That's my guess. Looked at 10 year old S600 sedans, they're trading for about 15% of MSRP now. No reason to think these will be any different...
Amen brother! The mid 90's S600 is a fantastic car. Interesting about the Maybach and depreciation, though I don't really think the target audience cares much about that factor. I wonder how much of a hit the new Phantoms are taking? I would much rather have a nicely depreciated Phantom than the Maybach.
Hell yeah, I'm cruising in a 93 600SEL with the individual reclining rear seats, it's the poor man's maybach. And this car was over $110k new, I'm in it for 10% of that price. The last well engineer mercedes. The new S class feels and looks very tinny compare to the W140.
This might be a stupid question, but why do so many people look down on the Maybach? An acquaintance of mine has a 57, and it is hard to imagine a more luxurious car. The performance supplied by the engine is pretty amazing as well considering the size of the car. His son's S600 looks like a compact next to it. It makes my wife's C320 looks, well, like a toy. Don't all of these cars (Bentley, R-R, Maybach, Ferrari 2+2) have precipitous depreciation? Being able to buy one in ten years for $50k would be a great buy. I would guess that most Maybachs would not have that many miles on them and would be engineered to last for eons anyway.
Steve..... I don't think people look down on the Maybach....it's a nice car....but so's an S600 for a fraction of the price.....and therein lies the problem with the Maybach.......err S600 clone......err Maybach......heh.
You're kidding. I had no idea they were in that price range. Hmmm... That's the last one that was "engineered like no other car in the world". Built like tanks.
I know a guy that owns a Maybach 62. His biggest complaint is that the car only has 4 seats (2 in front, 2 in back). Since he has a full-time chauffeur, that leaves 3 seats. He and his wife can't even go to dinner with another couple!
That's one of the reasons the car hasn't done well. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like the car. With the exception of some stupid little things failing, my W140.500 was a good car. But, knowing that most of the stupid little things that failed (5 window regulators in 3 years, the a/c fan circuit, the hydraulic suspension - twice) and knowing that this is one of those MB's built after the cost cutting programs that were initiated in 1996, this may be a cool ride, but its going to be an absolute PIA to keep one running off of warranty.
How much is an MB limo? Like a regular 8 passenger? i'm sure you could get something snazzy for 1/2 the price of the Maybach if you want to haul everyone.
This is why I love my 88 750iL. Built like a friggin tank. Even the E38 7 series wasn't quite as well built (though still a very good car.) BMW's latest offerings might as well be made in china.
Unfortunately, you have to service them like tanks too. Most of the time, only governments can afford those bills... In 2003 I was driving my S about the same amount as my 365. I spent less on servicing the Ferrari. That should tell you something if you're looking at getting one of these.
Agreed...I've also felt the Maybach could of had a better, more "statey" design. For the price tag, it has too bland of a design. The interior is increbile, and I do kinda like the car. If I had money to burn, I would pick one up.
This is true! Although honestly, aside from parts costs, these cars are like working on an overgorwn Chevy. Ok, about like working on 2 chevys at once Ie, not that hard once you get into it.
With the exception of the exotics like Ferrari, I've noticed that almost all cars from Ford to BMW follow pretty much the same deprectation timeline. In 10 years they are going to loose 80% of their value even if they are well taken care of. Before I got my 328, I was looking at early 90's BMW 850's which were fairly limited production and their top-of-the-line model. Very good ones could be had for $25K. The 7 series is even worse with good ones in the $10K to $12K range. There are too many of them made to ever be collectible, you need an engineering degree to work on anything made after about 1985, and the people that can afford them are going to trade every couple of years anyway. The market for expensive to maintain luxury cars that are out of warranty isn't that large. I don't think the Maybach will hit $100K in a year, but I do expect they will be that low after three or four years. But would you want one at that price? $100K will buy a new warranteed Mercedes. Would you rather have a new Mercedes or a four-year old Maybach with the resulting risk of having to fix anything that went wrong out of your pocket?
I'd take the Maybach twice on sunday. For one thing, the S65AMG will still be $180k not 100. I'll fix the dam thing myself like I'm starting to do all my cars. Ain't that hard, certinly not as hard as putting together hardened avionics for mil/commercial aircraft...)
