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haha. if you know you're driving a POS, may as well have fun with it.
My first car was a metallic green '72 Maverick picked up for $225 ($200 of which was borrowed from gramma). Hubcaps fell out of the trunk through the rust holes driving it home.
In a brilliant burst of 16 year old retardedness, I spray painted "deathtrap" on the trunk lid... where it remained all 53,000 miles I drove that POS over the next 3 years. Young, dumb, poor. Why pick two when you can have the trifecta.
in all seriousness though i think it is OK to put an amg badge on a car if it has some amg parts only because pre-merger, you could buy amg trim kits, wheels, parts, etc separately. sometimes they were installed by amg, sometimes by an authorized dealer or sometimes just by the owner. (even a mazda... IF it really has amg parts) would you have a problem if a pagani owner slapped an amg badge on their car? (they actually dont have to because they are already badged amg)
i also acknowledge, pre-merger, that amg would issue a certificate of authenticity or something when they performed the work on your car so i think there is also an argument to be made that there is a true amg versus something sort of put together by owner,,,, but i also have to say that in the true sense of amg tuning that innovation is really what it is all about, so if you use amg parts to make your car better then there you go.
but the guys who slap an amg badge without actually adding ANY amg parts... see my last post in this thread lol.
side thought:
bunch of chryslers had handbuilt amg engines swapped in them, but no other amg parts. what are your thoughts on using an amg badge on a chrysler which actually HAS the beloved handbuilt engine in it?
Last edited by mickey13; 03-24-2017 at 07:49 PM.
Reason: side thought
I think all those folks you described should try joining the AMG Private Lounge with said VIN numbers.
Originally Posted by mickey13
in all seriousness though i think it is OK to put an amg badge on a car if it has some amg parts only because pre-merger, you could buy amg trim kits, wheels, parts, etc separately. sometimes they were installed by amg, sometimes by an authorized dealer or sometimes just by the owner. (even a mazda... IF it really has amg parts) would you have a problem if a pagani owner slapped an amg badge on their car? (they actually dont have to because they are already badged amg)
i also acknowledge, pre-merger, that amg would issue a certificate of authenticity or something when they performed the work on your car so i think there is also an argument to be made that there is a true amg versus something sort of put together by owner,,,, but i also have to say that in the true sense of amg tuning that innovation is really what it is all about, so if you use amg parts to make your car better then there you go.
but the guys who slap an amg badge without actually adding ANY amg parts... see my last post in this thread lol.
side thought:
bunch of chryslers had handbuilt amg engines swapped in them, but no other amg parts. what are your thoughts on using an amg badge on a chrysler which actually HAS the beloved handbuilt engine in it?
pagani owners and aston martin owners with amg engines can't join the "mercedes-amg" private lounge either. but they both have amg cars built by amg (or at least engines).
so i would argue that the private lounge isn't necessarily for amg owners, it might be more appropriate to state that the "mercedes-amg" private lounge is for "mercedes-amg" owners, also evident by the website address and also by the official corporate name listed in the copyright warning on the webpage.
maybe there are more exclusive private lounges or other clubs for these other car owners, not sure.
can someone with a pre-merger certificate of authenticity join the private lounge? maybe. i suspect there might be one or two owners as such already there.
i also noticed in the private lounge that there is at least 1 member who has sold all his amg cars. so this guy doesnt even own a mercedes, less an amg and he is a member in the private lounge.
edit, i may have spoke too soon about pagani or aston martin amg owners not being able to join. i really have no authority or reference on that statement even though it may be correct
haha. if you know you're driving a POS, may as well have fun with it.
My first car was a metallic green '72 Maverick picked up for $225 ($200 of which was borrowed from gramma). Hubcaps fell out of the trunk through the rust holes driving it home.
In a brilliant burst of 16 year old retardedness, I spray painted "deathtrap" on the trunk lid... where it remained all 53,000 miles I drove that POS over the next 3 years. Young, dumb, poor. Why pick two when you can have the trifecta.
Ah yes one of the finer offerings brought to you by Ford in the early 70s. A friend of mine had a Maverick Grabber I think it was called. It was supposed to be a beast. I had a POS Mazda RX3 rotary engine with a 4BRL on it. The Mazda walked his ***. He never spoke to me again.
It has OEM AMG side skirts, OEM AMG rear bumper cover, OEM AMG duck-tail spoiler and OEM AMG 17x8 Aero I's.. it also had AMG springs (I replaced them with H&R's).
As my coupe is a "pre-merger" car; What would it take for me to become a member of the ultra-exclusive "AMG Private Lounge"?
It has OEM AMG side skirts, OEM AMG rear bumper cover, OEM AMG duck-tail spoiler and OEM AMG 17x8 Aero I's.. it also had AMG springs (I replaced them with H&R's).
As my coupe is a "pre-merger" car; What would it take for me to become a member of the ultra-exclusive "AMG Private Lounge"?
'just curious..
Did your car come with something like this? If not, they may not have documentation on your car and you may not make it in.
No I do not have the invoice from the U.S. AMG distributor when the car was up-fitted with AMG components (I do have a copy of the same invoice that you posted, and it can be found with a Google search).
My question really asks;
Is my '91 CE any less of a "AMG" than the guy that dropped $70K for a C63 coupe? I know the answer, I (respectfully") would like to hear your reply.
nah. mercedes benz is out to turn a profit and im very cool with that. the amg private lounge is a marketing tool to sell more cars. it has some very cool perks though. amg really started as something like a two or three man operation, guys who loved racing. if you love racing, even if its just at a red light for a few hundred yards then i think your amg is valid considering that you have a model that amg was regularly fitting with the same exact mods you have described. good luck on getting into the forum, there are some interesting threads and cool people there as well. i'd still love to see some pics of your car if you would share.
I've had the coupe for 2-months and I've been slowly sorting it out. The front bumper cover/spoiler had been replaced with a beat up OEM unit necessitating a drive up to Extreme Dimensions for a knock off.
i think you scored with that car big time. 300ce is one of my most favorite MB ever. its really the ultimate. and the fact that you got black on black... im really really jealous. aside from the beautiful body of the car, i love love love love the interior.
will you do a facelift? imo you have to. will you fit the recaro c classic seats? there are a number of sets for sale on ebay right now, you can have them covered in black leather to match.
are you planning on doing any engine work?
I did a face-lift conversion on my '89 CE when I had it, I like the look of the pre-face-lift for this car (our e320 wagon is a facelift car).
Yeah the Recaro C's would pretty much finish off the interior though I'm having a hard time swallowing $3K plus for them, if a set shows on CL here in SoCal at a good price I might bite.
If and when Janet I leave Comifornia I'll remove the cats. I thought about installing a turbo though for again $3K plus; I wouldn't be getting my money's worth for where I want the performance to be. I've been researching the feasibility of a 50-75HP NOS system, as where I want to gain performance is in the time to go from 40MPH to 90MPH (being able to pass another vehicle when needed). A good system would run about $600.00 and I could do a discreet pro install in a weekend (the smog ****'s at DMV/CARB wouldn't even know it was there. If I get really bored I'll match port the head and manifolds too.
I did a face-lift conversion on my '89 CE when I had it, I like the look of the pre-face-lift for this car (our e320 wagon is a facelift car).
Yeah the Recaro C's would pretty much finish off the interior though I'm having a hard time swallowing $3K plus for them, if a set shows on CL here in SoCal at a good price I might bite.
If and when Janet I leave Comifornia I'll remove the cats. I thought about installing a turbo though for again $3K plus; I wouldn't be getting my money's worth for where I want the performance to be. I've been researching the feasibility of a 50-75HP NOS system, as where I want to gain performance is in the time to go from 40MPH to 90MPH (being able to pass another vehicle when needed). A good system would run about $600.00 and I could do a discreet pro install in a weekend (the smog ****'s at DMV/CARB wouldn't even know it was there. If I get really bored I'll match port the head and manifolds too.
Regards,
Chad
you could spend the next 15 years looking for them on CL, swap meets and garage sales or you could plunk down the $2300 and have them now. thought 2300 was the cheapest i saw. i mean if its in your budget, anyway beautiful car im sure it will bring you many years of happiness - i know it would for me
THAT invoice may appear fake as the font on the AMG specs is different than the font under "VIN".
Does this correspond to a white 300CE that has been on and off for sale for a few years now? There were plenty of discussions in Benzworld.org about it.
What do you think, The S/10 in a charging station or the W208 wanta be. I seen this car in the parking lot a few times. I kinda feel sorry for both of them but driving home in the morning leaves a positive remorse for those whom don't understand AMG at all.
All the fun is lost with trying to compete with something you are not.
THAT invoice may appear fake as the font on the AMG specs is different than the font under "VIN".
Does this correspond to a white 300CE that has been on and off for sale for a few years now? There were plenty of discussions in Benzworld.org about it.
yeah i dont know. i am no font expert, but if i had to guess that invoice was created by a third party seller, presumably an authorized amg retailer or maybe a mercedes benz dealer, i wouldnt think it was from amg. yes it is from that listing you mention but i have not followed any discussions on benzworld over it. real or fake, im not sure but i put it out there as something you might get if you had amg parts installed on your car back then. just guessing they had to give you something other than a swift kick in your wallet.
I haven't read all 118 pages of this topic but here might be a different take. As the owner of a nice, well optioned E350 I think the whole fake badging is irritating because it implies that a standard Mercedes somehow isn't good enough and needs to be past off as something it's not.
Clearly AMGs are special hand built machines. They rightfully command a premium price and are true high performance. If I were looking for high performance, they would probably be at the top of my wish list.
Having said that, a "plain old" Mercedes is pretty special in its own right. I'm proud of my 350 for what it is--a well built, solid, balanced car that I like to use as a daily driver on my short commute to work or on weekend trips with my family. To badge it as something it isn't would degrade its value as a great car and be unfair to enthusiasts who drive AMGs.
I haven't read all 118 pages of this topic but here might be a different take. As the owner of a nice, well optioned E350 I think the whole fake badging is irritating because it implies that a standard Mercedes somehow isn't good enough and needs to be past off as something it's not.
Clearly AMGs are special hand built machines. They rightfully command a premium price and are true high performance. If I were looking for high performance, they would probably be at the top of my wish list.
Having said that, a "plain old" Mercedes is pretty special in its own right. I'm proud of my 350 for what it is--a well built, solid, balanced car that I like to use as a daily driver on my short commute to work or on weekend trips with my family. To badge it as something it isn't would degrade its value as a great car and be unfair to enthusiasts who drive AMGs.
pagani owners and aston martin owners with amg engines can't join the "mercedes-amg" private lounge either. but they both have amg cars built by amg (or at least engines).
so i would argue that the private lounge isn't necessarily for amg owners, it might be more appropriate to state that the "mercedes-amg" private lounge is for "mercedes-amg" owners, also evident by the website address and also by the official corporate name listed in the copyright warning on the webpage.
maybe there are more exclusive private lounges or other clubs for these other car owners, not sure.
can someone with a pre-merger certificate of authenticity join the private lounge? maybe. i suspect there might be one or two owners as such already there.
i also noticed in the private lounge that there is at least 1 member who has sold all his amg cars. so this guy doesnt even own a mercedes, less an amg and he is a member in the private lounge.
edit, i may have spoke too soon about pagani or aston martin amg owners not being able to join. i really have no authority or reference on that statement even though it may be correct
This thread was set up for people who think that they are driving an AMG just because they have some of the trim of an AMG or badging them...the AMG lounge posts are just another way of pointing out to people that their vin number tells if it's an AMG or not. If you have a fake AMG, you can't register because the vin proves it...all your arguments about aston martins have nothing to do with anything.... It's fun to see how many people want to try and fool others about their car...we just make fun of them.
I haven't read all 118 pages of this topic but here might be a different take. As the owner of a nice, well optioned E350 I think the whole fake badging is irritating because it implies that a standard Mercedes somehow isn't good enough and needs to be past off as something it's not.
Clearly AMGs are special hand built machines. They rightfully command a premium price and are true high performance. If I were looking for high performance, they would probably be at the top of my wish list.
Having said that, a "plain old" Mercedes is pretty special in its own right. I'm proud of my 350 for what it is--a well built, solid, balanced car that I like to use as a daily driver on my short commute to work or on weekend trips with my family. To badge it as something it isn't would degrade its value as a great car and be unfair to enthusiasts who drive AMGs.
Your last sentence is exactly why this thread exists! ...and yes, your machine is a wonderful vehicle!
Re-badging of cars has been around for a long time. It was easy with american muscle cars from the 60's and early 70's. Chevy had SS,RS, Mach series big block emblems that fit right on 6 cyl cars. Ford GT, Boss, Cobrajet Emblems and fresh air systems always available.
Chrysler with GT, Super-bee, 6-pack all the same.
On cruise night its all for fun but when its time to play. These cars were losers.
I would think the AMG Private lounge should recognize documentation from a 1987 Hammer. This was an era of transition into professional racing from an external firm namley AMG. The documentation shows all trim package but apperently the chassis vin does not have the proper engine code with the 32 valve 6.0 M119 specially built for Hammer W124.
I am a member of the private lounge and enjoy the new model updates and events they promote, Recognize many of the members in the AMG forums here.
Last year I jumped in on the AMG revamp team for the new private lounge website and it is working like a champ. There are postings from some of the first AMG racing teams and the latest Championship winners.
Often MBWorld relays it.
It is interesting to see people enhance their vehicles to be something they are not. but we should not judge just appreciate what is real when that accelerator petal is pushed hard.
Cheers, Gator
Good thread all around. Some view points are quite drastic but fun none the less. The Trump law is funny. I laughed out loud and people at work wanted to know what was so funny. I showed them the picture and they didn't get it...oh well for them.
The way I look at the AMG badge... comes down to the engine. This may be a VERY tunneled view but in my opinion it's the engine. I know there are TONS of things that make up an AMG. Brakes, suspension, interior, ..etc. But it always comes down to the engine to me and the sound. I have an 09' e350 with the amg sport package. Has the amg 18" wheels and amg sideskirts, rear bumper, etc. I then added e55 amg 8 piston front calipers and 4 piston rear calipers. The car looks very similar to an e63... in fact most people would instantly look at the car and say yep it's one. Anyone else that knows MB would see that the dual single exhaust tips and the front bumper are not that of an e63 and know it's not. I am not trying to make my car into something that it isn't. The brakes were done because I couldn't stand the huge amount of space to caliper to wheel size as it looked silly. Almost as silly as the single pot front calipers on base w211's.
I won't add an AMG badge because it's not an AMG. The wheels have AMG stamped on them, and the calipers have AMG in black... but other than that I actually debadged the car just so it would look better. If I could have wheels that didn't say AMG and the calipers re-painted I would.
I don't hate that they those parts have AMG badges since they are in fact real AMG parts but the rest of the car isn't. I'd always get annoyed when people with wrx's would slap an STi badge on the car. I have an STi and it was obvious immediately to me that they did not in fact own an STi, yet I'm sure the majority of people didn't know the difference. My STi is debadged and when people ask what kind of car it is, I usually just say a WRX... I find that the majority of people are more familiar with that than me saying STi. There will always be people in life that fake it. That's ok, the reason they are faking it is because they are lacking in something. I don't care to know or find out what they are lacking in and I know what they have isn't really what they are trying to pass off.
03-24-2017, 12:28 PM
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