Why is the price of the E55 important to discuss?
10-29-2002, 11:27 AM
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Why is the price of the E55 important to discuss?
Because topics like "how do I changed my light bulb" make for boring reading.
Last I looked this is the E55 section for discussion of anything remotely related to E55.
On the serious side.
The topic is important because some folks make buying decisions well ahead based on pre-information and opinions from other owners from these boards. Buying a car like an E55 is not like buying a E320. It takes more planning because you can not just walk into a showroom and drive off with an E55 in most cases. They are limited productions vehicles and most dealerships don't even get one per year alloted to them. At most dealerships you can not even test drive a E55 or S55 because they don't have one in stock and the one in stock already belongs to someone that placed an order. Most owners of E55 had to order the car without driving it and some had to wait a considerable time for it. I had heard stories of 2 year waits to get AMG cars.
Now on the price. If a potential buyer is looking at High Performance Rear Drive Mid-Sized sedans like E55, M5, RS6 or S-Type R for a future purchase they need to know a ball park price if the cars price has not been released. If you read or hear that the W211 E55 is base priced at $85k not including options then you may not be willing to wait of spend that amount and opt to buy the M5 for $70k or the S-Type R for $61k and the price of the RS6 at a reported $86k is also more than you are willing to spend.
If I was new to this board and all I read was some E55 owner posting that the W211 E55 will be 15% more and have a base price of $85k because the car is new and they added a supecharger I might think that information is somewhat reliable or close to the mark and change my mind and buy an M5 or Type R for $64k fully loaded. Even a price increase of 10% or to $75, $77k or $79k will be too much for some and that potential buyer will buy something else. There are also others that can buy an E55 and opt not to because the car is not in stock and they want or need a car now.
Just imagine how many potential customers of the W211 E55 will be lost if the only information they can find up front is that unjustified 15% increase or a base price of $85k. Very few people will buy the E55 base price at $85k when the outgoing model was $71 no matter how much HP the cars has received. Big Block Gas Guzzler V8's are harder to sell in the US. That is a fact and that is the reason only 500 E55's were imported to the US. That was all the demand there was for the car.
So the issue of price is of no concern to some, they should not be reading the topic and then complaining about the topic being uncessarey, however, to some members or readers a close estimate of the E55 at $72k or $75k gives hope of ownership and that unsubstantiated price of $85k (or 15% increase) which has been floating around this board and others is not true nor realistic based on the price increase of other US AMG cars.
Not to pick on Australia or upset any members from Down Under but it has been shown and reported by them that the prices of E55's and Mercedes cars there are 'way' much more and the pricing does not really translate into the price of the same US models especially since they pay a 35% Luxury Tax. It has been posted that the drive away cost of the W211 E55 Down Under will be $250,000 in Australian dollars (aud). That equals $140,000 in the US dollars (usd). So if the US W211 has a base price of $72,500 without Nav and the US luxury tax will cease in January and the average state sales tax is around 5% we can drive away for $76,125 and add the Gas Tax of $1700 (per MarcusBenz) that means next year some lucky US owners will have 469Hp and 516 torque for a walk away price of $77,825. And that my fellow members is not an increase of 15%.
The only legitimate source so far is from that author on www.carconnection.com and I would find it odd that he flies to Germany and test drives the E55 during a press junket probably with other members of the automotive press and the Germans give them all the specs of the US version and then the Germans give them no price figures of the car and leave it to them to guess about it when they return to the US. And even if the Germans gave him a 'ball park' figure of $72,500 - $75,000 that is no where near a 15% increase nor $85k.
Last I looked this is the E55 section for discussion of anything remotely related to E55. On the serious side.
The topic is important because some folks make buying decisions well ahead based on pre-information and opinions from other owners from these boards. Buying a car like an E55 is not like buying a E320. It takes more planning because you can not just walk into a showroom and drive off with an E55 in most cases. They are limited productions vehicles and most dealerships don't even get one per year alloted to them. At most dealerships you can not even test drive a E55 or S55 because they don't have one in stock and the one in stock already belongs to someone that placed an order. Most owners of E55 had to order the car without driving it and some had to wait a considerable time for it. I had heard stories of 2 year waits to get AMG cars.
Now on the price. If a potential buyer is looking at High Performance Rear Drive Mid-Sized sedans like E55, M5, RS6 or S-Type R for a future purchase they need to know a ball park price if the cars price has not been released. If you read or hear that the W211 E55 is base priced at $85k not including options then you may not be willing to wait of spend that amount and opt to buy the M5 for $70k or the S-Type R for $61k and the price of the RS6 at a reported $86k is also more than you are willing to spend.
If I was new to this board and all I read was some E55 owner posting that the W211 E55 will be 15% more and have a base price of $85k because the car is new and they added a supecharger I might think that information is somewhat reliable or close to the mark and change my mind and buy an M5 or Type R for $64k fully loaded. Even a price increase of 10% or to $75, $77k or $79k will be too much for some and that potential buyer will buy something else. There are also others that can buy an E55 and opt not to because the car is not in stock and they want or need a car now.
Just imagine how many potential customers of the W211 E55 will be lost if the only information they can find up front is that unjustified 15% increase or a base price of $85k. Very few people will buy the E55 base price at $85k when the outgoing model was $71 no matter how much HP the cars has received. Big Block Gas Guzzler V8's are harder to sell in the US. That is a fact and that is the reason only 500 E55's were imported to the US. That was all the demand there was for the car.
So the issue of price is of no concern to some, they should not be reading the topic and then complaining about the topic being uncessarey, however, to some members or readers a close estimate of the E55 at $72k or $75k gives hope of ownership and that unsubstantiated price of $85k (or 15% increase) which has been floating around this board and others is not true nor realistic based on the price increase of other US AMG cars.
Not to pick on Australia or upset any members from Down Under but it has been shown and reported by them that the prices of E55's and Mercedes cars there are 'way' much more and the pricing does not really translate into the price of the same US models especially since they pay a 35% Luxury Tax. It has been posted that the drive away cost of the W211 E55 Down Under will be $250,000 in Australian dollars (aud). That equals $140,000 in the US dollars (usd). So if the US W211 has a base price of $72,500 without Nav and the US luxury tax will cease in January and the average state sales tax is around 5% we can drive away for $76,125 and add the Gas Tax of $1700 (per MarcusBenz) that means next year some lucky US owners will have 469Hp and 516 torque for a walk away price of $77,825. And that my fellow members is not an increase of 15%.
The only legitimate source so far is from that author on www.carconnection.com and I would find it odd that he flies to Germany and test drives the E55 during a press junket probably with other members of the automotive press and the Germans give them all the specs of the US version and then the Germans give them no price figures of the car and leave it to them to guess about it when they return to the US. And even if the Germans gave him a 'ball park' figure of $72,500 - $75,000 that is no where near a 15% increase nor $85k.
Last edited by E55 KEV; 10-29-2002 at 04:54 PM.
