[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier

I'm a career salesperson so I literally practice this theory (and profess to those I lead) all day everyday. I have 2 comments...

1. Arguably the reason for salespeople to exist is to guide people through the closing stage as efficiently as possible. I'm hiring people to help customers learn the best solutions for them. This is their/our damn job! BTW... Salespeople hate losing this discovery phase because they know their chances of closing are greatly diminished when they don't offer a competitive solution that works for the consumer.

2. The auto industry isn't a simple marketplace that allows one manufacturer to simplify the options to any meaningful degree. Even if a manufacturer cuts their models, there are other manufacturers, plus trim levels, option packages, individual options, dealer-installed options, etc.. There are still so many options when purchasing a vehicle my point 1 still applies.

My belief is people don't want THEIR options minimized, they just want all the options they'd never pick eliminated*. Any automotive enthusiast should be scared as hell by this concept because most car buyers aren't enthusiasts. 💡

* there's the salesperson's job coming up again!

Back in the days we had just the 3, 5 & 7 Series. Back in the day's you knew why you driving a BMW.

My first 7 Series 23 years ago was just wow!!! My second 7 Series was also great and top of the line!

Those day's are over since BMW wanted to be the German Toyota.

Now you spending 100K for a BMW and 2 Months later they announce another better Version.

BMW just isn't exciting anymore as it was long time ago. I drove BMW only for over 20 years but wouldn't mind to try another brand just because the brand is super washed out.

Hope they will be special again at some point.

[JDMSteven]

There's a lot of clutter in the Mercedes lineup right now. I just traded my F10 535i to a CLS 550 AMG Pkg and I absolutely love it, but the AMG GT 4 Door kind of fills its spot, although at a higher price point. That's what my customer ended up replacing the CLS with.

[JDMSteven]

Originally Posted by jstein55

Gorgeous, and a fantastic spec!

Thank you! I truly wanted a 650i m sport gran coupe but I'm terrified of the N63, warranty or not, even though I work at Jag Land Rover and there's a BMW dealer across the street lol. Ended up getting a great deal on this CPO, plus our dealer group also owns the local Benz dealer.

[David70]

Originally Posted by Dog Face Pony Soldier

The entire concept of "too many models" is lost on me. More choice is simply better for the consumer! If budget gets in the way then screw the EVs I say. Do these "car Karens" also complain there's too many flavors of ice cream? Too many kinds of beer? Too many variations of pizza? Complaining about too many car models is the epitome of a first-world problem.

Easy to want everything as the consumer but from the manufacturer's side the idea of building something for everyone regardless of how many people want it doesn't make sense.

Ever go into a restaurant that sells Mexican, Italian, American, and has virtually everything you could ever imagine? My experience with this is they aren't very good at any of it and would likely be better off picking one type of food, limiting the menu and making far fewer items far better.

[JDMSteven]

Originally Posted by jstein55

Definitely a good choice, the M278 engines are pretty much bulletproof, I personally also don't trust the N63, I find for V8's Merc is better and for Inline-6's that is BMW's speciality - although the new MB I6 (M256) is pretty awesome, love it on my CLS. Enjoy the CLS

Thank you! I had a CLS 400 as a demo for a work trip down to Miami and back for a weekend and I was thoroughly impressed although I agree 100% that Mercedes strong suit is V8 and BMW is I6. My cousin had a 2012 CLS 550, put 100k on it then upgraded to a CLS 63 AMG and had really good ownership experiences with both so I'm excited!

Had it for one week and already has exhaust work done, scheduling tint, spacers and lowering links for the Airmatic suspension. Then it's gonna be a while before it gets a tune for 550hp and 705lb-ft on a bone stock car!