i had to wait a week. so point is they r not lying around the dealerships. the dealerships r doing major discounts as is on these cars, i dont think at this time the factory will throw additional discounts. sales of the LS460 r also down 30%. I dont know what kind of discounts u r looking for.

RajwanyS550

err i think it would be other way around. since euro is stronger the cars would be more expensive when it come to the US.

syswei

My local dealer has 34 new S-Classes in stock.
http://mbusa.homenetinc.com/mercedes...e_select%3Dnew

Yes I'm aware that the LS is down big too. The only one of the big 3 that is up is BMW. And that's because they are offering factory-subsidized leases. This is largely because it is the last year for the current version of the 7-series. But with the weak economy, it is just a matter of time before MB and Lexus get aggressive too.

gellie

I was in the market a few weeks ago. My local dealers had tons of s in various options/colors. at the time they were offering 11k off sticker. I have to believe it has to be much more with the latest stock downturn. BTW most of the auto exporters use a currency hedge.

syswei

11k off what msrp? Where do you live, please? Thanks.

Diesel Benz

I don't follow your maths with "the other way around". Yes, if the price is fixed in Europe, the price tag in the US would become higher when Euro gets more expensive. Now you are instead expecting the price go down.

The R&D costs being spent isn't a good excuse, why not reduce the prices in Europe then too to increase sales even more? Could be done for all MB models in order to avoid sales degrease on other MB models.

I'm afraid the real reason for price cuts, if those come, is just the importance of market presence in the US for company image (not only MB, my employer is doing this at least). Good for you, and you deserve it when you have been able to establish the importance of the presence of products at the US market.

hstmercedes

If you are a MBCA and have been for 1+ years, MB is offering a MB loyalty discount of up to $1500. This I believe is a cash back after buying a Mercedes. Amount of rebate depends on model purchased. Not sure how and if it applies to leased vehicles.

gellie

New Jersey.

gellie

Its up to 3k now. check w/ your local dealer

syswei

Unfortunately I'm not a current MB owner. Did your 11k off include the 3k owner loyalty bonus?

And was 11k off for a any S550, or did you mean off the particular configuration you were interested in (and what msrp roughly was that configuration, 95k or 105k or what)?

Thanks.

CY

bump

gellie

I believe so, however this was back in mid Feb. The msrp was S550v4 list price $95670
Sale price $84025

lauer87

S class's are not rare by any means, my dealer has at least 10 in stock at any given time. Dick Dyer on Ebay is showing 10k off MSRP I believe, this is below invoice cost for the car, getting into dealer holdback. I showed my dealer this and they will match it, see if your local one will, if not shop around. They are offering 2.9% financing, which if you compare it to what your total interest payments would be on a 6.0% note over 60 months, the savings is substantial. Also, fleet discounts are pretty big on S's right now, but you have to qualify (buy at least 5 cars in one year i think) for a fleet number. Hope this helps

RajwanyS550

would appreciate everyone on board to please be careful before starting rumors about pricing. dickdyer online on ebay is offering $6000 off not 10k off. the 10k off is off a red 07. 2.9% financing really

gellie

Dude, No RUMORS!. I Have been offered 11k+ off msrp bt 2 local dealers in NJ!.These cars are tanking in value.

trumpet1

The worsening US economy and the higher and higher gas prices are what is causing this. Luxury home sales are at a standstill and now luxury cars are too, especially now that the fuel crunch is on its way. I really wouldn't want to be in the high end car business right now in the majority of the country. California, with its entirely separate economy, might not get hit as bad but the rest of the country is most certainly getting a different mindset about the type of cars that are to be sitting in driveways at night. The new Smartcar may be the way to go in the future for the average driver. Fortunately, I only have 1.5 miles to drive to work and most every shopping mall/restaurant/bank is only 1.0 mile from my house. I really feel sorry for some of my employees who drive 45+ minutes to work everyday. If gas hits $4.50+ /gallon, this country will go into a serious recession if not a depression.

scriber

Gellie, can you pm me the dealerships and a contact if you have one? Thanks.

RajwanyS550

and u r still looking. this is what dealers do when they know customers r not serious. when u r serious then they will tell u that particular car sold already.

RajwanyS550

i own a chain of gas stations and trust me people r really hurtin right now. we are told by our suppliers that due to summer additives in the gasolines the price might reach as high as $4 by may. hope they r wrong.

Diesel Benz

That is alarming, with European taxes we pay some 9 to 10 dollars per US gallon, that is in line with our salaries when we earn less than a half of the US average.

The current exchange ratio explains partly the high difference.

Germancar1

Are you getting an S550? Could it really be?

M

syswei

Well I was leaning toward an LS but then decided that AWD was a must have. Now what I'm waiting for is some factory incentives on the S550. I'll wait til summer if need be, but I was hoping the weak economy might produce something sooner.

Good to hear from you again, merc1, you were certainly missed over at Edmumds. BTW why isn't your moniker over here 'merc1'? BTW I left Edmunds forums after someone accused me of test driving certain (German) cars just to prove to other forum members that I was open-minded. I thought it was ridiculous to impugn the motives of a stranger. And in my case untrue as well.