So, for those of you not in the Midwest, November and December have been pretty wild here. Why, you ask? Because instead of snow, ice, cold, wind, misery, buying car parts for winter car builds and distraction, heavy drinking to stay warm and drown out the desire to throw it all away and move to a warmer climate ("....this is the LAST year I stay in this frigid hell hole...hey! Hey! I love you man! Really....I mean it....have you seen my beer?"), Mother Nature has just extended fall a few more months for us and gave us mild temperatures, and some days that were legitimately WARM!!

I mean, seriously, when was the last time anyone in Chicago walked out the front door (at 5:53 A.M. MIND YOU!!), and it was 61 degrees outside!!



So I figured, "To hell with it! I am taking my Black Series and going on an adventure," and with a back pack in the trunk, I left Indianapolis and headed out.



Queue the voice in my head saying, "But what about your resale value? The miles will cost you big time, numnuts," which was quickly quieted as I merged onto I-65 North and HAMMERED the throttle pedal!! With a roar rivaling that of a million uncaged lions, or of my wife angry that I have not done something she asked me to do, I was instantly propelled forward with the most glorious of force.

"WOOO-HOOO!!! Now THAAAAAAT is what I am talking about!!"

The trip north was "rapid" and I got there a full hour and a half before I thought I would, but Nero (yes, I named my car) never ceases to amaze me with how stable at high speeds he is. This car was made to gobble up pavement in huge, and rapid, chunks.

Lucky for me, a few of those chunks were in the underground part of Chicago. OHHHH, THAT SOUND!!



So, arriving at The Gwen in downtown Chicago, I settled in, unpacked, and grabbed some dinner, eager for the next day. A few hundred miles behind us, Nero was tucked in for the night.



Waking up early the next day, I decided to embark on a trip to an outlying area of Chicago where another bit of evil lurked. My wife's Audi S5 is getting ready to possibly be sold to a local doctor at home, so I needed to look for a replacement. So....what would I like that is safe, fun, and has 4-seats? OH!! Why, a CLK63 Black Series with the rear seats added, of course!

Something is awesome about being in Chicago before most people are awake and the roads are more open, with the sound of the snarling CLK63 Black Series bouncing off of the buildings like a primeval battlecry!!



In no time at all, I was pulling up at Chicago Motor Cars, where Beast #2 was housed.

Well, hello there pretty girl.









It is amazing how much different this car is from my own. Especially with that throttle blip upgrade. OOHHHH, YES!! I am getting this done to Nero, ASAP!! It transforms the car.

The people at Chicago Motor Cars were fantastic, and I am now trying to work out the sale of my Audi S5 to get this car and have a second Black Series. The rear seats in this white one make it perfectly capable of hauling my daughter. I sat back there and was nice and comfy at 6 feet tall.

After leaving the dealership, it was still raining, but not enough to dampen my joy. So I went on a relatively pointless drive around different areas just to see what there was to see, before returning to downtown Chicago to be greeted by this. LOL!! Holy hell!! This is $2.28 MORE PER GALLON than when I left Indianapolis. No big deal. You've gotta pay to play, right?



I did manage to set a new personal record for poor fuel economy as I headed for dinner. It actually dipped 1 full MPG LESS than this, but I cannot find the picture.



The poor fuel economy was well worth it, because I was in the best car on the planet, and at the other end of this waste of fossil fuels was this fantastic meal at Chicago Q. OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Fantastic food, and not a bad parking spot for Nero to rest in.





With that meal in my belly, and Nero's belly relatively full of fuel, it was time for bed for both of us. Chicago really is beautiful at night.





The next morning I was up before the sun so that I could pile more "rapid" miles on without drawing the ire of the law enforcement personnel who patrol this great land.

Somewhere along the way in Indiana, I encountered this awesome trailer!! I love cows too, so this made me chuckle.



By the time I got back home, my car was a pile of dirt, filth, and energy drink cans, but I was happy....and somewhere under that dirt, Nero was happy too.

Over 500 miles more on the odometer, slightly lower resale value (which I care not about, because short of an emergency, I never plan to sell this car...ever), my opinion is even more solid that this really is the best car ever made for all-around use, and for putting a permanent smile on your face. At least I think so.....and if you disagree, well I won't be able to hear you anyway over the sound of my exhaust and endless evil cackling. So do yourself a favor. Go drive your Black Series. It will love you for it.

 

Always enjoyable reads Mitch...think you missed your calling in life

 

Nice write up, looks like it was a fun trip.

M

 

Thank you! I have been told that before. DOH!!

Now if I could just find a way to get paid to tour the country in the Black Series and get paid for it....

 

Thank you! It was quite fun. Always good to spend some time in the Black Series.

 

great looking vehicle. glad you enjoyed the trip

 

Mitch,

I always look forward to reading about your weekend retreat stories with Nero!

Keep them going!

 

Great read!

 

+1

 

Seems like the white one is still available.....or did you buy it?

 

ying and yang!!


awesome

 

Nope. I did not buy it. Originally we were going to sell our Audi S5 to my wife's doctor, but he changed his mind. Then the dealership said I would have to give them my 22k mile Black Series PLUS cash for the white one, which did not make sense. My car has HALF the mileage, and $45,000 in modifications, whereas the white car is relatively stock (just a few upgrades). So it did not make sense to me. Nice guys over there, but the numbers just did not work for me.

 

Your BS and $22K. Why didn't they just say "its not for sale"? They legalize cannabis yet in Illinois?

 

He said his 22k mile car....not $22k. They figure the mods are worth more, yet when you trade in a car with mods they say it devalues the car. They cant have it both ways.

 

Read that too fast. Then without knowing the cash number, hard to judge if it's a bad deal. The white ones are entitled to a premium and for the right buyer, the mods would add value. Modded v. stock - guess it's all how you spin it I suppose.

 

If you had bought that white one for the wife it wouldve made this the best thread I ever read. In my life.

 

I would like to, but they want to charge me significantly more than I feel a 43k mile car with some paint work (front has been re-painted, but I don't know if they know that or not) is worth. They want essentially $63k for their car, and they want me to give them my car with almost half the mileage, a gigantic list of high quality modifications, and no paint work ever, all services done at Mercedes, and a pile of cash on top of that. This does not make sense to me, especially on the heels of another dealer offering me $63k as an outright buy on my car for their inventory without me buying anything at all.

 

I agree Mitch, something is not right with their logic....