2009 C63 Beige and Grey Leather Interiors and AMG Select Fabric

The 2009 C63 is available with 5 interior options. Having only seen the Black Leather (210), I was at a loss when Randall from California asked me exactly what the other interiors looked like. Since I couldn't answer his question he visited a couple of local dealers and here are the results!

Sahara Beige/Black Leather Interior (205) only has the Beige Leather on the front of the driver and passenger seats. The whole dash, back of the seats and headliner are black.
Grey/Black Leather Interior (208) has grey seats AND a grey lower dash. The upper dash, back of the seats and headliner are black.

The AMG Select Fabric Interiors (701 and 718) which are standard for 2009, are still a bit of a mystery. We have not seen it in person but it should look something like this. The Mercedes-Benz fabric has always been very good looking and shockingly durable. It was standard on the 2006 ML's for a brief time and I was very impressed with the high quality and appearance of the fabric.

Thanks to Randall for filling in this gap my C63 knowledge!

Atlanta Classic Cars Demo Sale

It's that time again...our 2008 demo's have accumulated and we need them off our lot and in your garage!

This ad will be running in the AJC this weekend so you'll need to act quickly.

2008 R350 M4866 MSRP $48,570 - $14,000 OFF
2008 R350 M4802 MSRP $52,410 - $17,000 OFF
2008 R350 M4833 MSRP $51,210 - $16,000 OFF
2008 R350 M4914 MSRP $52,430 - $17,000 OFF
2008 R350 M4865 MSRP $49,930 - $17,000 OFF
2008 R350 M4797 MSRP $57,090 - $20,000 OFF

4 - 2008 ML350s
3 - 2008 C300 & C350s
2008 E350, E320BlueTEC, GL450, AND E63

Some of these cars can be used with special financing, some cannot. Miles vary from 300 to 12,000. I would suggest that you come by the dealership and see the cars in person to determine which car is the best deal for you. Please call me to set up an appointment and ask for me when you arrive.

Update: The Demo Sale was a HUGE success. Please look for the updated post...most of the vehicles are sold.

My Take On The 2009 Mercedes Model Updates

Now that the 2009 vehicles have arrived, I have had a chance to spend some time with each of them and I have noticed some of the quirks that show up every year. These are little changes that aren't really announced but can be a bit of a shock to those of us to take the accessories very seriously.

My Biggest Loss -
The US has a new law that requires all window roll UP functions to be controlled by a button that you have to hold in the UP position. So, that means that tunnel mode, where you hold DOWN the recirculate button and all of the windows close, is out. So is remote roll up, where you hold the lock button on the key DOWN, to roll up all the windows at once. This was a very convenient function on the lot when I am in and out of cars all day, trying to keep them cool. However, it is being slowly phased out so some cars still work this way and some don't!

2009 ML, GL, R-Class

• Love AC power plug in the rear cargo area! Part of the Premium 1 Package and a great addition!
  
• The new Rear DVD system can now play 2 DVD's at the same time - one can be loaded in the DVD slot in the front of the car and one in the backseat!

• The 4 GB Music Register can store music that you have loaded onto the SD card or burned to a CD or DVD. It cannot store commercially purchased CDs. This is exactly opposite of the C-Class music register. Strange.
  
• ML & GL have bigger mirrors for 2009. This had been a complaint on the previous years.

2009 C-Class

• Compass in the rearview mirror is a nice addition. (Premium 1)
  
• Memory seats are absolutely perfect!
  
• Mocha/Almond interior is quite different from Savannah/Cashmere. I like that the Mocha/Almond is more neutral/less basketball colored. Very pretty!
  
• Music Register is upped to 6 GB.

2009 S and CL-Class

• Bluetooth adaptor can be ordered with the vehicle for $200 less than it can be purchased at the dealership.

2009 E-Class

• No charge 321 Sport Package on the E350 Sport is an amazing value. Wheels, bumpers, shift paddles for $0! Last year it was more than $2000! I know because I bought one... Be sure to order the Pano roof. My car is a white sport package with the Pano roof and it's hot!
  
• New navigation system has Bluetooth built in. That's another $525 savings.

If I find any more I'll keep you posted!

2008 Smart Coupe for sale at Atlanta Classic Cars

We just acquired this Smart Coupe. It is silver, panoramic roof, black leather and heated seats. Just 500 miles! $21,900.

The last one we had lasted 4 hours in inventory. Call me immediately if you are interested. 770 279 3680. Good Luck!

MBUSA C-Class National Sales Walk-Around Winner DVD

You may remember that last November I won the C-Class Walk-Around Competition for all of the dealerships in the Southern Region. Mercedes has just published a DVD showing my presentation along with the 3 other regional winners. This DVD has been sent to all US dealerships and will be used as a training example.

Before you watch the video, it's important to know that we were given a theoretical customer to tailor our presentation to. My customer was Art Vandelay (someone likes Seinfeld), an Architect with a wife and new baby.

Federal Tax Credit For Mercedes 2009 GL, ML & R-Class BlueTEC Diesels

Mercedes has just annouced that the 2009 BlueTEC SUVs will qualify for the federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit. This is the same tax credit that has been avaliable on most hybrid vehicles. One interesting thing is that because Toyota and Lexus have already sold their total of eligible vehicles none of their hybrids will qualify for this credit. Here are the details from Mercedes-Benz.

• Any qualifying vehicle (MY09 BlueTEC GL, ML & R- Class) must be purchased - Leased vehicles will not qualify for the credit.
  
• Credit is not realized at retail purchase, but must be applied for individually by the customer, and claimed on their Income Tax Return (1040). Each respective customer should contact their individual tax advisor for more details.
  
• Unfortunately, the 40 state MY09 E320 BlueTEC does not qualify for this credit.
  
• Maximum tax credit amounts: -- 2009 ML320 BlueTEC: $900 -- 2009 R320 BlueTec: $1,550 -- 2009 GL320 BlueTEC: $1,800 -- Please note: amount is based on a somewhat complicated formula, and since the ML is the lightest of the three vehicles, it is held to a higher standard for fuel economy improvement, but has the smallest improvement of the three vehicles. Therefore the maximum is relatively lower vs. the GL & R- Classes.
  
• The credit begins to phase out via a rather complicated tiered structure once the manufacturer sells 60,000 eligible vehicles, (hybrids/diesels) and is then subsequently eliminated.
  
• Toyota /Lexus already reached the maximum number of hybrids sold in October 2007, so anyone purchasing a Toyota or Lexus hybrid is no longer eligible for the above mentioned tax credit.

Better fuel economy and a tax credit! Seems like a no-brainer.

Heikki Kovalainen Gets First Formula 1 Win!

Lewis and Heikki qualified first and second respectively for today's F1 race at the Hungaroring putting them both in position for a great finish. On the start Felipe Massa's Ferrari jumped into the lead from third on the grid. Our drivers were maintaining second and third place until Lewis got a flat tire and lost a lot of time getting back to the pit lane. Lewis rejoined the field in 10th with enough fuel to finish the race. Through the next cycle of pit stops Lewis moved up to 5th where he would finish the race. With two laps to go the engine in Felipe Massa'a Ferrari gave up allowing Heikki to take the lead and the win. This was Heikki's first F1 win and he became the 100th driver in F1 history to win a grand prix. Massa's failure to finish also allowed Lewis to maintain the lead in the driver's championship. The McLaren Mercedes team also narrowed the gap in the constructor's championship, to first place Ferrari, to just 11 points.