Which is the best place to buy a Mercedes Benz car?

This article will answer the following questions: Which is the best place to buy a Mercedes Benz? Can you buy a Mercedes Benz from Germany? Should you buy a used Mercedes from a second-hand car dealer?

Which is the best place to buy a Mercedes Benz car?

The best place to buy a Mercedes Benz car is from the local authorised dealership. Mercedes Benz is the number one German luxury carmaker that also sells commercial vehicles and vans in domestic as well as international markets.

Mercedes Benz cars are very reliable and known for their superior engineering and robust build quality, therefore the demand for the Mercedes Benz cars is high despite the challenges of lockdown due to global pandemics. Mercedes Benz cars can also be booked from their official website and if any customer wants to take a test drive, the local dealership will send a demo model after sanitising it completely. 

Buying a Mercedes Benz car from the authorised dealer ensures the vehicle is delivered without any problems. Mercedes Benz manufactures mainly in Germany and vehicles are shipped to the rest of the world. Hence, Dealerships have dedicated vehicle preparation centres and the main task is to make sure the vehicle is in factory condition before the delivery. If there are any faults or damages during the transit, Mercedes Benz will fix them under the VPC warranty. 

Mercedes Benz has production factories all over the world but the main manufacturing factories are located only in Germany. Another location does not manufacture cars but only assembles from knockdown kits. The company has factories in 17 countries across 4 continents. 

The factory in Stuttgart, Germany is the mother factory, all the development, production and shipment of engines, transmissions and CKDs are shipped from this location. It is also the headquarters of the Daimler AG, recently named Mercedes Benz group AG. The Stuttgart factory has a history extending back over 115 years and it is the highest tech location for the production of cars and hybrid drive systems.

The plant has six total facilities, Untertürkheim and Bad Cannstatt are responsible for the production of engines and the forge is also located there. The transmissions are manufactured in Sindelfingen. Mettingen has a foundry for axle production.

One of the advantages of buying the Mercedes Benz car from the authorised dealerships is that it allows the customer to place a special order for a new Mercedes Benz car. This process of configuring the car is called a special order as it will be unique to the customer. The special order can be done in many ways depending on the car model they choose. Models like the Mercedes Benz AMG can even be painted in the colour desired by the customer.

It is also known as the Designo Manufaktur program. It allows the customer to select different exterior paint for the vehicle from the designo catalogue. Customers can also customise the interior colour and select the material of seats. Designo offers customers the following choices to select.

The level of customization also varies as the price of the model increases. For models like A, C  and E classes it is only possible to select Designo packages and limited optional equipment at the time of special order. However, the more expensive models like Mercedes Benz AMG and Maybach can be configured in hundreds of different ways.

The Stuttgart mother factory is the fastest production facility when it comes to the special orders of Mercedes Benz cars. Customers can directly walk into the customer care centre in the Sindelfingen plant and place a special order for their new Mercedes Benz cars. 

The delivery times are less than 6 weeks, The delivery of a special order Mercedes Benz can take a few months depending on the location of the delivery and the level of customisation. 

Can you buy a Mercedes Benz from Germany?

Yes, Mercedes Benz has more than 100 dealerships across Germany and customers can buy their new Mercedes Benz cars directly from the dealer. The dealerships also maintain separate inventory so the delivery can be made faster unlike in certain markets like India and China.

Mercedes Benz also offers a European drive program that allows great benefits like 10 % savings on the Maximum retail price of the vehicle, additional discounts on airfare and hotel accommodations and free factory tours in Stuttgart.

Customers can walk into their local dealerships and enrol for the European driver program. This program allows customers to purchase or take delivery of their Mercedes from the customer centre in the Sindelfingen factory. Mercedes Benz will also arrange a 15 days European exploration tour with free vehicle insurance and a full tank of gas.

At the end of the tour, the vehicle can be dropped off at a given location and the car can be shipped to the respective country. Mercedes Benz will bear the cost of shipping the vehicle but some countries may require additional charges for customs clearance.

After customs clearance, the customer can take their Mercedes home from the local dealerships.

The European tour can be extended for more than 15 days and customers can avail themselves 7 different tour packages for an additional cost which is billed in Vehicle order, but the vehicle must be dropped off at the following locations:

• Germany – Hamburg, Berlin, Bremerhaven, Frankfurt, Munich, Sindelfingen
• France – Nice, Paris
• Switzerland – Geneva, Zurich
• Spain – Madrid (extra fee)
• UK – London (extra fee)
• The Netherlands – Amsterdam
• Italy – Milan, Rome, Florence (extra fee)
• Slovenia – Koper (extra fee)

The total delivery time for the vehicle can be from 7 to 10 weeks depending on the destination. The Mercedes Benz European drive program can be a good deal for customers as it offers discounts on selling price and since the cars are manufactured in Germany overall it can be cheaper compared to buying the Mercedes overseas.

Should you buy a Used Mercedes Benz car from a second-hand car dealer?

The market for used Mercedes Benz cars is huge, Mercedes Benz cars can easily last for more than 10 years and certain models like the AMG C43, and SLK 55 are still popular among car enthusiasts.

However, buying a Mercedes Benz car from a second-hand car dealer should be avoided, the service records could be forged and the vehicle could have been repaired at an unauthorised workshop after an accident. There is no sure method to verify the history of the vehicle.

Mercedes Benz runs a certified pre-owned car program at the authorised dealerships. There is also a two years extended warranty depending on the vehicle’s age and mileage. 

Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in

What are the power steering fluids equivalent to the Mercedes Benz power steering fluid?

Which is the most reliable model in the Mercedes Benz C Class?

Which is the most expensive Mercedes Benz Production car?

Conclusion

Mercedes Benz authorised dealerships offer a great buying experience and customers can see the display models in natural light before placing their orders. Although there are customer care centres in the Mercedes Benz factories, Dealerships are still the best place to buy a new Mercedes Benz car.