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I buy a car for what it is. The badge informs me of what I might expect from it, be it a Honda badge, a Toyota badge or a BMW badge.
While I bought my BMW used, the badge means that it was designed as a driver's car first, luxury car second. I know it was designed to make the driver smile due to it's agility, ability, and then features and style. Economy cars tend not to have the balanced, RWD chassis dynamics that make owning a RWD sport sedan such a joy. And few cars combine all aspects of ability, agility, features and style as the cars of certain brands, which are designed to do those things. In that regard, yes, the badge matters, because it has an engineering meaning behind it.
You're not getting into a top S class or 7 series for $500 a month leases.
And really only the base trim levels are cheap leases. As soon as you add options and put zero down, the lease costs go up quite a bit.
Mercedes offers balloon payment financing now- you can get an S class for under $600/mo but you have to either sell the car or pony up the rest of the cash at the end of the balloon term. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it exists.
I was playing with their car configurator and built a $90,000 GLS suv and the payment was $570 using the balloon option (I'm sure the fine print showed tons of money down and other fees and junk; "just sayin'"). Straight lease was over $1,000/mo and financing was roughly the same since they have crazy long terms. All of this is done to distract from the fact that you're paying as much as a house for what is essentially just a truck.
The only luxury brands out there imo starts with Maybach, Maserati, Bugatti, Aston Martin, and Bentley. Everything else is really rental stuff.
I think I start with Rolls-Royce and Ferrari.
I briefly considered buying a 70's vintage Rolls (white, of course) and using proceeds from wedding rentals to pay for it.
No one around here is offering a chauffeured Rolls-Royce for special occasions, so there was a possible niche.
Then I figured out that there was no way I could cram that big old thing into my garage.
Also, white ones command top $$$ because other people got the same idea.
Mercedes offers balloon payment financing now- you can get an S class for under $600/mo but you have to either sell the car or pony up the rest of the cash at the end of the balloon term. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it exists.
I was playing with their car configurator and built a $90,000 GLS suv and the payment was $570 using the balloon option (I'm sure the fine print showed tons of money down and other fees and junk; "just sayin'"). Straight lease was over $1,000/mo and financing was roughly the same since they have crazy long terms. All of this is done to distract from the fact that you're paying as much as a house for what is essentially just a truck.
I hate those calculators.
I used to use them, too.
But they are a big departure from reality.
Dealers should be ashamed to put them on their websites.
Even the ads for leases are lies to get you in the door.
How haven't they been sued yet?
A car is a basic means of transportation for me. Point A to point B with as little maintenance as possible. I don't need to buy anything more than a Toyota to do that.
What you are saying has actually always been that way. And it goes for everything. Appliances, cars, watches, electronics, apparel, bicycles, even houses. The entry level is entry level. But the same law of diminishing returns even applies to cars like the Civic. Does $10,000 make a $18,740 car into a $40,000 car? Or, does it make it into a $18,740 car with $10,000 worth of stuff lumped on top? What does "pseudo economy luxury car" even mean? Is it pseudo economy or pseudo luxury? Both? Neither? Jack of all trades?
The so-called "poverty pack" luxury cars are just entry level cars for a higher line of cars. This has always been the case. The entry level Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc., have always been spartan in comparison with each brand's respective lineup. And, despite being the "poverty pack", they still cost more than a lot of people can afford, which gives them some degree of exclusivity.
Another thing is, features always trickle down, first to lower luxury cars, then to non-luxury cars. This takes years. What you are going to see on the new Lexus LS 500 will probably be available on econoboxes in 10 years, and it will wow people because the entry level luxury vehicles in 10 years won't even have that. Today's entry level luxury interiors will be replaced by something much better in a few years anyway. But they'll never rival what the latest flagship releases offer.
For me, what it really comes down to, is that a Civic is a freshly designed, 1.5L, front wheel drive, CVT-equipped $18,740 appliance with $10,000 worth of "stuff" that more expensive cars have, making it a very nicely appointed people mover. And that's great, for buyers who are looking for a nicely appointed people mover.
I hear you on the car being an appliance and anything more than the base model is going to boost depreciation, but hear me out for a second.
I'm looking at buying my first new car that's not only for practical reasons.
I'm comparing Audi to Honda.
Honda makes a nicely equipped accord with all the bells and whistles I could want, but still looks like a rental car.
The audis look like audis, and people think you have money if you drive an Audi.
I want a nice car that is fun to drive, but I don't want to project to the world that I have a decent income, so although I can easily afford either, I'm really feeling the accord, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to be camouflaged.
I want a nice car that is fun to drive, but I don't want to project to the world that I have a decent income, so although I can easily afford either, I'm really feeling the accord, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to be camouflaged.
I am with you on that. Now that I am older and have no need to draw attention to my self and drive very little I drive a dependable car that was paid for years ago.
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