mmarshall

Well, two things. First, IMO, the S-Class is overpriced, even considering its engineering excellence. Second, if you load up a Black Label version, you can spend almost 75K on a Continental.....not chump-change by any means.

SW17LS

LOL! The S Class is the sales leader in the segment, you can't say its overpriced. Buyers speak, and they clearly are willing to spend more for the S Class than significantly cheaper rivals. Something is worth what people are willing to pay for it, and they overwhelmingly choose to pay more for an S Class vs a 7 Series, LS, A8, etc.

The point is AVERAGE transaction price. The vast majority of Continentals are not $75k black labels, most of them are relatively mid priced units in the $50k range...like I said, about half the average transaction price of an S Class.

People don't cross shop the Continental and the S Class.

mmarshall

Well, I can, and I just did, at least as far as I'm concerned....I cannot speak for others. Sales leader or not, M-B is not going to get my money (at least not this time), because I simply don't think the S-Class is worth what it costs....period. In fact, I did not even look seriously at a C-class or E-class, because, to some extent, I also think thatthey are overpriced. Besides that, the standard Mercedes factory warranty, like Audi and BMW, is only 4/50, even on the powertrain....Buick, Lincoln, and Lexus give you 6/70 and 4/50, and, of course, Genesis even better than that. And how much has been posted here on Car Chat about what it costs to own an upmarket German brand after the warranty runs out (I usually keep my car more than four years....sometimes as long as six or seven).

Fine....let them speak. My point is that they don't control my bank-account.


Well, if what you and some others here keep posting is correct, so few Continentals have been sold outside the livery business (where they negotiate special-order fleet-prices) that it may be difficult to determine just what the average general-public-transaction price is. I do agree, though, that probably not many Black Labels are sold...they have a lot of nice customer-perks to them (like once-a-year detailing and free washes), but still cost quite a bit for those perks.

oldcajun

Not all Lincoln dealers participate in the Black Label program. Neither of the 2 here in Tucson do, and those in Phoenix limit the program to within 30 miles of the dealerships. Black Label is so far a very small portion of Continental sales.
Steve

BrownPride

The more I see them the more I fancy them. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but is easily the most handsome Lincoln since the LS.

The CT6 is a handsome car too but it doesn't catch my eye compared to the Conti. The front of the Lincoln is very elegant; and the rear, while a bit unconventional, makes it clear to the viewer what car they're looking at. Can't say the same for the Caddy's plain jane rear end.

LexBob2

A couple of weeks ago while going to the BMW dealership, I noticed a Lincoln-only store nearby. I wonder if this is a test store, or does Lincoln have some stand alone dealerships already open? I know they've discussed opening some but didn't know how far along this concept is.

mmarshall

Are you in the Chicago area?.............I noticed your Illinois location. I did a dealer-search for the downtown Chicago area, and it is showing what are (apparently) three or four Lincoln-only shops......so it may, in fact, be part of a trend, or just limited to the Chicago area as a test for now. That part, I don't know.

LexBob2

Yes, I live in the Chicago area. The Lincoln dealership I drove by is in the western suburbs (Westmont for anyone who knows the area). I wanted to stop in but didn't have the time. Next time I'm in the area I'll try to check it out.

BrownPride

New Navigator was just unveiled.

While the interior looks nice enough for its segment, the exterior is nauseating.

Toys4RJill

Yeah this sums up my thoughts of the Continental. It certainly catches my eye every time I see it. I really liked the CT6 but I have not yet seen one in the wild as of yet.

mmarshall

Sorry, but I couldn't disagree more on the exterior. While the grille, yes, is a little large, it also adds a nice touch of that classy, Jaguar-esque front-end styling also seen in the new Continental and MKZ. And, fortunately, like the rival Escalade, it has kept the classic two-box SUV shape for good visibility and maximum interior space-efficiency instead of going to the humpback-whale roofline and overly-large D-pillars seen in so many of today's vehicles. I say a job well-done.

SW17LS

But you were never going to buy a flagship luxury car anyways. Thats my point...when we are talking objectively about cars we have to look at what consumers in those specific segments are buying and how they react to a specific car. The S Class is the sales leader...so to say "its overpriced in your opinion" has no value because you aren't a consumer who would ever purchase an S Class or one of its competitors. You've said repeatedly you don't want to spend anywhere near that sort of money on a car...so quite frankly your opinion as a consumer doesn't have any value, you aren't in the target demographic for the car.

Something is worth what their target consumers are willing to pay, and sales data clearly shows that consumers are willing to pay significantly more for an S Class over less expensive options...so...its not overpriced lol.

As somebody who is a consumer in this segment, if you ask me if cost was no object which vehicle I would choose...I would choose the S Class. For me it has the best attributes in the segment, its the best built, has the nicest interior, has the best and quietest ride, its the most "special". I think you will find that most consumers who choose something else did so with cost as a big reason.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

^^^ great post.

most of the public would think a gulfstream plane is overpriced too, because they would NEVER be a customer for one. or a rolex, or most boats, or mcmansions, many vacations, and on and on...

i was with someone today who dropped 5k in best buy in 5 minutes. took me back a bit.

mmarshall

In most cases, though, you don't buy a new vehicle (or a new airplane) for 5K. And, in the case of a Rolex, most people today (including me), when they are not at home, use either their cell-phones or the clocks in their vehicles for the time.

SW17LS

You totally missed the point of what he was saying lol.

Bottom line is because you personally would not spend the money on something that it costs, it doesn't mean its overpriced. I would never buy a Rolex, it just doesn't have any value to me anywhere near what it costs, but that doesn't mean they are overpriced, people buy them the company is successful and to people who appreciate what they are, they are happy to pay. Hell...Rolexes go up in value over time...but if you offered me a Rolex or a Seiko, I'm going to take the Rolex.

Same is true of the S Class, I have chosen not to spend the money on one at this time, but I understand why its better and what makes it better, and clearly many people are able and willing to pay what they charge since it outsells everything else in the segment despite being significantly more expensive. Short of a Rolls Royce or a Bentley, its the nicest sedan you can drive.

To make the Best Buy analogy, there are TVs at BestBuy that cost $8,000. More even. Me? I bought a $2,100 Samsung and I love it, but I understand why that $8,000 TV is better, just for me the value isn't there. To somebody for whom the value is there, they are happy to pay the $8,000. How is it overpriced?

Then why haven't all the watchmakers failed? Everybody I know still wears a watch, and in my office many of them are Rolexes.

You're having an issue separating what you do and what other people do.