P-daddy

Hey sounds good. PM on the way.

hansel1151

thank you. would love to join you guys sometime soon. i'm in jersey city which doesn't seem too far. where do you usually meet at the grove?

hal m

I have an 05 SL600 (twin-turbo V12) for my DD. The ABC systems on these cars are a pain. Very high pressure. I have replaced the same strut twice already. Thank goodness the PO bought a 6 year extended warranty. They have paid out over 10k in the two years I have owned the car. Once warranty expires, it will have to go. No way I can afford these kinds of repairs.

That said, the car is an awesome commuter car. 600hp and 700 #'s TQ blows most anything else off the line. Folding hardtop is killer in NorCal. Don't car if folks think it is an old man's car. It is TOO MUCH FUN mashing the gas pedal and having to hold on to the steering wheel for dear life!

Steve 96C4S

Would love to see pics ). I actually was the one that bought the extended warranty for this car. I'm sure it will be the best $5645 investment I make all year (considering I'm at about $9k in repairs in 3 weeks). It's all good, truly. The quality of my problems today is awesome. Plus, they give me cool loaner cars that I enjoy as much as my own. The new C250 Coupe was so much fun for a week it was hard to return it. Neat panoramic roof over the entire top. LOVED the handling though it had no great power.

917962

Nice garage! You definitely made the right call in getting the extended warranty. I'm not exactly in the same league but I love my 98 C230. It has been pretty reliable and I don't worry about it. It's nowhere near as fun as your S class but in my opinion, Mercedes quality went down the tubes for awhile.

I like your plan. Keep the 993 and enjoy your new DD until the warranty nears end, then sell her.

solomonschris

My own MB story is a bit plebeian. When I bought a marina in southern md I knew I would be driving down from Annapolis a lot, so I bought a new 1987 TD wagon . Great car, it handled better than any sedan I'd owned. After 135,000 miles my wife decided that she needed to show horses. I could post all kinds of warnings here but I'll stick to my point. We advertised the car as having all service records. A little guy came by and drove the car. It was like new, having been back to Mercedes of Annapolis every 5,000 miles since new. So he drove the car and loved it. Then he sat at my kitchen window reviewing the service records. After about 15 minutes or so he stopped, and said I can't afford this car. I said what? I only want 13,000 for this perfect Mercedes 300TD, you can't but a GD Toyota corolla for that. He said, "are you aware you have spent $5,350 fixing window controllers and wiper controllers in the past year. This was an astounding learning experience for me. First, I learned that for my wife, all purchases were the same. Hand them the card, sign a piece of paper, put piece of paper on glove compartment. Could be a $200 purchase or a $25,000 buy. Anyway, I suppose that is my issue. The point is, from my point of view is that MB cars cost a bunch to own. I have owned a bunch of 911's over a lot of Year's. Not one of them has ever broken. Just say'en....Chris

The NSX dude

I'm in long branch, but sadly I work Saturdays. I'm sure I'll be there for at least one this summer.

pcar964

Sorry but I just don't see the pleasure in owning an over-complicated, unreliable, expensive to fix machine like this. I also don't understand how Mercedes has taken a brand that was once known for bulletproof cars that were engineered to last decades, to making fragile cars that can't even make it a few years without catastrophic failures of major components. It is just mind boggling. Yes I know they're safe, and nice to drive when brand new. Actually, scratch the safety thing - I don't consider a car to be safe if it has a propensity for leaving my loved ones stranded on the side of the road.

I went for a drive in my friend's new C250 this weekend - what a beautiful car to drive. Hopefully it is as reliable as it is solidly constructed. I would think without the needless complexity of air suspension, active body control, and all the other junk technology found in the more expensive models, it will be reasonable to maintain as it ages.

And before anyone mentions how cutting edge technology is to blame for the problems, I think Lexus bulletproof reliability proves otherwise.

Quadcammer

lol, S-classes are always at forefront of technology, which then gets copied by lexus.

Most 221s are just fine. ABC can be a problem but its typically due to age and poor maintenance.

The vast majority of MB components are just fine, but some of the small electrical stuff can be a problem.

nothing drives like an S class though.

pp000830

Funny, I too have noticed how my 993 seems to have shrunk in size against other cars, even the newer 911. Twice in the last two years I have experienced minor accidents where others in their SUV/crossover cars backed into the parked 993 because they simply did not see it in the parking space.

Sorry that you have had such aggravation with your new car. Just remember the Dealer makes it's revenue from the OE on warranty service as the only purpose of selling you a car in the first place is to access the payments from the OE under warranty service. This works in your favor during the warranty period as the dealer is incented to find every little item that can possibly be fixed under warranty with each of your visits. If they can replace something big and expensive and get the OE to pay for it they go-for-it! Funny how you say you won't own the car past its warranty period. The dealer doesn't want to see the car at that point either as the gravy train of OE service payments are no longer available unless the car can be requalified under the OE's certified used car program extended warranty.
Just how the world works in cardom
.
Andy

pcar964

No, Lexus waits until they can make a technology reliable before putting it in their cars. Mercedes nowadays seems to rush technology out to market as soon as they can because their customers won't have the car more than 3 years anyway so who cares if it breaks... Which is reflected in the incredible depreciation of these cars, and the concomitant fall of the brand's image over the past 10 years.

Absolutely untrue according to my friend's father who is the top sales manager at a large Mercedes dealership. According to him, these are cars that should not be owned out of warranty. They have improved quality in the past few years but still have a long way to go to regain their previous (earned) reputation.

I agree they are nice to drive, when they work.

tcsracing1

I always love the MB flagship saloon. Just a big pimpin sled that says F.U everywhere you go.

I am waiting for the new 2014 body to come out although the current body is the best looking to date.

irideducs

Mine's bigger...but considerably slower. Congrats.

helmet993

SYF FTW.

aeroman

Thanks for that. I laughed out loud enough for my secretary to look in my office.