fld

Hi all,

We would just like to thank everyone on this forum for their contribution. We read a lot of posts and discussions on this forum. The information we received was used and definitely helped us in making our purchase decision.

So, the car build date was actually set to be Aug 30, but has been pushed to Sept 07. The reason was unclear as to why it happened so. Then, it'd take another 4 to 6 weeks for it to get to the dealer.

Our specs are:

- Steel Gray.
- Almond/Mocha interior, Premium 2, Wood Trim, Lane Tracking, Rear Spoiler, Burl Wood Walnut Trim, and All Season Tires.

Thanks again!!!

Regards,
fld.

np888

Congrats! The wait will suck! Mine was intended to go to another dealer but I managed to snag it with my specs right as it got into the port. I had to wait a week and I thought that sucked!

sinape62

Congrats fld! It will be worth the wait!

fld

Thanks for you guys' congrats.

The wait sucks, but like sinape 62 said it will be worth it. We had to order because no dealers in the radius of 250 miles had a car of our specs. The dealer said they also tried to ask for another dealer's quota/slot for a coupe on an earlier build date, but they could not get any.

My wife and I test drove an E550 Sedan and loved it.

In your experience/opinion, how accurate is their quoted delivery time? They said 4 to 6 weeks from the build date and should not delay further since there is not much change from MY2012 to MY2013. I reas from somewhere that at the factory they built C-Class they can build 650 C-Class cars per 2 9-hour shifts (18 hours), per day. That's impressive, isn't it?

ProjectCamaro

Congratulations

np888

I've found them to be generally accurate, however shipping delays can slow things down. Also if your car is damaged somehow in transit there will also be a delay at the VPC where they fix them.

Dueclaws

+1

fld

Just got the VIN number from the dealer today.

Now deciding whether we should have a clear bra installed. the price which I was quoted are Hood/Fender/Mirror Kit $720 installed, Bumper Kit $975 installed. The film is 3MM, which I think would be 3M.I think I heard that 3M is not the best but the most well known brand. I am not sure if $1695 would be worth it.

Thanks.

magicc316

I am about to trade in my BMW 335 IS for the new E550 coupe and was wondering what a good price is for the coupe with premium 2, Wood Trim, Lane Tracking, Rear Spoiler, Burl Wood Walnut Trim, and All Season Tires.

ngriff6825

Got my '12 with the same options + the appearance package for $61,000 (more like $65K out the door with tax, title, etc). Granted had to fly from DC to Savannah GA to get it but I welcomed the road trip back. Worked with Critz Mercedes down there and the experience was fantastic. I can give you the name of my saleswoman if you want.

nawlinstornado

I'd go aftermarket. The company here in DC that did my tint (awesome job) quoted $650 for hood, front bumper, and side mirrors. Fenders are cheap.

fld

That I would say probably the best deal you'd ever get. The price we got on our car is a bit more than yours. Since we wanted to trade in one of our cars, the trade in price became a factor. We were given rip-off trade-in values from a few dealers, and thought that we would not want to just drive too far to just find out they they goinf to rip us off again. The dealer whom we ordered the car gave an OK trade-in price, which is quite a bit more than some other dealers'.

I'd say an OK deal would be 5% off MSRP; 7%, a great deal which now hits their invoice region; anything > 7%, the more the greater of a deal which now the dealer is left to deal with "trunk money."

IMHO, if you deal with a big dealer they may have more purchasing power, which sometimes can translate to a better discount. Even better if you are in a big city where there are more dealers and competition is high.

My question: do you guys happen to know after the VIN is available when the car is going to be built?

Thanks.

magicc316

I am going to put my order in for a new 2013 e550 coupe but i didn't know if anyone had seen the red/black leather seat interior? i was deciding between that and the normal black leather interior. what are your guys thoughts?

fld

IMHO, I feel red/black could be a little more difficult for future resaleability, but I am sure there is market and fan base for this color combination for interior. In the meantime, black seems to always be a safer bet. Ultimately, it is really up to you.

fld

Our car was produced on Sept 05 and was awaiting shipment probably at the port (Bremen?). But until today the dealer could not find that the car had boarded a ship. Do you guy knows how long it takes for for already produced cars to board a ship? This seems to push back our delivery date since it will take 10 days for the ship to arrive at Baltimore and, as we were told, another 2 weeks from the Vehicle Prep Center to the dealer. We would like to take delivery before Oct 5.

Thanks for your help.

ronsc1985

I don't know about now but last year in early December it took 5 days from the boat docking to delivery in Northern Virginia. When I ordered the car it was already on the ship so I don't know what the build to ship and/or transit time is.

The dealership tried to rush the dock to dealer delivery time because I was leaving for a couple of weeks in the Dominican Republic and they wanted to get paid before I left.

fld

The car is expected to arrive at the dealer in Indy probably on Friday, YAY!!!! We will probably have to pick it up some time next week. We were told they had only sold a few E coupes so far. Most of them were E350C. Probably this E550C would be about the second one they have sold this year.

Thanks a great deal for you guys' input!!!

Regards,
fld.

Phoenix9666

Go for the 3M clear bra - but not through the dealer. My local detailer works with the same guy the dealers do with the same installation at $300-$400 less.

Dueclaws

Congrats: I'll bet you will love the new E550C!

fld

Thanks!!!

fld

Living in a small city, there are not many choices. Even in Indy, there are not many installers that are familiar with E-coupes. Those that claim they are, will tend to quote you with a high price. This is what we have so far:

1. At the dealer, they say the installer they use will install 3M. For partial hood, partial fenders, full bumper, they quoted us $1700. These kits are pre-cut. I didn't ask them about warranty on materials and workmanship.

2. The second one, who says he works from home, gave us a quote for full hood, full fenders, full bumper, and rocker panels, all for $2700. He said he'd use Ventureshield. These kits are pre-cut. they seemed to imply warranty on materials.

3. The third one gave us a quote for partial hood, partial fenders, and full bumper, for $500. They use Solar Gard. He said he does not have rocker panels but could measure and cut. I asked him if that would be cut on the car, which he said no. But one of our friends advised us not to touch this franchise and compared them to Walmart. They said they give likfetime warranty on both materials and workmanship.

4. The 4th one gave us a quote for full hood, full fenders, full bumper, and rocker panels, for about $2000. They use Sun Tech and said they would have to cut on the car. They said they give likfetime warranty on both materials and workmanship.

Ha ha ha....so, it is a hard decision for us. If the dealer was more expensive than their counterpart like a couple hundred dollars, we would probably be OK. For $1k, it seems a little too rich.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
fld.

fld

Picked up the car on 10/02. ))

Thanks everyone for your input.

atgd

Very pretty. Congratulations! Now go break her in!

Wait...no front license plates required in your state? Lucky b**stard!

1 MB

So have you hammered the throttle on an on ramp yet? First time I did, felt like I was stuck to the back of my seat. I swear the thrust gave me a head ache.

fld

Thanks. We took her in for paint chip repair that we found after delivery, on last Monday. The dealer was nice enough to take care of it. They have had to repaint the affected area but I have no idea yet as to the details they have done to repair it. Last time I heard from them was on Friday that they had to replace the chrome molding since it would no longer adhere. They will get the part to on Monday and expect to finish the job on mid Tuesday. I just hope that the paint job and reassembly of the door, panel, rubber seal, and etc. will be perfect.