Happy 125th To Mercedes-Benz!

The headline is misleading, it states "Happy 125th to Mercedes Benz", when in actual fact Mercedes Benz is a relatively young car brand with the first model being thus branded in 1926. If you are talking about company lineage, then TATA with it's ownership of both the Rover and Daimler brand is older.

I gotta admit that the new C-class really appeals to me. Of course I've never even seen one that I would actually buy (manual, low option), but I'd have to consider it if I was looking at new BMW's at least. The E-Class no longer does anything for me, the S-Class can't be disrespected but isn't as classy as the A8, and the SUV's are blah blah blah. That being said Mercedes still makes the best American style luxury muscle cars on the planet. I'm sure they wouldn't really appreciate that observation though.

The last Car they made that appeals to me would be W126. Now some of the Commercial Vehicles represent a great value on the used market. A Sterling L9513 with a 10 speed and Series 60 Detroit would be my first choice.

I've always been pretty much a BMW owner and still have an E46 that I really like. I also have had a few 911 versions (964, 993) and thought they were great sports cars. But I bought a new 2009 E63 AMG almost 2 years ago which was a real deviation from the norm for me. It was the last of the W211 body style which I find to be more a classic style then the new W212 E63. I got a great deal with a major model end discount. The biggest surprise is that it turned out to be the nicest car I've owned. It handles quite well considering the weight (it feels pretty agile for a large sedan) is super comfortable, and it goes like snot. And surprisingly it's been the most reliable car I've owned (and I've racked up a LOT of miles on it so far.) I realize the depreciation is high on them and I knew that going in. But I intend to keep it for a while, and I even bought an extended factory warranty. I never thought I'd ever be in a Benz in my life. But this car is great fun to drive, and it feels solid and safe. It's an ideal long distance highway cruiser. Yet non-owners complain about these cars all the time. I admit I did too until I decided to try it on for size. Turns out it fits really well. And nowadays I don't see the BMW 5 series being really any better, yet it gets more positive comments (also by non-owners.) There's reality and then there's perception. Owning this car has radically changed my perception. What MBella said above is nonsense. I didn't buy the car for a three pointed star on the hood (in fact I took it off and replaced it with a flat badge.) I bought it because it had what I was looking for: safety, ride quality, nice V8 motor, and comfort. His reply is so stereotypical and it's what I mean about reality versus perception. Plus his description is also erroneous and not factual whatsoever (and despite what he claims, I can turned off traction control with an in cabin button or turn the nannies off 100% in dyno mode through the diagnostic menu in the car.)