The reason why you bought a mercedes?
 

What brought you to get into a seat of a Mercedes? Please Share your stories.:)

I've been saving up my SS checks the last few years and had a nice little nest egg built up that I considered "mad" money. It was not investment money per se and was just sitting there making me very little in return so I decided to buy a car with it. My truck was seven years old and it was time for a new vehicle anyway. I knew I wanted a luxury brand this time around and checked a few out, including Cadillac which was my second choice. After comparing the ML350 with the SRX it was no contest, even with the much higher price tag. I have not regretted that decision for a moment. In fact, I like it so well that if the ML350 is trouble free during the warranty period (four years) I will trade it in at that time for another MB.

Diesel in a luxury vehicle!
Mike T.

Diesel from the company that invented it.

Coming out of two successive Lexus RX350s with their half a**ed AWD system, I wanted a real AWD luxury SUV as I sometimes take the vehicle to Montana in the winter. After shopping the usual German makes, I felt the MB was by far the most luxurious and technologically advanced vehicle available. Although I've had the 2013 model for only a month, I am extremely satisfied with it so far.

My first premium brand vehicle was a BMW X5 4.4
What a fun vehicle to drive after 20 odd years driving various pick up trucks.
Problem with the X5 was my legs began to fall asleep and/or cramp up after driving for about an hour, sometimes less. Never had that problem in any pick up, nor an old 75 Chevy Monza, much less a '57 Chevy.

Sold the X5 just prior to end of warrenty in late 2006, & bought an E550.
Unbelievably comfortable vehicle, with performance & handling that is pretty awesome as well.

Now have had 2 GL's, and wifes 2 ML's, don't know if I'd ever be happy with another brand.

Had an Excursion diesel and wanted a smaller SUV with a diesel. Didn't need all the space in the Ex. Looked at a bunch of vehicles. Was driving past the MB dealer and wife suggested we stop in. Looked at the ML and fell in love.

The thing is so quiet! Almost like you are in a sound proof room. The HK system is off eh chain. The diesel is great. I think they need to work the bugs out of the transmission.

Because they made the C63!!! It is a beast!

Why did I buy a Mercedes? It was 1971. I was a bit of a techno-weenie kind of a person. I knew nothing of Mercedes Benz. My car at the time was a 1968 Ford Fairlane sedan, manual transmission, manual windows, no A/C, etc.
I didn't know that diesel cars existed, or why a person would want one. Mercedes Benz ran a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune... full page! It was all about the magnificent 220D (which I had never heard of, Mercedes was not exactly a household term in those days). The ad contained a few photos, some charts, and four or five full columns of of text with detailed information on the car, and particularly on the diesel engine. It was all about technology, quality, reliability, efficiency, etc. I fell in love.
I made my way to the local dealer shopped around for a few days and bought one. It was a 1971 220 Diesel, brand new. MSRP was $6,583 (actually paid around $6,000).That was VERY expensive for a car n 1971. It had a manual sunroof, manual roll-up windows, a four-speed manual transmission and AIR CONDITIONING (which never did work very well :(.
I put 187,000 miles on the car, kept it for nine years, did all maintenance work myself, which included replacing the clutch, valve stem seals, water pump, brake pads, and, much more. I sold it for $3,000 in 1980. It turned out to be the "cheapest" car (least expensive), I have ever owned. I replaced it with a 240D... all manual. The 220D was a great little car but was never easy to start without significant pre-heating in the winter. In it's later years 30 degrees was too cold; impossible to start. In the summer it was great.
Since then I have owned the 1980 240D, a 1987 190E, a 1990 300E (first car with 4-matic and air bags!), two later 90's E-Class cars (one a diesel), a 1999 ML, a 2007 R320 diesel, and now my 2012 ML350 BlueTec.
The short answer for why I bought a Mercedes was: the detailed and captivating ad in the newspaper (that is not to say that I did no other research or questioning).
I still have the original window sticker from the 220D, attached below.

Destination charge was only $16!

There is another charge on the sticker that is labeled:
"Inland Transportation to Chicago $92.00," which is still a lot less than today's charge of $905.00.
The line with the $16.00 charge was apparently added by the dealer. I can see that it was "typed" on and not put on by the computer like the charges above. That line is labeled: "Distribution & Delivery." That must be the charge for what the dealer does.

Great story, and what a MB enthusiast collector's item! [W115 220D original window sticker].

BTW, it's interesting to find out how much these cars [e-class lineage] went up in price (or I guess inflation did). I bought a brand new W123 240D in 1983 for $20K, and even though I no longer have the original window sticker, it stickered somewhere in the low $20ks. It had AM/FM/cassette, sunroof, AC, etc. So in 1971, a 220D cost about 6,500. In 1983, a 240D cost low $20ks. Sounds like a huge price increase between the 1970s-1983. Just curious...How much did your 1980 240D retail for?

Mine is not quite as cool
 

Great lineage Awjenni!!!

When I was 16, my parents had a '77 300D. I loved that car. It was grey with dark red interior. It rattled like a bucket of nuts and bolts when it was cold, but when it warmed up it was heavy and impressive. That was my first diesel experience. I've been driving diesel pickups for work for almost 20 years now and I have watched the evolution of the diesel engine go from loud smelly beasts to quiet and refined.

I lusted after a Benz diesel for 5 plus years, and like others, I was finally in a position to get what I wanted and shopped all the mid sized diesel SUV's. It was no contest. Bang for the buck, the ML won out. No contest. I'm pretty confident I'll be a Benz driver for life!!!

Enjoy the everyone!

Cheers!

The reasons:
1) this thing TOWs!!! and it tows more weight than I would have imagined!
2) good mileage! Nearly 30 MPG
3) wife does not know or care about numbers "1&2"!

I got the car to pull a 24 foot trailer with some race cars in it. Judging by the paddock at the last SCCA race I was at, the Bluetec is king among the imports. I would say 50% domestic (F150/250, Dodge Ram, GM Avalanche), 25% Bluetec, the remainder was Porsche Cayenne Diesel, Volkswagen Diesel, and a few Renegade motor homes.

To a lesser extent:
the reliability and quality issues seem to be moving into the past, and mercedes is taking control modernization seriously. My father's experience with benzes over the last decade has been horrific. (but he won't admit it:D)

Lineage:
I've never owned a benz before. My dad started with a 300SL back in the 50's bought with a GI discount in Germany. Shame he sold it, he'd be pretty well off on the sale. He actually had a pic of him and sterling moss starting a lap of the 'ring. The pic has since been lost, but my mother swears she saw it!! Apparently Mercedes hired moss to do a few DEs at that time and you got two laps around the track. One with him driving and one by yourself.
Anyway, He moved back to the states and got a 190SL roadster. It was a slug compared to the 300SL, and sold it to buy an Eldorado (LOL)

Fast forward 50 years and he still loves the Mercedes line. Personally, I never liked the control feel of the mercedes, but it seems like they have gotten VERY serious about taking on the rest of the world. Now, I can use the turn signals and not switch the cruise control on.... Some of their cars having steering feel, etc.

My wife made me.

I testdrove the ML350 Bluetec. That was it. I bought the MY13 loaded with sport package and never looked again at another Lexus, Audi or Jaguar.

I should get it any day now! It arrived at the dealership last Friday.

What was your build date?
They need to be certified and as of last FRIDAY they were still waiting for a software upload. May take a bit yet. Look for a week yet maybe 2.
Let us know how it goes......DO NOT TAKE IT TILL IT DOES it will be worth it :-)

My wife also wanted one.

Amazing!! Diesel, you can't go wrong with benz. I have idled my benz's diesel overnight by mistake in the driveway. Next morning put it in gear and drove to work. =)

My family has always been a merc family (S-class).

During my bachelor hood (previous life) my first car was a Volvo 940, then Lexus IS200, RX330, Cayenne S, M5.

After my first kid, sold the M5 and got a GL500. Now selling the GL for a ML350 for the wife and 2 kids, whilst I'm moving on to a G63. I want something safe for them and Merc has always been up there in safety.

There are plenty of different reasons but here are only 3 :naughty:

1. IMO Mercedes-Benz makes the best cars in the segment in terms or performance vs comfort.

2. Plenty of great tuners that will make your Benz even more unique and faster. :zoom:

3. Since I was born I was always driven in MB's and the star just stayed with me!

I just bought a 2013 MLBluetec because I could get in it as both a passenger & driver. I'm 6'7" with a 39" inseam. In the past I bought vehicles I could drive somewhat comfortably.
There is not much out there now that I can get into. My choice was a Panamerica, Cayenne or a GL, nothing else worked. I rented an Acadian for a weekend, talk about being crammed in.
I had considered the GL but was not interested in lugging around a third row of seats. I decided to test the GL one more time and then probably go buy a Porche. The salesman asked if I had tried an ML? I didn't know ML's existed. I guessed wrong. I thought an ML was the same as a B200.
My wife & I tried out the ML, a 2012 & loved it. Then I found out they had no 2013's in stock and ML's that were coming in in Jan, Feb & April were pre-sold. The salesman asked what options we would be interested in & so we listed them out.
He left us for about 20 minutes, and stated he would be back. He had a list for a VIN number just released and the ML would arrive in 10 business days for our approval. I think it was supposed to be the dealer's demo ml350 Bluetec. It's day 6 today & we have not heard anything contrary to our getting it. All the papers have been signed for that VIN. By the way it has every option that we wanted.
We picked it up yesterday, Dec 5. Super comfortable to drive even with 20cm (8") of new snow.

I know on the left hand side it states I'm driving it, but only in my dreams.

My local Toyota dealer was fresh out of Hilanders!!