hyperion667

Heads:

This past weekend alone I saw over 6 different E classes(new) driving around my area of the woods....not sure if they were 3's or 5's....kind of glad I have a few things to allow my car to be slightly different....
I always give the driver a flash or something to 'let 'em know'.....hehe

they're nice looking cars and I enjoy seeing them in motion
anyone else notice a rise in sightings? also have been seeing many other models....hard to miss with the led's down low, hehe

keep rockin'

BPhillyBenz

Yep, they are pretty well populated up here in Philly. Still one of the best looking sedans out there (imo)...

peeta123

most of the E i see on the road are black. i have not seen another E in the color i have.

samkimg

NorCal is showing well too ... was on a jaunt down the central valley over the weekend and had a handful of newer E's all around me. One silver-ish E550 screamed pass me up Highway 99 so fast I thought a semi- passed me. Too bad for him that I saw the same car a few miles up the road with a cop-cycle behind him on the shoulder ... I guess someone didn't have as nice a weekend as I.

golfster

They are everywhere in my part of the Bay Area, too. Yesterday, our first day without rain in awhile, I could see 5 on main street standing next to my car. Pretty common now.

ttoE550

What'chu flashin? In our neck of the woods, that can get you arrested!

LOL E's, and for that matter S's, are a dime a dozen in my area, and you'd wear out your stalk flashing everybody (double entendre intended). There are 3 212s just on my block.

EDIT: Forgot: I'm in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac area of Maryland, suburbs of DC

Tjdehya

I dont see as many W212's here in Vegas as I thought I would. On a daily basis I saw more W212's in NJ than i see here in Vegas.

davidbijan

I wonder how many of these new e350/550 are CPO's. The model has been out for a little while now. Im sure used inventory is becoming more available with more attractive pricing for some.

Ctrl+alt+Elite

Not too many new E's in Miami yet...

hyperion667

ah......I see.....I have family in Edgewater

DefKhan1

lots of them in New Orleans as well... I have to admit, the Palladium Silver ones when sparkling clean really stand out.

K-A

Yeah, when I'm in Vegas, I see no new E's. Or old E's, or Benzes for that matter. Mostly a bunch of hoopties rolling around everywhere. (I spend a lotta time in Vegas).

The W212, like all E's before it have been everywhere in the more relatively affluent general areas of SoCal since it debuted. W221's are practically "everywhere", as are Panarama's, F10's are starting to show up a lot, 7-Series', etc.

As all Benzes go, keep it clean, taken care of, have a nice Options list and combo, and some clean and tasteful mods or cleanups/accents and it'll always be a head turner and command respect when it needs to. I like seeing my favorite cars on the road, because you can constantly admire the car in all the different elements, angles, scenes, etc. I fall in love with my car (or get reminded of how much I love it) more-so after seeing another one on the road.

Stick Girl

Now I feel better about having changed my mind at the last minute and getting palladium!

El Cid

From what little I have read, the E Class is historically the number one selling M-B in US. This appears to be continuing for the '10 and '11 models as well.
Personally I think it is a combination of the new styling, more features and a lower price structure. Also, the E Class sedan continues to offer the M-B "presence" with the tradional style grill and hood ornament. This appeals to a lot of people.
Ironically, I live about 35 miles from BMW plant in Greer, SC and still see more new M-B's on highways than BMW's.

rovermark

In Paris (France) there are so many new Es and S's that are used as taxis and limousines that those cars are hardly thought of as "exclusive", but the common place norm. Mercedes is not as exclusive over there as in North America.

Tjdehya

Yes they are used as Taxis but the average European still cant afford an E or S so the ones without "TAXI" written all over it are still somewhat "exclusive."

rovermark

None of the S-Classes have TAXI written on them or any other markings. Those cars are so abundant there (all in black) that there is no exclusivity associated with them. They are part of the landscape - just like your Lincoln Towncar is part of the urban American landscape. I would not buy an S or E there because it is associated with a Taxi or Limousine. Would you buy a Towncar? The average American can't afford a Towncar either, but also has no desire to own one because of it's image as a taxi or limousine.

The E-class in Paris screams "Taxi". Unlike Germany, all are in black, and apart from a taxi sign on the roof has no other markings. It is the working Mercedes next to the S-classes which are all over the place. In Germany, Taxis are cream-coloured, so they look different than private vehicles (not the case in France) but is it in addition to a taxi also frequently used as a company car. In North America, that is not the case, and the E-class is a desirable. My point is that perceptions of the same car are vastly different here.

Also remember that in Europe, you can buy a barebones E class and prices are much cheaper, so it is much more affordable to Europeans than North Americans.

Ctrl+alt+Elite

I'd like to chime in and mention that my uncle lives outside Amsterdam and is the main engineer for the public transit routes for the area; buslines, trains, etc. A college graduate with seniority in his office and a good salary, yet he cannot afford an E class... Lux or barebones. While they are used as taxis over there very frequently, the Mercedes still carries a very good amount of clout. Albeit, considered a car for the older generation.

He was just over here on vacation and fell in love with mine, I thought he was going to try and stuff it in his suitcase.

As far as being cheaper, when he got back home, he did a little research and pretty much said that my car, equipped as it is, was pretty equally priced in Holland. I dont have any hard facts or window stickers, but I'll take him for his word

K-A

Good thing I live in North America.

We get it nice here when it comes to the E-Class, as they use and abuse it in the EU to prove that if maintained, these care are super solid (W210's and M-B's from the 70's and 80's are still used as Fleet Taxi's in Germany), and we reap the benefits of it being a Luxury Mid-Size Premium Sedan here.

Also, the Europeans don't really see Taxi's in the same light that we do out here. A lot of people respect and admire the E-Class further for its durable and comfortable Taxi use. While in America, anything used as a Taxi is a societal write-off. To add, even though there are low-scale E-Classes and S-Classes (you can get an S with cloth in Europe) available with tiny motors and completely stripped out, they are not affordable to the masses, and have a Premium status of sorts, especially when equipped well, when not used as a Taxi.

pappilo

You lie my friend! I live in England and your assertions are so so far from the truth. My car, an auto E200 CGI sport 1.8L engine (poverty spec i.e no options added, just standard) costs £35,000. That is approximately $56,000. We even have it good in England, In manland Europe, the same car costs E42,000 which is about $60,000

MB remains one of the most sought after brands in the UK. I know what my neigbhours think since I bought my car. The E and S class cars are used as hire cars in England because they go on and on and on and despite them been used as such, they are still very much sought after.

rovermark

Did I ever mention England? By Europe, I mean mainland, continental Europe. And I was generalizing. Each European country is different, for example in the Netherlands car prices are very high. In the London if anything, Mercedes is not as common as a taxi as in Germany or Paris.

Besides, the cheapest E-class here in Canada costs (list) without taxes $67,000 (which is equal to US $67,000) - taxes add another $8,000 or so bringing the car beyond $70,000. An E class 200 in Germany "ab werk" (from factory) costs E 40,000 = $55,000 -----> more affordable. If you could buy an E class for $55,000 here, a lot more people would be driving one even if it were a 4-cylinder. I don't know if that price includes taxes though.

rovermark

You are definitely correct there - taxi drivers use "luxury" models, keep them spotless, and generally seem to take pride in there profession. In North America, taxis are rejects from police fleets, filthy things, and it is less a "profession" but a job for people who otherwise may not find work (immigrants for example in Canada). Ironic really given America's stringency on vehicle safety that requires modification from European norms, and strict school bus laws.

golfster

So like, who cares if the E-Class is used as a taxi in Europe?

Ctrl+alt+Elite

TAXI!!!!!

Arrie

Just put together an E350 with as close to same options as I could find to match my E350 P2 on a German MB site. It came to 78 000 EURO, which by today's exchange rate equals to $111 000.

My car's MSRP was $60 050, which meand in Germany the same car cost 85% more, i.e. 1.85 times the price in U.S. And I think Germany is very much mainland in Europe.

German cars cost almost twice in Europe compared to U.S. This is why there is a "business" going on that buys cars in U.S. and ships them back to Europe. The high car prices in Germany are not because of taxes. They just kept sticker value (number) the same when they changed their currency from Deutch Mark to Euro in ratio 2 to 1, i.e. they doubled car prices in the country.

In other European countries I think cars have a lot more taxes, I know this from one of the countries for sure where easily 50% of car's selling price is taxes.

Taxation also is why most European countries have MBs and other nice cars as taxis. This is simply because the taxi business can buy the car almost tax free as it is considered a tool to do the job.