New Member and New E320
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Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 38
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From: Bay Area
MB E320, BMW 323i
New Member and New E320
Hi,
I just found this forum today and became a new member today. I'm glad I found a forum to share and read experiences with other E-Class owners. I received delivery of my E320 on Jan. 30, 2003 so I've had it for a little bit over a month now. I wanted to share my first impressions (good and bad) with everyone here.
This is my first Mercedes. I switched teams - all my previous cars were BMWs. I still have 323 wagon to haul stuff and commute in but I traded in my 528i for an E-class. Another reason for switching teams is my lack of enthusiasm for BMW's most recent designs (e.g. 7-series). I saw spy photos of the new 5-series and I definitely didn't like it. Meanwhile I saw sneak previews of the 2003 E-Class back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the new design.
My wife wanted the panorama roof while I wanted the sports package but the dealer said a car with both features is rare so we ordered it on 12/01/02, was shipped from Germany at the end of December, and we received delivery on 01/30/03. The features on it are:
- Brilliant Silver / Ash Leather
- Panorama roof
- Sports Package
- CD changer
- Rear sunshade
- harmon kardon stereo system
The Good:
- Great styling (the original reason why I wanted this car badly). It's amazing how many looks this car gets in parking lots / on the street especially with the silver exterior color!! The MB designers hit it right on the mark.
- Solid feeling. After the initial break-in period, I drove from my SF to LA on interstate 5 and I swear going at 95 mph feels like you're doing 65 mph. Hardly any shudder or creaks. It feels much more solid than my 5-series at high speeds
- Loads of features available as standard as compared to my 5-series
- The ride / handling quality is wonderful. Since I have the sports package, I can vary the suspension but I usually leave it in the normal comfort setting. It provides a very quiet ride. The sportiest setting is too harsh. It doesn't ride like a Oldsmobile boat but it doesn't ride like a BMW either. I was leery of MB handling / ride since I'm so used to BMW but I don't have any regrets so far.
- Don't see too many on the road yet (at least in the SF Bay area)
The Bad:
- It's not really a bad but the Sensotronic brakes takes getting used to. I got used to them after the first few drives
- Too much electronics for its own good sometimes. In the month+ that I've had the car, I've had the following in for repair already:
A) CD changer ceased to work
B) Twice I received messages that the SOS Teleaid had a malfunction (during my SF-LA trip). Both times I restarted the car and the messages went away
C) Occasionally the car seems to be hunting for gears / very slow when trying to accelerate from a stop or slow traffic
I'll keep everyone updated on how the car is performing. So far, I'm a very happy owner (despite the 3 bugs so far).
Thanks!
I just found this forum today and became a new member today. I'm glad I found a forum to share and read experiences with other E-Class owners. I received delivery of my E320 on Jan. 30, 2003 so I've had it for a little bit over a month now. I wanted to share my first impressions (good and bad) with everyone here.
This is my first Mercedes. I switched teams - all my previous cars were BMWs. I still have 323 wagon to haul stuff and commute in but I traded in my 528i for an E-class. Another reason for switching teams is my lack of enthusiasm for BMW's most recent designs (e.g. 7-series). I saw spy photos of the new 5-series and I definitely didn't like it. Meanwhile I saw sneak previews of the 2003 E-Class back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the new design.
My wife wanted the panorama roof while I wanted the sports package but the dealer said a car with both features is rare so we ordered it on 12/01/02, was shipped from Germany at the end of December, and we received delivery on 01/30/03. The features on it are:
- Brilliant Silver / Ash Leather
- Panorama roof
- Sports Package
- CD changer
- Rear sunshade
- harmon kardon stereo system
The Good:
- Great styling (the original reason why I wanted this car badly). It's amazing how many looks this car gets in parking lots / on the street especially with the silver exterior color!! The MB designers hit it right on the mark.
- Solid feeling. After the initial break-in period, I drove from my SF to LA on interstate 5 and I swear going at 95 mph feels like you're doing 65 mph. Hardly any shudder or creaks. It feels much more solid than my 5-series at high speeds
- Loads of features available as standard as compared to my 5-series
- The ride / handling quality is wonderful. Since I have the sports package, I can vary the suspension but I usually leave it in the normal comfort setting. It provides a very quiet ride. The sportiest setting is too harsh. It doesn't ride like a Oldsmobile boat but it doesn't ride like a BMW either. I was leery of MB handling / ride since I'm so used to BMW but I don't have any regrets so far.
- Don't see too many on the road yet (at least in the SF Bay area)
The Bad:
- It's not really a bad but the Sensotronic brakes takes getting used to. I got used to them after the first few drives
- Too much electronics for its own good sometimes. In the month+ that I've had the car, I've had the following in for repair already:
A) CD changer ceased to work
B) Twice I received messages that the SOS Teleaid had a malfunction (during my SF-LA trip). Both times I restarted the car and the messages went away
C) Occasionally the car seems to be hunting for gears / very slow when trying to accelerate from a stop or slow traffic
I'll keep everyone updated on how the car is performing. So far, I'm a very happy owner (despite the 3 bugs so far).
Thanks!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,110
Likes: 3
From: SoCal
MB
Re: New Member and New E320
Originally posted by SDChargers
Hi,
I just found this forum today and became a new member today. I'm glad I found a forum to share and read experiences with other E-Class owners. I received delivery of my E320 on Jan. 30, 2003 so I've had it for a little bit over a month now. I wanted to share my first impressions (good and bad) with everyone here.
This is my first Mercedes. I switched teams - all my previous cars were BMWs. I still have 323 wagon to haul stuff and commute in but I traded in my 528i for an E-class. Another reason for switching teams is my lack of enthusiasm for BMW's most recent designs (e.g. 7-series). I saw spy photos of the new 5-series and I definitely didn't like it. Meanwhile I saw sneak previews of the 2003 E-Class back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the new design.
My wife wanted the panorama roof while I wanted the sports package but the dealer said a car with both features is rare so we ordered it on 12/01/02, was shipped from Germany at the end of December, and we received delivery on 01/30/03. The features on it are:
- Brilliant Silver / Ash Leather
- Panorama roof
- Sports Package
- CD changer
- Rear sunshade
- harmon kardon stereo system
The Good:
- Great styling (the original reason why I wanted this car badly). It's amazing how many looks this car gets in parking lots / on the street especially with the silver exterior color!! The MB designers hit it right on the mark.
- Solid feeling. After the initial break-in period, I drove from my SF to LA on interstate 5 and I swear going at 95 mph feels like you're doing 65 mph. Hardly any shudder or creaks. It feels much more solid than my 5-series at high speeds
- Loads of features available as standard as compared to my 5-series
- The ride / handling quality is wonderful. Since I have the sports package, I can vary the suspension but I usually leave it in the normal comfort setting. It provides a very quiet ride. The sportiest setting is too harsh. It doesn't ride like a Oldsmobile boat but it doesn't ride like a BMW either. I was leery of MB handling / ride since I'm so used to BMW but I don't have any regrets so far.
- Don't see too many on the road yet (at least in the SF Bay area)
The Bad:
- It's not really a bad but the Sensotronic brakes takes getting used to. I got used to them after the first few drives
- Too much electronics for its own good sometimes. In the month+ that I've had the car, I've had the following in for repair already:
A) CD changer ceased to work
B) Twice I received messages that the SOS Teleaid had a malfunction (during my SF-LA trip). Both times I restarted the car and the messages went away
C) Occasionally the car seems to be hunting for gears / very slow when trying to accelerate from a stop or slow traffic
I'll keep everyone updated on how the car is performing. So far, I'm a very happy owner (despite the 3 bugs so far).
Thanks!
Hi,
I just found this forum today and became a new member today. I'm glad I found a forum to share and read experiences with other E-Class owners. I received delivery of my E320 on Jan. 30, 2003 so I've had it for a little bit over a month now. I wanted to share my first impressions (good and bad) with everyone here.
This is my first Mercedes. I switched teams - all my previous cars were BMWs. I still have 323 wagon to haul stuff and commute in but I traded in my 528i for an E-class. Another reason for switching teams is my lack of enthusiasm for BMW's most recent designs (e.g. 7-series). I saw spy photos of the new 5-series and I definitely didn't like it. Meanwhile I saw sneak previews of the 2003 E-Class back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the new design.
My wife wanted the panorama roof while I wanted the sports package but the dealer said a car with both features is rare so we ordered it on 12/01/02, was shipped from Germany at the end of December, and we received delivery on 01/30/03. The features on it are:
- Brilliant Silver / Ash Leather
- Panorama roof
- Sports Package
- CD changer
- Rear sunshade
- harmon kardon stereo system
The Good:
- Great styling (the original reason why I wanted this car badly). It's amazing how many looks this car gets in parking lots / on the street especially with the silver exterior color!! The MB designers hit it right on the mark.
- Solid feeling. After the initial break-in period, I drove from my SF to LA on interstate 5 and I swear going at 95 mph feels like you're doing 65 mph. Hardly any shudder or creaks. It feels much more solid than my 5-series at high speeds
- Loads of features available as standard as compared to my 5-series
- The ride / handling quality is wonderful. Since I have the sports package, I can vary the suspension but I usually leave it in the normal comfort setting. It provides a very quiet ride. The sportiest setting is too harsh. It doesn't ride like a Oldsmobile boat but it doesn't ride like a BMW either. I was leery of MB handling / ride since I'm so used to BMW but I don't have any regrets so far.
- Don't see too many on the road yet (at least in the SF Bay area)
The Bad:
- It's not really a bad but the Sensotronic brakes takes getting used to. I got used to them after the first few drives
- Too much electronics for its own good sometimes. In the month+ that I've had the car, I've had the following in for repair already:
A) CD changer ceased to work
B) Twice I received messages that the SOS Teleaid had a malfunction (during my SF-LA trip). Both times I restarted the car and the messages went away
C) Occasionally the car seems to be hunting for gears / very slow when trying to accelerate from a stop or slow traffic
I'll keep everyone updated on how the car is performing. So far, I'm a very happy owner (despite the 3 bugs so far).
Thanks!
hey welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new E320. there are a lot of new E's in san diego, it might be kind of broad, but do you live in scripps ranch?
Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area
MB E320, BMW 323i
Hi bmms8,
Actually, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where sightings of the new E-Class are still relatively infrequent. I grew up in San Diego though which is how I got my appreciation (or masochism, according to my wife) for the good ol' days of Air Coryell and the Chargers.
Knowing the Hi-Tech industry in the Bay Area, I expected to see a lot of new E's but haven't see that many...it's actually kinda nice!
Actually, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where sightings of the new E-Class are still relatively infrequent. I grew up in San Diego though which is how I got my appreciation (or masochism, according to my wife) for the good ol' days of Air Coryell and the Chargers.
Knowing the Hi-Tech industry in the Bay Area, I expected to see a lot of new E's but haven't see that many...it's actually kinda nice!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,110
Likes: 3
From: SoCal
MB
Originally posted by SDChargers
Hi bmms8,
Actually, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where sightings of the new E-Class are still relatively infrequent. I grew up in San Diego though which is how I got my appreciation (or masochism, according to my wife) for the good ol' days of Air Coryell and the Chargers.
Knowing the Hi-Tech industry in the Bay Area, I expected to see a lot of new E's but haven't see that many...it's actually kinda nice!
Hi bmms8,
Actually, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area where sightings of the new E-Class are still relatively infrequent. I grew up in San Diego though which is how I got my appreciation (or masochism, according to my wife) for the good ol' days of Air Coryell and the Chargers.
Knowing the Hi-Tech industry in the Bay Area, I expected to see a lot of new E's but haven't see that many...it's actually kinda nice!
Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
Gee this is funny... I live in the SF Bay area too, but I see A LOT of E's every day... Where are you driving?!? 
Actually, I had a conversation with a friend of mine... he drives the penninsula side... I drive the east bay side... oddly enough (and I wouldn't have expected it...) our own, non-scientific observations seem to indicate that the penninsula and south-bay are Bimmer-heavy, and the east bay seems to be (believe it or not...) MB-heavy. Weird... And I thought all the VC's lived near Menlo Park!
-NavNut
Actually, I had a conversation with a friend of mine... he drives the penninsula side... I drive the east bay side... oddly enough (and I wouldn't have expected it...) our own, non-scientific observations seem to indicate that the penninsula and south-bay are Bimmer-heavy, and the east bay seems to be (believe it or not...) MB-heavy. Weird... And I thought all the VC's lived near Menlo Park!
-NavNut
Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area
MB E320, BMW 323i
I live on the Pennisula and work in Santa Clara. I do see a lot of E's but in general, they are previous generation E's. Maybe the Pennisula folks are more conservative and taking a wait-and-see attitude with the new E. 
But you're right - I see a lot of 3-series and 5-series during my daily commute up and down the Pennisula and South Bay. Very interesting...
- SDChargers
But you're right - I see a lot of 3-series and 5-series during my daily commute up and down the Pennisula and South Bay. Very interesting...
- SDChargers
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Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 420
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles
2003 E320
Welcome, SDChargers! Our cars must have been built around the same time. I used to live on the Peninsula, by the way--San Mateo then San Carlos. Loved it up there! Would love to take my car for a drive over the hill to Half Moon Bay and on that road that runs along the 280 Freeway! Have you done that yet?
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Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area
MB E320, BMW 323i
Thanks for the welcome, rickyfanmdr. Yes, I would say our cars were separated at birth! The only difference is the interior color - all the other equipment options are the exact same.
I haven't made the trip to Half Moon Bay and down Hwy 1 yet. I drove it up to Napa the other weekend though. I've already got 2K miles already since 01/30...
Have you had any technical bugs yet with your car? God forbid, of course...
I haven't made the trip to Half Moon Bay and down Hwy 1 yet. I drove it up to Napa the other weekend though. I've already got 2K miles already since 01/30...
Have you had any technical bugs yet with your car? God forbid, of course...
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 420
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles
2003 E320
I hate to even say anything--where's that wood to knock on??? But, no, no technical bugs here. I've had a totally trouble-free experience so far, and I absolutely love my car!! Just got my first tiny little door ding, so I'm glad I negotiated for free touch-up paint when I bought. Shucks--I hate door dings!
Do you know about that old road that runs adjacent to the 280 Freeway? It's the old highway, and I think a lot of people don't know it exists. It's one lane each way, and totally fun! And I envy you your drive to Napa. Used to love that!
Do you know about that old road that runs adjacent to the 280 Freeway? It's the old highway, and I think a lot of people don't know it exists. It's one lane each way, and totally fun! And I envy you your drive to Napa. Used to love that!
Last edited by rickyfanmdr; Mar 11, 2003 at 08:52 PM.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: NYC
2003 E320
I too just purchased by E320 at the end of 12/02. Had 3 BMW's and live in New York City.
The E's brakes took some getting used to. Almost dangerous at first. As for the HUGE delay in the gas pedal, WOW.... Typical Mercedes, yet I still love the car... Please don't let BMW hear this!
I am anxiously awaiting the new 5 Series. Would love to see if BMW got their *** in line again, cause their 5 is soooooo outdated, otherwise I would have a 530I sport in stead of an E320 Sport.
Good Luck!
The E's brakes took some getting used to. Almost dangerous at first. As for the HUGE delay in the gas pedal, WOW.... Typical Mercedes, yet I still love the car... Please don't let BMW hear this!
I am anxiously awaiting the new 5 Series. Would love to see if BMW got their *** in line again, cause their 5 is soooooo outdated, otherwise I would have a 530I sport in stead of an E320 Sport.
Good Luck!
Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
From: Sudan
2003 Toyota Prado
Originally posted by SDChargers
I live on the Pennisula and work in Santa Clara. I do see a lot of E's but in general, they are previous generation E's. Maybe the Pennisula folks are more conservative and taking a wait-and-see attitude with the new E.
But you're right - I see a lot of 3-series and 5-series during my daily commute up and down the Pennisula and South Bay. Very interesting...
- SDChargers
I live on the Pennisula and work in Santa Clara. I do see a lot of E's but in general, they are previous generation E's. Maybe the Pennisula folks are more conservative and taking a wait-and-see attitude with the new E.
But you're right - I see a lot of 3-series and 5-series during my daily commute up and down the Pennisula and South Bay. Very interesting...
- SDChargers
Oh by the way welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy a trouble free car
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,690
Likes: 2
From: Washington State
E-500
Originally posted by Mellow
Was in santa clara a few months ago, ****lioad of beemers, so many 3 series made me wanna puke
Oh by the way welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy a trouble free car
Was in santa clara a few months ago, ****lioad of beemers, so many 3 series made me wanna puke
Oh by the way welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy a trouble free car
I was thinking about you and noticed that we had not seen any posts from you lately. Hope the main danger is over for you now and that the whole thing will be over shortly. Keep you head down and stay safe. There have been a couple of young guys from Kuwait City posting on the off topic forum.
Ed
