K-A

Decided to post some pics of some of the cars I've had.
-1st is my current E350,
-2nd is my old S500,
-3rd is the customized '98 Mustang GT I had from ages 17-25, which the pics take place in around 2002-ish
-4th is my current "Beater", '09 Chevy Malibu
-5th is of my totalled '05 Nissan Maxima

WARNING! LOT'S of Pics!

K-A

Scraz51

What happened to the nissan

K-A

Taking some middle-of-nowhere-desert turns a bit too confidently, one of them was this complete wrap-around that kind of kept going and going. It just lost it, spun everywhere, almost flipped over (that little hill pretty much played bumper cars with it, but kept it from rolling over), the reason it was totaled was because the major damage was done under the car, lol. It was a good car though, I never put any attention into it and it just ran and ran, racked up tons of mileage, and very very thankfully kept my friend and I alive when I crashed it.

Scraz51

Hmm I'm sure it could have been buffed out though....

K-A

Lol. Yeah some polish and elbow grease can work miracles.

I do miss that car though. I wasn't much of an "enthusiast" toward it, as in I never washed it, never thought it was the best looker, and never babied it like I do my Benz, or I did my Mustang when I had it back in the day, etc. But it was a big part of my life during a strong developmental stage I was going through career wise. Lasted tons of cross State drives and never let me take my mind off of the important things I had going on to stress over it in any way.

155

Love the E!

Did you actually purchase the Malibu or is it your work ride?

sunny_j

out of all those csrs i would prefer the eclass

K-A

Thank you so much!

I actually bought it, for work, etc. I have to do some long distance driving for work, if not I would have bought a "cooler" car as a DD probably, but in looking for something newer, with low mileage, big Warranty, Reliable, roomy enough, nice enough, Safe, quiet and comfortable enough, etc. and CHEAP, it just couldn't be beat. It's actually a really good car, especially for that price, but when I jump in my E to drive it around.... Wow am I in appreciation of it, just love driving it around.

K-A

Agreed!

220S

Hmmm. So do you live in that big gray house on the bend at Franklin and Sierra Bonita across from Wattles Park? Or did you just stop there? I love that house.

cleankutazn

Since you already had an s class, how come you got an e class instead of getting a newer s class?

K-A

Haha, yeah that's a lovely house indeed. There's also a really nice one just a block or so east of it, the owners have a W126 S-Class and an 80's Rolls Royce Silver Spur (one of my favourite cars of all time due to sentimental value), it's the exact same fleet my parents had when I was just like 4 years old, lol.

I wish I lived there, I do live in the surrounding area though. I was actually just driving around looking for parking, and had the car in a rarely clean manner, so figured I'd stop at a non congested area to snap a few.

K-A

Well I guess there were a couple or so reasons for that.

I initially wanted a newer MY W220 S-Class, I always had a thing for those cars ever since they'd came out, but after checking out all these different cars, etc. I found that I liked the W211 more, and although I'd miss the benefits of having the ultimate in isolation from the road, the W211 did just fine in that area, and wasn't as big and boaty, just a perfect size, and I found the overall look (with the AMG Package especially), and interior, etc. to be more stylish and concise, and to "fit" me and my personal style/lifestyle better.

As for the W221, when I was in the market last year I could afford a Used one, but wasn't in love with the car enough to fork out that kind of money. Actually just about a couple months or so ago, with prices of them even a bit lower, and me in an even much better financial position than I was last year, I went to a Dealership and Test Drove one, and did a long and hard on whether I thought it was worth the price premium over mine. Fact is, I've always really liked the W221, but never loved it, some areas of it I just can't come completely to terms with, so I obviously figured I had no reason to trade into it and spend even more money.

On the subject of this, here's an interesting Pic M-B released a while ago with both cars. Notice M-B used a SHORT Wheel-Base W220, and used like 12" wheels, compared to the W221's big ol' ones. I think this pic, even with them using the ugliest version of a W220 they could, is a testament to the flawlessly clean designs M-B were doing prior to their newest themes:

K-A

I gotta say, right now the only other current Sedan that's evoking my lust is the Jaguar XF, I think it's a beautiful car, and right down my isle aesthetically, although the interior, although nice, is not really my thing. I LOVE the interior of the W211, so sensual and smooth, really pleasant to drive in.

gaazmon

Ya, I was looking at a W220 too, like 03 - 04 before I got the E. However, I found the E's to be better equipped with options that I wanted. I found very few S500's with A/C seats, DD seats, etc. Also, size was a deciding factor. I had a W140 before, and though I loved it, I wanted something smaller, something sportier. Even driving our 02 CL500 the other day, I realized that it's a BIG coupe, and not for me. Lol, I even feel like the E is too big for me, I really want a 996 911. Also, I would have rather bought a 750i over the S500 due to more power, better options, etc. I like the W221, but again, to big for my taste.

220S

fwiw, I wanted to buy a new S Class but it is too big for me. I wanted something just a bit smaller. Esp around town, etc.. I also have a 1920's house with a smaller garage that pretty much dictates car size.

I agree with you re: the design issue. However, I understand where MB is coming from on this. It is a "heritage design" that they are working with in the S Class (and with the new W212.) It doesn't mean it succeeds (I personally don't like it), but it is a special nod to MB's history of the Ponton.

Here's an interesting website: http://www.mbzponton.org/

And a pic of the obvious in the current design relationship:
http://www.oldtimer4u.de/wp-content/...2/img_4742.jpg

Scraz51

Beautiful old car

K-A

That Ponton is striking. I've been on a binge in lusting after classic M-B's lately.

I agree with you definitely, M-B is definitely harkening their past cues more so with these new designs.... But I dunno, I just don't see it as being executed tooo perfectly, some even a bit gimmicky and contrived. I think the W221 is gorgeous in some ways, then the others I see it as awkward and a bit forced.... Not nearly as much as the W212 though, which tries to mix 80's M-B, with a Ponton fender, with Japanese & BMW design trends IMO. To me, when I look at the curves and subtle yet organically progressed classy/classic cues of the previous gen cars (W211 era) I see a closer resemblance etc. to some of the Classic M-B models .... Maybe it's because they weren't trying as hard and just did it naturally. I also am convinced that Gordon Wagener isn't as developed as a designer as M-B's past designers, which is a reason why I see a bit of an immature approach to the whole harkening-the-past thing. At the same time, I understand that since BMW introduced the gimmick-galore look and everyone else is on the bandwagon, they kind of have to introduce those elements into their new cars.

To note though, I do like the W221 more than the W220 all in all, styling included. I loved the W220, but think as it was the first one to embark on a VERY modernized M-B design theme over what it was replacing, it was a bit sloppy and not as sharply executed as the models that followed, which obviously had more time to refine the look a bit IMO.

I still stare in awe when I see a super clean, '03+ S500 with an AMG kit, very very sleek and classy. Too bad these days it's mostly driven by ghetto poseurs.

220S

Wagener came in as head in late 2008. He had been at MB for a while before that. He was in charge of the E Class in 2002. I'm sure the direction of design (i.e., the W212) was established before 2008. I'm not sure that putting the "blame" on him is totally valid. However, I do agree that his sensibilities are probably not the same as Pfeiffer's and certainly no where near Bruno Sacco's (one of the greatest MB designers, imho.)

Here's the evolution of the E-Class design (you have to use your imagination and stick the W212 at the end):

sunny_j

great pic 220s

K-A

Love those Pictures! Yeah there are some they released with the W212, I'll see if I can find them. To me personally, it looked like they stuck a fork in the "evolution" process and kind of went everywhere with it when you see it next to the other models, that's my opinion anyway.

Interesting, I do know that Wagener was a prominent designer for M-B during the W211's creation, but I remember reading that Pfeiffer was in charge of the project? I know Pfeiffer was also in charge of the W221 if I remember correctly, as he stated the theme was "making use of many strong and flat surfaces" or something like that.

Sacco indeed was/is the man, I read an Article recently where he said he drives a 560 SEC, the man is truly proud of his work clearly. Also, interestingly, he was in charge of the W220 (obviously with a strong influence by Pfeiffer who was just about taking the reigns), which ultimately means all of M-B's designs up until the W221 were influenced by what he helped create. Also a fun fact is he said a couple of his favourite designs (he stated quite a few) were the 190/124 cars, and the W220 S-Class, his worst favourite is the W140, stating it is "4 inches too tall".

I've been trying to gather info on who designed what with M-B's, but it's not all that easy to find. And yes, you're right, the W212 was clearly designed during Pfeiffers years, but the W212 (possibly as a PR effect to get the "new guy" some credit) gets connected to Wagoner very strongly, I even read an interview where he stated it as his "handwriting", as well, some Article I read when describing the W212 stated "as with the other M-B's under the direction of Wagener, it's a fussy design"....

Anyway, who knows but here are some other cool Pics!:





And in respect of talking about the designs of the W211, W221, etc. here's a couple of "Evox" pics of them, which are great at showing models with simple backdrops:





This is someone elses Pic on this Board, but it's a great showing of how brilliant the evolution of the W210 to W211 was, which IMO isn't the case with the W212:


And a W211 and a Genesis for the hell of it. I KNOW I KNOW, I'm a nerd who loves to study car designs and look at them side by side

Kar don

funny how the mustang and malibu dash are so similar in design... its the car you CAN'T ignore!

K-A

Indeed, I and many have noticed that as well. The classic "dual hump" design.

Scraz51

I love those transition pictures, they have done a lot of those for the release of the w212s, but still for all MBs they look great as they always keep a sense of style and tradition that carries through with each design.