VEHICLES > DAILY DRIVERS/GROCERY GETTERS

The Best or Nothing,,, Mercedes Benz...

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oldcarguy:


July 1886 Carl Benz first displayed his three wheel Benz Patent Motor Car to the public. Most historians claim this to be the very first automobile. From this historic beginnings Mercedes was born and transformed over the years becoming the worlds premiere automobile manufacturer. Always standing for innovation and excellence. "Life is too short, and the road too long to drive anything less than a Mercedes Benz." has been their motto.
 
I was looking to replace my 1991 Ford Explorer Sport that served me for twenty-five years and nearly 400,000 miles. Ford re-designed the Explorer with transverse engines and front wheel drive. Totally unacceptable for me. So the Explorer was written off. I wanted a smaller SUV with a front inline engine and all wheel drive.  This was going to be my seventieth birthday present to myself and may be the last new car I would purchased. I came across a new 2015 Mercedes Benz with a 2.1 liter twin turbo diesel engine. I have to thank Volkswagen and their Diesel-Gate emission scandal for purchasing this car with a huge discount. Ended up being a few dollars more than the new Explorer. And had numerous more options. Thank you Volkswagen.   
My 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class GLK 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC has their Special Designer White paint, all-wheel drive, seven speed automatic transmission, passive stay-in-lane steering and cruise control, rain sensor wiper, heated-cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, full power sun-roof with power shade,  Burmester premium sound system, GPS with surround rear view cameras, and Xenon HID headlamps that turn with the steering and follow the road. This baby even automatically parks itself in the tightest parallel spaces.

It now has 75,000 miles and the only maintenance needed was the yearly 10,000 mile oil change adding DEF fluid. I replaced the four Continental run-flats after 18 months and 16,000 miles after getting four flat tires. These tires were like steel magnets and pickup any stray screws or nails. I installed a set of  Michelin's all-season tires. Along with a new rim and carry a full size spare in the back. There was a noticeable improvement in ride and handling with the Michelin tires. They still have 50% rubber left, and are as quiet today as when first installed. I couldn't understand the concept of run-flat tires. When loose air, recommend only driving 50 miles at 50 MPH max. Total BS.
 
When one thinks of diesels one thinks loud crackling sounds, throttle lag times, and black smoke. This Mercedes redefines the diesel. It is quiet as any gasoline engine and has near zero throttle lag time. In fact the zero to sixty is 7.5 seconds, within 2 seconds my Corvette's 5.7 seconds. While running it in a closed garage, no noticeable exhaust smell! The mileage is very impressive. It always average 36 MPG in city and on a long trip 42 MPG is the norm.
Even after 75,000 miles this car is as quiet as the day I first drove it. I have owned hundreds of cars in my life. And I have come to conclusion there are two types of cars, Mercedes Benz and all the rest. Other than Rolls Royce and Bentley of course, but they're in a class all by themselves along with their price.

Another big bonus of my purchasing this Mercedes Diesel also involved the Volkswagen Diesel-Gate emission scandal. Last year I received a check for nearly $4,000.00!











Nothing to see here, just large plastic cover






There's 60,000 miles on these tires and still going strong.

jabberwoki:
Ok but who owns the sls?

oldcarguy:
I don't own a SLS,, though I have had the chance to drive one a few times. My crave for a Sports car is satisfied by my 1985 Corvette. Though it's no way near the same class as the SLS. it's still a head turner...

john k:
What kind of shifter does the MB have?  Have had some tires that were steel magnets too.  Ran Michelins on my big Olds,  often got 60-70K from them.  My 08 Jeep Liberty currently has 254K, everything is still working. 

goodfellow:
Congratulations OCG! That is a beautiful vehicle. MB diesels are legendary, and I'm glad you purchased a great reliable SUV. That is quite a rare trait these days with many German manufacturers.

I have to admit that I'm "gun shy" when it comes to owning any automobile from a German manufacturer (or any other European brand for that matter).
I've seen and experienced enough horror stories to avoid anything made in Europe, and will stick to domestic and Japanese brands. I'm also thoroughly convinced that the quality German engineering that became a standard during the second half of the 20th century has pretty much gone in the dumpster. Spotty reliability, very high maintenance costs, and unnecessary complexity have defined the modern German automobile.

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