PSims

Some early car researchers have projected the 2025 E450 to have a base price of $71900. Another had the base MSRP at $71850. The E-350 is projected to be higher as well but the RWD option is offered for the 350 and is the less expensive option. Has anyone received a final MSRP for your 2025? If so, did you get it with your VIN spec sheet which should mirror the official sticker?

Hicksra

Yikes, that’s nearly four grand over 2024. I have a 25 on order and was told by my salesman that it’d probably be around a thousand or so above 24. An extra three grand or so will be pretty painful..

petee1997

We should expect a 3% price increase just to keep up with inflation.

btx24

car manufactures wonder why cars are sitting on the lots. Domestic or foreign they are going to have to
rethink these increases. If quality followed but it isnt, even MB is having issues that really shouldnt
be part of a premiere brand

ring523

dealers are a bit delusional. there are brand new 2023 E classes on dealer lots in Maryland and Virginia!

ua549

My dealer has 1 new 2022, 53 new 2023, 349 2024 and 13 2025 MB's (all models) available. The 2022 is an G63 AMG 4x4 4MATIC listed for $357,150.
Delusional is an understatement.

JTK44

Are you saying he has over 400 MB in stock? At an average price of $50,000 that is $20 million in inventory

That cannot be. I suspect his website is out of date.

UPDATE:

Just checked my two local dealers, Silverstar and Rallye:

Neither have any 2023 E Class for sale.

Both have plenty of 2024 E350, but only 2 E450 and 7 to 10 E450 wagons.

They both have 3 times as many GLE as E Class.

petee1997

Passenger cars are a tough sell in any event. In Canada only 13% of new vehicle sales are passenger cars. Sales are primarily SUV and PU trucks. The last number I could find for the US was for 2021 when 20% of new vehicle sales were passenger cars.

ua549

Those vehicles are listed on the dealer's website as available. That does not imply that they're sitting on their own lot even though they have VINs listed. I believe "available" is what's collectively in stock at the 10 MB dealers nearby.

UPDATE
I scrolled through the vehicle photos of MB inventory. All 412 images were taken in front of the dealership.

JTK44

Can you please advise your dealer name.

Unusually that they still have 2023 models available.

As I posted none are available at my two local dealership.

ua549

Mercedes-Benz of Clearwater is the dealership. I just checked Autotrader and they show 422 new MB's within 10 miles. One thing that got my attention is that "new" includes all never titled cars such as administrator and demonstrator vehicles some with over 10k miles that are obviously used.

New Mercedes-Benz Cars for Sale Near Me in Clearwater, FL - Autotrader

JTK44

Your dealership shows 4 2023 E Class: Two are convertibles, 2 are E450.

UPDATE:

Clearwater just got back to me. The 2023 are not new, but as you suspected not registered demo, etc. One wagon has 6,900 miles others more!

BenjaminKohl

The 2022 G 4x4 has a stop sale on it. Generally, dealerships that have bad pricing, think the cars are worth more then they are, etc. have a lot of previous year vehicles still and those that price well and give appropriate discounts don't.

MB Clearwater is interesting because they also take a lot of mbusa fleet vehicles, some are late pre production validation units, some are ex press vehicles, some are just cars used by mbusa for other reasons, and that sometimes skews the numbers. And yes, sitting on $30 mil+ of inventory is not unusual for a dealership.

JTK44

As a businessman, you never want this kind of inventory. Floor financing at just 5% is $1,500,000 or $125,000 per month!

ua549

The Clearwater MB dealer has revenues exceeding $2 million per month. I have no idea of the split between sales and service.

MB USA sells over 30,000 new vehicles per month per their latest financials.

JTK44

If that number is correct, (I have no way of knowing and unless you are an owner) than no business can afford to pay interest equal to 6.25% of sales.

I do not know the profit margin on sales, but salaries, utilities, cost of goods sold, (cars, parts, etc) insurance etc. there is now way to stay in business if interest is 6.25%

ua549

You need to filter through several corporate credit reports. Simply stated there are several entangled businesses that obscure most meaningful data. The business was founded in Clearwater in 1952 as Lokey Oldsmobile, which became Lokey Motor Company, . . ., which finally became Mercedes-Benz of Clearwater. (Those are DBA names, not owners' names). The dealership changed hands a few times since Paul & Phil Lokey retired. AFAIK the dealership is currently part of Waterside Automotive LLC in Virginia Beach, VA. It is also shown as part of the Superior Automotive Group that has Clearwater dealerships for 13 different brands listed in the New Vehicles menu.

Here is another source: Datanyze.

estark

The base price of the E450 for MY 2025 is $70,850, compared to the 2024 of $68,100, which is 4% higher. Options pricing remained the same.

JTK44

Was there any increase in content, extra cost options on the MY 2024 that are now standard on the MY 2025, that would account for the price increase, or was this just a price increase?

If this is nothing more than a price increase, dealers in order to move the "metal" on slow moving sedans, will be forced to discount MY 2025.

estark

The only thing I am aware of is the addition of a center airbag, so basically just a price increase.

ua549

Re-engineering for airbag placement, airbag and sensor costs are not immaterial.

btx24

I havent contacted the dealer. On the fence if still want the car. Not obligated to it. Longer its been and
now with such a high price increase. The C43 is looking more appealing as is the Cadillac CT4 blackwing.
Just not sure want a car as large as the e class now. Maybe they will forget about me, I doubt since
still trying to sell 24 at the dealership and if think have a sale. i built a nice spec'd they should have no
problem selling except for price

PSims

Started out with the 2024 MY price but order switched to 2025 MY. Not happy with the price increase but will keep my order because I've been waiting since 2/16/2024. I had planned to negotiate the "out the door" price anyway because we never agreed on price. My dealer implied that I should not rely on the order price but the price on the final build. Bottom line: Not paying the sticker price.

Hicksra

Did any of you guys make a price deal prior to ordering your new E Class car? I ordered mine basically online with no prior discussions about final price. Not sure if I’ll have any dickering power after delivery or not. Any input on bargaining would be helpful. I hate to pay full sticker price.

PSims

I didn't negotiate a price and plan to handle that when I get the VIN/Official price. If I were you, I'd negotiate as if it was any other car on the lot, especially since the dealership can't guarantee what the final MSRP would be at time of order. It's a new MY and it's in their best interest to move the vehicles off the lot! The summer buying season is wrapping up and the cars most of us have on order will arrive late summer or early fall. So, that's incentive for dealerships to avoid inventory at End of Year. Also, with the CDK software issue, dealers missed their sales quotas and are trying to recoup.