Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

fintail

Diesel is available in the "konfigurator" where you can build your own. Crazy prices, but that's Switzerland.

fintail

If I'm laying down 40K+, I'd be negotiating that into the price. Too bad some of the other odd details can't be hidden. I wonder what the next one will look like.

tommister2

Congrats! I'm going stir crazy...it is coming up on 12 months since my last vehicle purchase.

xwesx

LOL!!! Not a bad approach, stick!!!

nyccarguy

Mazel Tov & Congrats mike! Dirty details? You were happy with what they have you for your "old" E350?

corvette

I went to Miami a couple of Decembers ago. It wasn't overly crowded then, and the weather was just perfect with highs in the mid-70s. I can't imagine going there in the sweltering summer heat and having to fight crowds on top of that, but I think spring/summer is their peak season.

kyfdx

All tourist areas pick up in the summer.... kids are out of school..

corvette

Congratulations! Ever consider getting a diesel model to mix things up?

abacomike

Congratulations! Ever consider getting a diesel model to mix things up?

Actually I have, however the fuel economy on the V6 gasoline engine (31/21) is just about what the diesel is. Diesel is more expensive than gasoline down here and does not have the higher end power that the gasoline version does. It's also more expensive to purchase.

I don't drive enough to make a difference between the 2.

They did a nice job on the sport sedan this year. Some say they prefer the old star hood ornament, but I don't miss it. I'm glad I got the gray leather instead of black - down here in FL, it gets darn hot in the summers.

Having a 3M Crystalline Tint done tomorrow morning.

Thanks, corvette for the well wishes!

crkyolfrt

can't get the link to load this time...but ya, crazy pricing is right.. :sick:

Sure love the idea of that Microbus though. That one for sure didn't mention diesel.

They make a lot of sense those types of do-it-all vehicles. About their only two biggest potential drawbacks are non car-like handling/economy, and crosswinds..
I loved the look of it even..

abacomike

"Mazel Tov & Congrats mike! Dirty details? You were happy with what they have you for your "old" E350?"

MSRP was $64950 and I bought it for $57,250, or about $3000 under invoice thanks to USAA buying service and Mercedes Benz Club of America coupon. They gave me exactly what I wanted for the 2013 ($49000), so it cost me $8000 go keep the car 8 months.

They treated me royally, as they always do. I am a "standing joke" for their humorous comments on my car buying activities and habits. No one, including me, is surprised.

I do not notice the difference between electronic steering and the hydraulic steering. A true Bimmer fan might, but I certainly am not a sport handling officienado. It rides about the same as the 2013. That Eco start/stop is fine, but I turn it off in very heavy traffic, which is rare during the times I drive because it can't possibly be good to start and stop an engine repeatedly, in short spurts.

The light gray perforated leather is luxurious and the air cooled seats a delight, especially in the summers. Nice car - well worth what I paid for it.

Thanks, nyccarguy, for the mazel tov comment.

ateixeira

Congrats.

My convertible has a black interior and that gets hot. If gray had been an option I would have chosen that for sure.

The other Miata color was more like pumpkin, though. The filling.

Some special editions got a nice light tan color (not beige), but those came after I bought mine.

nyccarguy

You are welcome Mike. You deserve it! I saw a commercial for the 2014 E last night and I think MB did a fantastic job with the styling. They always seem to make their new models look beautiful while keeping their old models still looking good.

Funny you picked up your car today. Tomorrow I will have officially owned my Prelude for 11 years;).

abacomike

"Funny you picked up your car today. Tomorrow I will have officially owned my Prelude for 11 years;)"

Good grief, 11 years! The longest I ever kept a car was my 1991 Mercedes 300E sedan. Kept that until 1996 - 60000 miles on it - ran as well on the last day of ownership as it did on the first day.

Congrats on you 11 year old Prelide - they were great cars - my wife had one in the early 90's, ran like a top!

stever

Just got my '99 back after replacing the broken timing belt. Had to drive the '97 the last couple of weeks. The '99 was purchased new; picked up the '97 in '03.

Not sure why I haven't been kicked off helping Claires host this discussion.

Congrats on the new ride - you guys don't know how much vicarious living lots of us do through y'all.

fintail

I've had my fintail for over 18 years now - I think Andre has had his DeSoto for over 20, and Lemko has had his Fleetwood since 1988. Some long termers here.

Your new E has the full LED lighting I assume, right? I forget the options you ordered. Still haven't seen a facelift in person - local dealer has them though. I don't know if I would like the stop-start either...but if you aren't going to keep it forever, maybe no harm done. I am curious to see how the 4cyl diesel will cope here. I am loving my Bluetec - power is adequate, diesel is cheaper than premium here, and I made a 42mpg run a few days ago.

abacomike

"Your new E has the full LED lighting I assume, right? I forget the options you ordered. Still haven't seen a facelift in person - local dealer has them though. I don't know if I would like the stop-start either...but if you aren't going to keep it forever, maybe no harm done."

Yes, I did get the "full" LED Lighting Package (adaptive brights, cornering lamps, etc.). I also got the active ventilated seats, Premium Package, Keyless Go and Electronic Trunk Closer, Blind Spot Monitor and Lane Departure Warning, AMG wheel Package, Metallic Paint and Learher Seats, Wood/Leather Steering Wheel. It is pretty loaded, but that's how I ordered it.

Thanks for the congrats!

nyccarguy

Thanks Mike! The beautiful weather coupled with the fact that my Prelude will officially be 11 tomorrow makes me want to DRIVE IT! The AMs here have been in the high 30s - low 40s when I leave @ 6:30 AM, so the BMW's hot seats & auto climate control help cope with the cold mornings.

I drove the Prelude today, will take it to work tomorrow, then take it back to The Bronx again in the afternoon when I take my 4 year old son to the baseball game. This will give me a good amount of seat time & those 200 or so miles off of my BMW.

abacomike

"I drove the Prelude today, will take it to work tomorrow, then take it back to The Bronx again in the afternoon when I take my 4 year old son to the baseball game."

I remember those days with tremendous joy when I'd take my son and daughter to their baseball games. My son brcame a great pitcher and even played for one of the Dodger farm teams in California when I lived out there. Unfortunately, he threw his back out and never got any further. That was his one wish (and love) to become a professional major leaguer.

When he was a kid, I was president of the little league in our community - he was a good hitter as well. I spent many a summer going to his games and taking both kids to the Cubs games at Wrigley Field. I sure miss those wonderful years with the kids and wish I could have some of them back.

Don't waste these years with the kids - they will give you wonderful memories when you get older.

xwesx

Thanks for the encouragement, Mike! It is good to have that feedback regularly from those who've been there; I'm sure you know what I mean!

fintail

Sounds like a few things I would definitely want - the lighting (base lighting on the E is terrible, MB should be ashamed), keyless go, and I will admit the trunk closer and blind spot/lane system on my car has grown on me. I also must have pano roof. I kind of like how the gadgets on the E are now ala carte, but I end up wanting most of the P2 stuff anyway. I can live without leather. What wheels does your car have? The split spoke?

Facelift E is now ready to go on the MBUSA site, you can "build your own". I think the facelift works better with the wagon, which has rounder lines.

abacomike

"Thanks for the encouragement, Mike! It is good to have that feedback regularly from those who've been there; I'm sure you know what I mean!"

You bet I do!!!

abacomike

"Sounds like a few things I would definitely want - the lighting (base lighting on the E is terrible, MB should be ashamed), keyless go, and I will admit the trunk closer and blind spot/lane system on my car has grown on me. I also must have pano roof. I kind of like how the gadgets on the E are now ala carte, but I end up wanting most of the P2 stuff anyway. I can live without leather. What wheels does your car have? The split spoke? "

Base lighting is now LED headlights. The lighting package adds full LED's, high beam assist, curve illumination and cornering lamps.

Yes, I got the double spoke AMG's, but the new standard 18" sport wheel is brushed and high polished alloys - big improvement over the old standard wheels for sport. If I had to order another one, I would not get the AMG wheels - the standard sport wheels happen to be gorgeous.

The spoiler sets off the rear end nicely and the addition of chrome trim in the front and rear are a knockout. New dash is simpler to read. Turn signal lights are better placed and the speedometer is now backlit without having to turn on lights - big improvement over previous speedos. The ventilated sears are a must down here in south Florida. Nice to have cooled air blowing in your derrière and back on these hot humid days where perspiration seems to be its worst.

Wood leather steering wheel is a luxurious touch. The new back up camera has those variable lines that adjust depending on the angle of the steering wheel as you back up - new this year. The NAV screen went from to 7" this year from 6" last year. Choice of tricolor perimeter lighting at night - almost psychedelic in nature. You can choose 1, 2, or all three color lighting using perimeter LED lights. Very classy. They adapted the CLS interior to the E class.

Collision Prevention is new also. I need to read up on it more before I can explain its functions. It mechanically adjusts seats and belts and primes air bags in the event of an impending collision based upon radar sensors front and rear. I love those Blind Spot monitors, but keep the lane departure turned off because it becomes a bother of feeling the steering wheel vibrate so frequently when leaving a marked lane. On a long trip, it would definitely come in handy.

corvette

You have two Nissan Quests, a 97 and a 99? Did the timing belt cause any damage, or was it a non-interference engine?

stever

The '99 is the Quest - non-interference engine so I blew past the recommended change interval of 105k. Cost $150 to tow it home 50 miles with 182,000 on the odometer, and $525 to fix it (and replaced the water pump). Insurance paid $100 of the tow.

The '97 is an Outback. I replaced the timing belt on that one early on miles, but a couple of years overdue time-wise. It's a nasty one when it breaks. That was around $750, also including a new water pump.

ateixeira

My kid does travel hoops and I'm enjoying that ride. I've coached her since Kindergarden.

I'm putting tons of miles on the van now, but at least I can get über-cheap gas on the way most times. Nice to have a big gas tank and lots of range. I usually only fill up every other trip.

I doubt she'll play in college but it's still fun to watch.

roadburner

I told him not to use the other 3, just in case.

My son left the sunroof open on the X3 and it rained a bit, so I was doubly ticked. He had allegedly forgotten that he is not to open the blasted thing because if/wnhen the sunroof cassette fails it results in an über-expensive repair.

roadburner

Congrats!!! It looks and sounds like a fantastic car!

roadburner

Good grief, 11 years! The longest I ever kept a car was my 1991 Mercedes 300E sedan. Kept that until 1996 - 60000 miles on it - ran as well on the last day of ownership as it did on the first day.

I'm close to your polar opposite; here are some examples:

1974 Monte Carlo- 15 years 130,000 miles(sold in 1989)

1995 318ti- 17.5 years, 131,000 (still own- and track)

1999 Wrangler- 11 years, 111,000 miles(still own)

2004 X3 2.5- 8.5 years, 151,000 miles(still own)

2007 Mazdaspeed 3- 6 years, 120,000 miles(still own)

fintail

Hmm...I guess I need to read the site. I know the 10-13 standard headlights are weak, an upgrade to P2 or a retrofit is practically a necessity. I'll have to sit in one of these new cars and compare. As MB is trying to move these cars up a little (prices inflate over time recently - although it's easy to get a discount), I suppose making them more posh feeling makes sense. Adding the lines to the camera is good, I never got why the previous style lacked those - everyone else seems to have them.

My E55 had ventilated seats - but as it is seldom hot or humid here, I could never really tell they were on. The nice aluminum seat controls on your car are an upgrade too.

Here's my car sitting next to the old timer, pic taken on Monday:

tjc78

"1974 Monte Carlo- 15 years 130,000 miles(sold in 1989) "

Based on your posts, I'm quite shocked you owned a barge like that!

js06gv

Yes, certainly an outlier among your entertaining fleet of rides. I know everything circa 1974 was emissions choked to no more than 140-150 hp max, but was that a 305 or 350 V-8? My first car was a '74 Gran Torino with a 351 Cleveland, a motor that used to have real guts but was sadly limited to 140 hp by then IIRC.

roadburner

Yes, certainly an outlier among your entertaining fleet of rides. I know everything circa 1974 was emissions choked to no more than 140-150 hp max, but was that a 305 or 350 V-8?

Here's the story. It was late 1974, and my dad offered to help me buy a new car. At that time he didn't want me to get anything foreign(I wanted a 2002 or Mazda RX2). None of the Fords or Chrysler products did anything for me(with the exception of the Mercury(German Ford) Capri- and there were none equipped as I wanted). As for Chevrolets, I liked the Z28, but Dad thought it was too much car for me. The Monte Carlo had received a decent review from Road & Track- they even went so far as to say that the Monte could run with a Bavaria or XJ6 if the road was wide and smooth enough So that's what I settled for. Not being able to leave well enough alone I added:
3.42 gears, an Edelbrock Performer Intake, a recalibrated(by me)Q-Jet carb, Crane Hi-Torque Cam, Blackjack headers, CBQ Turbo Mufflers, Mallory Unilite/MSD-5A ignition, B&M Transpak Shift kit, Monroe Gas Magnum shocks, 15X7 Cragar SS wheels, and Michelin X tires. At full throttle the sled would chirp the tires on the 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts. and it handled pretty well to boot.

But there was no escaping the fact that the car was huge and overweight(4200 lbs.) Still, it was fast enough to beat almost every new car of the 1975-1982 era short of a Turbo Carrera or a real exotic.

js06gv

Nice upgrades! Had to have been the fastest Monte Carlo in town with all of those.

Sandman6472

Love your vehicles! Still in a holding pattern here as the Accent is going to be put into mommy duty next week for a bit so it can get some miles put on it and the Mazda will get to rest a bit. Hoping that she'll decide to go look at the Elantra as her next vehicle due to the increased power and the better creature comforts...truly believe it is the perfect vehicle for her that she can keep for the next 10 or so years. Would love her to go for the GT but she prefers a trunk while I like a hatch. And we both want Hyundai/Kia in our garage within the year. And eventually I'll have the Tuscon/Sportage or Rogue as my d d. Will want to try the Dodge Dart in a couple of years to see if it really is a mini 200. Luckily, I'm not in a hurry to purchase for me as the Honda is holding up wonderfully and the new headliner looks great. Now to tackle the new rotors and we'll be done!

The Sandman

tjc78

Actually sounds like a fun ride. I knew there was a story!

abacomike

"Hmm...I guess I need to read the site. I know the 10-13 standard headlights are weak, an upgrade to P2 or a retrofit is practically a necessity"

Yes, in order to get Xenon headlights, you needed to upgrade to the P2 package. Now, there is only one Premium Package. The $1500 Lighting Package gives you "full" LED's for all lights. But LED static headlights are now standard. The pkg. gives you curve illumination, adaptive high beams (light sensitive front beams) and cornering lamps.

Love your collection of MB's. I am a true MB lover. I had a 2013 Lexus GS350 for 2 months, but hated it. Lexus refused to fix a tire problem and the car was just not stable. I was back to Mercedes in a flash. I've owned a 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and now the 2014. This one is the best one ever. Ride and handling are superb.

tjc78

"I've owned a 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and now the 2014. This one is the best one ever. Ride and handling are superb."

There is something so awesome about reading that. LOL. The best part is the Lexus in between as well. Lot of high line cars.

Congrats on the 2014. Must be cool having one of the first ones.

stickguy

so you might keep this one more than 6 months?

not like there is anything coming soon from MB to outdate it.

corvette

"...if/when the sunroof cassette fails it results in an über-expensive repair."

If my car had a sword of Damocles like that, I'd probably use it as an excuse to get rid of it.

fintail

I bet you'd be comfortable in a little CUV. Get something nice, you deserve it.

Elantra GT has to be one of the more appealing smaller cars, and maybe Hyundai's best looking product right now.

fintail

If I was building one, I'd buy the light package. If you're already in so deep, what's another little addition?

There is something about the smooth cruising ride of an MB that seems unlike other cars. Other cars are smooth too - but there's something about how the MB is weighted or dampened or something, I can tell a difference, just hard to describe. They feel heavy, but not to the point of being clumsy. Comfortable. I generally like the design too.

I wish I had the resources and time for a real collection - but I will probably have the oldie for a long time yet, so it can pose by the modern car. The new car is my 5th MB, but I have usually kept mine for several years.

stickguy

roof doesn't bother me. they do tend to be reliable, and most (if not all, I know my Acuras and the Volvo do) cars have an emergency manual option (basically a big allen wrench and a hidden crank hole you can use to close it if the motor dies).

so if it gets stuck open, you crank it shut and forget about it!

tjc78

My cousin had a Jetta (92ish) that had a manual crank moonroof. I thought it was cheap at the time, but probably pretty reliable. I've had several moonroofs. Only had a problem on my 2003 Avalon when I had it open at highway speed and pieces started flying off of it! Toyota ate a big bill there, and a new headliner because the techs worked dirty.

roadburner

I never use a sunroof, and they are a liability on track cars, so I never buy a car with a sunroof unless it is standard equipment- and even then I check to see if I can order a car with it deleted.

Different strokes, and all like that...

stickguy

I love mine. Have it open whenever possible.

tjc78

It was always a "had to have" but now its not as big a deal. The Buick has it (a giant one) and we use it once in awhile. I'm an A/C guy so in many cases it defeats the purpose.

corvette

I love mine, too, and I don't worry about it breaking, but I'm guessing that may be a common problem on X3s.

stickguy

maybe those pano roofs are a different story.

and I actually hate AC> I only put it on as a last resort. or if my wife is in the car.

jayrider

Don't open my Lacrosse pano roof much but I really like the open feeling it gives closed.