2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class- the revolution continues
by: Everett Kinser

Now you’ve decided that you’re financially in a position to upgrade your Merc, you need to consider your options. Do you go for a new car, or a pre-owned one? Although the thought of driving a brand new vehicle off the dealership lot is tempting, there are a number of reasons for purchasing a pre-owned Mercedes Benz instead.

The first reason is cost. It’s not just that an older car costs less than a new car, but it’s more about the depreciation value. The moment any brand new car is driven off the dealership lot, its value sinks dramatically! If your purchase is a pre-owned Mercedes Benz, then that initial depreciation value is already taken care of. New cars depreciate fast and the first two years will see the biggest amount of depreciation value on your vehicle. Buying a pre-owned car that’s about 2-3 years old means that your “new” Mercedes is going to be holding its value more steadily over the next few years.

The next reason is that the “cricks” have been all found and corrected! Many new cars leave the factory with flaws of some kind or another. Over the first few months, there are teething problems as these are identified and then fixed. Even if your vehicle is covered by a substantial warranty, you’re still going to have the inconvenience of having to take the car to be modified – and perhaps either being without a vehicle or having to use a substitute vehicle provided by the dealership in the interim. Purchasing a pre-owned Mercedes Benz means that you’re buying a car in a good state of repair.

If you purchase a pre-owned car of only a few years old, and you buy it as a ex-rental or ex-lease car, then it’s probably going to have relatively low mileage. In the case of an ex-rental vehicle, this also means that it should have a good standard of repair as these cars must be in good condition in order to be rented out. As rental companies, as well as those who lease their vehicles only keep their fleet a few years before renewing it, buying from them means that you’re going to get a car that’s not new, but the condition ought to be “like new”.

The last main reason for buying a pre-owned Mercedes Benz is the certified program that some owners put their cars into. This means that you are sure to be getting a car that is in excellent condition. It will have be thoroughly checked out and serviced so that even if the extended warranty has expired, you still have some assurance that nothing major is going to go wrong with the car in the immediate future. It’s even possible to find a pre-owned vehicle that has extended warranty options and incentives.

Despite the fact that the “newness” shine has probably rubbed off the car, buying a pre-owned Mercedes Benz not only means that you are not paying 10% of the purchase price just to drive it home from the dealership because of initial depreciation. It also means that if a new car was within your budget, you can consider a more up-market model instead, or one that has more features than you could have afforded purchasing the car new!