I've noticed that in my neighborhood it seems like practically everyone in the market for a luxury car drives a black Mercedes S-Class. Why are they so much more popular than other luxury cars? Are they really that much better than Audi A8s or BMW 7 Series? Or is it more just that's what someone gets when they say "I want to buy a luxury car"?

I've never driven an S-Class (or been chauffeured in one for that matter) but I did drive one of the new A8Ls and I thought it was really an amazing car. As such it really surprises me that in one day I'll maybe see 50 black S-classes and then only 1 or 2 A8s or 7 Series.https://cnv.to/

 

Having owned a whole pile of different Mercedes models over the last 25 years, I can say I've really enjoyed them all. Mercedes, whatever year or model you buy, typically represents the best thing they could make at that time. That's what I was told by some machinists once, and it was something I had felt but hadn't verbally recognized until then. They are considered one of the best marques ever made. Always with the best German engineering, if taken care of properly, they last many years, are are always the safest vehicles in crash tests. With the depreciation, today you could buy a Mercedes that originally cost over $100,000 to produce, for tons and tons less than that and they run and drive like new, and even ten or twenty years later, still can look very new if you wash and shine it up. I think they are the best deal out there in used cars. Simply put, for the money almost any used Benz is probably going to be the most car you can get for the money. The clincher is you must be smart when it comes to repair and maintenance. If you know nothing about cars maybe a Benz isn't for you. I took a 1990 300CE coupe to a shop once the brake light was on. They said I needed front brake pads and that will be $400. For Just Front Brake Pads! I took the car home and learned about brakes. Benz brakes can be the easiest in the world. $50 later I had new front brake pads and I saved the other $350. People think you are rich when you bring a Benz to a shop, and the cleaner and shinier the car is, the more they will charge you. A Benz dealership is no guarantee of honesty, either: I brought my very pristine W220 S500 to local Benz dealer for a post purchase inspection, something I'll never do again. They pretended to do an inspection and missed things that were not working right, and stole the brand new looking, ultra clean floor mats out of my car and replaced them with dirty, well worn, creased junky floor mats that were also the wrong color for the car,. I had to complain for a week before the management would believe me and take me seriously. The car's rear SAM was bad so I knew the car had no brake lights and no tail lights, yet the inspection totally missed that! I made the dealership ordered me the correct brand new set of floor mats, and I stood drinking their coffee while their general manager put them in my car and removed the junk ones. I haven't been back there since. So it really is important to know how you will service a Mercedes if you buy one. Do oil changes yourself, or get to know a independent mechanic who is kind and knowledgeable about these cars. Benz forums can help and save TONS of money as well. The other cars are nice, but Benz is the biggest bang for the buck. All the mechanics I know are scared to death of working on BMWs.

 

Amen to that ↑

 

Go drive a BMW 7, an A8, and whatever else you want to try. Maybe throw in a Panamera and a Jag or two. For comic relief, try a Maserati. Then drive an S-class, preferably an S600 or S65. See if it makes sense to you after that. Not that I've done it... I picked the S-class based on specs and reputation. I've driven a couple of Bimmers since buying the S600, and looked at a couple of Audis, but haven't regretted my choice.