Euro Delivery for E350?
After some serious reading of this forum (and other "spy sites") we have decided to go for an E350 (could be a mid-'05 or an '06 model).
I went by a local dealership last weekend the the salesperson swore on his mother's grave that there is no plan for an E350 (!) and said the only cars that have the 3.5 ltr engine are ML's and the new SLK's.
Well, not sure if he is telling the truth, or he just doesn't know. Anyways, since the production is rumored to be in the coming December, when realistically do you think the dealerships will be informed of this so we can start ordering cars?
Also, the 7% discount is quite attractive but family/job obligations may not allow a trip to Stuttgart. Think it's possible to get a new model at or near invoice? I wouldn'd mind buying one from LA area than here in SF bay area.
Any input is appreciated.
As for the E350, I can't give you any intelligent feedback sorry.
2. You are not required to personally sign for the car at the factory. MB will provide you with forms to designate someone to pick it up, drive it across the street to the shipping agent, and return to the US. Air fares are about $400 r/t.
Obviously, I agree with saffrontiger's thoughts above.
Last edited by TPAbnz; Aug 25, 2004 at 11:40 PM.
E350, Appearance, Premium, Parktronic, TPM would be an interesting car.
Also, MBUSA lists the SLK as price TBA for ED. Talking to them (in July) I was told that it is at US MSRP - destination. No 7% discount. However it is readily available for ED and may be hard to get domestically.
While the CDI will be more efficient than the E350--higher mileage--the extra 70hp will make the E350 much faster. I expect a mid 14 sec 1/4 mile and 0-60 in the very low 6 second range.
The E350, if it is December production would probably be a February or March introduction. The questions are: Will it be an '05 or an '06? When will the '06es be introduced? (could be as early as March-April)?
A lot of this depends on how long you plan to keep the car. Two-three years on a lease? Probably pays to wait 6 months but not 12. 7-10 years? Maybe it pays to wait, however a 7 year old car is missing a lot of newer features. Who even remembers what the 6-cylinder issues were in 1998? IMHO, the problem is most accute for buyers in the 3-6 year range. Where having the new car counts and it is probably owned. Then I would probably wait for the '06 updates.
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Well...I have just put my M3 on sale yesterday. Should go pretty quick (<2 weeks?). Depending on how fast it goes and how much $, I might go with an E500. Perhaps the 7-spd auto uses less gas on the highway....Either way I am still saving fuel compared to the M.
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For what it's worth, I like the 05 CDI much better than I did my 04 E500. It is primarily because the brakes feel very normal now and I find that for me the handling is better.








