Okay, a selfish bump here :bump:

So, the E350 I described above is optioned identically to the MY07 Saks Special Edition Key for the Cure E350.
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/18/m...-special-e350/

It looks exactly like this (except the one I'm looking at has walnut burl instead of birdseye black, and it's a brand new MY09) Scroll down for pics:
http://austin.craigslist.org/ctd/865722795.html

Maybe the dealer ordered it that way as a "copy?" Anyway, I'm going back out there Sunday morning to talk more and price, etc..

Again, any advice/comments? :nix:

Sure that it's not Tex? Our 1996 C220 has Tex - leather was an option - and 12 years later, it still looks new (with virtually no maintenance).

I would take the car if dealer agrees to drop price to $51K. Just tell him that you like the car, but do not want to pay for useless options like pano and sills.
I am not a big fun of black interior, however considering the contrast with biege seats it looks really awesome.

Yes, leather is "That" much better, no question about it. Plastic upholsterly feels like plastic, even though it may be textured.

The E classes are available with Napa leather, designo packages are napa, and I believe it is standard in the AMGs.

Sounds beautiful! Great options, and one of the two best interiors (sahara or cognac with black and Walnut).

Make sure you see the sienna black in the light to appreciate it.

I found several E350 with P2 and leather in the US, and P2 is available with sport. The problem is with the website, you have to select P2 before selecting sport, for some reason it works that way.

Thanks, and yep, you're right. I'm discovering and learning more about this now (and thanks to all you Forum members.)

Yet when I explained the website anomaly to MBUSA, they emailed me back saying I can't have P2 and sport. But, as you said, they do exist out there.

This is the only one that I've found nearby so far that has potential. And as much as I feel black is a difficult color to keep clean, I am liking it more and more. That contrast of sahara beige leather with black interior and black exterior really does look nice.

I was able to see the car under changing light (as evening approached and the dealer's lot lights came on), and it had a nice subtle shift in color; a reddish/purple/brown sort of thing going on.

I did a big search on panorama sunroof and the great majority are very positive about it, only a minority negative about it. It does add an interesting look to the car.

I've made an appointment to go back tomorrow and talk pricing, etc..

Who knows, maybe I'll end up owning it....?

Here's MBUSA response about ordering P2 and sport together. On their website the P2 option grays out if you select Sport and then try to select P2; (but doesn't gray out if you select P2 first and then Sport, as Unterturkheim points out)

They also mistakenly wrote the "2008" E350.....? btw, their website needs some major re-working, imho.

The 2008 E350 is available as a Luxury sedan (burl walnut trim) or a Sport sedan (birdseye maple). Once you choose black birdseye maple , the
vehicle will be built as a Sport sedan. And you are correct that you can
order the P1 but not the P2 package if you build a Sport sedan.

Should you require further assistance, we suggest you speak with your local
authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer.

We hope you find this helpful.

Well - if I was going to order a new one, that would be THE car I would order. Honestly - favorite color - favorite interior, and fully loaded.

Thanks for the encouragement, Polar Bear.

Well, I went back to the dealer and it turns out they actually had two MY09 E350s optioned almost identically in the Sienna Black on Sahara Beige/Black. The second one was built by the sales manager but he never took possession and just left it on the lot. And so, he went ahead and sold it to me. This one has the black bird's eye maple instead of walnut burl trim. It also has electronic trunk close, in addition to all the same options as the other one. I kind of prefered the black maple as it lowers interior contrast a bit for me. The walnut looked nice, too, but I personally liked the more subtle interior look with the dark maple. There's already a big enough contrast with the beige and black exterior, imho.

I think I feel comfortable with the price I ended up with(?) I ended up at quite a bit under dealer's invoice. I don't know how that compares to what everyone else is doing(?) btw, the MSRP has changed now with any new builds besides what's currently on the lots ($1300 higher for October and later orders.)

Nonetheless, I found a car that I feel I can live with and is difficult to find on the lots. In fact, searching thru AutoTrader, I couldn't find a similar one anywhere in the US. So, negotiating price was a bit harder for me since I knew in the back of my mind that this car was not an easy find at the dealers.

Will pick it up later this week. Thanks to everyone for their comments and advice, I really do appreciate it.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...Y09_Sienna.jpg

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/interior.jpg

Awesome car!

And it has Parktonic! Nice!

Beautiful car, and good equipment. I would have probably chosen the trunk closer over walnut (even though I prefer the walnut to the black maple myself, but that's purely a matter of taste).

I never understood why parktronic is such a rare option, it is perhaps the most useful and has the best payoff.

Thanks for the positive comments.

My past two vehicles have had park assist and I got quickly hooked on it. First time I realized its true value was when a little kid ran behind me as I was backing up :eek:

My guess is that since the MSRP cost is $1140 that it increases the sticker too much for the dealer's comfort. And so it's rare. It is pretty high; BMW 3 series is $700 MSRP for their Park Assist, and a no charge option on their other cars.

If car has P2 then more likely it has parktronic. BMW has not only cheaper park assist, but better. However total price of BMW is still higher than Benz and the option at BMW is rare too.

I agree. It should be standard, IMO, at least on the S, CL, and SL vehicles (I think it used to be standard on the CLs from 98-99).

Really? ****... it was leather, I remember. Maybe it was an option. He said it came with it standard, but then again he doesn't know anything about cars really.

I love my full leather, but sadly, I don't think there's any re-sale bump up.