Any 'Car Guys' in Charlotte? Favor, to check out something for me?

billbillw

Charlotte, NC that is...

Looking at a car up there. Its a 4.5 hour drive for me, so I'm not sure if I want to take that much time to go see it unless I know its as advertised. Wondering if someone who is a 'car guy' would take a quick look at it to see if there are any glaring issues. Quick drive, quick look. Its a pretty cool car, you might enjoy it. PM me for details.

Car is on Hwy 74, near Idelwild. SE part of town?

VR3

Hmmm

PM me some more detailed details and I will see if I have the schedule to help you out

treitz3

Same here.

What kind of vehicle? If it's near Idlewild, is it from City Chevrolet or that consignment-type lot across the street?

billbillw

treitz3 wrote: »

Same here.

What kind of vehicle? If it's near Idlewild, is it from City Chevrolet or that consignment-type lot across the street?

Its from the Consignment place. Sid said he might be able to check it out, but he hasn't gotten back to me.

I'll PM you with more details.

billbillw

A big thanks and shout out to Tom (treitz3) for helping me on this. He took a couple hours of his time to thoroughly check out a car for me and then called to provide very detailed info on all the flaws that he saw (not many thankfully).

It gave me the confidence to move forward and make a deal on a car that I've only seen photos of.

Thanks bro, I owe you big time!

treitz3

You owe me nothing. It's part of the Polk spirit, helping fellow members. That said, thanks for the kind words. I'm sure you will have many miles of happiness in that car. I know I would and that's coming from a "truck" guy.

Best wishes on getting it for a good price. *prays*

Toolfan66

WOW!! this place can have is issues from time to time but things like this is what sets it apart from the rest..

Good deal guys!!!

billbillw

Made a deal on the car today. Should be picking it up Monday.

Tom, I got them to come well off the price you saw and I am happy with the deal. I had a mechanic look at it yesterday and they said I couldn't go wrong with that car. Only a slight oil leak from one of the valve covers, which is common in these cars.

You say I don't owe you, but you have to at least let me buy you a beer while we are up there.

halo71

So Bill, tell us about the car. What is it?

treitz3

billbillw wrote: »

Tom, I got them to come well off the price you saw and I am happy with the deal. I had a mechanic look at it yesterday and they said I couldn't go wrong with that car.

Congratulations my man! Sweet tittie!!!

I'll see if I can't clear up Monday's work for some fun. We'll chat offline for the details. Again, congratulations. I'm excited for ya'.

billbillw

For those wondering, the car is a 2001 Mercedes E55 AMG with only 78k miles.





Some might wonder why I would be looking for a car that old, etc.
Maybe this will explain it:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/08q4/most_fun_for_25_000-feature/1999_e2_80_932002_mercedes-benz_e55_amg_page_7

Also, this guy has some nice writeups with links to all the old car mag reviews here:
http://www.derekspratt.com/HTML/Automotive/2000_Mercedes_E55.html

Basically, a super reliable, comfortable, stealth bomber of a car. Can runs low 13's on street tires and still haul a family on a weekend trip.

treitz3

.....and it has a cup holder. :biggrin:

billbillw

A great review at Motor Trend too...

I love this quote:

It comes down to this: If that pip-squeak in the new Corvette next to you doesn't launch perfectly-and nail every one of his redline shifts with lightning speed-you're going to whup him good in the sprint to 60 mph, you and your Mercedes-Benz E55-and over the distance of the quarter mile, too.

Let that soak in for a minute. Your handsomely elegant, roomy, quiet four-door sedan with a silky five-speed automatic is every bit as swift as a purpose-built, two-seat, manual-transmission sports car. Conventional wisdom says that, to go fast, you've got to sacrifice comfort, convenience, luxury, utility-you name it. The E55 proves that (for a price) you need to accept zero compromise.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/mercedes_benz/112_9906_2000_mercedes_benz_e55_amg/index.html#ixzz1SfpJPYkT

Keep in mind that is talking about a 1999-2000 Vette, before they went on steroids.

treitz3

I have to admit, I have never been a fan of Mercedes on the performance level but this one? It's got my respect. Man, what a fun car to drive.

While I may not be all that crazy about the looks department, it is, after all a sedan. For a sedan, this bad boy rocks. Quickly, might I add.

billbillw

treitz3 wrote: »

I have to admit, I have never been a fan of Mercedes on the performance level but this one? It's got my respect. Man, what a fun car to drive.

While I may not be all that crazy about the looks department, it is, after all a sedan. For a sedan, this bad boy rocks. Quickly, might I add.

I like the subdued looks. Keeps the police attention down. Yeah, I'm a sport-sedan guy. I've had them almost exclusively over the last 14 or so years. 4-doors are just a fact of life for me. 14 years ago, I liked them because my drunk friends could get in and out of the back seat easier when we went club hopping. A few years later, I was taking my co-workers to lunch in the back seat. Now I take my two kids to school daily.

treitz3

I only have one kid at the moment and even though I might not even like my wife's sedan [or most sedan's for that matter]? I know exactly where you are coming from. BTW, part of the reason I drive a truck is the po-po factor. When I had my '79 TA? Once every two weeks. It was either "We had a report of a stolen Trans-Am" or whatever the flavor of the week was. It wasn't so much that I was illegal for anything...it was that they consistently made me late for things for no reason. Grrr.

BTW, I loved how quiet the car was when getting on it. Almost like you were putt-putting around. Of course, the G-factors said otherwise. Nice. First thing I said when I got home? "Honey, I want a Mercedes". No bull.

billbillw

treitz3 wrote: »

BTW, I loved how quiet the car was when getting on it. Almost like you were putt-putting around. Of course, the G-factors said otherwise. Nice. First thing I said when I got home? "Honey, I want a Mercedes". No bull.

If you do get one someday, just make sure it is an AMG!

treitz3

What's the difference between the AMG and the Kompressors or [whatever they are called] I see running around? Do you know?

billbillw

Kompressor just means it has a supercharger or turbo. Not all Kompressor cars are AMG cars.

AMG is Mercedes' performance division like SVT for Ford, M-division for BMW, etc. The cars that actually have an AMG badge on the rear of the car are tuned from top to bottom for better performance. They usually have unique interiors, custom bodywork, free flowing exhaust, lower profile tires with unique wheels, and of course, sport tuned suspension. Oh, most importantly, they have a hand built engine. Each engine is built from start to finish by one master engine technician. Their motto is one man, one engine. The newer cars have a name plate on the engine from the builder.

treitz3

Dang. I never knew that. So, this isn't like Ferrari where you have to pay to fly your tech in to work on the engine, is it?

You got one hell of a deal, man.

pitdogg2

billbillw wrote: »

Made a deal on the car today. Should be picking it up Monday.

WHAT they have a 3 day wait for assult cars there?:biggrin::biggrin:
sneaky booggers

stuwee

Wow, cool thread! Congrat's on the 'new' E55, dang pretty ride, and pretty dang fast too!

billbillw

pitdogg2 wrote: »

WHAT they have a 3 day wait for assult cars there?:biggrin::biggrin:
sneaky booggers

No, that's my choice. The car is 4.5 hours away and that is the soonest I can get up there.

pitdogg2

I figured that but was just attempting some humor.
very nice car by the way

billbillw

I picked this car up on Monday. All I can say is WOW! This 10 year old car is in better shape than many 1-2 year old cars that I see. Tom didn't let me down. Some of his descriptions of minor 'problems' were actually exaggerated in my opinion. I couldn't be happier with the car's condition.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to meet up with Tom while I was up there, but we both knew that probably wouldn't happen due to timing/location/etc. Hope we can meet up some day though. Thanks again bro.

Oh, and AMG Benz rules! This car is amazingly fast in an effortless manner. Smooth and quiet on the interstate, big V8 torque, but still got 25mpg average on the way back from Charlotte. This one is a keeper. Hope to get 4-5 years of daily driving out of her.