MB-GD

I am purchasing my first MB this summer (currently a Lexus LS400).

I am deciding between the E500 (should I wait until late summer for the 2006 E500) and the CLS500.

Two different beast... After weighing the pro's and con's, I'm still no closer to my answer.

I guess test driving both would be the next step.

Call me noivce or ignorant but I have driven the 2003 S430 (dad's), 2003 C320 (mom's), 2002 CLK320 (sister's), and 2005 E320 (brother's). And I don't really see a difference between driving performance and car asethitics (spelling is atrocous). Of course, the sizes of the cars are different and they have different engines.

More questions to follow... like what option pkgs to get and wtf is bi-xeon head-lamps?

signed, Lost in the Woods

moa4r

for the e-class, I'd personally get the keyless go, appearance or amg package (if you want to shell out for it), and pano. roof. nav is nice too, but you can always add that later since they all come with command. bi-xenon means the high beam and low beams are both xenons. the lights also curve with the roads as you drive.

also, check out the new e350 with its new appearance package or the e320 CDI if you want more torque and amazing gas mileage...good luck

jprescott

If you cannot appreciate the difference between the S430 and the C320 in either drive quality or esthetics you should go with the cheaper car since they are all the same to you. To most of us a CLS and an E would most likly ride and look different. Based on your multiple experiences in many MB cars if they are all the same, go with style. By the way, I had a 2000 S430 and it was so remarkably different from my E500.

SAguirre

I think that you will have to make your own decision on this one. I am very surprised that you can't tell the difference in all the cars that you have listed!

If that is the case, get the slowest one! It sounds like you are very young and impressionable. You don't want to loose your driver's license within the first year or worse yet, kill someone.

Not to mention, if you start with the best (most expensive cars) of Mercedes etc, then what will you upgrade to later. In life you always want to move up, but not go down in stile and things. In High School I had a 1973 Super Beetle and my friend had a brand new Corvette. At my 10-year reunion I drove my older W124, he had a Geo Metro! You get my point?

Just

benzboy

You might want to consider another Lexus. If you can't tell the difference between all the MB models you drove sounds like you are a "rider" not a "driver".

hoffyvortex

Wow, I am very surprised that you dont notice much difference in the driving experiences of each of the cars you mention. However, I think if you spend a bit more time in each you will begin to appreciate the differences. Even if you dont, there are some drastic size and price differences between them so there may be some other factors that influence your purchase. The S, E, and C all have some styling similarities, but the CLS is very different, and i suspect you will either love it, or hate it.

Good luck in your hunt. I am sure you will enjoy the process!

MB-GD

35 years old, not sure if that is young or not compare to the rest here...

I am getting a MB because... long-story short, I am getting the car free but have to choose between the ML500 or the E500. I am pretty sure I can get the CLS500 to be an option.

The price difference between a C and a S is about half the price tag, but is the ride/performance really half? That's why I say it's all the same to me.

MB-GD

The MB would be a "ride" from point A to B... Now my Ducati 998 is what I prefer to "drive", but you can't drop-off two infants on your way to work

SAguirre

Well, I must say that I read you wrong in this part then. By your comments I thought that you mist have been a teen-ager, but I was dead wrong. However, as per the part of what will your NEXT car be (after buying this Mercedes) you still should consider what you will buy with your own money in the future. If the car get totaled or something to that effect, you don't want to go down in style.

As it is, you are senior tome by 4 years anyway. But I am an old fart at heart!

Tell us what you decide to buy end the end.

Steve

jameson75

If you are getting a mercedes to get from point A to point B, then any model will do, your choice depends how you want to look pulling up to point B.

pa28pilot

Welcome. This is a great group, and they can be very helpful with information about these cars. I don't know what I would have done without this resource in my recent order experience.

First and foremost, I suggest you give serious thought to your "mission profile" as they say in aviation.

I love the E-class, both old and new, because you can fit a fair number of people in it if you have to, or several boxed computer monitors in the back. In my opinion, it is far easier to park than an S-class in tight parking garages. I thought about the S-class when I bought the most recent car, and I realized that it was just too darn big. I am in underground garages every day, and I would have driven me insane. I'd be counting the days until I tagged the side of the S on some garage support pillar.

My wife, on the other hand, hauls horse equipment all over the place, and the M-class is perfect for that, while still being a reasonable commuter car. It also has a Class III hitch on it, so we could tow a small horse trailer if we had to. It means she doesn't have to drive a pickup truck into the city for work.

I think it's fair to say that the E-class is in some ways the showcase line for MB technology. The standard set of features on the '05 E is not small, the options (while they last) are sophisticated to the point of being surreal. Some of these are things that you'll hopefully never see used in real life, like PRE-SAFE. If you want the latest technology, the E or S is the way to go. I think the M will always lag a little here.

All of us have been watching MB begin to cost-cut and "de-content" some of the little niceties of the cars. I fear there's less nice stuff to lose if you're starting with an M-class than with an E. I'm not sure what you'll have left when they're done taking things away.

We have a '99 ML 430, so I can't speak for the '05 ML experience. I will say that there was a definite difference in the "feel" of the quality of construction between our ML430 and either my '87 300E and my '05 E320 CDI. The M seemed a little "cheaper" and feels like the light truck it is. Rattles and squeaks are more pronounced in it. This may have changed, as I hear they've spiffed up the M's recently. I will say that the 430 has some guts for an SUV. When you hit the gas pedal, it roars and moves with alacrity. I'm guessing the ML500 has even more scoot.

Once you get a handle on your mission profile, I have no doubt that people here can help you figure out how to outfit and order your car.

outtadaloop

If thats the case, forget about the MB and get a Ducati 999R AND aN MV Agusta F4S as your option

jprescott

I am getting a MB because... long-story short, I am getting the car free but have to choose between the ML500 or the E500. I am pretty sure I can get the CLS500 to be an option.

The price difference between a C and a S is about half the price tag, but is the ride/performance really half? That's why I say it's all the same to me.[/QUOTE]

If it's free and you are 35 take the most expensive. Why worry? Based on what your family all drive and the fact that it's free I assume this will not be your last nice car. Get the CLS and let us know how it drives! Good luck with a difficult decision.

MB-GD

Slight change in plans...

I'm about to fork out some extra money b/c it's over the limit but I am leaning towards the E55 AMG...

469hp 0-60 in 4.5secs

I will hurt myself...