First post - been reading a lot of the threads and have some initial information for which I would like some advice.
I have been searching for a CLS450 vs CLS53. Inventory in SoCal is light at many dealers, and the car is for my mom who is fixated on a monthly (the worst case scenario - I know). She is coming out of multiple consecutive E350/300 leases and other than the relative unicorn deal FART cars I have seen posted about, the E leases are simply put, abysmal.
Simple question is what is considered a good discount off of MSRP. I have 2 data points with Loyalty and Fleet.
I was offered 8K off a CLS450 and 10K off a CLS53 (both have loyalty and fleet included). One dealer quoted me a money factor of 0.00062.
First Deal: (I am missing some information - will get more ASAP)
Term 36 mos
Miles 10K/yr
First deal: CLS450. White on Black
MSRP 77,905
Sale 68500
Tax/fees total 74766
Drive off $0
MSD $ 0
$1053 (with tax 7.75%)
Drive off $0
MSD $10K
$ 919 (with tax 7.75%)
I’m mobile at the moment, so I need to collect a bit more data to post. Please excuse the lack of some - will update and add as I get more info and learn more about how this all works.
I mean as much as people here on LH are gonna say don’t talk about monthly, it’s really all about the monthly at the end of the day as far as your budget goes
The trick is to go in and negotiate the parts of deal and then the monthly will line up with your projected budget.
What about the cls attracts you? Have you driven one? It’s a lot different than an e class in regards to blindspots and field of view, it’s more coupe than sedan, and the sloping lines in the back make headroom tight and the viewing out of the rear a lot tougher due to the c pillar’s angle.
Outside of a few passing situations I can’t possibly see your mom needing the extra bump of hp that the amg provides, even the 450 is a bit overkill imo.
With that being said $1053 w/o msd is in cls 53 territory, lack of inventory probably hurts any chance of getting a solid deal on a cls atm.
I agree wholeheartedly. The E is a solid car. But with the new model in the wings, the residual is simply terrible, the discounts even with some inventory are too low and the deals, IMHO, are no good. I’ve seen some FART car posts and those are reasonable.
That said, given how aggressive the deals have been on the demo 7s, I simply cannot bring myself to rationalize a lease in the 600-700 on an outdated product…
Call me crazy, it’s just a sticking point.
The CLS has personality when compared to the E. As my mom also says, it’s something different, which makes it unique. Not hating on anyone with a C (they’re great cars) but she needs something a bit bigger and befitting.
I kept pushing her to consider a Panamera, which she absolutely adores, but we all know they lease terribly…
At the end of the day, it’s another car to go alongside the Tesla X 100D at home.
I told her to take my S8 lol so I could lease something else when the deals were smoking on the M4CS. She unfortunately declined…
I also suggested getting an etron to go along with mine, but she is dead set against SUVs
Why not try the S class? The 7 series is also solid and with bmw you can always swap out.
The reason I say draw caution on the cls is my mom had the previous gen cls63 for a few months, it was leased, after 6 months she got tired of the awful angles of the car on the highway. For me it was even a bit awkward, I think pretty much everyone in our immediate family and a few extended family members/friends who drove one complained of it, we ended up swapping it to my uncle who was jumping from a cls550, he loved it, now he has the amg gt63.
S8 is a beast!!! Awesome car to drive.
Funny cause most women I know prefer suvs and minivans to cars, guess everyone is different lol. The q8 is a nice looking suv imo, maybe even the sq8.
This is why cars are personal and emotional lol
I should have been an automotive marketer. I think I may have found more fun in the day to day compared to a lot of my day job
But the RV is not. AFAIK, the RV is for an E-Class is higher than it is for a CLS.
If you and your mom like the CLS, of course that’s personal. But I don’t think the numbers actually make it a better value, and I doubt the overall cost of an E-Class lease is as high as a CLS. ::shrug::
You’ve got me there. I suppose for me it’s the knowledge that the new E is right around the corner. The lease numbers I have garnered are just too much for an E. I’m tainted by the thrill of the deals that LH has shown to be possible.
Well, that’s where the personal comes in. The “new” E is fundamentally the same car but w/ a mid-cycle facelift. I personally find the changes very unattractive b/c several design cues now match the A-Class. I like the steering wheel, and that’s about it. I prefer the current E-Class, but YMMV.
Yeah, the 2021 MBZ’s will def qualify as “acquired taste” with those squinty head/taillights. Will take some getting used for most people.
Having said that, you should be able to find a good deal on the outgoing E class and/or 5 series. Or how about Audi A6 2.0 since the power does not seem to be an issue?
