Who We Are and What We Like
Results of the 2014 Star membership survey
As members of the MBCA, we love our cars, especially the newer ones, and we rely on The Star magazine to tell our stories and explain the finer points of the heritage and technology of our cars.
These conclusions summarize what we learned about ourselves from an email survey conducted by the National Business Office on behalf of The Star magazine in October. We are also enthusiastic about offering our opinions; surveys were sent out to one-quarter of the club members, selected randomly, and 1,121 members took the time to answer all 36 questions, guaranteeing that the answers we received are statistically significant.
As presented by our new advertising manager Michael Salemi to the board and members in Atlanta, the results confirmed some shared impressions about the club and included a few surprises.
Members of the MBCA are an established group. More than half the club members have belonged for more than five years. Over 80 percent are at least 45 years old. The same percentage have a college degree or higher academic achievement. With that age and education, it’s not surprising that average annual household income of MBCA members is $159,000 with 20 percent reporting income over $250,000.
We definitely like automobiles. The typical household owns at least three cars, with 17 percent owning five or more. Our favorites are Mercedes-Benz models, and we like the newer models. Forty percent of us own at least one Mercedes from model year 2010 or newer, and 50 percent own one that was built between 1999 and 2009. In the classic range, 18 percent own at least one Mercedes built between 1980 and 1989 and 17 percent own one built before 1979.
Those percentages aren’t likely to change, with 48 percent planning to buy a new or certified pre-owned Mercedes in the next 24 months.
We do take care of our cars. Nearly 60 percent of our members spend between $1,000 and $5,000 a year on maintenance, repair, and general upkeep. Interestingly, we split our spending evenly between dealer service departments and independent shops – 32 percent will have that work done at an authorized Mercedes dealer and 33 percent will have their work done at an independent shop.
Car and club-related activities play a big role in our recreational activities. Nearly 50 percent of us went to a car show as a spectator during the past year, 35 percent went to at least one club social event, over 30 percent took at least one one-day driving tour, 23 percent went to an informal cars and coffee event, 22 percent participated in a show-and-shine event with one of their cars, and 19 percent attended a technical event.
It is gratifying to learn that The Star magazine plays a big part in our enjoyment of our cars. Over 90 percent of you read all six issues each year, with over three-quarters spending at least an hour reading each issue, and then over 60 percent save it for future reference.
Nearly 40 percent of member households have two people in the household who read each issue, so though the majority of the survey respondents were male, we have a solid female readership as well.
The editorial staff of The Star is always interested in how the magazine can be improved, but it’s nice to hear that over 60 percent of you report that you’re satisfied with the mix of topics in the magazine, with the balance between club and marque articles, and between illustrations and text. If you could tweak anything, you’d like to see us add some a few more pages to include more technical articles.
Of greatest interest to our advertisers, you rely on the magazine for sources of parts and services. Nearly two-thirds of you have visited an advertiser’s website with 42 percent purchasing something there, 20 percent buying from an advertiser by phone, and 15 percent visiting their place of business.
Thanks for taking the time to fill out our survey. Your answers will be very helpful to the club in the future.
Gary Anderson and Michael Salemi
Results of the 2014 Star membership survey
As members of the MBCA, we love our cars, especially the newer ones, and we rely on The Star magazine to tell our stories and explain the finer points of the heritage and technology of our cars.
These conclusions summarize what we learned about ourselves from an email survey conducted by the National Business Office on behalf of The Star magazine in October. We are also enthusiastic about offering our opinions; surveys were sent out to one-quarter of the club members, selected randomly, and 1,121 members took the time to answer all 36 questions, guaranteeing that the answers we received are statistically significant.
As presented by our new advertising manager Michael Salemi to the board and members in Atlanta, the results confirmed some shared impressions about the club and included a few surprises.
Members of the MBCA are an established group. More than half the club members have belonged for more than five years. Over 80 percent are at least 45 years old. The same percentage have a college degree or higher academic achievement. With that age and education, it’s not surprising that average annual household income of MBCA members is $159,000 with 20 percent reporting income over $250,000.
We definitely like automobiles. The typical household owns at least three cars, with 17 percent owning five or more. Our favorites are Mercedes-Benz models, and we like the newer models. Forty percent of us own at least one Mercedes from model year 2010 or newer, and 50 percent own one that was built between 1999 and 2009. In the classic range, 18 percent own at least one Mercedes built between 1980 and 1989 and 17 percent own one built before 1979.
Those percentages aren’t likely to change, with 48 percent planning to buy a new or certified pre-owned Mercedes in the next 24 months.
We do take care of our cars. Nearly 60 percent of our members spend between $1,000 and $5,000 a year on maintenance, repair, and general upkeep. Interestingly, we split our spending evenly between dealer service departments and independent shops – 32 percent will have that work done at an authorized Mercedes dealer and 33 percent will have their work done at an independent shop.
Car and club-related activities play a big role in our recreational activities. Nearly 50 percent of us went to a car show as a spectator during the past year, 35 percent went to at least one club social event, over 30 percent took at least one one-day driving tour, 23 percent went to an informal cars and coffee event, 22 percent participated in a show-and-shine event with one of their cars, and 19 percent attended a technical event.
It is gratifying to learn that The Star magazine plays a big part in our enjoyment of our cars. Over 90 percent of you read all six issues each year, with over three-quarters spending at least an hour reading each issue, and then over 60 percent save it for future reference.
Nearly 40 percent of member households have two people in the household who read each issue, so though the majority of the survey respondents were male, we have a solid female readership as well.
The editorial staff of The Star is always interested in how the magazine can be improved, but it’s nice to hear that over 60 percent of you report that you’re satisfied with the mix of topics in the magazine, with the balance between club and marque articles, and between illustrations and text. If you could tweak anything, you’d like to see us add some a few more pages to include more technical articles.
Of greatest interest to our advertisers, you rely on the magazine for sources of parts and services. Nearly two-thirds of you have visited an advertiser’s website with 42 percent purchasing something there, 20 percent buying from an advertiser by phone, and 15 percent visiting their place of business.
Thanks for taking the time to fill out our survey. Your answers will be very helpful to the club in the future.
Gary Anderson and Michael Salemi
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