Saw the Maybach today...

If you can wait till the fall, MB with have a 7 speed transmission on the S class. Better performance AND better fuel economy.

Ugly car.

It may be very nice, but for a quarter of a million you expect nothing less. It doesn't justify itself over an S-class.

Anyway it is just another coorperate peice of tosh, at least with a Roller you are getting something which has been hand crafted by traditional techniques, you can just feel the love that goes into every Roller, thats nothing compared to the bland German efficiency of the machines that assemble the Maybach.

I was whatching a documentary about a guy whos full time job was to make the radiator piece for the Roller, and it was amazing, no machines, no computers, just pure craftsmanship, and he would carefully make each one to perfection. Stunning!

I am sorry, but I think the Maybach is going to have a fight on its hands. It may be very clever, but quite simply, it lacks class.

A buddy of mine works for Becker and has been driving a Maybach testsled around New Jersey for a while. Bloody thing is held together with duct tape - literallly. It's fast as hell, or was until he broke it, then it acted like an old (non-turbo) diesel.

I got to drive his daily test sled (he does the nav system) a Euro spec 2004 W211.

So what happens t othese cars when they're finished using them for testing. Ready for this?

Sitting down?

They *crush* them.

Hey Oliver! There is a real big reason to buy a Maybach over an S class - size. The S class is really the miniS since they changed to the current body. No real reason to buy that little roller skate sized S klass kar. Feels like a toy or a Neon compared to a real S class.You sort of tuck your knees up under your chin to ride in the miniS. And have to suck in your sides too.

mcbrue expandedly under the bridge in the trailer down by the river

What about the LWB S-class?

The maybach might be bigger (in Europe, that actually *isn't* considered an advantage - the old S-class was considered too big), but its 3 times more expensive than an S-class. This is not small money!

Although things ain't what they used to be, for many American cars you still need binoculars to see one end of the car from the other...

I remember my first visit to the USA in 1973, starting in NYC. Saw a full-sized Jag in a parking space in among the American road cruisers and, boy, did it look small and lost, well within the space markers and among the other cars...

DAS

--

Actually, the cost is the point. It's an exclusive car that only the truly rich can afford. Heads of state, wealthy industrialists, mega-rich entertainers and athletes and oil-barons will be the market, and the whole point is that the riffraff who can afford the S-class need not apply. Only those who were considering Bentleys or Rollses need concern themselves over whether to order a Maybach.

And no, an S-class doesn't have rear seats that recline fully as if the passenger were flying first class. The S-class is a large sedan, but it's not a limousine. The Maybach is a limo.

For the people the Maybach is aimed at, it's got a lot of things they'll want. You and I don't need one, and that's okay--it wasn't meant for us.

--Paul

You won't need that much. According to "Car & Driver," the list price is only $311,700. With the $200K you save, you can buy a nice set of floor mats or something.

I think the plutocrats who buy the Maybach today are like the people who bought Lexus cars when they first came out. By any objective measure, the Lexus was as good as any of its competitors in the luxury class, yet the nameplate was totally unknown. Owning a Mercedes or BMW conveyed a certain amount of instant prestige, because those marques had a heritage that everyone, even people who don't know cars very well, understood. Early Lexus owners had to be content knowing what high-quality cars they had, because they certainly weren't getting any admiration from the plebes.

I think a large factor driving people to Rolls and Bentleys is that when you own one, people know you've "arrived." Everyone knows what Rolls ownership means. Aside from a select few automotive enthusiasts, though, nobody has ever heard of (or can correctly pronounce) Maybach. In time, as Maybach makes a name for itself, this will be less of a problem. Right now, however, Maybach customer had better have the pioneering spirit.

Congratulations!

Heheee.... no the extra $200k would be for the insurance... or maybe the chauffer.

True enough. My dealership seems to be betting a lot on it though; they used to be an authorized Rolls/Bentley dealership as well as Mercedes/BMW, but they dropped their Rolls/Bentley sales altogether to get the Maybach franchise. In the area they are located (Nassau County), they did a brisk business selling the Rolls/Bentley, and were well known for it. They seem to have all their eggs in one basket now, having given it up to sell the Maybach. According to my sales rep, they already sold thee of them, including one of the big-ass 62s (all cash sales of course). I will be very curious to see if it keeps up.

Thanks! I pick it up tomorrow.

-T

Hello,

I never forget our first American car when we visited USA in 1973: a

My parents couldn't grab me should I misbehave because I took refugee in the spacious cargo section: too much far out of reach for them.

My mum spent all day practising the parellel parking because she was accustomed to her Mini in Germany. And nicked another car when she drove out to the supermarket...

Oliver

Dori Schmetterl> Although things ain't what they used to be, for many American cars you still