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2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Consumer Discussions
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All Mercedes-Benz S-Class Models
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class
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2003 MB S430 4Matic - Good car?
looking at a 2003 mercedes S430, with less than 70K miles. this will be first benz for us, and do not know if it is a good or reliable car. is this a good car overall or are we looking at non-stop repairs?
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [dondralynn123]
i have a 03 Mercedes s500 . and that conversion kit was the best decision ive made. STRUTMASTERS really has a great kit that fixes all your problems. no air problems anymore at all.. Lifetime warranty. you be crazy not to do it.. Dealers are way to expensive.
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [harold2allen]
I had the same problems with my 2002 Mercedes S500. I got really tired of the air suspension failing on me then deciding it would work when it wanted to. I actually did the same thing, I went to Strutmasters.com and got one of those conversion kit and never have been happier with my product. Highly recommended . I was just happy it came with a Lifetime warranty.
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [syndijo123]
no problem miss. I would recommend them to anyone. I hope you order with Strutmasters, they have some great products at a good value. Also excellend customer service team!
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [harold2allen]
ooh wow. well i definitely will consider strutmasters as one of my options. Thanks for all your help Harold! Very much appreciated.
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [syndijo123]
Well at first I couldn't decide. I looked around many places for other options cause I wanted to make sure the decision I was making wasn't going to cost me more in the Long run. .. But in the end I ordered with Strutmasters.com for the conversion kit they offered for my vehicle. It was 937.00. Its very different though, The conversion kit eliminates the air but your vehicle wont ever ... Read More
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [harold2allen]
So what did you do Harold. Did you get the conversion kit. How does it work. Hows the ride. Gosh so many questions!!!
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Re: !! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas [syndijo123]
Hello Syndi, I have a 2000 Mercedes Benz S500. My suspension failed on me a few months ago. The dealers cost to fix my car was too expensive. I just didnt have thousands of dollars to throw out there. So I started doing some research online on how to fix it. Then I came across Strutmasters.com - they had suspension conversion kits. I gave them a call to see what they ... Read More
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!! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the eas
!! My air suspension failed on my 2003 Mercedes Benz S500.. What is the easiest way to fix this?!!! HELP! I haven't long gotten the car and now more money!! UGH
S-Class Warranty Issues
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S-Series corrosion/30 year galvanized steel warranty
I have owned a 2000 S430 for almost 6 years and have begun to notice some corrosion at the very bottom of all 4 doors. My understanding initially was that there basically was a design flaw in the S-Class vehicles mostly affecting model years 2000-2003. Appears depending on who does the work that the problem will not go away, but can be repaired for a non-guaranteed life expectancy of say 2 ... Read More
Mercedes Benz S-Class is Rusting!
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Re: Mercedes Benz S-Class is Rusting! [ebs1]
My 2003 S-430 4-Matic was purchased new, sticker price $80k. It has 50k miles and was last on a lift for a wheel balance 2 months ago. No rust anywhere including under carriage, chassis and body. I live in upstate NY where road salt is both mined and applied profusely. If you purchased used it may have had inferior body work performed following a rear end collision. Best of luck with ... Read More
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Mercedes Benz S-Class is Rusting!
My $70,000 Mercedes S430 2003 is showing signs of significant Rust above both rear wheel wells. Has anyone ever experienced this problem before? To correct and repaint the rusty areas I am looking at $4,500. Is this what you can expect from a Mercedes? I am shocked that a car of this caliber would rust! By the way, the car is garage kept, washed at least weekly, and is in immaculate ... Read More
High End Luxury Cars
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Re: Mercedes, McLaren SLS [tagman]
Surely you're not going to go for this about the SL being so old and not recognizable from the CLK? The SL is on the streets in good numbers because it has been out since 2003, its called success. It is easy to say that they're "everywhere" compared to a brand new Jaguar that doesn't sell in the same numbers as a car in its 5th model year. Of course I ... Read More
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Re: I'm caught up again! [merc1]
This about the LS430 beating the LS460 is pure nonsense. The LS430 was compared to a different Jaguar and a different Mercedes, why can't you allow that at least 2 of the cars in that comparo have moved the game on, especially a brand new S-Class? Hey, I agree that the S is winning the "Battle of the Comps". But I think the S and the LS are the only totally ... Read More
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Seems Like A Reality Disconnect
Reality check: Reviews of the S-Class have been overwhelmingly positive. Reviews of the LS 460 that have concentrated on the car and not the company, have been "polite" to negative. If anything, given the representative reviews I posted above, it seems that Lexus has fallen even further behind the great German automakers. Car and Driver, for example, found the stopping power better for the LS 430 than the LS 460. Lexus ... Read More
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Joined the Mercedes-Benz ranks....
Finally, there is a Mercedes-Benz in my garage! Tuesday I picked up a 2003 CLK430 Cabriolet. It is Brilliant Silver over Ash (grey) with an Ash top. Four things come to mind when driving it over the last couple of days; fast, comfortable, stylish and solid. Everything clicks and thunks, from the doors being closed to the windows doing their little drop down/raise up routine everytime a door is opened. The ... Read More
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
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Re: 2007 4Matic Pricing [mcaleer]
Does the 4Matic come with the 7-speed transmission? Yes. I'm also told that the 2007 won't have the hump in the passenger footwell that my 2003 S430 4Matic has - true? True, the new S-Class was engineered from the ground up for 4Matic and the 4Matic system is also brand new and more compact compared to the version in use on every other current Mercedes. M
High End Luxury Cars
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Re: DCX/MB [houdini1]
Allow me to post the history of the merger: Daimler-Benz merger: Chrysler merged in 1998 with Daimler-Benz to form DaimlerChrysler AG. This was initially touted as a merger of equals, but within a couple of years the truth was evident: it was a buyout of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz, with the latter being very much the dominant partner. As if on cue, Chrysler went into another of its financial tailspins soon after ... Read More
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Re: Mercedes more dependable than Porsche ! [merc1]
And this for 2003, the year of the awful E-Class and SL which were brand new that year. Go figure. Stranger still is that Porsche's very poor showing came from Boxsters and 911s, which are supposed to be very reliable. The Cayenne won't be included until next year's VDS.
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Re: Mercedes more dependable than Porsche ! [tagman]
So, the JDP study shows Mercedes Benz, the often accused repair shop lizard, as just a bit below average, which is certainly no nightmare as it is often portrayed. And . . . it is rated better then Porsche and even Hyundai, which have been getting lots of quality kudos lately. And this for 2003, the year of the awful E-Class and SL which were brand new that year. Go figure. ... Read More
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Re: Actually, [syswei]
I haven't really been reading what all the fuss is about with the surveys this time around, but I do think JDP should have broken the IQS into two surveys because certain brands (like BMW) rank differently when you break down the two categories they used this year: A little something I saw on MBWorld.org, someone posted the breakout for the study: Auto news More rankings June 8, 2006 Email this ... Read More
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Re: Potpourri... Tagman, question for you... [oac]
Let's ask this again: What exactly do you guys constantly harp on as "performance" ? is this about suspension setup, steering and/or road feedback, speed, or what ?? You also add "handling"... Is the MB better at handling than an LS ? And sayz who ? Is the MB a better performance car than the LS ? Sayz who. The last comparo of record was the MT Dec 2003 report for ... Read More
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BlkHemi
Hopefully.....HOPEFULLY, Lexus will offer the HPX concept as a replacement at some point, just a shade under $60k. A super-crossover that I loved in the 2003 NYIAS! Diggin' the Merc GL! Very nice! hard to believe it shares genes with the R-Class, but you can even see it in the rear-quarter view. Good job! Only problem is isn't this thing 5 years too late to the Full-size SUV party? If they ... Read More
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Re: Honda to offer diesel in the US [ljflx]
Hi Everyone, Diesel is a great technology. In Europe 50% of all new cars sold are Diesels. It's not a perfect solution, but a practical one to the current gas woes. This talk about Lexus hiking prices is crazy. Lexus has always appealed to the "Objective" buyer. Oppressive price hikes would simply eliminate the Value that the LS has over the S Class. I would have bought a S Class a ... Read More
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Re: Merc [drfill]
You were right about C-Class sales. Ok! I missed that one. It sells much more than I thought. Bingo! Finally! But you are also guilty of lack of research, and saying without knowing! Nope. Not. You seem to like to pick on the GS, as I do the C-Class. For some reason you are quick to jump on BMW's bandwagon, while the E-Class gets passed over easily in comparisons, like it's ... Read More
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Re: Merc1 [syswei]
You're so desparate to find fault with Lexus that if one of their models shows down yty numbers in the second year, you make it out to be a failure. I love it, this is exactly what Lexus fans love to do. Look at a MB's sales and cry crisis. It happens every year (usually in the first few months of the new year) when Mercedes' sales are the ones in ... Read More
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Prices Paid and Buying Experiences
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Re: Wifey's new wheels [detroitlions]
We had a 2003 s430 and it hooked us Mercedes. We traded in an 01 Lexus LS430. The only problem we had while we owned the S430, was the auto leveling had to be fixed once ... under warrantee. Not other issues whatsoever. Great car! Good luck.
High End Luxury Cars
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Re: The New Mercedes? [oac]
Actually, Merc1, u do a fair bit of excuse making yourself. Just today you had an excuse why the LS430 beat the S430 in the MY2004 comparo - the S430 was too old ! Not nearly as many as you. Did you actually read the post? I said that this time it will be different as in newer cars, I didn't cut the S430 any slack for being the oldest car ... Read More
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Re: The New Mercedes? [oac]
Things will be very different this time for sure. The S550 won't be the oldest car in the class like the S430 was and it will be a current model year version unlike that 2003 S430 they used. M
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Prices Paid and Buying Experiences
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Wifey's new wheels
Just bought my wife a 2003 s430 for 41000 grand its seems clean in and out we are really stoked it just feels like the rug is gonna be yanked from under us .. we never owned a mercedes and we hear everything is double price when something goes wrong,, weve taken out extended warranties aside from the existing one from the manufacturer. any unforseen problem possiblities or irregular consistantcys that ... Read More
High End Luxury Cars
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Re: Merc [drfill]
The SC doesn't offer the pop-up rollbar, or the performance-oriented acrynyms the Benz does, but it's interior is more luxurious (you have a tristed way of admitting this), and offered the same speed and power for 3 years. A quarter-mile charge was pretty much a dead heat! So in other words it is missing a safety item that even a VW Beetle Cabrio has? Pretty awful for 65K, IMO. The SL550 ... Read More
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Merc
Give you an inch, and you damn sure will take a mile, eh? The SC doesn't offer the pop-up rollbar, or the performance-oriented acrynyms the Benz does, but it's interior is more luxurious (you have a tristed way of admitting this), and offered the same speed and power for 3 years. A quarter-mile charge was pretty much a dead heat! Very little effort was expended on the SL's interior. So you ... Read More
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Tagman
No need to be hostile. :) I'm just sayin' the IS is better looking than the already good-looking 3-series. I have no malice agianst BMW or the 3, and I am willing to admit that the 3 is a better sports sedan, mostly because it is more space efficient, and it is not set-up to dissuade spirited driving, in the chassis, or in the tranny. Lexus accomplished what they wanted, making ... Read More
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Re: The Sweet Spot: Do Early Adopters Get Rewarded? [lexusguy]
How about the middle? I think the best time to buy is on the mid-cycle update. That way you get the benefit of some new stuff, tweaked styling, maybe some extra power, etc. but its not a brand new model that could have significant problems. This is exactly what I was going to say, especially with a Mercedes, but I think it applies with any luxury brand who sticks to a ... Read More
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LOL!! I dig you, Merc!
:P I like you, Merc. You make me laugh! If Matrix were here, he'd laugh too. Take the gloves off and start swingin'! ;) Alright, let's see if you'll follow this line of questioning: 1. Was that a good picture of a vehicle for a national print ad campaign? 2. I omitted BMW for three very good reasons. One, their ads are consistent to their slogan and mantra, which has NEVER ... Read More
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Re: Merc [syswei]
Merc1, the car companies are to some extent in an HP war, but I think you go too far in assuming that the hp of the LS460 is a direct reaction to the hp of the S550. You say hp war I say direct response to the #1 competitor. We'll have to agree to disagree there. Lexus' past actions say that this is a direct response to Mercedes IMO. Between that ... Read More
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Re: to ljflx - good opinions and $$$ [ljflx]
My point wasn't a personal dig at your "tastes". I just didn't (don't) understand how the new S could be so ugly when the 1995-2000 LS400 and 2001-2006 LS430 weren't. A style question, nothing more. As much as I've said negatively about the current CLK before its facelift and the Maybach, you of all people should know I wouldn't cut a truly ugly Benz product a break because it is a ... Read More
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Re: Lexus vs Merc [sv7887]
I'm glad you all like the pics. Not much work in posting them. The hardest part is taking them with so many people around! From the the 2007 model year onward all of Mercedes diesel cars will be legal in all states - according to all the recent press. They're just waiting on the mandatory clean diesel to be available nationwide. The S320 I was told will be a 2008 model. ... Read More
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Re: MB, BMW?? what else you have? [dewey]
The Lexus LS beat the MB S in head to head competition. Please englighten me with the facts? It appears the world and myself are quite ignorant. You asked, and I am pleased to inform: Better be ready with excuses.... 1) 2004 Motor Trend Comparo (1st = A8L, 2nd = LS430) http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/luxury/112_0409_class/index14.html 2) 2004 Car and Driver $70K sedan comparo (1st = LS430) Ranking (last place = S430) 6. Mercedes-Benz S430, ... Read More
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Copying, Gimmicks etc....
We can debate all day long as to whether Idrive, Park Assist and what not are "gimmicks". In the end it really doesn't matter because this is where the luxury car is going and more importantly it keeps luxury cars above "regular" cars. I don't consider it "copying" when one company adds a feature to one of their cars that a competitor already had - that is common sense. My problem ... Read More
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Re: The Union Jack [rjlaero]
As for people "not" paying over sticker for CLK's in the late 90's, you are dead wrong. This can happen at any dealer for any hard to get Mercedes model now, like a CLS55 AMG. Nothing has changed now as you try to imply by saying that this happened with the CLK back in the 90s. Waiting lists and people paying sticker or over sticker for MY 2000 S-Classes in the ... Read More
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Re: Reliablity Viral Contagion! [gshocksv]
What I meant was, if it wasn't for these corporate parents and the injection of capital, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Rolls, would probably be plagued with reliability problems and have already gone bankrupt. Well that is basically what I stated in my previous post, except for that reliability part. I don't see here is how their reliablity has made any difference when they never traded on reliability in the first place. Secondly, ... Read More
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Re: Dewey, my BMW brother [garyh1]
I posted the Consumer reports ratings of dependability for ALL BMW, LEXUS, and Mercedes....(going back to 97) Lexus all Red checks FOR ALL MODELS except for one suv model in only one year....2003... BMWs best...The five series....Going back to 97 ...3 Red checks...Total. Mercedes ALL BLACK Xs...On all models for all years back to 97 with one exception in 98 or 99
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Re: Wheel arch look. [scott1256]
Give me another few months and I may even like the new S in silver! How about you, Merc1? Well I already "like" the car well enough. The European press has declared it the best car in the world already, but like many here they have a problem with the wheel arches. I'm just glad the quality and engineering of the car is much more improved over the current car. For ... Read More
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Re: I'm curious [ljflx]
To see Merc1's take of the IS in this Lexus get together and then later the S-class when it's seen in the flesh. Merc loves MB and defends them to death but through it all he's objective and honest when he really gets down to business of analyzing things at a micro level. We may get on each other but many of us have been posting for years and deeply respect ... Read More
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Re: merc1 [anthonyp]
Do you know just what mecedes and bmw reliability problems have been? After trading the Mercedes for a bmw stationwagon, and as I previously told you--the Mercedes clk was trouble free except for one window switch one time, --I sort of think the Mercedes problems are a little overblown.... Overall it has been electronics and the intergration of it. BMW and Mercedes both introduced a lot of things over the last ... Read More
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Re: Just for the heck of it here's the next level down [oac]
I'm sorry, but I really have to agree with Merc's posts here. I think Lexus' idea of ultimate luxury is to be as simple and hassle free for the owner as possible, from interfacing with the car to the dealership experience. Cars like the ES, RX, and LS reflect that, and all have done very well. None of them are or have ever been sports cars though. The ES is no ... Read More
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syswei
Just for you. Does this mean anything? http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050414.004 "The Mercedes-Benz E-Class offers the best occupant safety of all passengers cars registered in the USA. That was the conclusion reached by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after extensive accident analysis. Between 2000 and 2003, the independent IIHS looked at how many drivers were killed in road accidents. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class obtained the best results of all the models examined: the ... Read More
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Re: Jaguar [xkss]
Though I did like the XJS way back in the day, I really never really gave Jaguars too much thought until the 1997 XK8 showed up. Then came the 2000 S-Type and now the 2004 XJ. The XK is still as timeless as day one. Remarkable. The 2000-2002 S-Type was not up to the Jaguar name imo. The cheap Ford touches were everywhere. Then for 2003 the car got its first ... Read More
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New Aluminum Jaguars
The next Jaguar S-Type will likely use the new XJ's aluminum chassis and have styling cues from the 2001 Jaguar R Coupe and the 2003 Jaguar RD-6. I think the grille and headlights need some work, but it looks nice. The Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe shows what the next XK might look like. The next XK will have to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations. The next XK will use ... Read More
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Pivoting Headlights
Mercedes, Lexus and BMW all introduced them for Model year 2004, on the E-Class, RX330 and 5-Series respectively. This was in the U.S. market. The RX330 came to market first in the spring of 2003 so that is why everyone says Lexus had them first. They were first to actually to put in buyers hands in the U.S. At the same time the technology was present on European Es and 5s, ... Read More
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Re: accident avoidance [sv7887]
The BMW 530i was also rated the highest for accident avoidance along with the 2 Mercedes in the April 2005 CR Auto issue. Both Mercedes were reviewed with 5-speed automatics. The E in June 2004. The S in November 2003. Both the E and the S received CR's worst reliability ratings when reviewed in these issues. The BMW 530i received the safe "new" reliability rating in the June 2004 issue of ... Read More
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Re: Side Airbags [sv7887]
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety would probably disagree with you. You seem to ignore that frame construction is the Number ONE factor whether it be an airplane or car. Wrong. That article mentions that a good structure is necessary in addition to side airbags. A good structure alone simply isn't enough. Besides, why does it matter? You talk as if Lexus has a better structure than Mercedes when there is ... Read More
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Merc1's worst case scenario
ejerod, an MB owner recently had this to say about his MBs.... "....I have had 3 Benzes in the last 4 years. 2001 S500, 2002S 500, 2003 SL 500. I had enough lemons to make lemonade for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the next 50 years!!! My wife has had 2 lexus GS models that we have leased over the last 8 years. Not a single issue out of either of them. ... Read More
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
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ejerod
I was wondering what happened to you and your replacement S500. Really unfortunate. Do you still have the 2003 SL500? I'm scared to ask how it has held up if you still have it?? You are exactly right about the S-Class, and what you've described isn't all that uncommon with the 2000-2002 models. The 2003+ model was gutted of the things you had problems with, especially that troublesome Comand system. Mercedes ... Read More
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Mercedes Benz has lost its way
For those of you considering a late model MB 2000 model year or later.. one word..RECONSIDER!!!!! I have owned a 2001 S500 that had 1800 miles when I bought it. NIGHTMARE. COnvinced the dealer to buy it back and I purchased a 2002 S500 same features, sports package all the toys. It too has been living in the service department. Just two weeks ago ( I have less that 50,000 miles ... Read More
High End Luxury Cars
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no title
That was a mouthfull, but speaking of the DTM there is one very special Mercedes-Benz that Mercedes itself doesn't want everyone to know about. It won the DTM in 2003, the CLK DTM AMG: Unlike the Mercedes SLR McLaren which tops out at 205 mph because of friction etc. the CLK DTM AMG is electronically limited to 199 mph as to not step on the SLR's toes. ... Read More
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sv7887
"But these sort of things contribute to the buyer's decision. I just picked up a Financial Times detailing MB's profit and reliability issues..Are you saying this has NO impact whatsoever on the public? Why would a reputed newspaper like the Times bother to report it then? Regardless of what you say, people to pay attention to the likes of the FT, Consumer Reports and JDP. We've been over this before ... Read More
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Oac
"Can you provide your views of the Chicago auto show ? I am sure you'll have a lot of interesting viewpoints at what's going on in the auto world. Looking forward to reading your report. In the middle of all of this I've almost forgotten what I saw there!!!! Well I must preface this with the fact that Chicago isn't what Detroit is in presentation or brands represented. Chicago ... Read More
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Ljflx
Is this Lexus' bulletproof quality: "BEIJING, Jan. 25 -- Toyota Motor Corp, Japan's leading automaker, said yesterday it started recalling 1,717 Lexus vehicles sold on the Chinese mainland due to possible fuel pump defects. The recall will affect Lexus LS430 sedans made between July 29, 2003, and March 8, 2004, Toyota Motor (China) Limited said in a statement. The company, which is based in Hong Kong and responsible ... Read More
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designman
"The lone M signature appeared on my screen first and I managed a double take. Servants… come hither! Slaughter my best pig, prepare my table, pour my finest wine… my son has returned!" That is too much! Thanks! Good to be back. So nice to be missed. The M5 and E55: I meant that the M5 will beat the E55/CLS55 in the comparos and anything else upcoming like the ... Read More
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Even the financial press notes reliability issues
Question: what is this list? A. Most admired cars B. Motor Trend's Cars of the Year C. Cars most preferred by driving enthusiasts D. Most unreliable sedans made MAKE MODEL Average Price 1 Mercedes-Benz S-Class $100,000 2 Jaguar S-Type 51,000 3 BMW 7 Series 94,000 4 Jaguar X-Type 33,000 5 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 64,000 6 Mercedes-Benz C-Class(V6) 40,000 7 Volvo S60 (AWD) 32,000 8 Saab 9-3 35,000 9 Pontiac Grand ... Read More
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Kristie Luxury mostly "SUV" sales zoom, not so much cars
IMHO: It seems that most growth in the luxury business, has been in SUV's and 'crossover' vehicles. For example 2004 sales at BMW the 3, 5, 7, Z4, X5 are all substantially behind 2003. The new 6 has sold a few thousand cars. The new entry priced X3 is 23,000+ units YTD and the only reason why BMW is showing year over year growth. Lexus on the other hand shows strong ... Read More
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
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Totally Unhappy
I have had the great displeasure of leasing three MB vehicles over the past 4 years. The first was a 2001 S500 with AMG sports package. It was a demo and a good deal so I decided to do the deal. The car had 1800 miles on it and was nothing but a nightmare. First the COMAND system went totally blank and had to be replaced. The phone handset went blank ... Read More
High End Luxury Cars
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ljflx
"I'll bet most critics of an LS430 have never sat behind the wheel of one. I'll also bet that many LS430 buyers have owned MB E or S class cars before. Do I have statistics - no. Just my feeling because it's the situation with the people I know and I'd bet its representative of a large part of the buying group." You might be right on that because most German ... Read More
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How Mercedes styling has matured over the years
This is one of my favorite pictures. It shows how much the "new" Mercedes E320 took from its predecessors. Unfortunately it didn't take them from MB precessors, they took them from the Ford Taurus. At least Mercedes had the good manners to change the gas cap to square, chrome up the door handles and remove the big Jag type chrome trunk lift. On the other end, is the Mercedes "Grill", which ... Read More
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merc1
Your comment about the hail storm in Chicago, where "...only the Volvos, Mercedes and VW/Audis weren't damaged..." is a complete generalization. I remember the hail storm last year because my car was outside when it happened (I was at my cousin's house for a BBQ). I have a 2002 ES 300. My car did not have one single mark from the storm. My other cousin's 2003 E-Class did get dings. I ... Read More
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Lexus and BMW
Can a Mercedes "fanatic" say something here? For the record I like Mercedes, Audi and BMW in that order. BMW used to be my #2 car. I'm reading this debate and it is even more pointless than the Lexus vs. Mercedes debate. Why you ask? Because BMWs aren't about what Lexus are about and vice versa. A BMW person mentions sturdiness, which I define as solidity and the way the car ... Read More
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lexusguy
"I've always been curious about something, why cant the Germans manage to put in-dash CD changers in their cars? That is something that Nissan and Honda were doing 10 years ago, and yet just recently Audi managed to actually put one in a few of its cars, and cars that just came out like the Taureg still have it shoved in the trunk. Whats up with that?" I'm going to surprise ... Read More
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6-Series
I personally don't have a problem with the front: but the rear: is gawd-awful. Imo, this could have been a beautiful car if it were not for that stupid trunklid. There is something elegant about a luxury car in White: Though not necessarily in this case. Gulp(!) I still find the 6 to be an "interesting" car. The convertible more than the coupe. Lexusguy, I'm not sure if BMW intended for ... Read More
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Blatant Rant Coming.....
Speaking of comparision tests... There is one in the Aug issue of Car and Driver. The Mercedes CL600 beat that overweight and awful looking Bentley Continental GT and the gorgeous Aston-Martin DB9, but lost to the Ferrari 612 Scagletti. A Mercedes coming in second to a Ferrari, but beating Aston and Bentley is the way it is supposed to be. The 612 costs double the price of the CL600. The CL600 ... Read More
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designman
Actually I did kinda like the RL back in 1996. I was there live at the Chicago Autoshow when the car was introduced. I've always liked Acuras more than Lexuses or Infinitis. Right now though Infiniti is the one tugging at me....that G35 Coupe in particular. maxhonda99, I agree totally with the latest survey. The Dependability survey is where Mercedes-Benz won't show any improvement for quite a while. This year's study ... Read More
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lexusguy
I had been meaning to ask you what you thought of the facelifted 2005 XK cars? I really like what they've done to the lower body. I've seen a coupe in White and a convertible XKR this very rick looking Blue, absolutely stunning. No arguement about the interior, asthetically it was all Jaguar. The Germans then were just leather appointed board rooms in which to conduct the "business" of driving. I ... Read More
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Re: footie [ljflx #5083]
You are probably correct, AMG sales probably make up only about 1.5% yet everyone makes it seem like 50% of sales or something. I did some quick stats on BMWs M-lineup last year and their total M-lineup sales in the US in 2003 came up to just a tick under 1%. I would think Mercedes numbers would be similar.
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Mercedes Recall
With all the talk on sales and prices, nobody mentioned (unless I missed it) that Mercedes last week announced a recall of 680,000 cars worldwide. This includes E-Class sedans built after March 2002, E-Class wagons made after March 2003 and SL models built after October 2001 because the electronic braking system has failed on some E-Class and SL-Class cars. The recall affects more than 143,000 cars in the U.S., according to ... Read More
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Lexus vs Benz
Whoa, are you guys not exhausted? Pun intended. Lexus is good, Benz is good, but..... 1. Lex is the better value in consideration of price and options. E Benz is prettier. S tired. 2. Lex fuel filler on left, Benz on right, huh? 3. I drive a 2003 LS430, 9000 mis, o.a. mileage 22mpg. I check each tank fillup and electronic mileage confirms this figure. City/highway. '03 E430 $1000 gas guzzler ... Read More
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no title
"The average msrp for a Benz is higher than it is for Lexus. I don't see how it could be any simpler than that." Basically you're saying Lexus sells more cars because they are cheaper overall, correct? Do you have factual data to backup your claims? for example do you have factual data that says the LS430 outsells the S-class due to price? If that is the reason, why didn't the ... Read More
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michael_mattox
"Do you think that if Mercedes went back to their former style that Lexus "copied" they would sell a lot more cars." I'm not sure actually. I think design wise they've never been better with the exception of the CLK and Maybach. Neither of those cars "look" like they should imo. I also think the SL could stand a few less frivolous details like on the sides and hood, but overall ... Read More
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maxhonda99
It was during the introduction of the car, long cleared up by now. Nothing major. syswei, If I had millions and millions of dollars and had every European car I could ever want I'd at least consider a SC430. I still find it to be the most "interesting" Lexus. I was a fan of the previous SC400/300 believe it or not. It was a very good design for a Japanese car. ... Read More
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syswei
Yikes you'd consider a "Mercedes-Benz"..oh my. Didn't think that would be possible, I'm shocked. ljflx, Yeah I know that is true about initial quality, but those MY 2000 S-Class cars were troublesome from the start and Mercedes did address those issues (Airmatic and Comand mainly) so I really expect the 2003+ models to do pretty well in the 3 year dependability studies, but we'll see. Of course by 2006-2007 they'll be ... Read More
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maxhonda99
Well I didn't exactly say they were useless. My position is that there are other things to evaluate a car on. I do take issue with some of the things JDP says because they really don't tell you much other than where a certain brand or car places. Not much detail. Secondly since this is the board for survey worshipers with a Toyota bias I just had to point out that ... Read More
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oac
We're only 3 full months into the New Year, and no all companies are not in the same situation. Some have newer models, so have older models. Some are going through model change over in the spring as opposed to the fall. Some have new products in the hottest segments of the market. Staggered model introductions etc. etc. There a jillion reasons why sales could be off for any particular brand ... Read More
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Interesting
Merc1: So you posit that I am wrong about my previous postings on the direction of MB and BMW ? You want facts, eh ? OK. Well, take a look at the following links and see for yourself. I leave you and others to judge the facts, rather than rants.... Dec 2003 status report: http://www.andersoneconomicgroup.com/Publications/autodata_releas- - - - - es/120303/120303auto.htm As of Feb 2004 YoY comparo: http://www.andersoneconomicgroup.com/Publications/autodata_releas- es/031604/figure1.pdf Market Trends report: ... Read More
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footie
"MB prices are higher than Lexus (and Infiniti and others) because their cars cost more to produce, sell and service. Their production processes aren't as efficient as Toyota's nor their ability to manage their supply chain as good. " I agree with all of this, but that wasn't what we were talking about here. My point for the last couple of days has been that a few on this board are ... Read More
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Mercedes-Benz
MERCEDES-BENZ USA Sales -- March 2004 Model March March Monthly YTD YTD Yearly '04 - '03 - % - 2004 - 2003 - % C-CLASS 4,825/ 7,266 -33.6% 15,407/ 17,567 -12.3% E-CLASS 4,971/ 4,456 11.6% 12,802/ 12,725 0.6% S-CLASS 1,572/ 1,805 -12.9% 4,379/ 5,250 -16.6% CL-CLASS 265/ 328 -19.2% 658/ 925 -28.9% SL-CLASS 1,430/ 1,028 39.1% 3,884/ 2,520 54.1% CLK-CLASS 1,925/ 1,900 1.3% 4,821 / 4,298 12.2% SLK-CLASS 379/ 554 -31.6% ... Read More
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Also......oac
You and others are harping about Lexus' sales performance, yet you conveniently ignore that the whole Lexus franchise is basically being pulled by 3 vehicles...the ES, RX and to a lesser extant the LS. The IS and GS are show room decorations, the SC430 is being outsold by the 30K+ more SL, and the GX does ok for it's segment, but reading this board you'd think that all of Lexus' models ... Read More
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Sales Trends
After really looking at the sales numbers for BMW and Mercedes-Benz for the first three months you really have to ask what in the world is all the hype based on. Mercedes-Benz is down 5 percent for the first three months. For 2004 they don't have an all-new car to continue the fast pace of 2003, you know the year the S-Class was face lifted, the new CLK Cabriolet went on ... Read More
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sv7887 -- 1998 Jaguar XJ8 owner report
I bought my 1998 XJ8 (anthracite/black) two months ago with 50K on the clock. It's going in this week for an oil change with 54K miles, and highly enjoyable ones, too. I'll be using an honest and competent Jag specialty shop -- like most enthusiast owners I avoid the dealer service departments whenever possible. They're exorbitantly expensive for routine operations like oil changes, and prone to swapping components rather than repairing ... Read More
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Am I the only one who loves the Audi A8L?
This board seems to be only about Lexus and Mercedes. Does anyone here own an A8L? If I had about $80k to put down on any car, it would be an A8L--until the A8 SWB arrives. The exterior is gorgeous. The interior is beautiful. The ride is a little sporty for it's size (which I like--not too soft or too sporty). I like the roominess, because I'm always driving people around. ... Read More
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ljflx
All I can ask is how do you know any of this to be fact? There are hundreds of thousands of diesel Benz owners that have been waiting for a new diesel. Diesels don't sell here...ah...hello nobody is selling any diesels except Volksagen. Why don't you wait and see how the new 2005 E320 CDI does before predicting the future. If it doesn't sell then maybe you'd have a point, until ... Read More
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ljflx
Well its pretty much like I stated before, you've only rode and driven the S, but haven't owned one, but you are much more of an expert than me, though I've done the same things. Makes sense. The fact that Lexus designed the sport version of the LS to out handle the base S-Class is their problem not Mercedes'. What kind of excuse is that? Secondly, I have not seen one ... Read More
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lenscap - Market Update Links & Info
I subscribe to Automotive News and after reading your post I looked at this weeks Auto News issue on the Web. Here are some public links and info extracted from my subscription issue that were provided. The public links from AutoWeek (the Automotive News sister publication) have almost the exact language as the commensurate article in Automotive News. 1. Here is some of the key information from the 2007 Lexus article ... Read More
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Mercedes ......fading star
I know that Mercedes has a much lauded history, but my own recent experience is very disappointing. I have recently been through three months of mediocre experience with a new E class. After years of wanting a MB, I finally went for it, but I now regret this deal!!! I have been to the dealer too many times in the past three months for service issues. I also find the interior ... Read More
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michael_mattox
Wow, you know what Mike, thats typical. Read the post again, very slowly....everyone else got that I was talking about the car mags except you. It clearly states in sentence #6 that I'm talking about the car mags. Read the entire paragraph before posting. ljflx, "The reason the auto mags don't want to deal with reliabilty in their analysis is partly because the last thing they want to do is bring ... Read More
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jamesfletcher2
Interesting comments. You were considering a S600???? Yikes. Must be nice. The S-Class shouldn't be much of a problem at this point, the car was largely gutted in 2003, and the complaints have dropped since, its the C, ML and some E's mainly causing the problems for Mercedes now. I just can't wait to get to Detroit. All this mere looking via the net is getting tiresome. pablo_l, You raise some ... Read More
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A few observations and questions for the board....
Just curious to know what the group here thinks about some of the new luxury debuts at Detroit. It appears that Audi is going to step to the major leagues with the new A8L 6.0 W12 by the end of the year, it will priced around 115K. Yikes! Double yikes because the Phaeton W12 (10hp less btw) is priced at 88K. On paper it makes the Audi version look like a ... Read More
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Revnue Checking - Toyota very close to DCX - passing them in 04
1st half Toyota Revenue for their 2nd Quarter ending September 30th, 2003 = 8.2 trillion yen or 76.6 Billion US $. Profit was 4.9 Billion US $. Revenue was up 8% on unit sales increase of 7.3%, net income up 23%. More units, higher ASP and lower costs. That's how to run a company. Source: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/outline/index.html DCX reported revenues of 119.3 billion US for 3 (three) Quarters about 39.7 $ billion ... Read More
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merc1
You wrote "Lexus' sales dominance over BMW and everyone else is based solely on SUV sales....What if Mercedes had 3 SUVs to equal Lexus" Look at the numbers, 2003 YTD through September (per Autosite.com): RX 66,015 GX 21,846 LX 6,023 total Lexus 93,884 ML 21,942 G 1,361 total MB 23,303 So what it MB had 3 SUVs instead of 2? Right now, Lexus outsells MB by 4x while offering 1.5x the ... Read More
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airmatic
i know what it feels like to be a fire victim (my wife and i were affected by a fire many many years ago). my heart goes out to all thoses who were affected. i am certainly glad to hear that your parents/friend's family are not harmed. airmatic-- i never knew that you owned an SL55? did you mean SL500? 2003-model year? what a coincidence: we both drive the same cars! ... Read More
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b4z
Interesting sales chart. The local newspaper reviews I quoted earlier also noted the slowed LS sales for the 2003 model year, and suggested that as the reason Toyota/Lexus had to make such vast improvement to the '04 model. The review was titled: "Wake-up call". To drive the point home, the reviewer quoted an Acura exec's response on "... why so much high-end content was been made standard on a new model". ... Read More
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