What do you think of a 2002 Mercedes Kompressor?

You can get these old cars for around 5 grands here. If he's young I would think he's a mechanic or an auto aficionado.

If he's old, I'd just think he's a thrift, responsible person.

A good car at a great price is smart and frugal. Worrying about what other people think is sad.

Where in the world would you get a used Merc at 5 grand? You do mean $5000 right? Even with the least amount of kms its impossible to get a GOOD one at that price.

I think judging people by the car they drive is like judging the strength of concrete by how good it tastes. It may lead you to an opinion, but not necessarily a useful or accurate one.

How would I know it was the 2002 model? I think only an enthusiast would know this, perhaps? (I know nothing about German cars and tend not to like them very much ).

I think it's a location-specific social/cultural thing, to some extent? I think that tends not to be true, where I live. If anything, I think it's perhaps slightly the opposite: people think that those driving the latest model of luxury car don't own it anyway (it's just a "company car"), whereas those with older model luxury cars appreciate some class and distinction and anyway they probably "don't make them as well as that any more, these days"?

My perception may be biased by my own car being much older than the 2002 one you mentioned.

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Mercedes are good cars! When I was in Europe, it seemed like all the taxis were MERCEDES!

It didn't start out as a luxury car! It's selling point was QUALITY! AND, for a luxury car, it is CHEAP!

OK, it looks like luxury cars have fallen in price. The mercedes is STILL cheap. Maybe not as cheap as the cheapest volkswagen, etc.... but cheap.

But what do YOU care? Is he making a big deal about having a luxury car?

Steve

BTW the only people I have known that are wannabeson cars are ones that have a stupid idea, make a killing on a promise, or spend their last dime, and get like a rolls royce,or a suit they think is fancy, just to try to impress. You know, like that guy here that recently tried to take a poll to see if people would be impressed if he bought a rolex.

I think Jay Leno can be forgiven a bit, since he DOES want to keep history, takes good care of them, and apparently just LOVES such things. He actually has a steam engine that does nothing of any real use to him or anyone JUST because it is HISTORIC! He has an OLD steam driven car that isn't much to ride, just because it is historic. Besides, it wasn't a secret that Jay had a lot of money.

The rolls is ALSO known to be quality, but it is OVERKILL on that point. People often buy them to show off. Some models even have supper expensive umbrellas that fit into the doors so you will always have an umbrella. NICE TOUCH! But is it worth the thousands they charge for that feature, or the 100s of thousands for the car? MAYBE if you are a billionaire and making multimillion dollar deals. Otherwise, I DOUBT it!

But merecedes is a good car at what would NOW be considered a good price.

Steve

I was born with a deficient 'givadamn' gene. I rarely, if ever, make decisions on what others think. If you like something, go with it.

In 2011 a sales trainer I was working with and I rolled up to a prospect's computer repair shop, both driving older model Mercedes. They were well taken care of though (I had just Turtle Waxed mine) and looked great.

The prospect came out into the parking lot to greet us, and exclaimed, "Obviously you guys are doing well! Both driving Mercedes!"

These cars were both two decades old.

This was my first job in the US and I had not been allowed to work for the better part of a year.

Perception is reality, and not many people are up to date on what the latest model is.

I do recall a restaurant owner complaining his did not perform well in the snow on the rare occasion we had some back in Vancouver, though. That was around '08.

Oh, definitely the case around here. Most people who own old luxury cars are people who cleaned restrooms/worked on construction sites/etc. for years in foreign countries just to buy a used luxury car. (It's usually a BMW around here.) Most of them can't afford to put gas into their tanks to "take it out for a spin". Sad people, but God is great, so He let's them breathe.

However, as Alexa pointed out, this is often times a cultural thing. I can see an Italian guy driving this and look very classy, but the guy who washes his toilet might also drive the same car, in his home country. (I'm not making this stuff up.)

I went out with a friend to test drive one, He did end up buying it. The car handles, accelerates, and stops flawlessly. The guy ended up hitting a deer going 75 and came out with just a dent.Had it been in a Honda or something of less quality guarantee the car would be totaled and he would of been injured. He got the car fixed and has been awesome and reliable. Maintenance is high- find a loyal cheap foreign repair shops with ex Mercedes Benz mechanics. worth the savings. Would any luxury car be expensive for repair/maintenance though?