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ljflx · April 2013

I got out of my LS lease a few months early. What triggered my whole situation was an early termination offer from Lexus. I'm not trading anything in for the SL. It'll just be a third car for me and a toy car at that.

Fintail - not easy to push for too low a price because the SL's are selling like hotcakes in this area right now. Dealer has a diamond white with designo sand interior and he wasn't sure if it was spoken for or not. I'll know tomorrow. It has the amg sport option, distronic, and all options except ABC and magic sky.

fintail · April 2013

Makes sense yes, with the SL still being pretty new.

Nice colors there - I don't know if I have ever seen a magic sky here. My local dealer gets a lot of AMG models, which might not fly off the shelf at 160K+.

ljflx · April 2013

Magicc sky, the bang-olufson radio and ABC are almost always reserved to custom ordered cars. It's really rare that you get a car with any of those options shipped to a dealer. They are all overkill to what is already excellent options or standard equipment on MB cars. You do get designo cars shipped to the dealer though, particularly designo interiors. The magno cashmere white designo exterior color though is a pain in the neck color. It has a matte finish that needs to be hand washed. The diamond white is such a beautiful metallic white that IMO it almost can't be improved upon.

fintail · April 2013

I've seen a b&o car with the weird little speakers didn't get me going as I don't see the value in it. The standard equipment we get on these cars is good compared to how the cars base in Europe, for sure.

I am not a fan of matte finishes either - actually more difficult to maintain than a normal car, and I think it is a fad.

ljflx · April 2013

The dealer has two cars that are stunning. Actually every SL they have is stunning. But the two that appeal to me the most are a designo graphite with a platinum white interior and a diamond white with a tuscany beige interior. The Designo colors are very rich and so is the diamond white. The designo graphite is a color similar to the Lexus smoky granite color but is richer because it has blue and teal metallics mixed in. It goes spectacularly with the platinum white interior. It's either different than the E-class version n the link below or that car was photographed under light that really changed its appearance. The interior designo colors are really represnted well on the link below vs how they appear in person. If I prepay the lease it works out to $1325 a month including all fees on one car and $1340 amonth on the slightly more expensive designo graphite. Both cars have identical options outside of the designo paint upgrade. They sticker at $123-125K. These are 0 down leases. Basically the dealer is giving me invoice plus a grand. The prepayment is a real nice discount to spreading the lease payments. I have some pix on my phone that I'll try and post later. The car is a phenomenal piece of technology. Here's a link to the MB designo site.

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/design/designo

carnaught · April 2013

The cars sound spectacular but on the cusp of the newer year model I would think you could do invoice or slightly below.

ljflx · April 2013

My mistake. He gave me $5K dealer cash so it's actually at $4K under dealer invoice.

anthonyp · April 2013

That was fun for me just to look at the Designo section .....What color is Tusciny Beige? It sounds really nice....I`m going to look again and see if I can call it up...I personally like a lighter colored interior, with a wood looking like maple, birch, etc...My car has Sycamore, and I have never tired of it to this day....A fun choice and time you are having

Tony

ljflx · April 2013

Scroll down the site and you'll see the SL interior colors. The tuscany beige is one of the interior colors. The leather on the designo series cars is like no leather I ever saw before.

Here's a pix of the diamond white and tuscany beige interior. The carpetting, dash and part of the sides are black.

http://tinypic.com/r/20r5udl/6

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2n9zyvo

cyclone4 · April 2013

Very stunning Len! You've worked very hard over the years and your deserve this "toy".

ljflx · April 2013

Here's the graphite with platinum white/black interior

http://tinypic.com/r/2zt905t/6

http://tinypic.com/r/2e2ed5z/6

A shot of the diamond white

http://tinypic.com/r/1z2kr44/6

http://tinypic.com/r/11c432t/6

Both cars

http://tinypic.com/r/29lcso0/6

BTW - both colors are limited edition. The graphite needs to be seen in person to really appreciate it and is spectacular with the platinum white interior. The white with tuscany is as classic as it gets. This MB dealer really specializes in high end MB's. He had a few S-class designos as well and the cars the owner owns are unbelievable. I will try to snap some photos of them when I go back on Thursday. He must have a dozen of the most classic cars you'll ever see. He also had a few SL65's that were already sold.

Any thoughts on the color combos?

houdini1 · April 2013

They both look great, but I prefer the diamond white classic. The grey color may lose something in photos and I have never particularly liked white interiors. The tuscany interior looks great.

Tough choice !

Keep us posted.

ljflx · April 2013

Tuscany beige pearl from the designo site. In person it's noticably brighter than this and not as orangy. It's very striking with the black carpet, dashboard and black door inserts. Leather is gorgeous. The car has burl walnut wood but the designo site has the black ash wood paired with the tuscany color.

http://tinypic.com/r/2a9blvd/6

Platinum white - very good representation of what it really looks like. I'm afraid of soiling it with jeans. It's also beautiful with the black contrasts. But I like the burl wood over the black ash wood.

http://tinypic.com/r/2d8mjp2/6

I'm leaning toward the diamond white and tuscany interior. It has a real italian design flair and I hardly see an SL in white. I see a lot of them in black, silver and designo mocha black (which is a brownish black). I also have never seen one in graphite. I've seen them in the standard gray and in a shadow gray which is similar to the graphite but not as rich.

Re Apple - I think the stock has bottomed. I bought back the shares I missed out on last week at $430.

carnaught · April 2013

They are indeed beautiful choices. I know I speak for myself and most others here that since we are all auto enthusiasts, we are living this vicariously through you, so please continue to keep us informed. We also wish you much enjoyment and safe motoring with whatever is your ultimate choice.

gagrice · April 2013

I'm leaning toward the diamond white and tuscany interior.

That would be my color choice. If I bought a beauty like that I would only take on trips out on back country roads. I would be afraid to take it where people might open a door into it. Just keep it in the garage with a dust cover. I saw one this morning and they are strikingly beautiful.

anthonyp · April 2013

Hi Len----I like the white with the Tuscany---just my preference, and really either would be great.....I`v always liked white or a color that doesn`t show road (farm) dirt....Dark colors are alot of trouble to keep clean....Tony sure enjoy the `dreaming`

fintail · April 2013

I like the graphite - I remember seeing a designo graphite W211 E55 AMG that made me drool, but the color is just dark enough to be a pain in the butt to keep clean. For maintenance, and maybe what some thing is extra class, the white might work better.

circlew · April 2013

MS might be relatively close to a huge change...

Instead of a mishmash of systems out there using outdated Microsoft software with glaring compatibility issues, "Blue" could ensure that Microsoft's own products evolve at the same rate as the rest of the tech world.

If this is starting to sounds a lot like how Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) do business, that's intentional.

But Microsoft's plan may be even better than anything Apple or Google currently have to offer. If -- and it's still a lofty if -- there's a shred of validity to rumors that Microsoft will merge the Windows and Windows Phone platforms, "Blue" could end up being a huge deal. Dissolving the barrier between mobile and desktop would be nothing short of impressive.

At long last, Microsoft has an Apple-beating vision

ljflx · April 2013

I know what you mean Tony. The white with designo Tuscany has a real italian flair. The graphite needs to be seen in person to appreciate it. Like Fin noted, it can knock your eyes out with the striking metalics it has embedded in the overall graphite color. It's really a one of a kind look. The only thing about the white is that I already have two white vehicles and the S 550 is the same diamond white. The compliments though that we get on the S 550 are incredible. Now another complication. The dealer has a white with designo sand interior that became available. The person that was buying that opted for a mocha black instead. So now my sales guy is holding all three cars for me and I'm waiting for him to shoot me an e-mail pix of the third car. The designo site made the tuscany interior look too orangy vs reality so I want to see the sand color on the showroom.

anthonyp · April 2013

No question you have to look with your own eyes to actually see what something looks like....When we were getting my wife`s Mercedes estate wagon, they had one that looked really nice, but once we got in it the BLACK headliner was poor----for our eyes--changed the whole complexion of the car, and we would not have been happy in the long run.....I agree the Designo Tuscany was a bit yellow in the picture...If it looked like that in real life, it would just have to be your call---it`s either pretty for you or not

I know what you are talking about with the graphite...It looks much better in person than a photo...Hope all works out to your satisfaction, and just because you may end up with two white, or three, YOU would only be in one at a time....On second thought it may be too many white ones....The gray one may fill the bill particularly if you dont use it all the time in rain and sludge

Tony

anthonyp · April 2013

I`m sticking with the white....I personally don`t care for the white with the darker gray color.....It may look good in `person` but the white one just looks good to my eye.....A tough decision now...:) ... I like the gray exterior color though, and also white interior, not that combination though....I`v very enthusiastic with the white :-) Tony ps having a fine time working the new excavator white with a gray interior, and many levers and buttons that have to all be used simultaneously, and it is powerful and scary ( might tip it over if not careful)

Tony bobcat e 50

cyclone4 · April 2013

Len has been astounded (as many of us have as well) how a company like Amazon can have a stratospheric PE, show basically zero profits, and its stock go to the "moon" while an incredible company like Apple that has a PE under 10, has more money than some countries, continues to increase its cash hoard by $10-15 billion each quarter, but yet its stock has gone to the crapper the past half year. Well, this article states, "look out below" for AMZN stock holders.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/04/11/ground-control-to-amazon-seattl- - - e-we-have-a-problem.aspx

anthonyp · April 2013

Any more results? You mentioned maybe a third color? Tony

ljflx · April 2013

I'm going there tomorrow to decide. The third car is a diamond white with designo sand interior. So he's holding two diamond whites for me, one with designo sand and one with designo tuscany and a designo graphite exterior with designo platinum white interior.

ljflx · April 2013

In case anyone has been foolish enough like me here's something for others who may not have tried it yet. Every review of the iPhone 5 I saw said that the adapter for it to charge the phone in cars or on the old format iPhone radios would not play music thru the adapter. In fact some of the reviews of the iphone were emotional in their criticisms of Apple for their new lightning chargers supposed inability to play music thru the adapter. So today I had a low battery and took the adapter and plugged it into the Ipod adapter in my GL. The phone was on iTunes and immediately beautiful digital music started playing from my phone. Took it inside and tried it on my iHome radio and the same thing happened. So much for the reviews that said you couldn't play music thru the lightning adapter. They were dead wrong.

cyclone4 · April 2013

Len, you lost me. OK, I have been using a car adapter that plugs into a cigarette lighter type of thing inside the consul to charge the iPhone5 when driving since my car does not have a usb port. I have never played music through iTunes on the phone. I don't have an iPod. So, what are you saying here? And, what is iHome radio? Sorry for being so dumb on these things. Btw, is playing music through iTunes on the iPhone a free service? Or, are you saying that this is your own music somehow? Maybe others here (maybe Tony) would like an explanation as well.

ljflx · April 2013

On both of my Mercedes there's a dual USB port and an iPod dock that also connects to iPhone 4's. If you buy the lightning adapter from Apple you can put it on that iPod dock and charge your iPhone 5 or play whatever music is on your iPhone 5. But I think on the iPhone 5 it is converted to mono from digital whereas on the 4 it stays digital. I don't know if it does both (charging and music play) at the same time. I can swear Lexus had that iPod dock as well. The IHome radios are great. Here's one that is very similar to the one I have. Actually I have 4 of them but they are all different. An older Sony one that I got with points on a credit card is really a great music player.

The adapter was complained about because reviewers said it could only charge the iPhone 5, not play music from it as well.

http://www.4alarmclocks.com/ihipipdualcl1.html?gclid=CNuir7mgyLYCFQqi4AodvUkAvw

anthonyp · April 2013

I`m afraid to do anything fancy with the phone, as I don`t know what will happen....I haven`t purchased any music as I haven`t studied up enough to know if I get much more embedded with aapl that I will loose my ability to transfer songs etc to other devices--like a NEW car or even a simple c/d player....I`ll mount that next challenge when I get the new car...I have a charger that I got with the phone, but haven`t used it yet.......

Just today I found I couldn`t access the Stock Screener page in the Scottrade account as aapl decided not to let the Adobe automatically download.....I got it figured out with a little help from Scottrade, and figured aapl probably had a good reason not to let it automatically download.....One of these day this all will make sense to me hopefully Tony

ljflx · April 2013

I took the designo graphite with the designo platinum white interior. My wife fell in love with it the moment she saw it. Thought the interior was the most beautiful interior she ever saw. It is a very unique color inside and out and is really a limited edition color, much more so than the diamond white. This car is stunning in person moreso than in pictures. What is really nice is that you can't even find either the interior or exterior color in an SL brochure or in car build on the MB site because they are both designo.

The sales guy put the the two whites side by side so that I could assess the interiors. They were both identical in equipment and price. If I went with the white I'd have taken the designo tuscany. It was the richer color for the interior and matched up the best with the burl walnut trim.

Here's some pix

http://tinypic.com/r/29ljps7/6

http://tinypic.com/r/33kg5ja/6

http://tinypic.com/r/i27pr7/6

Here's the whites (Tuscany interior is on the right) in the showroom. The tuscany is a bit darker than the sand and more exotic looking in person. Very Italian look but I already have two whites and that graphite is a head turner. We drove the graphite one and at a traffic light a kid on a bike looked at me and said "Nice car".

http://tinypic.com/r/eir2tz/6

anthonyp · April 2013

Gosh that is a good looking car....Much better pictures than the one I saw a few days ago....A happy day for you

That is a fine dealer showroom---largest I have ever seen---with what appears to be a superb inventory....We have a big dealership down here, but nothing to compare from what I saw in your picture.....Good Luck with the car, and as I just washed the Audi today, the Zano(sp) product is something I highly recommend you do now while it is new....The paint on my car looks like the day I took delivery....Thanks for sharing with us Tony

cyclone4 · April 2013

Len, I have to tell you that I love the graphite exterior with the platinum white interior. No wonder the kid on a bike said "nice car". Wow! Absolutely stunning.

ljflx · April 2013

Thanks. When I get it on my driveway I'll take a pix in full sun and post it. You can appreciate the gleam and spray of colors in the full sun. The car also looks better in graphite with the roof up than it does in white IMO. In convertible form I think the car would look great even in an ugly purple.

Tony - a fabulous dealership. They have so many cars on that showroom floor. You'd be hardpressed to find a model MB doesn't have. They have several E-class coupes on the floor too and that car would have been where I'd have gone for lesser money. Plus you'll find S-class cars and CLS and even E's with designo interiors. You rarely see one such car like that in other dealerships. The owner orders higher end features in his cars than any dealership around. In the warehouse I sat in an S65 and an SL63 and even a CL. Best lux dealership I've ever seen. Ray Catena Lexus is also very good but this dealership in in another world.

Here's the interior differences between the the designo sand and designo tuscany beige if anyone liked those colors.

Sand:

http://tinypic.com/r/14xfjbn/6

Tuscany;

http://tinypic.com/r/fn5sur/6

Here's one other shot of the graphite I took. Notice how the car's design features and lines stand out so well in this color. They get lost in too dark of a color and don't show as well in too light of a color. The contrast to the white interior is also beautiful. BTW - those are the AMG wheels.

http://tinypic.com/r/68fx1i/6

anthonyp · April 2013

They are all very attractive, but you chose the best---as you already had two whites----but truly the gray is far more attractive than the impression I got from the first picture.......Man I want a new car :-) I`m waiting ...Seems like your dealership gives a good deal---down here you have to fight for every penny, and that is something I`m not looking forward too.....If I leased a car I would have to do that every few years, so for me that is a reason to just purchase

Tony

fintail · April 2013

Gorgeous combo, congrats. It's very sporty to my eyes. I would have chosen that over the tuscan car or the other white car. Have fun keeping her detailed :P

gagrice · April 2013

I have a silly question. With the top down is there any space for luggage or maybe hauling lumber? :shades:

ljflx · April 2013

Lumber? That car will never see lumber. But yes there is space for luggage and ski equipment etc. The trunk is a lot more generous than I expected.

Thanks everyone for the good wishes.

Fin - I saw a matte finish on an E-class in the showroom. It's nice to look at once or twice only because it's so different. But I'd never want to own one that had a matte finish. it looks like it belongs on an AMG car if you like that type of a finish. But it's definitely not for me.

Tony - if you go MB than just check their site and click on specials. If you do that now you'll see the deals on the S, SL, CLS, ML etc. Whatever you get when you build a car and then use the payment estimator to get lease prices is a deal that any dealer will beat. The specials have to be offered by all dealers and they are always lease deals as far as I know. In the end I'm doing a one payment deal on this car and while it lists out at $126k the average price on a monthly basis (when I spread that payment over the life of the lease) is $90 a month cheaper than I got on an $88K LS and both deals were no money down. When MB deals, they really deal.

cyclone4 · April 2013

Man, you learn something new every day. I never new there was such a thing as iHome Radio. So, I now see that there is an App called iHome radio for the iPhone. You can stream stations from all over the world with this app. The iHome radio you are talking about is an actual radio, right?

ljflx · April 2013

Yep - AM, FM, plug ins for other devices, sets the clock automatically, apps for radio stations across the world, special Chrstmas music apps etc and they play great. We have 4 of them, but they are all set for the old Apple products. The $29 adapter Apple sells converts them for the new iPods and the iPhone 5. But what I found out today is I can play my iPhone 5 music thru them on that adapter. I never even tried thanks to those stupid reviews that said you can't. But I think only the Apple adapter will play the music. I think the cheaper knockoffs will only do a charge of your phone. So if you want to play music from your phone in your car you need that Apple adapter too.

cyclone4 · April 2013

Len, I would be interested to hear from you about the noise factor on your new SL. I am curious about this since it is a convertible.

circlew · April 2013

White is nice but the Graphite does it for me. Best of luck with whatever you choose. :shades:

circlew · April 2013

Tuscany interior would be my choice after viewing both in sequence.

ljflx · April 2013

The car with the top down is a lot of fun. But when I drove with the top down I ended up putting the side windows up. It doesn't really defeat the convertible factor all that much. The reason I do that though is because I wear contacts and I worry that too much cross wind will let a particle get into my eye. I'm still also a gas permeable contact lens wearer. i've never adopted soft contacts. But the car with the roof down and windows down is still smooth as silk and the noise factor is dependent on how fast you are driving. With the windows up and top down it's no more noisy than riding in your Lexus with the sun roof open. The SL has a wind deflector so there is no wind that gets into the cabin from aloft. It also has a highly specialized windshield wiper system so that on the off chance that you want to clean your windshield while you have the to down none of the fluid from washing it can possibly get into the cabin. Mercedes left no stone unturned with this car. It has what they call an air scarf system that blows warm air from the head restraints to warm your neck in winter. The leather is sun reflective for summer heat, the magic sky option allows you to adjust the light that enters the cabin thru the panoramic roof, helping you keep the car cooler in summer and the one thing Mercedes has that is really nice on both the S and SL (not sure if it has it on their less expensive cars and I have to check if I also have it on the GL) is a setting that allows you to keep your car warm in winter for up to a half hour if you are just going into a store or making a short visit. MB is big on retention power after the car is shut off. Because of that it's electronics make noises after you close a door, trunk or hood. With the AMG sports package you also get more powerful brakes on the SL. This car is an ultimate mix of a sports car, a luxury car and a roadster as Edmnds points out in its review. Make no mistake this car was engineered and manufactured to be both a sports car and a lux car supreme and it does it. It's not intended to be a Porsche. It is very opulent and like the S feels like a much more expensive car than it is and it draws looks from everyone. With the top up it's like a 2 seat S-class except that there is sport car feedback and a hearty roar from the engine when you step on the gas hard. It's the same engine as the S550 crammed into a much smaller car. It's absolutely a spectacular car unless your intention is to have a more Porsche feel.

I haven't taken the car yet. I just deposited it. I'll take possession in the next 10 days as I'm awaiting a check from my business once our audit is finalized so that I don't disturb other money that is tied up or make my checking account too tight.

ljflx · April 2013

Agree. It's richer and more luxurious and as I noted it flows to the burled walnut wood a lot better. Remember though both of those interiors are a $4500 upgrade in leather as they are designo. MB's standard leather is fabulous, then it has a $900 leather upgrade to premium and then the second upgrade to designo. On the S-class this dealership brings in 1 of every 4 cars with a designo interior. It's an expensive option on the S-class (about $12K) because it upgrades a lot more than just the leather. It adds in 4 zone heat and A/C, rear seat heaters and massages, premium/specialized wood etc. On the SL they bring in 1 of every two cars with designo interiors because it's just an upgrade of leather and it residulaizes well in a lease. Most dealers have much lower percentages than this one. A real high percentage of SL buyers renew their leases every 2-3 years. In April you go on the 2 year program and that's when you far and away get the best deals on SL's. I've wanted an SL my entire adult life and now that I finally drove one I'm realizing that it's an even better car than I thought or hoped it to be.

houdini1 · April 2013

Nice choice, (apparently aided and abetted by your wife) and a beautiful car. In the new pics, that interior looks like a very pale grey rather than stark white. I like that much better. I also much prefer the tuscany to the sand. Congrats and enjoy !

ljflx · April 2013

Houdini - you hit it on the head - as you almost always do. It's a cross between a darker white and a light ash. The other designo white is a showy white called deep white. It's really bright. To me the difference in the whites is like the difference in the tuscany vs sand. If I bought the car in red I'd imagine the deep white would look great. But in any gray or silver type of color the platinum white is the way to go. I wonder how the platinum would pan out with a black exterior. The other thing about the deep white is they tend (from what i was told) to pair it up with a piano black (lacquer like) trim instead of the charcoal ash wood trim the platinum white is paired with. That wood is really beautiful and doesn't show as nice as it looks in the pix I posted. The lacquer piano black is probably prone to a lot of smudges and scratches. It would be high maintenance. One last thing about the car is the nav system is MB's latest and greatest. It's probably what will be in the next S-class.

carnaught · April 2013

Beautiful choice. Thanks for posting;loving it :P .

fintail · April 2013

I don't like matte - looks terrible when dirty, pain in the butt to clean, sometimes the finish is very delicate, and it's a fad - it will eventually be pretty dated.

cyclone4 · April 2013

Len, that machine of yours is amazing in both luxury and sportiness. I don't think you talked about the noise factor with the top up. Just curious.

gagrice · April 2013

They both seem to be on parallel paths over the last 5 years. I think they are both being manipulated by the big Hedge fund operators like Soros.

Soros says gold safe haven no more; sees central bank support

Is he playing the same game he did with oil in 2008? Sell high buy back when it bottoms?

ljflx · April 2013

With the top up the car is quiet like a lux car. You'll hear the throaty roar of the engine though when you step on the gas. It's not as super quiet as the S-class though nor would I want or expect that.

The Edmunds review describes the car very well from my driving experience:

http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/sl-class/2013/#fullreview

I'm getting sick of Apple. Even my $425 strategy is failing me. At 6X earnings ex-cash Wall Street is playing this right into a private takeover.

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