did she make a good choice? (MB/Infinity)

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Better to drive a small nice car, and put your money into investments, that way when you're older, you can travel the world, anyplace, have more options, the type of options that people wish they had after their 5th or 11th Mercedes Benz Car payment...Take the price of the new MB and multiply it by 3, or 5, or 10 and depending upon your age now, that math will give you "retirement dollars", and so that is the real cost of that MB. The best life is the one with the most options ;-)

And I suspect your layd friend that makes $140k as a pharmacist must not work for the big chains like Rite Aid, Longs, Walgreens because those companies pay barely have of what she makes....just something to keep in mind....stay clear of those big chain pharmacies.
 
LOVCOM:
Both Walmart and Kmart, AND Walgreen's (big chain stores) DO pay about the same. Normally starting salary is about $120,000 Plus sign on bonus (sometimes). and she DOES work for Kmart with my wife, so we know. My wife is already getting some offers for jobs, so that info is accurate. I don't know who in the world told you Walgreens would pay about $70,000/yr(half of what that friend gets paid, as you said)...They pay same or more than Kmart would. (have several friends who work for walgreens, and they earn betw 120k 130k / year)

ANYWAY, back to the topic:
Most pharmacists I know have/had a similar car, AND were still able to travel the world, esp when they retired.
So I don't think they HAVEto have an Econobox to do that...
I agree that getting a smaller econobox would of course contribute to environmental protection. You're right about that.
But the discussion was not about getting a luxury car or an econobox. It was about 2 SPECIFIC cars that she chose from.
Econobox/Luxury discussion, although a good one, is a separate issue.

also, although my wife and I plan to "travel the world" as much as we can when we're older/richer/retired whatever, because we love seeing different countries, this may not interest everyone...and I think this friend of ours is the type who would rather stay home, do her pharmacist job, drive a nice car, but not travel much...matter of taste, i think.
 
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Originally Posted By: lovcom
Better to drive a small nice car, and put your money into investments, that way when you're older, you can travel the world, anyplace, have more options, the type of options that people wish they had after their 5th or 11th Mercedes Benz Car payment...Take the price of the new MB and multiply it by 3, or 5, or 10 and depending upon your age now, that math will give you "retirement dollars", and so that is the real cost of that MB. The best life is the one with the most options ;-)


This, I think, is a big fallacy. You can enjoy life much more when you are young than when you are old. Who wants to have more than enough money to spend if in order to get it up you have to pop a pill?

Enjoy life while you can.

My goal is to live rich and die broke.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Now she's wondering if she made the right choice...

Obviously NOT, since she's exhibiting buyer's remorse!

(Is there a pill for that?)
 
Originally Posted By: lovcom
Better to drive a small nice car, and put your money into investments, that way when you're older, you can travel the world, anyplace, have more options, the type of options that people wish they had after their 5th or 11th Mercedes Benz Car payment...


That worked out great for my Dad.

He busted his butt, saved every penny, bought cheap cars, denied himself nice things, and died at 66 of a heart attack after being retired for exactly 6 months.

All that money he put away, all those pennies he pinched, all of that effort WAS FOR NOTHING!

And by the way, he did everything the health freaks said to do to prevent heart attacks - exercise, eating right, etc...

The key is balance. Sure, save for the future, but also keep in mind that you may not live to spend all that money you've put away! Why not take a little bit here and there, as long as you can afford it, and make life now a little more enjoyable now?

I'm not talking about spending every penny.

If she's making $140k a year, putting enough away for retirement, is paying her bills with ease and wants an MB, buy the MB and have no regrets!

later,
ben
 
I own a Mercedes convertible (95 E320). The car is horribly complicated and unreliable. The problems are not with the drivetrain (yet), but with all the body electrical glitches... most of them related to the fact that it's a convertible. I won't bore you with the details. It's reached a point where I almost can't enjoy driving it. I cringe every time I drive the car, wondering what will go wrong next.

An out-of-warranty Mercedes is not for the average car owner. One has to adopt the Mercedes as a hobby or a problem child that needs extra attention.

I wonder if anyone caught Groucho's sarcasm when he said "Her mechanic will be pleased".
 
Here's something to think about. Why do Engineers in Germany know MB auto techs names in North America so well???? constant communication to try to solve problems they cannot fix. FACT.

Each to their own when it comes to vehicle selection. If you have beans in your pocket..by all means buy anything you fancy. Just remember $$$ does not buy you time. I guess to elaborate I should say frequent trips to the MB dealerships to fix ongoing electrical problems they cannot fix. The TSB books they have are extremely thick.

I'm not a fan of infinity either because they over complicate things that do not need to be. Timing chain issues are plagued with pretty much ALL nissan products.

Even many BMW dealerships are parts changers because they cannot figure out how to fix the cars they sell.

The discussion of income is a factor in purchasing a car. This maybe a sensitive topic for some depending on peoples occupation. Each to thier own. If status is something needed to be purchased via "car ownership" I would say buy your MB. Some maybe envious of "luxury" cars but I personally see no value except a wallet purchase. The respect in granted to a personalized/customized restoration of a classic or even current make IMO. It is understood that people are people and we are all different.

MB for status in addition to loss of time for maintenance. Infinity for less maintenance but lack of status.

Speaking to a mechanic is reality. Savvy internet lurkers and particapants may have different points of view. Look out of the box and be open minded.

Initial cost of a vehicle is one thing. Keeping it on the road running is another. Majority of luxury car owners cry when their cars are found dead on the road due to electrical problems. The over complicated designs are crying for issues. I have deaf ears to that. Its just the cost of that type of vehicle.

Bottom line if reliability is a major factor the MB is not the flavour for her.

I'd suggest an Acura TL or MDX for Suv for a nice ride with a sensible $$ for a higher end scale car/truck. Unfortunately theres no screaming flaunt of status.
 
Ferrari--->Benz--->Infiniti--->Toyota Corolla
Envy/status--------------------->no status
not reliable-------------------->reliable
megadollars--------------------->kilodollars

Pick a place on the spectrum. People that buy on the left side of the spectrum typically have MANY in their stable so their personal assistant can take the broken one to the shop.
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
one of my wife's friends had narrowed down her car choices for a long time, and finally pulled the trigger on a MB CLK convertible (the v-6) ....her other contender was Infinity M-45...
Now she's wondering if she made the right choice...

what do you guys think?


I do not think she made the right choice. Modern Mercedes Benz vehicles have reliability problems. She would have been much better off with the Infiniti.
 
MB reliabilty has improved and I'll take a fine German car over a Japanese model anyday. In ten years that MB will still look good whereas the Infinty will look just just like any old car on the road.
 
the reality is that if she is making $120k/yr, she isnt really making a LOT of $$$$. Does she have student loans? Does she own a house? Is she contributing 15% of her salary to her retirement accounts? Does she have 4-6 months of salary saved up in case?

The infinity is surely more practical of a car. I fear that if that mb is her only car, she will be wishing big time for something more practical when push comes to shove. convertibles dont exactly have the cargo space to move much more than a shoebox, nor the people space to haul more than mom OR dad.

I agree that for someone recently out of school, neither were a prudent choice. Out of grad school, I bought a new saab after my MB was ruined. The saab was $23 after rebates...not >>$30k. Big difference... AND, I BOUGHT it. I kind of doubt this girl BOUGHT her car. More likely she leased it, and will have nothing after 3 years. I'm a big believer in sustainability. Buy something that you can use for years and years, run to 200k+ miles, will give excellent mileage on that trip, etc.

If I were her, and was looking to rally show it off, Id have bought a 3-series, c-class, etc. basic luxury car, and strip it down to a price that could be paid off and sh could own it aftr the term. This way you have a baseline vehicle to start with. At that point, youre likely better situated, time has passed, you know what you want, and the original car is still newish and good. Then she can go right ahead and buy a convertible.

That purchase was premature, IMO.

JMH
 
It sounds like she does not have a financial advisor. She should get one sooner than later.

Too bad having a financial planner does not come with a big chrome status emblem that people can show off i.e. outward status that can be worn on a sleeve. If they did, more people would have financial planners.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
MB reliabilty has improved and I'll take a fine German car over a Japanese model anyday. In ten years that MB will still look good whereas the Infinty will look just just like any old car on the road.


Barring collisions and dirt, a vehicle's appearance is constant, so if a car looks good on the day you buy it, it will look good for the rest of its life. That is not something that changes.

If I was buying a new car, I would take a Mercedes Benz W123 made in the 1970s over a Mercedes Benz made today any day, especially the Mercedes Benz CLK, as the reliability (over a period of two to three years) of the 2004 Mercedes Benz CLK is rated as the 6th worst of all of the vehicle models that the following site tracks:

http://www.autooninfo.net/BestandWorstof2004.htm
 
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
MB reliabilty has improved and I'll take a fine German car over a Japanese model anyday. In ten years that MB will still look good whereas the Infinty will look just just like any old car on the road.


Barring collisions and dirt, a vehicle's appearance is constant, so if a car looks good on the day you buy it, it will look good for the rest of its life. That is not something that changes.

If I was buying a new car, I would take a Mercedes Benz W123 made in the 1970s over a Mercedes Benz made today any day, especially the Mercedes Benz CLK, as the reliability (over a period of two to three years) of the 2004 Mercedes Benz CLK is rated as the 6th worst of all of the vehicle models that the following site tracks:

http://www.autooninfo.net/BestandWorstof2004.htm



I was refering to the styling not the cleanliness of the car. The Mercedes styling will "age" gracefully not like the infinity. Just look at an old infinity and see how the styling looks dated. This goes for lots of cars, the Camry's from the 1990's look dated compared to an E-class of the same vintage. Same with a Taurus or Malibu - it's not japanese specific.

But, this is all subjective and just my opinion, that's all.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
MB reliabilty has improved and I'll take a fine German car over a Japanese model anyday. In ten years that MB will still look good whereas the Infinty will look just just like any old car on the road.


Barring collisions and dirt, a vehicle's appearance is constant, so if a car looks good on the day you buy it, it will look good for the rest of its life. That is not something that changes.

If I was buying a new car, I would take a Mercedes Benz W123 made in the 1970s over a Mercedes Benz made today any day, especially the Mercedes Benz CLK, as the reliability (over a period of two to three years) of the 2004 Mercedes Benz CLK is rated as the 6th worst of all of the vehicle models that the following site tracks:

http://www.autooninfo.net/BestandWorstof2004.htm



I was refering to the styling not the cleanliness of the car. The Mercedes styling will "age" gracefully not like the infinity. Just look at an old infinity and see how the styling looks dated. This goes for lots of cars, the Camry's from the 1990's look dated compared to an E-class of the same vintage. Same with a Taurus or Malibu - it's not japanese specific.

But, this is all subjective and just my opinion, that's all.


Very true. MB designs (not sure of the latest sloopy looks, but the mainline sedans such as the e-class still do) typically look 'classic' forever. Even the old w114/115/123/124/201/210/126, etc chssis, some having been designed in the 1960s have an unmistakable look. Lexus shares some of that in their big sedans - mainly because they are a rip-off of MB (toyota is, in general, notthat it isa bad thing).

Most other designs dont share a classic look that is unmistakable through the ages. An MB will always be an MB. An attempt at a super-luxury car that isnt a euro vehicle or at least a lexus, will, IMO, just be scrap in a few years.

Look how many w126 MB sedans you seee on the road every day, vs. how many 15-20 year old infiniti vehicles that you see... that says a lot, regardles of quality claims.

Stll think she needed to buy a utilitarian vehicle befre buying 'luxuries', be it an MB, BMW or mazda convertible...

JMH
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
one of my wife's friends had narrowed down her car choices for a long time, and finally pulled the trigger on a MB CLK convertible (the v-6) ....her other contender was Infinity M-45...
Now she's wondering if she made the right choice...

what do you guys think?
MBs are good for leasing. Other than that, RUN AWAYYYYY
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Well, the 8-10 year old Infinitis at the Pull-A-Part junkyard look new compared to all of the 20+ year old cars they share the yard with.


Agreed. Talk about complicated, Infinity used fibre-optic wiring harness c.1991. Ouch.

Anyway, the Mercedes will age better and if I spent that kind of money, it would be for a car to keep a long time. I'm more of an Acura TL or A6 guy myself.
 
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