That's right, folks, if you're in the market for a new luxury car, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to at least consider a 2010 model Mercedes-Benz, according to Bengt Halvorson's latest Frugal Shopper column at TheCarConnection. The brand-new but superceded 2010s are sliding off dealer lots for 10 percent off sticker on average, with the 2010 C-Class moving at 11 percent off.

Those are some pretty deep discounts, and they raise a few questions for us. First off, why? Is Mercedes so backed up on 2010 inventory it's trying to dump everything it can to make room for the 2011s? Or is it a competitive necessity forced by the market (i.e. alternative models from BMW, Lexus, Cadillac, and Audi)? And what kind of loss is Mercedes taking on each of these models to move them at such a price? Is their margin tall enough to allow such discounts without losing money?

All of these questions and more will be answered in a future Frugal Shopper coming in the next few weeks, but for now, bone up on the current discount details and let us know what you think the reasons for the price-slashing are in the comments below.

[TheCarConnection]