One driver switched from Mercedes to Mazda and was issued a PSA.
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“I traded my Mercedes for a Mazda,” said Paige Manley (@Page Manley) says this at the top of the viral TikTok.
She posted a video explaining the pitfalls of owning a luxury car. She says she made the right choice by trading in her Benz, which was rapidly depreciating in value. What’s more, the cost of maintaining the car was killing her.
To her surprise, after test driving a few cars, she was shocked at how much better the new Mazda was compared to the Benz.
At the beginning of the video, she mentions how much she loved her used 2021 Mercedes GLB 250. In addition to buying the car, I also got a maintenance package. That’s because it costs a lot of money to maintain a luxury car like a Mercedes, Manley explains.
@Page Manley I traded my 2021 Mercedes GLB250 for a 2025 Mazda CX-5 and have no regrets at all! #Mazda #Mercedes #mazdacx5 #MercedesBenz #MercedesGLB #glb #cx5 #New car @Mazda USA ♬ Original song – Page 🍒🌸🫶🏼🪩🎀
Manley said the service was “free” during the maintenance plan. About four times a year, she would bring her car in for a technician to make sure everything was working properly. The TikToker says his driving schedule has resulted in him putting on about 55,000 kilometers on his car in two years.
The terms of her maintenance package stated that the technical work was warranted for three years or 30,000 miles. Each time one of these milestones was achieved, it meant that Manley was in financial trouble.
How much does it cost to maintain a Mercedes?
Manley said it cost him between $400 and $800 each time he took his Benz in for repairs. She added that the service performed did not include any procedures, only tire rotations and oil changes.
“We were spending thousands of dollars a year just on maintenance,” she says. She added that it also cost her an arm and a leg to change the Mercedes’ run-flat tires.
1 Mercedes GLA forum posters also reflect this opinion.. They say the tires on their car cost $277 each, or $327 if installed at a dealer. And then there was the Redditor who said the run-flats cost $3,000.
Manley said the dealer was willing to charge up to $2,000 for a set of tires. Her other complaints about Benz aren’t necessarily the car or the manufacturer’s fault, she admitted. She suffered many “misfortunes”, including damaged rims and tires, and a cracked windshield.
This was also a Benz, so repairs were expensive. It cost $1,400 to replace just one rim and tire, the TikToker said.
mercedes depreciation cost
“These luxury cars lose value quickly,” says Manley.
She was shocked at the amount of money she lost on the car, especially since she had put so many miles on it. “The more miles you put on it…a luxury car like Mercedes, Audi, BMW, whatever it is, the closer you get to 100,000 miles or even 80,000 miles, the more it loses value,” she says.
In the end, Manley said he switched from a Mercedes to a Mazda because he feared the increased mileage. She knew her car would be worth a lot less.
“So I decided to trade it in,” she says. “I looked at several luxury used cars and couldn’t find one in my price range. They all had about the same mileage as my car, which I was planning to trade in. I did.”
In addition to suffering the same headaches, she decided to stop focusing on brand awareness. Manley focused on features and functionality, which interested her, rather than perception.
“I started researching Mazda,” she says. “One of my cousins actually [a] Since it’s a Mazda, I told her about it. And she loves them and swears to them. So I went there and looked into it, and ended up loving the car I’m currently driving. ”
much better deal
After replacing his Benz, Manley says he ended up paying the same amount for a “2025 car with no miles.” Contrast that with what she gets in a “used luxury car with 60,000 miles on it.”
Manley says this ultimately makes more sense. Plus, you have the added benefit of not having to pay for “premium gas”. Also, her Mazda costs significantly less for an oil change. Manley said he only pays $100 for an oil change on a Mazda, compared to $400 to $800 for an oil change.
Additionally, Manley said she was pleasantly surprised by her Mazda in terms of build quality and ride quality. She said it felt like other cars, other than luxury brands, were also being discounted. But that wasn’t the case with her Mazda. “This is the first car that gave me the same sense of luxury as a Mercedes. I have no regrets.”
TikTokers agree
One commenter criticized the idea of brand attachment. “These people know nothing about cars and just look at the badge and think it’s a good car,” they wrote. “A fully loaded CX5 is light years ahead of the GLB.”
Another person said Mazda has carved out a big niche for itself in the automotive field. “Honestly, you have traded luxury for luxury,” they argued. “I test drove a Mazda and also drove a Toyota. I’d like to position Mazda as a unique step between Toyota/Honda and their respective luxury brands. Same options, lower price. ”
Mazda USA responded to Manley’s video with the following response: Thank you for sharing your experience! ”
how to own a luxury car
Other commenters said there was a “hack” to owning a luxury car long term.
Basically, you’ll be finding a local mechanic you can trust to service your car. “3 generations of Mercedes E and GLE. Once the warranty is over. Take it to your local mechanic. No major issues and each car lasts over 15 years before being traded in,” one user wrote .
Another said: “You don’t have to go to a Mercedes dealership to maintain your warranty, FYI. You just want to find a good certified Mercedes technician outside of the dealership. That’s about $100 for service A, $200 billion. .”
The Daily Dot has emailed Mazda, Mercedes and Manly for further comment.
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