Are german cars still considered premium?

[Dominic-Toretto]

There was a time when an M3 or M5 was a very rare sight on the roads, now they are everywhere. It feels like the amount of german cars on the roads in the UK has increased massively since the early 2000s. It certainly has ruined the feeling of exclusivity, do people generally still view german cars as 'premium', why is it that people stretch to the absolute limits to finance these german cars, over solid alternatives, that in many instances are better engineered (from a mechanical standpoint)? What is the mentallity at play here

Ta

 

[Psycho Sonny]

There was a time when an M3 or M5 was a very rare sight on the roads, now they are everywhere. It feels like the amount of german cars on the roads in the UK has increased massively since the early 2000s. It certainly has ruined the feeling of exclusivity, do people generally still view german cars as 'premium', why is it that people stretch to the absolute limits to finance these german cars, over solid alternatives, that in many instances are better engineered (from a mechanical standpoint)? What is the mentallity at play here

Ta

there is more people with more money. simple as that.

 

[rare]

there is more people with more money. simple as that.

I don’t think that’s the whole truth. The fact is the industry as a whole has changed massively over the last 20-30 years. Premium car manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW realised they could sell to more people who would never have been able to previously own one of their cars, through the extensive use of finance. The moves from outright purchase to PCP, lease and all the other style deals means many more people can now afford the monthly payments to get in to a car.

There is obviously still an element of these brands having a superior image than say a Hyundai. But they have also sold themselves very thinly, and arguably at the bottom end of the range there isn’t a vast difference now between a FWD BMW and any other number of mainstream hatchbacks.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I don’t think that’s the whole truth. The fact is the industry as a whole has changed massively over the last 20-30 years. Premium car manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW realised they could sell to more people who would never have been able to previously own one of their cars, through the extensive use of finance. The moves from outright purchase to PCP, lease and all the other style deals means many more people can now afford the monthly payments to get in to a car.

There is obviously still an element of these brands having a superior image than say a Hyundai. But they have also sold themselves very thinly, and arguably at the bottom end of the range there isn’t a vast difference now between a FWD BMW and any other number of mainstream hatchbacks.

yeah leasing for this generation seems to be the in thing. there is a complete **** who lives in my street (with his parents) blows his whole paycheck on leasing an s3. crashes it within a year. back to a crap car now.

basically a lot of people have high disposable because of still living at home, etc because less people are moving out.

then you have the fact more people have more money in general. i would never lease a car but practically everyone nowadays does it. especially people who have zero clue about cars which accounts for the vast majority of people.

 

[Temujin]

It is the finance-generation now unfortunately. People have gone from being execs/managers and wanting to impress each other with the latest company car to the vast majority being concerned with showing their clout by getting a brand new S3/Golf R/M140 and posing with it for the 'gram..

It is in the process of, and will likely completely ruin the used car market for these models which i would guess may have a knock on effect to the used car market as a whole. Unfortunately the majority of the cars seem to be the premium German marques

 

[Burned_Alive]

Leasing, that's it.

 

[naefeart]

Yes, German cars are still 'considered' premium, however I don't think they really are anymore. They don't seem any more reliable than so-called lesser brands and for what you pay, I wonder if you get any tangible benefit other than perceived quality.

Anyone can have a BMW or Audi these days, manufacturers have increased their ranges and can offer something to suit everyone's budget. Finance has just made ownership more accessible. There's nothing wrong with finance, it's just a tool and if used correctly, is a perfectly reasonable option.

I've recently experienced better quality and reliability and for a much lower cost, so I do know its out there. Once people decide their money is better of in their pocket and badge perception is only that, they will vote with their feet.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Leasing, that's it.

It's actually not, very few personal cars are leased. It's mostly PCP.

 

[glenimp617]

Leasing is great 'if' you can get tax breaks through a company/employer
PCP is great for initial discounts, or those who just don't ever want to own the car and happy just to pay the depreciation

Of course, there are people like a lad I once knew (mid 40s) who still lived with his parents and rather than save his money he blew it on a PCP for a Porsche cayman s

If you find a car you love, and want to keep it for ages, then best to buy it

 

[sandys]

I think they make good product but me and the missus are in the process of buying new cars and we are surprised how very un- premium they are in some respect, as a serial buyer of cheap supposedly dodgy cars, Italian etc, it has been eye opening, Audis in particular feel very cheap for the price, missus was surprised at the little things the Q3 didn’t have compared to our old Korean barge but for whatever reason it is cheaper to get in the German than the Kia if monthlies on PCP are the barometer, probably why there are so many about, BMW seems pretty decent quality wise but again option packs bump up prices quite high, though there are big discounts on an M340 has me thinking hard about it, but again missing stuff like electric seats and Android Auto you’d think something brought out 2020 would have.

 

[chroniclard]

I think they make good product but me and the missus are in the process of buying new cars and we are surprised how very un- premium they are in some respect, as a serial buyer of cheap supposedly dodgy cars, Italian etc, it has been eye opening, Audis in particular feel very cheap for the price, missus was surprised at the little things the Q3 didn’t have compared to our old Korean barge but for whatever reason it is cheaper to get in the German than the Kia if monthlies on PCP are the barometer, probably why there are so many about, BMW seems pretty decent quality wise but again option packs bump up prices quite high, though there are big discounts on an M340 has me thinking hard about it, but again missing stuff like electric seats and Android Auto you’d think something brought out 2020 would have.

Indeed, I had a 340i and other than reasonable seats and a cracking engine it was pretty cheap inside. Didnt feel anymore premium than the cheap Astra we got to replace it (also has less toys than the Astra).

The German models only seem to get better quality at the higher end of the scale and the lower models play off that perceived quality.

 

[sideways14a]

People do still perceive the German stuff as expensive and they are, but they aint worth the money.
Very disappointed with the car industry as a whole, its nothing like the technology industry.

 

[mid_gen]

Not just leasing...cars don't rust and fall to bits like they used to, they last a long time. There's relatively huge numbers of used cars in the market, including 'premium', that cost peanuts. I run a nicely spec'ed e90 3 series, cost 2 grand. Why spend that sort of money on a bit of plastic tat when you can get something with a decent standard of finish (and a nice drive) for the same price?

 

[Nasher]

20 years ago maybe. But you're paying for badge these days and they are as common as any other brand.

Japanese engineering is more durable and British manufacturers do luxury better. The ride quality in many German cars is also **** and way to crashy for UK roads.

 

[sandys]

I found it amusing really there is a different mindset out there, where £55k cars are disposable, and you just keep renewing your PCP/lease with a shiny new one.

I suppose I am just old school, I mean I will take a PCP deal if discounts work in my favour but I buy a car to use it until its old and tired, not like with a mobile phone every 2/3yrs mindset, when I said to the sales guy in BMW about my surprise at the lack of Android Auto, he told me iDrive is better, that might be the case but are you supporting it for the life of the car, to which he said we would have you out of that in 3 years, really, I drove up in a 10 year old car that I bought new, I am not the guy. Unhealthy attachment to cars, I don’t even want to trade the old one in, I might just keep it in my garage.

 

[Nasher]

Yep, people consider these cars as disposable now and they appear to build them that way :/

You're non-standard head unit is out of date and no longer supported? Too bad, just give us another 40k for a new car.

 

[Journey]

It certainly has ruined the feeling of exclusivity

Companies that had a premium brand and ranges, used that to make more money for their shareholders and execs, what's new? With the advent of car manufacturers as 'major lenders' they shifted focus, and made more affordable ranges, and offered cars to more people that ever before.

I find the whole 'exclusivity' thing a bit tacky though tbh.

why is it that people stretch to the absolute limits to finance these german cars, over solid alternatives

Do they though? Given how reliant Germany is on selling cars to anyone and everyone, with ~696k German cars sold in the UK last year, (over £20 billion worth) the prices and affordability are coming down faster than you may think.

You only need to check out some of the PCH deals flying around to see that, £5,600 will get you a Ford Focus Eco Boost 1.0L for 2 years, but you can get a bottom of the range Mercedes A-class A180 SE for £130 more, or an Audi Q2 30 TDI Sport 5dr for £600 more than the Focus.

The German car manufacturers 'have to' continue selling cars at the same rate, so they will continue to keep them cheap, if you think that no longer makes them premium then maybe that is true to some extent.

 

[MissChief]

Are they considered premium? By some, absolutely. Are they actually still premium? I less you go E-class, A6 or 5 Series or above, then no they're not. A 116d is, to my mind, a Travesty designed to do nothing but pander to people who want a BMW but it has none of the premium feel or features.

 

[Basher]

Money is cheap at the moment. That enables people who would otherwise not be able to afford the vehicles to get in them.

 

[[TW]Fox]

They are also much cheaper than they ever were. The original purchase invoice for my 2001 530i was £32k. Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of £53k in todays money. You can buy a brand new 2020 530i for £37k with a number of standard fit options that were extras on my 530i.