# Why do i see old people drive mercedes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274 "2012-10-19T21:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CEOofPolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CEOofPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CEOofPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/1 "2012-10-19T21:10:26Z")
i mean i seen some younger people drive car like audi and bmw is it because there more sporty? there so much money to maintain oil changes are like 150$! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/2 "2012-10-19T21:12:20Z")
Moved to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/3 "2012-10-19T21:14:42Z")
Yes, younger people that want a German luxury car tend to go for BMW and Audi because they are more sporty and more fun to drive IMHO. Older people like Mercedes because they are more similar to being a German Cadillac even though Mercedes does make some sportier models. Each of those brands is expensive to maintain. It is just a matter of fashion and demographic tastes and every car brand has their target market. Mercedes has some smaller niches among young people however. Black Mercedes sedans with fancy rims were popular with drug dealers and gang-bangers in the 1990’s for example. ---
**Author:** ![CEOofPolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CEOofPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CEOofPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/4 "2012-10-19T21:25:25Z")
i see a lot of blacks like the Mercedes and old people be liking them buick. funny i see a ton of mercedes at this private school near me its like 20,000 a year even for k-8 grades i wonder how they get so much money. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/5 "2012-10-19T21:44:44Z")
My 70+ year old retired father bought a used Mercedes a couple of years back to satisfy his life-long desire to own one. He sold it about a year later due to the maintenance costs. But hey, he achieved his desire, and checked that off his list. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/6 "2012-10-19T21:48:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > My 70+ year old retired father bought a used Mercedes a couple of years back to satisfy his life-long desire to own one. He sold it about a year later due to the maintenance costs. But hey, he achieved his desire, and checked that off his list. I have a feeling that this is not the kind of response that the OP is hoping for. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/7 "2012-10-19T21:52:41Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I have a feeling that this is not the kind of response that the OP is hoping for. But that’s a good thing, right?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/8 "2012-10-19T23:07:45Z")
If you can afford to keep up on the maintenance, they last hundreds of thousands of miles… ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/9 "2012-10-19T23:15:50Z")
because they have money and aren’t going to live long enough to have to worry about the car falling apart 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/10 "2012-10-19T23:26:59Z")
Where I live the elderly drive cadillacs and lincoln town cars. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/11 "2012-10-20T00:10:00Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Where I live the elderly drive cadillacs and lincoln town cars. Around here they drive corvettes and mustangs, with the tops down. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/12 "2012-10-20T00:27:51Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > Around here they drive corvettes and mustangs, with the tops down. You could probably make a good living picking up toupees and wigs from the sides of the roads. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/13 "2012-10-20T00:32:59Z")
I should point out that the standard oil change interval on most Benzes these days is around 13-15k miles. So, yeah, that’s a bit more expensive than spending $30 every 5k on a Toyota but not wildly out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/14 "2012-10-20T00:51:13Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > My 70+ year old retired father bought a used Mercedes a couple of years back to satisfy his life-long desire to own one. He sold it about a year later due to the maintenance costs. But hey, he achieved his desire, and checked that off his list. Did it have bucket seats? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/15 "2012-10-20T00:52:19Z")
Depends where you live. When I lived in Berlin, lots and lots of people drove Mercedes, young and old…they are about as common in Germany as seeing a Chevy or Ford here. Here in the US? Well, these cars ain’t cheap, so my guess is older people might have the bucks to afford Mercedes whereas younger people perhaps not so much. Mercedes can run for hundreds of thousands of miles, with minimal maintenance. That is one reason they are so well loved and popular around the world. Plus, they do have a comfort level that makes it better for someone to ride in for longer periods of time, and get in and out of the car easier, than say a Corvette or a smaller car. But I think the main reason is cost. Older folks might simply be more willing and able to pay those extra bucks for a Mercedes. There is, of course, also the snob factor - some people just like saying they own a Mercedes. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/16 "2012-10-20T00:53:01Z")
> [@sahirrnee](#): > > Around here they drive corvettes and mustangs, with the tops down. Tell them they’re doing it wrong then. Anyone who doesn’t live the way people I’ve met live is doing it wrong. I do see elderly people in convertibles sometimes, but they seem to prefer the large luxury cars from what I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/17 "2012-10-20T01:01:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Mercedes can run for hundreds of thousands of miles, with minimal maintenance. oh bullshit. Look, Mercedes got that reputation with the W123 in the '70s and '80s, running the OM616/617 diesel engine. Problem is it’s not the 1970s anymore. In terms of the industry as a whole, they aren’t that special. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/18 "2012-10-20T01:03:46Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I have a feeling that this is not the kind of response that the OP is hoping for. I think this explains some of it. If you’re old enough Mercedes is the foreign luxury car you’re familiar with (outside of a Rolls). The popularity of Audi and BMW came later. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/19 "2012-10-20T01:55:24Z")
Old people around here drive pickup trucks. It makes it easier to squash young people in Mini Coopers. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274/20 "2012-10-20T03:15:31Z")
It’s simple economics. Generally speaking, older folks can afford nicer cars. That’s why you see them in Cadillacs and Lincolns. My FIL has a Caddy CTS, and MIL just got an SRX last month. I tried to talk her into the Chevy or GM versions for much less, explaining that they’re the same damn truck with different badging, but they’re “Cadillac People”. My grandfather drove a Mercedes Benz from about 1950 to 2002. He and my grandmother pulled an Airstream all over North - and South - America all that time. He started with them because diesel was cheaper at the time, the diesel had more torque for pulling the trailer, and it got better mileage than any other tow vehicle. One of my sisters took his “new” car, a '98 S 420, while I was given his 1976 300d with a bit over 600k miles on it, and my grandmother’s '63 190sl. They still run fine! I currently live with an [older woman](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v677/ural/Picture37178.jpg) who drives an R-129, and they both still ride fine.😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-see-old-people-drive-mercedes/638274.md?page=2)