The Mercedes brand has many followers, young and old.
This is evidenced by the consistently growing number of the brand on Zimbabwean
roads. With prices coming down in the grey market, many are living their dreams
of owning one. There is indeed a glut of various affordable (to purchase) grey
alternatives. Maintenance wise; those who have selected wisely, and have not
abused their cars, seem to be pleased with performance and running costs.
Traditionally, the two German marques Mercedes and BMW have competed side by
side. The two brands’ styling and executive interiors and exteriors can simply
not be ignored. They simply turn heads.
In
Zimbabwe it’s not only about the luxury it offers, but a statement of arrival
at a certain level in life. It is arguably a brand or badge that everyone
aspires to own and drive. It has been the car of choice for top government and
company executives as well as successful business owners, for a long time. The
Mercedes is truly a beautiful car!
The
pressure to make a statement has however, resulted in so many wasting their
hard earned fortunes as they tried to go for the top end of the luxury scale. Whilst
affordable to purchase, it can be expensive to maintain. Workshops and garages are thus full of these
luxury cars whose owners cannot afford the spares and repair costs that are at
times equivalent to buying another small car.
ZIMOCO
has been the authorised dealer for Mercedes for a long time, to an extent where
the dealership is synonymous with the brand. They do market some of the latest
Mercedes Benz cars in Zimbabwe. Other unofficial dealers have also sprouted, to
cater for the demand of the large population of the cars, and target especially
the economic owners of the grey imports.
The
most common class is the C class, especially the W203 and W204, C180 and C200. It
is a simple car that is durable when treated well. The E Class W211, W212 and
W213 are also common, for the more well-to-do members of society. Other classes
are less common, due to their high maintenance costs. The M Class, now called
the GLE, at one time ruled the roost among the yuppies and executives, as it
was an alternative SUV to the then in-demand Mitsubishi Pajero.
The
GL class is structured according to the saloon classes, with a GLA, GLB, GLC,
GLE, and GLS.
Whatever
Mercedes you choose; be sure you can afford to maintain it!
Autoheads’
aim is, of course, to help you choose your Mercedes, care for it, reduce
maintenance costs, and extend its life. This requires that selection of spares
and spares shops is done carefully, as well as the mechanic or garage/workshop.