I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!

fintail

Took a few this morning:















The wheel is up a little higher than normal, as I have it set for "comfort access", which raises it when exiting and entering.

fintail

Thanks. Bluetec, of course. I weighed the pros and cons, and thought I might not have this cheap an opportunity again. Amazing lease deal, they gave me a fair price for my car and I know it will go to a good home. I am still kind of on a high from it.

ateixeira

Pano is nice.

Is the trim piano black? That's how my Miata is, a bit dark but open the lid and ... who cares!? :shades:

fintail

It's a very dark grey wood, pretty black, but it is kind of shiny. The silver trim looks nice with the other dark colors, and the materials are very nice, a level above the old car. Like you say, open the pano shade, and it is nice and bright inside. That shade will stay open most of the time.

ateixeira

Is it hard to keep such dark carpeting looking clean.

PS Made in Germany?

tifighter

I spy the Bellevue Square parking lot. I can recall some night hoonage there in a friend's volvo back in high school. Gotta learn handbrake turns sometime.

fintail

I'm getting a set of MB rubber mats thrown in, so the carpets should stay fresh.

Built at Sindelfingen, which I actually visited in November. This car was born pretty recently, December build date.

fintail

I love the rooftop level of that garage - great for photography - always a nice empty spot, and nobody will bug you.

imidazol97

Nice. Congratulations.

ateixeira

I have rubber mats for the Miata, too. Better than those white salt stains on black carpet.

lemko

Nice! Good luck with it! White will make it easier to keep clean and scratches won't be as visible.

bhill2

Great looking car, Fin, in and out! Please keep us updated on your impressions and experiences as you two become acquainted. The new E-class is looking good to me, and a Mercedes diesel strikes me as about as good as it gets.

lemko

...white Lexus RX450h at work and a black Chevrolet Malibu on Oxford Avenue near Unruh in NE Philly.

fintail

I also think white works well with the design of the car. Some cars look better in the color than others. It's also a good contrast for the pano roof. And unlike the dark grey car, I can drive it for 10 miles in the rain and not have it look like I've been off road.

fintail

I'll post any issues, for sure. The car has a little quirk to be adjusted already. I went over it with a fine toothed comb, and the fuel filler door is maybe a couple mm out of adjustment. I have an appointment Monday to have it aligned. A normal person might not have noticed. But if I am taking on a car payment again, I want it perfect. Otherwise, it's a piece of heaven, relaxing to drive, more tech than I know what to do with, good mileage. And dare I say it, it might even be a little pretty.

Speaking of new cars, when I bought my car, they had a beautiful C-class on the lot. C300 4Matic, Diamond Silver on ash leather, P2, pano, loaded, big 48K MSRP. Today, it's gone. Maybe it sold.

fintail

Around here the problem is debris, especially pine needles and leaves.

The fintail doesn't even have carpeting up front, just rubber floors. I wipe them down now and then, easy.

ateixeira

Do you get pine tar or are both cars under cover?

I have a car port for 2 cars, but the 3rd car is exposed. Sucks when it snows.

ateixeira

Saw a blue Golf with plastic wheel covers and 65 series tires.

Looked it up - 2.5l engine is standard, so no 2.slow like the base Jetta, at least.

VW needs a car to slot below the Golf/Jetta just to get away from these stripped base models.

fintail

Both cars are garaged. I'd want to sell the old car if I couldn't keep it dry - it would decay pretty fast in the damp here.

ateixeira

The salt they use on the roads around here would eat an older car, too.

Was the fintail's steel galvanized?

fintail

Nope, I don't know if that had been invented yet. Some design issues in old cars are also rust nests - floors, trunks, rockers, headlight areas - places that retain moisture.

ateixeira

I think galvanization became mainstream in the early 90s but it would not surprise me if Benz was a decade or more ahead of the curve.

robr2

Porsche started using galvanized steel back in 1974. The rest of the industry caught up by mid 1980's.

Galvanizing covers a broad spectrum of applications using zinc. The best application is hot dipping but that leaves a thick finish that can't be painted or welded.

IIRC, cars are dipped in a zinc rich primer that bonds to the metal with electricity.

ateixeira

I remember seeing 2 year old Hyundai Excels with massive rust. They came out in 1985 IIRC.

I guess it was phased in and the cheapies got it last.

stever

2013 Ford Escape owners are concerned about rust already showing up underneath, including the knuckles and such around the wheels.

I'm wondering if that's intentional - maybe Ford is using the oxidation for "protection"? I've seen a few "steel" commercial buildings that are intentionally allowed to rust. "Weathering steel" they call it.

ateixeira

Frightening to see this early, but it does appear to be surface rust.

Still - can't they dip those parts? Or at least paint them?

Reminds me of my '91 Ford Escort GT - I had rust on the fuel filler neck right away, brand new. Fortunately it never got worse, but it sure was ugly.

ateixeira

Fix Obstinate Rust Daily

fintail

Some MBs are known to be rusters, others not. W126s and W210s can get bad. Models in the past decade seem to be OK, but even some 90s cars, not the best.

texases

The W210 was a recent low point for MB, it seems, coming after the bulletproof W124, with problems (like rust) I never would have expected.

berri

I suspect some of those who rushed over to Ford because they didn't take a bailout are going to be disappointed. I think "Quality is Job 1" is just marketing puffing. In my experiences with them they really aren't that different than GM, particularly after the warranty runs out. Incidentally, my neighbor has a 4 or 5 year old F-150 with around 70K and it already needs a new transmission and he told me he has a friend with a similar issue. So much for "built tough"!