It’s much, much different when there’s things to run into. And are you sure traction control didn’t come on? It doesn’t kill the engine, it just reduces power to what it senses the tires can handle

I submit the BMW M6 Grancoupe, although I would imagine the regular coupe fits the same bill.

Lucky. The want is strong for that one.

Unfortunately, their warranties on used luxury vehicles tend to be in the $8k+ range by now. The cheap warranty on anything period was short lived, and most of us missed it.

But, someone else brought up the point that the fuel economy tests would have been done in ‘test’ mode, which is why TDIs were always known to get way more than the advertised fuel economy. The ‘fix’ will probably bring them back in line with whats on the window sticker.

Oh my gosh, I never thought of that. So all this ‘Diesels get better than advertised Fuel Economy’ mess is just that - mess. I’ve always wondered if I was doing something wrong, as I have to try pretty hard to beat the rated fuel economy in my ‘05 Mercedes E320 CDI by more than an mpg or two.

Yep. The wood in my W211 is already cracking. Way more than I feel like it ought to for being 11 years old.

First gen was only Series II, or perhaps Series I? Either way, I want to say output topped out at something a lot closer to 200hp, if not just under it. Still stout for the day, but not quite as mean as the 2nd gen with the Series III.

When I was in elementary school, my neighbor taught at the school (and was my teacher one year). She had a 420SEL, that medium brown that every-other-one seems to be. I always loved when my Dad would go out of town, because I got to ride to school in the Mercedes. Almost bought a black 350SDL years ago, and really…

*93-96. The 98-99 ‘Fleetwood’ was just a special DeVille, I believe with a slight stretch, but I’m not positive. Still, both very ‘Gentle’.

What did it require every 3k miles?

They do tend to be pretty good cars, especially if you can get one with records and see that it didn’t sit in the shop nickel-and-diming it’s owner. Little things go wrong with them (the rear sunshade will probably be broken, for instance), but the transmissions are stout (with stock power), replacement suspension…

Yep, I have an ‘05 E320 CDI (the same as the one pictured, but diesel and less options), and I echo your sentiment fully. It’s just like pretty much anyone anywhere will tell you, if you’re buying an older luxury car with your last dollar, don’t. But if you buy a well maintained one of a decently-reliable model and…

Come again? The SBC ‘brake-by-wire’ system may not be the most linear system out there, but they actually aren’t bad at all. Unfortunately, most reviews of any W211s were done before the software update that made them much, much more palatable for normal driving. But I’ll gladly give up a touch of linearity for just…

In addition to what Jeebus wrote, it has 516 lb/ft of torque. Even if you aren’t spinning tires all over the place, just putting up with that much force is going to wear the rears out way faster over time.

Believe it or not, these* actually aren’t that bad to hustle around. Obviously they aren’t track cars, but the brakes hold up very well to the weight, and they’re pretty good handlers. I’d imagine the S/C V8 weighs a good bit less than the iron-block diesel, so the plow wouldn’t be quite as pronounced either.

It’s not really an opinion, just a tacit admission to being too lazy to find any production numbers on the Smart, hence the inclusion of ‘I’d bet’ right before it.

Where did I say it was? It was a great car, but sales the first two years were much, much greater than after that. Two unrelated facts.

How’s the fuel economy on those things? I’ve only had one pwc, a Yamaha FX140 years ago, but damn if that thing didn’t go through some fuel. Had an 18.5 gallon tank, and you could easily go through that in a few hours of riding if you tried. Even cruising at a moderate speed, it seemed to just go right through it.

So, you want to say it Failed in America, even though we bought most of them? I mean, I guess you could say, yes, the original NSX failed, and it was sold in America, so it failed while being sold in America...