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-   -   Is a Mercedes C, E or S Class worth the money??? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxury-imports-niche/71036-mercedes-c-e-s-class-worth-money-3.html)

Ofcourse but even in developing countries like India duties are not as high as what is being levied!! i.e. Malaysia is 60% on imports and much lower for assembled same goes with Thailand, Indonesia, Philipines, Korea not sure about China but given to unerdstand it is lower than India! So where are we in all this? Don't you reckon if you reduce duties volumes will go up? Volumes going up would mean more indirect and some direct revenues going up? More cars on road more tolls collected, more fuel consumed, more taxes collected, not mention more mobility etc etc even taking into account substitution etc it will still have net positive effect as we are a young country with a paltry auto penetration!!

Lets forget about the import duties, taxes and even the car manufactures. Lets just think ourselves and fullfilling our needs.

At times I drink chai at a roadside walla for Rs 5. At times Cafe day for rs 40. At times in a restaurant paying Rs 100. I am sure each one of us does something or other like this. Most of the time the tea for Rs 5 fits my needs, its closer to what I had at home.

So why not just stick with it?. We don't. At times we want to experience the cafe day chai in that environment and you would want a simple flavoured tea. Or we would want a tea at the pool side with your friends in a star hotel. Our desire and needs (and affordability) determines what is that we would like to pay for.

Do I regret because I paid Rs 90 more for a chai? Not at all. I paid that Rs 90 for more than the chai, for the environment, for the service and for a good time with my friends and family.

The same way, you pay more for certain things. The question is whether you like what you get for that additional amount? It could be status or the ride experience or the safety features, whatever that might be, you should have a liking and a desire for the offerings that come along for that extra cash. If you have that, then its worth it.

If you paid all that because the next door neighbour had a Merc and hate whenever you get into it and the only reason you get into it because you want to be in the same league as your neighbour, then its certainly not worth it.

Car& Me very nicely put. I agree and think it finally comes down to status when it comes to luxury cars in India. However I beg to disagree when it comes applying the analogy of the chai to a Mercedes. Buying process is entirely different for something as expensive as a luxury Car or a house for that matter. It would be simplifying things a little too much if you compare buying chai to a Mercedes.

Pranava, now I agree with the statement "to each his own", you can apply this to any discussion, but then there wont be a discussion, will we??? Like i said if you buy it for status and since its hard to put a price on status, no argument there. But if you are going to talk about what car you are getting for your money, I'd have to agree with cannonball import duties are too high in India and it would be hard to justify the value of these cars at the prices they are currently sold for.

dude I never thought of it this way. You're right actually.I would definitely vote for you if you had participated in the elections :).Someone should spread the word to our numskull politicians .

Excluding the import tax's , The Benz does seem very expensive and very unexciting. But people would generally buy it just for it's snob value and if they are not so much interested with performance.
For the Enthusiast's and all other's who know about car's , i reckon they'd opt other cars based on more features , better mileage ,performance and reliability !!!:thumbs up

I need some inputs here and look forward to Team BHP for the necessry feed. I own a German (an E60 530d CBU). The car is now into its 4th year and the F10 is out in the market. I am also looking at the E Class but the replacing/buying decision is at a very nascent stage.

I wanted to know from people here owning any of the 3 German Brands Audi, MB, BMW on how their *** experience has been. NCR experiences would really help.

My problem (or good luck) is I took a 5 Year 100,000 KMS BSI+R option for my Beemer which I have now got it extended to 6 Years 110,000 KMS. Needless to say, my service experience has been flawless and I have treated the BMW workshop as my home business. Just send the car and not receive any repair bill. (Believe me, you have to experience it to really appreciate the feeling). I can continue this for another two years but you know I have to start thinking of replacement now.

I just wanted to know how MB/Audi service cost stand up. Since I am also unaware so far the ACTUAL cost of maintaining a BMW, it would be nice to get some feedback on cost of maintaining a Beemer without their BSI thing. I surely cannot afford a 300,000 repair bill for a 20,000 kms service as mentioned in this thread. Help please:.

This was my first Luxury car and I picked up the BSI thing to be doubly sure since I COULD NOT afford to pay any surprise bills. Times have chnged and I CAN afford to be a little adventurous.

@ BeamerBoy: These cashless service packages looks like a pure rip off. C'mon what major service is involved for a car durign the first 5 yrs/75K KM's except for consumables or involved in an accident? Things really start falling apart or major services (suspension jobs/engine jobs) are due after the first the 5 yrs/75K KM's usage.

I am not in that class of people who can afford to buy a Merc, but I know I wouldn't buy a Merc if I am that rich, I'd go for a BMW instead. I feel it's not very exciting to own a Merc!

And the new upper class status symbol is not Mercedez benz anymore! Or rather, it is too old

It doesn't pinch if you also have many more times money evaded in taxes/duties. The situation in India is different than States. We can't compare them on a same scale.

I agree with you verbatim but as many readers have highlighted its just for the prestige and snob-value associated with the brand that few people still pay for them.

I disagree. I am talking here about a solid commitment from a company to cover my maintenance cost for 6 years and 110,000 kms. Yes, they charged me a good price for the cover but I can in no way agree that cashless packages are a pure rip off.

I intend to purchase my next car in the region of about 50 lac Rupees. I do about 17,000 kms in a year. If as you say the packages are a pure rip off, how much do you suggest that I should be putting aside to cover all my maintenance requirements for the next 5 years. There is no way I can insure my maintenance expenses.

Within my usage span of 4 years so far, I have already had an AC compressor replaced 2 months back, 2 sets of brake discs and once a suspension set. If I do the sums, this is already half way of what I paid for BSI. Hence my question. Should I consider Audi/MB or just stick to a car with a solid maintenance package. Capital cost aside, is it worth the money to own a German machine when it comes to maintenance expenses?

Why are we bashing MB/BMW again ?

Its the import duty structure to blame for the exorbitant prices not the manufacturer.

The richest fellow in our community (locally) purchased a Mercedes Benz C Class few days back. I saw it today just 3 hours back. He previously owned a Ford Endevour Ritz, Opel Asta and few other such cars. But none of the Big 3 (MB/BMW/Audi).

He has manufacturing businesses in 2 countries. Houses everywhere. Had 6000 people come to his son's reception. Everything! But consciously never owned a Benz even though he could.

Nobody in my immediate family owns a luxury car (in India) so I was never even quite interested but today for the first time I searched for a Mercedes C class thread
and came across this thread. I thought to myself what is it that prompted him to buy it now?

We are a family based in India and the Middle East. So I have seen a fair good share of Uber awesome cars. In India the show-off factor is extremely high. "He has one so even I need one. And why not? I have the money to buy it as well." A car so luxurious in India is just like any other Toyota car in the Middle East where people don't even turn to see it twice unless it is an Aston Martin/ Bentley.

There comes a time in the life of every man when he has arrived and wants to indulge in some luxury. But companies ripping off the customers under the pretext of such Indian mindset is not right. IMHO.

Being an Auditor myself I have had the chance to audit a few (5star) Balance sheets. I have seen how the servicing bills of these cars have piled up and how without any hesitation people have actually paid it off. But the question , which was validly raised, still stays. Was it necessary to pay such a high maintenance? A premium so high?

If companies are out there to make profits wouldn't it be wiser for them to mark down the prices of the cars and also make them maintenance friendly so that a larger section of the society can buy them? High Volumes,anybody?! There are People who stay away even from the lower end models just because they are worried that it cost be a bomb to maintain it.

It cannot be a status affair totally. After all in the Middle East and I'm sure even in the US its not a big deal to have a MB or an Audi if you are at a decent position. Then why is it Hyped up so much in India..? Its just because it has been kept away from a certain section of public who can afford it but are afraid.

PS: Not to forget . There is another aspect. People who own businesses tend to buy these cars in the name of the company in which they are Directors or Partners. Hence Depreciation is claimed making them save taxes elsewhere. Executives or Salaries people who can otherwise buy a luxury car cannot do this exercise