Do not like the waiting. UGH

 

Thanks for posting this time-line, from the actual build date to when you picked it up was very efficient.

 

My car should be built this week and off to the port. Hopefully it doesn't wait long for a ship.

Getting excited to see my car.

 

Nice, My build is scheduled for the end of Oct with a delivery ETA mid December. Holliday's can get a little tricky on my availability, I'd prefer a Jan delivery.

Are you paying cash, leasing or financing? If financing what interest rate are you anticipating? I've been watching USAA and the weird thing after the fed cut is their interest rates have creeped up, joined Navy Federal as they seem to have some of the better rates available.

 

I'll be doing a lease and hope the rates are not too high. I don't know what the interest rates are, but MB is usually competitive.

 

1.99 for 36 is interesting but ends Oct 31. Perhaps replaced with something better,1.99 x 48 would work. Inventory seems to be building up in my area, perhaps some better incentives around the corner to move inventory?

https://www.mbusa.com/en/special-offers

 

My car is at the dock. Does anyone know the ship lines they are using these days for shipping to the USA, Brunswick.

 

Mine was called Silver Glory. I used tracking program https://www.marinetraffic.com which seemed to update more often than the https://www.vesselfinder.com suggested by my dealer. My car went to Brunswick after a short stop at Charleston.....

 

Thank you very much!

 

On the water as of yesterday, 10/15. Arriving at the port on November 4th.

Very excited now!

 

Nice, my build is scheduled for next week, hoping for a delay TBH. Timing will be interesting with holidays coming up and dealer will only hold for 2 weeks..

 

I had the s580 which was a lemon due to the tire issues. It was a beautiful car and spoiled me.

I now have the CLE 53 convertible in blue. It's much different than the S-Class (comparable to your BMW) and that first it was a major change. It doesn't have near as much features as the S-Class. That is a completely different car with performance in mind so I could understand this.

Just saying that the higher level cars spoil you and this car doesn't have near as many features unless you pile on the options which makes the car cause over 100k easy. Make sure you get the race start feature.

 

I understand. My car is coming in a little over 108,000 so it has every option except the performance seats. I’m very excited about the car and being a convertible. I can always move over to the S class or 7 series again. Not sure if you saw the new 7 series LCI interior, but it’s not very positive looking initially.

 

. You have the same situation as me! I had the s580 with the 21-in wheel and tire sports package option. After six tire blowouts, I got rid of it. I was scared to drive the car. The S Class was an amazing car and a technological beast. It was so comfortable and had every future you can imagine which spoiled me as well.

I ended up getting a CLE 53 convertible as well. It's a big adjustment, but after you've driven the car for a while you realize you don't really need those things. It's a completely different car taylored towards sportiness and speed while the S Class was about luxury. S class was fast as hell too. Overall, I'm okay with the switch and love my car.

 

Oh yeah. I agree with the 7 series BMW. That is one of the ugliest cars I've seen. It has a pig nose grill and it looks like a transformer midway through its transforming cycle. !! Who thought of that ugly design? Mercedes has been consistent in making beautiful cars but BMW has lost its design philosophy across its model lines. I wouldn't buy a BMW anyways. I had two of them and they had a terrible ride. People actually praisethat car for having its rough suspension where it feels like someone is hitting you in the back when you drive over a hard hole or imperfection in the pavement. Honestly reminds me of my 1995 Honda Civic which was lowered, it was bouncy, and you felt everything in the road. Lol

BMW sold 200,000 more cars than Mercedes, but Mercedes is much more profitable because they sell more of their top of the line models than BMW. I had a three series and a 5 series in the past and I had to sell them after a year because I couldn't stand them.

My brother and I always have this argument. He loves BMW and I love Mercedes. I tell him that even though BMW sold more cars, it doesn't mean they saw its best cars and Mercedes as much more revenue per year. I told them Mercedes is about exclusivity while anyone could go buy a three series BMW.

Does anyone agree on my position regarding BMW? Any comments regarding BMW?

 

Anybody can go buy a CLA or C class, both Mercedes and BMW have entry level options, BMW has more options at that entry level point thus providing more opportunity to build fan boys and girls, which is a good strategy. My experience when trying to compare apples, BMW gets the edge in performance and subjectively Merc edges out on the interior. Compare a GLE 53 to a x6 M60i. similar price points but one has a silky smooth S68 V8 that is no joke. Glad the competition exists and depends on what features are most important to you.

 

Honestly that new 7 series is one of the most horrific cars I've seen. It has the pig nose grill and it looks like a transformer which is in the middle of transforming.. lol

The interior is kind of nice, but nowhere near as nice as the S-Class S Class has beaten BMW in this segment for over 30 years. The new S Class is getting a refresh and should be out next year. I went to a focus group and I saw what it looks like. It looks really nice and the interior is even nicer with the hyper screen.

 

I wish they would stop pushing screens and give us the balance that most other OEMs are using in both the low (Chevy), mid (Toyota), and ultra high end (Bentley, RR) parts of the market. The hyper screen in the E class looks awful

 

I agree BMW usually gets the edge the lower ends spectrum with higher performance, but some of the numbers are negligible at this point. I also dislike BMW's terrible design philosophy which spreads across its product lines. BMWs also have a harsh suspension where you feel every crevices and pothole in the ground. I call it a "break-your back" suspension. Lol

Mercedes has the edge in design design/styling of their vehicles, technology, comfort, They also have pioneered many of the technologies we now have in cars well over the last hundred years. Most recently, they were the first to release a self-driving car to private parties where they're on insurance will take care of an accident if an accident occurs while the car is in control. They don't have to show off about it like Tesla does with their self-driving technology, which is probably still years away from becoming self-driving. Weren't they supposed to become self-driving in 2019?

Even though BMW gets more fanboys in the lower segment and sold about 200,000 more cars than Mercedes in 2024, Mercedes dominates BMW in the higher model classes which generate more revenue per vehicle than BMW. Mercedes has exclusivity and generates more revenue per vehicle than BMW especially in the upper segment. I'm not 18 years old and I haven't been in the lower segment for probably 20 years. They sell more of their top range cars, which is where they make most of their income, then BMW. It wasn't too long ago that the 7 series was the worst reliable car and was leasing for $799 per month. Mercedes mix significantly more revenue. I can honestly say I do not believe Mercedes has ruined any of the styling on their vehicles with controversial designs like pig noses, pig noses with makeup, no design philosophy across model lines, controversials changes, etc. A ot of with BMW also uses copies Mercedes such as ambient lighting, the lit up grill in the front, etc

My friend's wife has a 5 series and he has an E-Class. He says he can't wait to move that junk 5 series out of the way to get to his plush E-Class with its beautiful interior and hyperscreen, with its excellent ride, it's powerful engine and where you can barely fuel the road.

As they say, once you drive a Mercedes, you will never change back. Does anyone else agree with me here?

 

It's like In-N-Out versus McDonald's. Once you have an In-N-Out Burger, you will never go back to a Big Mac even though McDonald's has more stores and sells more Big Macs.

 

I have owned three Ferrari Spiders over fifteen years (348, 355, & 430). They were summer only cars. Great handling, build quality, and reliability. As the arthritis in my spine got worse, I didn't want to crawl in and out of it.

I then bought an E550 Cab as a summer only car with an E350 wagon as a beater.
​​​An E53 Cab, E43 Cab, and CLE53 Cab followed as all year cars.

As time moved on...
Interior quality got worse.
Cornering got better, steering feel got worse.
. Acceleration got better.