No more Camry
 

We did not want to be left out of all the new car purchases. Actually found something today.

That is all. Pics and details tomorrow.

The S.O. seems to love it.

A used Prius you bought from some guy named Sikes?

Wow! Do I see a hint in your "carmudgeonly ride" info?

I noticed that too.

So yeah long story short. We were out yesterday and decided to take the Camry to the car wash for the first time in forever. (see how much we liked it.)

We were only out running some errands and decided to stop by the local Porsche dealer just for shits and giggles. Well we ended up taking home this 06 C55 they had on the lot.

Talk about out of the blue decisions. We saw it and the first thing that struck us was the odd fun color. Its weird in different lights. Some gray, some green, some hints of blue. Kind of cool and I had never seen it before. So we asked about it and got the keys.

Super clean inside and out. The inside esp looks like new. Has most everything. Nav, heated seats, Harmon Kardon, rear shade etc. Only one small crease in the drivers lower bolster. One owner trade in on a new loaded Caymen. A 63yo doctor apparently.

The outside has a scratch on the lower front apron from maybe a curb. Cant see it unless you look for it and maybe three small door dings the dentless guy can take care of. Not even any curb rash on the rims.

So I know, boring automatic Merc right.

Well then you start it and hear the 5.4 liter. Umm ok lets go for a test drive. To my surprise having never driven one, this thing has balls. The torque is addicting. The auto in manual mode is entertaining enough and the ride even came across as stiff. Who would have guessed for a Merc. Well sorted in the few cloverleafs I tackled.

So back to the dealer and 6 hours later the Camry was gone and this came home. The S.O. likes autos better so its a good fit. I actually enjoy driving it to so for and for the price we got it seemed like a no brainer.

One funny note. The S.O. turned had turned off the traction control and forgot. We were making a right into traffic at a red and at the point of pulling out got a little ambitious on the throttle. The tail came out and surprised us both. Freaky as shit at first but then we both laughed. It's definitely not the Camry and you don't have to floor it to merge. Esp with the TC off.

All for now. Very happy.

nice, first merc on this forum?

I think so. Not much love for them here.

Congrats! Looks like we have some spring car-buying fever here lately. :)

No - I had a 420SEL earlier - but sold it.
http://forums.carmudgeons.com/showthread.php?t=8996

Might be the only one around here now though.

Nice C-class. :)

Thanks Lip and sorry I forgot about the 420. Now that you mention it, I think FC had a 190 right?

Ummm no.

Congrats, hopefully you can curb the e36 remorse with the boat loads of torque from two german V8s and 8 tail pipes. I like the m5 license plate, did you come up with something creative for the merc yet?

Hey Josh we have been looking here and there for a few months but ultimately I did not get the last word on the purchase since its not primarily my car. I have to say I do like driving it so far.

I think I will always miss the E36. It was just one of those cars I really liked.

As for the plate, I had the same one for the E46 with a 3 in place of the 5. We just started talking today about possibilities for the Merc.

I have to say I think used is the way to go for me from now on. Let someone else take the depreciation hit.

Hope the E39 is running well!!

Congratulations Theo on the car! That is a beautiful color. It must be a hoot to drive.

-- Greg

Congrats! Good story too...

Yeah - He did.

Funny thing - Patty and I drove a SLK320 on Saturday.
I have to admit - it is a REALLY nice car.
She's getting really tired of the Yukon and looking for something different.

Her first foray into European cars was with our old 300SD then 420SEL....
She still likes the Mercedes 'feel' -
And I have to admit - the newer Mercedes' fell much more like a traditional Mercedes than the new BMW's....

The time isn't right now - but I think we'll end up with a first generation SLK in our garage at some point. Nice car - and the prices isn't half bad.....

I realize I will get branded as a loser or something for admitting this, but if Mercedes used more manuals, I would shop them seriously. They are really nice places to be inside. They don't drive like BMW's, but they are fine for 99.5% of the driving I do. Which granted, isn't much since I commute on the motorcycle.

We would consider Mercedes as well if they sold more cars with manuals. My wife likes the way they look (I, in general, don't) but the auto only thing is a deal killer for both of us.

+1 on Mercs, I'd consider them if manuals were available. There are the rare c230 sport sedans from the previous generation, and those were quite allright... Though audi trumps them in the awd dept. and bmw wins in rwd sportiness.

The problem with the C230s was that the engine was quite a dog. Otherwise, they were very pleasant to be inside.

The current C300 (with a 228 hp 3.0L V6) comes with a 6M. http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/#/vehi...c=C&vmf=C300WZ

I haven't tried one; my issue with Mercedes vehicles is that, at least five or so years ago, their manuals were about the only ones I'd ever tried that left me yearning for an auto. Talk about terrible shift feel. I think that the new ones are better, but the C class has never appealed to me when compared to the comparable 3er.

I love the front end of the current C class. Forward of the A pilar, they just look awesome. Aft of the C pilar is a near disaster in the early E65 sense. In between, more to the "nice" side of "eh, whatever," but it flows well out of the front of the car.

+1

I also agree with the manual argument. But this not being my car I don't get the final word. RWD + manual paddle shifters + 367hp make it not so bad though.

Went shopping for the C already.

Went to the dealer and bought all the components for installing bluetooth. Luckily the 05-07 C's were all pre-wired so the hard part is done. Oddly enough post 07 Benz's no longer came pre-wired unless you opted for bluetooth as an option. Was not TO bad for about $850. I have a weekend project now.

While we were there we asked about an aux cable for iPod integration. Now comes the duh moment. The parts guy asked if we had the command unit (Nav). We said yes. He said go look in the glovebox to the right of the cd changer. Umm ok. Ummm yeah the aux input is already there. DOH. Cool integration to for playlists and all.

Lastly I purchased a set of High flow primary cats. We like the stock exhaust but it could use a little more bass and presence. Going to try these first and go from there.

It's Fun having two cars we like but bad for the wallet. =)

not exactly street(CARB) legal?:dunno:

We should be fine if we leave the secondaries alone. But we won't know for another three years after this current test. =)