Re: [MBZ] (no subject)
Or start a new series - A Carolina Country Boy Remembers, - a tenant-farm boy growing up during the 1930's, '40's and '50's. Wilton - Original Message - From: WILTON To: Tim Crone Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 6:31 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] (no subject) Yep, may hafta go to re-runs. ;) Wilton - Original Message - From: Tim Crone To: WILTON ; Mercedes Discussion List Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 2:43 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] (no subject) I thought you were teasing about there not being many stories left. Best, -Tim On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 12:59 PM, WILTON via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] (no subject)
On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:34:13 -0500 WILTON via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Or start a new series - A Carolina Country Boy Remembers, - a tenant-farm boy growing up during the 1930's, '40's and '50's. That would be interesting, Wilton. I'm sure you have a lot of material there to share. Craig ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
[MBZ] Interesting
http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-are-four-great-reasons-why-luxury-cars-arent-only-1670300745/1670691632/+Kyosuke --R ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] (no subject)
From: Craig via Mercedes Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2014 11:11 AM To: Mercedes Discussion List Reply To: Craig Subject: Re: [MBZ] (no subject) On Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:34:13 -0500 WILTON via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Or start a new series - A Carolina Country Boy Remembers, - a tenant-farm boy growing up during the 1930's, '40's and '50's. That would be interesting, Wilton. I'm sure you have a lot of material there to share. I concur. I immensely enjoy hearing tales of yore directly from the source. My GF's father is 84 and emigrated from England in the 50's. I can listen to tales of his childhood, with descriptions of the war years, for hours. Perhaps some might think him a doddering old geezer, but I for one, enjoy his company. Rick Who is not quite an old geezer, but hopes to be one day. Sent from my BlackBerry Z10 ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
Very perceptive! If you budget 25 percent of the PP (priced over $5000) for annual maintenance and repairs, you know that you will pay a pittance in exchange for the pleasure and prestige of driving a Mercedes.. On Sat, Dec 13, 2014 at 12:25 PM, Rich Thomas via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-are-four-great-reasons- why-luxury-cars-arent-only-1670300745/1670691632/+Kyosuke --R ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
Yes and this is exactly why I'd never buy a non luxury brand. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 13, 2014, at 12:25 PM, Rich Thomas via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/here-are-four-great-reasons-why-luxury-cars-arent-only-1670300745/1670691632/+Kyosuke --R ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
[MBZ] OT - fuel prices
1) So you think you are finally getting one over on the gas stations as you pay well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years? Guess again. Gas stations love low prices too — and not just because customers are nicer when they are paying less. We're in the same shoes as the consumer, the cost of fuel is less for us, says Kevin Beyer, who owns Performance Fuels, a filling station and convenience store in Smithtown, NY. That means profits for Beyer and the nation's 127,000 filling stations are rising. Before they sell gas to you, station owners buy gas on the wholesale market. When the wholesale price of gasoline falls quickly the difference between the cost of wholesale gasoline (including taxes) and the price at the pump gets wider, boosting profits for stations. The steeper the drop, the better. It's completely antithetical to what people believe, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. That difference has stretched to 21.7 cents per gallon this year, the highest ever, according to an OPIS analysis of 16,000 U.S. stations. That compares to an average of 17.1 cents over the last five years. On a percentage basis, station profitability is at its highest since 2005. And profits on diesel sales are even higher. They are off the charts, Kloza says. Yes, that means you could be paying even less for gasoline than you are. But before you cry foul, you should know that after all the ups and downs in a year, gas stations do not make much money from selling gasoline. After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon, according the National Association of Convenience Stores. When gas prices soar, and drivers think they're being gouged, stations are barely scraping by or even losing money. When the wholesale price is soaring, like it did in 2008, 2011 and 2012, station owners can't increase the price at the pump as fast as their costs are going up or they risk losing customers to competitors. When the wholesale price is going down, like now, there isn't the same pressure to lower the price. Drivers are so happy to see lower prices they don't search all over town for the lowest one. And then when they put gas in the tank, they fill 'er up instead of just putting in a few dollars' worth. And drivers have some money left over to spend on what's really profitable for station owners: The drinks and snacks inside. As the pricing goes down, I don't see people shopping (for the cheapest price) as much as they do when it's going up, says Beyer. They are still feeling a relief at the pump. As a result, he adds, People are more friendly. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 78 days in a row to $2.60 a gallon. That's 65 cents less than last year at this time and $1.10 below its peak for this year of $3.70, reached in April. Gas has fallen because the global price of crude oil has dropped 45 percent since this summer. The U.S., Canada and other countries are producing more oil at time when world demand is weak because of sluggish economic growth. This has drained profits and knocked down the share prices of oil producers — the exploration and production divisions of the big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and companies such as ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil. Refiners, including refining divisions of the big oil companies and refining-only companies such as Phillips 66 and Valero, have held up better. They benefit from lower crude costs, although they are also grappling with high fuel inventories. Gas station owners, though, are thrilled. The vast majority of stations are owned by small independent operators, even if the sign out front says Exxon, BP or Shell. But shares of CST Brands, which owns Valero and Corner Store filling stations are up 25 percent since mid-October. The big inning (for gas stations), which started after Labor Day, is going to extend through Christmas, Kloza says. http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/smallbusiness/like-low-gas-prices-so-does-the-station-owner/ar-BBgHZop 2) What Really Caused Oil Prices to Plunge So Far -- So Quickly The 35% drop in oil prices http://www.thestreet.com/story/12983324/1/low-oil-prices-hits-some-countries-worse-than-others-moodys-finds.html this fall has been breathtaking. No one -- not even energy experts -- expected prices to fall this far, this quickly. And the slide doesn't seem to be over. What happened? True, the U.S. has nearly doubled its oil production over the past five years, while OPEC http://www.thestreet.com/story/12969239/1/how-opecs-plan-to-undercut-us-oil-production-may-have-backfired.htmland other suppliers have been unwilling to cut back on production. Demand has also been softening. But that still doesn't explain why prices suddenly fell off a cliff. The answer seems to have less to do with supply and demand and more to do with how oil is traded. In short, the slide in oil prices appears to be mainly
[MBZ] Love those cheap repairs!
Fixed a bad PSE pump on the 95 S500 today. On the W140 chassis cars there are two pneumatic pumps - one under the right rear seat (PSE) that provides vacuum and pressure for central locking, trunk closing and lumbar supports, and a second one on the left side of the trunk tucked next to the gas tank for the door closing assist system. Both are fairly complex devices in the sense that they provide both pressure and vacuum depending on the requirement, and have automatic shutoffs if a leak occurs or a system can’t be pressurized or “vacuumed”. Youngest son had advised me about a strange humming sound in the car, which, by the time I was able to see it, the fuse had blown. Coupled with this he advised that the central locking system had stopped working, so these two data points told me it was the PSE pump. Replaced the fuse, but the pump appeared to be dead. He had finals this past week, so I wasn’t able to get to the car until today. Having read several threads on BenzWorld’s W140 forum about this, it had been said that there was a vendor who had a limited number of replacement motors for the PSE pumps for sale for $10. These were new motors made by the same OEM supplier to Mercedes - $10 each. I bought one on a whim at the time, thinking it would be cheap insurance if I ever had a PSE pump failure. Disassembled the PSE pump, and applied 12VDC to the motor. Dead as a doornail. Unsoldered the leads to the old motor, filed a “D” shape on the shaft of the new motor to match the old one (the replacement motor had a round shaft with splines rather than the “D” shaped shaft), soldered the leads to the new motor and buttoned everything up. Five minutes later we had central locking, auto trunk closing, trunk handle extension and lumbar supports. Gosh, I love these cheap DIY repairs. A new PSE pump is serious coin, if you can find one. Coupe versions are even harder to find, as they are unique to the coupe. All is well now, and youngest son is pleased and happy. And he was with me helping out and observing the whole time. Dan ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
Other than Dan and Kaleb, anyone else fit this category (owners of an S-class 140 model or newer? I'm sure there is someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Love those cheap repairs!
Nice work! Great price on the motor, wonder how long it will last? Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
#1 boy drives a 92 300SE (w140). If adequate care has been taken, these are good cars. Age does make an impact upon them. If you repair or replace as systems fail, they will not strand you. The w220 is another bucket or worms. The 140 has a build quality that is not there in the newer S series. Far more complex bells and whistles, lower end fabric and finishes, shoddier plastics and fit. Still a bit better than what the newer lesser marques are producing on their higher end cars. clay 2002 s430 - Victor, a Stately well tailored chap 1974 450sl - Frosch - Two tone green 1972 220D - Gump - She was green, simple and ran 1995 E300D - Gave her life to save me against a Dame in a SUV POS 1987 SDL - Beware Nigerian Scammers On Dec 13, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes wrote: Other than Dan and Kaleb, anyone else fit this category (owners of an S-class 140 model or newer? I'm sure there is someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
After 2001 they are no longer W140 models. I don’t recall the model number off the top of my head, but I would steer very, very far away from these. These are Chrysler cars, and the fit, finish and engineering reflect their standards or lack thereof. They are surprisingly cheap, at least you think so, until you do some research and find things like the obscenely expensive and unreliable self leveling systems they have, for one thing. Jaime also warned me off these because their telematics are “all in one” units that are difficult and expensive to repair, if I recall his comments. I will say that I have heard the later models, such as the years you suggested are supposed to be better, but I’m not sure if that’s relative or not. I had a guy who wanted to swap me a 2002-3 S600 for my R129. It had about 120k on the clock and had service records. Black sedan, in good shape all around. I read about the issues, especially those regarding the suspension systems, and promptly thanked him and politely refused. I would suggest that you look around the corresponding forum on Benzworld and see what people are saying. My experiences are minimal and only relate to the particular car I was considering. I would really like to have a four door sedan, but from what I saw with the later (post 2000) models I will stick with the W140. Dan On Dec 13, 2014, at 4:48 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Other than Dan and Kaleb, anyone else fit this category (owners of an S-class 140 model or newer? I'm sure there is someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Love those cheap repairs!
The one it replaced was the original, so hopefully another 20 years or so. And the replacement was the exact same motor from the same supplier, so there’s no reason to expect that it was any less reliable than the original. Dan On Dec 13, 2014, at 4:50 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Nice work! Great price on the motor, wonder how long it will last? Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
I know I have mentioned this previously, but the W140, while a fairly complex car compared to earlier models, is surprisingly robust and easy to work on. The M119 V8 is darned near bulletproof, and the various systems in the car are well thought out and pretty robust. The thing to do is to buy a later, or “post facelift” model, meaning one that was built in 1996 or later. These don’t suffer from the AC evaporator failures or the self destructing wiring harnesses of 95 and earlier models. Do realize that the W140 was designed and engineered to compete with the high end cars of its time, such as Bentley and Roll-Royce. It was grossly over engineered, and this shows in their longevity. Electronics are industrial grade and very sturdy - there is a “coffin” in the engine compartment with all of the onboard computers and electronics - I have yet to know anyone that’s had one of the modules fail or go bad. I love my W140s and would compared them to the “family room couch” ride of the W126, only with more modern amenities and much quieter. My 95 S500 coupe that came from Tarek has nearly 280k on the clock, and the S420 I got from Tom is around 277k. Both are running great and are trouble free. I would get in either one and drive it across country at the drop of a hat. When I was looking for another W140 a while back I looked at the six cylinder models, but a number of owners of both V8 and six cylinder models said their was little difference in economy between the two, and the six was even a little underpowered for the chassis. I love ‘em and would like to have more. Dan On Dec 13, 2014, at 4:59 PM, clay via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: #1 boy drives a 92 300SE (w140). If adequate care has been taken, these are good cars. Age does make an impact upon them. If you repair or replace as systems fail, they will not strand you. The w220 is another bucket or worms. The 140 has a build quality that is not there in the newer S series. Far more complex bells and whistles, lower end fabric and finishes, shoddier plastics and fit. Still a bit better than what the newer lesser marques are producing on their higher end cars. clay 2002 s430 - Victor, a Stately well tailored chap 1974 450sl - Frosch - Two tone green 1972 220D - Gump - She was green, simple and ran 1995 E300D - Gave her life to save me against a Dame in a SUV POS 1987 SDL - Beware Nigerian Scammers On Dec 13, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes wrote: Other than Dan and Kaleb, anyone else fit this category (owners of an S-class 140 model or newer? I'm sure there is someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
Does a 1958 300d Adenauer count:) Sent from my iPhone On Dec 13, 2014, at 4:48 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Other than Dan and Kaleb, anyone else fit this category (owners of an S-class 140 model or newer? I'm sure there is someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. Max Dillon, Charleston SC ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Love those cheap repairs!
ATTABOY! Wilton - Original Message - From: Dan Penoff via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com To: Mercedes List mercedes@okiebenz.com Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2014 4:38 PM Subject: [MBZ] Love those cheap repairs! Fixed a bad PSE pump on the 95 S500 today. On the W140 chassis cars there are two pneumatic pumps - one under the right rear seat (PSE) that provides vacuum and pressure for central locking, trunk closing and lumbar supports, and a second one on the left side of the trunk tucked next to the gas tank for the door closing assist system. Both are fairly complex devices in the sense that they provide both pressure and vacuum depending on the requirement, and have automatic shutoffs if a leak occurs or a system can’t be pressurized or “vacuumed”. Youngest son had advised me about a strange humming sound in the car, which, by the time I was able to see it, the fuse had blown. Coupled with this he advised that the central locking system had stopped working, so these two data points told me it was the PSE pump. Replaced the fuse, but the pump appeared to be dead. He had finals this past week, so I wasn’t able to get to the car until today. Having read several threads on BenzWorld’s W140 forum about this, it had been said that there was a vendor who had a limited number of replacement motors for the PSE pumps for sale for $10. These were new motors made by the same OEM supplier to Mercedes - $10 each. I bought one on a whim at the time, thinking it would be cheap insurance if I ever had a PSE pump failure. Disassembled the PSE pump, and applied 12VDC to the motor. Dead as a doornail. Unsoldered the leads to the old motor, filed a “D” shape on the shaft of the new motor to match the old one (the replacement motor had a round shaft with splines rather than the “D” shaped shaft), soldered the leads to the new motor and buttoned everything up. Five minutes later we had central locking, auto trunk closing, trunk handle extension and lumbar supports. Gosh, I love these cheap DIY repairs. A new PSE pump is serious coin, if you can find one. Coupe versions are even harder to find, as they are unique to the coupe. All is well now, and youngest son is pleased and happy. And he was with me helping out and observing the whole time. Dan ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
What There is a car later than the W126 that is as good or better??? Don't believe it --- :-) On Sat, Dec 13, 2014 at 4:10 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: I know I have mentioned this previously, but the W140, while a fairly complex car compared to earlier models, is surprisingly robust and easy to work on. The M119 V8 is darned near bulletproof, and the various systems in the car are well thought out and pretty robust. The thing to do is to buy a later, or “post facelift” model, meaning one that was built in 1996 or later. These don’t suffer from the AC evaporator failures or the self destructing wiring harnesses of 95 and earlier models. Do realize that the W140 was designed and engineered to compete with the high end cars of its time, such as Bentley and Roll-Royce. It was grossly over engineered, and this shows in their longevity. Electronics are industrial grade and very sturdy - there is a “coffin” in the engine compartment with all of the onboard computers and electronics - I have yet to know anyone that’s had one of the modules fail or go bad. I love my W140s and would compared them to the “family room couch” ride of the W126, only with more modern amenities and much quieter. My 95 S500 coupe that came from Tarek has nearly 280k on the clock, and the S420 I got from Tom is around 277k. Both are running great and are trouble free. I would get in either one and drive it across country at the drop of a hat. When I was looking for another W140 a while back I looked at the six cylinder models, but a number of owners of both V8 and six cylinder models said their was little difference in economy between the two, and the six was even a little underpowered for the chassis. I love ‘em and would like to have more. Dan -- OK Don NSA: The only branch of government that actually listens to US citizens! There are three kinds of men: The ones that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. WILL ROGERS, *The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers* 2013 F150, 18 mpg 2012 Passat TDI DSG, 44 mpg 1957 C182A, 12 mpg - but at 150 mph! ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
[MBZ] 77 300D go bye bye
Guy towed it tonight. He could not get it to crank even with his big jump box, so we pushed it up. He was towing it, with a dolly, to Wilmington, in the dark. Hopefully that went (or maybe, is going) okay... I had 26 emails in two days (this close to Christmas even!) at $500. I'm sure I could have held out for asking but I liked the fellow, and he was going to work on it with his kid (allegedly anyway, yes I am a softie :), so I took a bit less. The parking space, plus not having to wait for the other 25 folks to show up, was worth the delta to me. My older son (11) was pretty torn up about it, he has a lot of memories in that car. I think I sold him on it having a new, more useful life with its new people, but I guess we'll see how that feels in the morning. Merry Christmas y'all! -Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
On Dec 13, 2014 4:48 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: I'm sorely tempted to get a 2005 or 2006 S class for SWMBO's daily driver. Would like to hear from some owners of second-hand examples. The site Dan posted a week or so ago (http://tradeinqualityindex.com/) was very convincing - many of the trade ins for Mercedes were much lower mileage than average. Cars with a reputation for longevity, like Toyota Camry or Honda Civic, were traded in later than average. I'm sure there could be a multitude of reasons Mercedes owners would choose to trade early, but it seems like on average they should be traded in along the same distribution as a, say, Lexus - yet they are not. It confirms my bias that there are systemic issues in Mercedes of recent enough vintages to trade in. Best, Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
That’s certainly one possibility. Something else to consider might be that I would think that a higher percentage of high line cars are leased rather than purchased, meaning that when they show up in the auction they’re leasebacks rather than trade-ins. I wonder how Mercedes compared opposed to other such brands, like BMW or Lexus? Dan On Dec 13, 2014, at 8:47 PM, Tim Crone via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: The site Dan posted a week or so ago (http://tradeinqualityindex.com/) was very convincing - many of the trade ins for Mercedes were much lower mileage than average. Cars with a reputation for longevity, like Toyota Camry or Honda Civic, were traded in later than average. I'm sure there could be a multitude of reasons Mercedes owners would choose to trade early, but it seems like on average they should be traded in along the same distribution as a, say, Lexus - yet they are not. It confirms my bias that there are systemic issues in Mercedes of recent enough vintages to trade in. Best, Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] Interesting
On Dec 13, 2014 8:55 PM, Dan Penoff via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: That's certainly one possibility. Something else to consider might be that I would think that a higher percentage of high line cars are leased rather than purchased, meaning that when they show up in the auction they're leasebacks rather than trade-ins. I wonder how Mercedes compared opposed to other such brands, like BMW or Lexus? Lexus tended to trade close to the line, which is why I was attributing some systemic difference to Mercedes. I see now that some BMW lines are behind the line, some are very far forward. I don't know BMWs enough to know which are performance and which are luxury. Looking at the Mercedes list again, I see that a lot of the convertibles and coupes are selling very early, and the Es and MLs are close to the line. So maybe it is just people not putting a lot of miles on a weekend car, which skews the overall impression. Though that doesn't explain the S550... I'm not sure whether that site is tracking auction listings, or some kind of trade reporting database. Do you remember? Anyway, I'm all for Max buying his wife a new S class for Christmas, and reporting how it goes. :) Thanks, Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] 77 300D go bye bye
Yes sad to see an old friend go. Merry Christmas to you yours. On Dec 13, 2014 8:24 PM, Tim Crone via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Guy towed it tonight. He could not get it to crank even with his big jump box, so we pushed it up. He was towing it, with a dolly, to Wilmington, in the dark. Hopefully that went (or maybe, is going) okay... I had 26 emails in two days (this close to Christmas even!) at $500. I'm sure I could have held out for asking but I liked the fellow, and he was going to work on it with his kid (allegedly anyway, yes I am a softie :), so I took a bit less. The parking space, plus not having to wait for the other 25 folks to show up, was worth the delta to me. My older son (11) was pretty torn up about it, he has a lot of memories in that car. I think I sold him on it having a new, more useful life with its new people, but I guess we'll see how that feels in the morning. Merry Christmas y'all! -Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] 77 300D go bye bye
So why did you sell it? Sent from my iPhone On Dec 13, 2014, at 7:23 PM, Tim Crone via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Guy towed it tonight. He could not get it to crank even with his big jump box, so we pushed it up. He was towing it, with a dolly, to Wilmington, in the dark. Hopefully that went (or maybe, is going) okay... I had 26 emails in two days (this close to Christmas even!) at $500. I'm sure I could have held out for asking but I liked the fellow, and he was going to work on it with his kid (allegedly anyway, yes I am a softie :), so I took a bit less. The parking space, plus not having to wait for the other 25 folks to show up, was worth the delta to me. My older son (11) was pretty torn up about it, he has a lot of memories in that car. I think I sold him on it having a new, more useful life with its new people, but I guess we'll see how that feels in the morning. Merry Christmas y'all! -Tim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] OT - fuel prices
Passed an Exxon station with #2 ULSD for $2.99 earlier tonight. Let's hope that trend continues and spreads! Max Dillon, Charleston SC On Dec 13, 2014 3:14 PM, OK Don via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: 1) So you think you are finally getting one over on the gas stations as you pay well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years? Guess again. Gas stations love low prices too — and not just because customers are nicer when they are paying less. We're in the same shoes as the consumer, the cost of fuel is less for us, says Kevin Beyer, who owns Performance Fuels, a filling station and convenience store in Smithtown, NY. That means profits for Beyer and the nation's 127,000 filling stations are rising. Before they sell gas to you, station owners buy gas on the wholesale market. When the wholesale price of gasoline falls quickly the difference between the cost of wholesale gasoline (including taxes) and the price at the pump gets wider, boosting profits for stations. The steeper the drop, the better. It's completely antithetical to what people believe, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. That difference has stretched to 21.7 cents per gallon this year, the highest ever, according to an OPIS analysis of 16,000 U.S. stations. That compares to an average of 17.1 cents over the last five years. On a percentage basis, station profitability is at its highest since 2005. And profits on diesel sales are even higher. They are off the charts, Kloza says. Yes, that means you could be paying even less for gasoline than you are. But before you cry foul, you should know that after all the ups and downs in a year, gas stations do not make much money from selling gasoline. After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon, according the National Association of Convenience Stores. When gas prices soar, and drivers think they're being gouged, stations are barely scraping by or even losing money. When the wholesale price is soaring, like it did in 2008, 2011 and 2012, station owners can't increase the price at the pump as fast as their costs are going up or they risk losing customers to competitors. When the wholesale price is going down, like now, there isn't the same pressure to lower the price. Drivers are so happy to see lower prices they don't search all over town for the lowest one. And then when they put gas in the tank, they fill 'er up instead of just putting in a few dollars' worth. And drivers have some money left over to spend on what's really profitable for station owners: The drinks and snacks inside. As the pricing goes down, I don't see people shopping (for the cheapest price) as much as they do when it's going up, says Beyer. They are still feeling a relief at the pump. As a result, he adds, People are more friendly. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 78 days in a row to $2.60 a gallon. That's 65 cents less than last year at this time and $1.10 below its peak for this year of $3.70, reached in April. Gas has fallen because the global price of crude oil has dropped 45 percent since this summer. The U.S., Canada and other countries are producing more oil at time when world demand is weak because of sluggish economic growth. This has drained profits and knocked down the share prices of oil producers — the exploration and production divisions of the big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and companies such as ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil. Refiners, including refining divisions of the big oil companies and refining-only companies such as Phillips 66 and Valero, have held up better. They benefit from lower crude costs, although they are also grappling with high fuel inventories. Gas station owners, though, are thrilled. The vast majority of stations are owned by small independent operators, even if the sign out front says Exxon, BP or Shell. But shares of CST Brands, which owns Valero and Corner Store filling stations are up 25 percent since mid-October. The big inning (for gas stations), which started after Labor Day, is going to extend through Christmas, Kloza says. http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/smallbusiness/like-low-gas-prices-so-does-the-station-owner/ar-BBgHZop 2) What Really Caused Oil Prices to Plunge So Far -- So Quickly The 35% drop in oil prices http://www.thestreet.com/story/12983324/1/low-oil-prices-hits-some-countries-worse-than-others-moodys-finds.html this fall has been breathtaking. No one -- not even energy experts -- expected prices to fall this far, this quickly. And the slide doesn't seem to be over. What happened? True, the U.S. has nearly doubled its oil production over the past five years, while OPEC http://www.thestreet.com/story/12969239/1/how-opecs-plan-to-undercut-us-oil-production-may-have-backfired.html and other suppliers have been
Re: [MBZ] OT - fuel prices
More than one station here has ULSD at $2.76 With supermarket fuel discount points card, I'm paying $2.46 at the pump... Projections for the crude oil futures market are looking at further drop in price possible. It appears that the increase in domestic oil production in USA has broken [for now] OPEC strangle hold on pricing.. [OK.. it's not that simple.. a number of international economic factors come to play.] Bottom line.. I will wear out my Mercedes with more miles driven and buy more parts at cheaper fuel prices.. On Sat, Dec 13, 2014 at 8:07 PM, Meade Dillon via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: Passed an Exxon station with #2 ULSD for $2.99 earlier tonight. Let's hope that trend continues and spreads! Max Dillon, Charleston SC On Dec 13, 2014 3:14 PM, OK Don via Mercedes mercedes@okiebenz.com wrote: 1) So you think you are finally getting one over on the gas stations as you pay well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years? Guess again. Gas stations love low prices too — and not just because customers are nicer when they are paying less. We're in the same shoes as the consumer, the cost of fuel is less for us, says Kevin Beyer, who owns Performance Fuels, a filling station and convenience store in Smithtown, NY. That means profits for Beyer and the nation's 127,000 filling stations are rising. Before they sell gas to you, station owners buy gas on the wholesale market. When the wholesale price of gasoline falls quickly the difference between the cost of wholesale gasoline (including taxes) and the price at the pump gets wider, boosting profits for stations. The steeper the drop, the better. It's completely antithetical to what people believe, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. That difference has stretched to 21.7 cents per gallon this year, the highest ever, according to an OPIS analysis of 16,000 U.S. stations. That compares to an average of 17.1 cents over the last five years. On a percentage basis, station profitability is at its highest since 2005. And profits on diesel sales are even higher. They are off the charts, Kloza says. Yes, that means you could be paying even less for gasoline than you are. But before you cry foul, you should know that after all the ups and downs in a year, gas stations do not make much money from selling gasoline. After credit card fees and other operating costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages 3 cents a gallon, according the National Association of Convenience Stores. When gas prices soar, and drivers think they're being gouged, stations are barely scraping by or even losing money. When the wholesale price is soaring, like it did in 2008, 2011 and 2012, station owners can't increase the price at the pump as fast as their costs are going up or they risk losing customers to competitors. When the wholesale price is going down, like now, there isn't the same pressure to lower the price. Drivers are so happy to see lower prices they don't search all over town for the lowest one. And then when they put gas in the tank, they fill 'er up instead of just putting in a few dollars' worth. And drivers have some money left over to spend on what's really profitable for station owners: The drinks and snacks inside. As the pricing goes down, I don't see people shopping (for the cheapest price) as much as they do when it's going up, says Beyer. They are still feeling a relief at the pump. As a result, he adds, People are more friendly. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 78 days in a row to $2.60 a gallon. That's 65 cents less than last year at this time and $1.10 below its peak for this year of $3.70, reached in April. Gas has fallen because the global price of crude oil has dropped 45 percent since this summer. The U.S., Canada and other countries are producing more oil at time when world demand is weak because of sluggish economic growth. This has drained profits and knocked down the share prices of oil producers — the exploration and production divisions of the big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and companies such as ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil. Refiners, including refining divisions of the big oil companies and refining-only companies such as Phillips 66 and Valero, have held up better. They benefit from lower crude costs, although they are also grappling with high fuel inventories. Gas station owners, though, are thrilled. The vast majority of stations are owned by small independent operators, even if the sign out front says Exxon, BP or Shell. But shares of CST Brands, which owns Valero and Corner Store filling stations are up 25 percent since mid-October. The big inning (for gas stations), which started after Labor Day, is going to extend through Christmas, Kloza says.
Re: [MBZ] OT - fuel prices
More than one station here has ULSD at $2.76 With supermarket fuel discount points card, I'm paying $2.46 at the pump... Projections for the crude oil futures market are looking at further drop in price possible. It appears that the increase in domestic oil production in USA has broken [for now] OPEC strangle hold on pricing.. [OK.. it's not that simple.. a number of international economic factors come to play.] Bottom line.. I will wear out my Mercedes with more miles driven and buy more parts at cheaper fuel prices.. Where you are, I don't think you can wear out an 80s MB. Individual parts, yes, they will wear out, but the car as a whole, I don't think so. Benzin here down to $2.49, Diesel at $3.35. I didn't get by the truckstop, but it is probably 3.29 or 3.25. Today they had a news story out that this was the lowest cost place to live. Not on the fuel front, we are not the cheapest. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
[MBZ] benz toyota
folks I had a call from a friend who wants the engine from a spare 1982 300d i have. He wants to put it in a toyota pickup .. he says there are kits, etc to do it i think they mate the benz engine to the toyota transmission he and a friend plan to do two of them over the next few months thanks, xx rick Rick Hawkins ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
Re: [MBZ] benz toyota
Rick wrote: I had a call from a friend who wants the engine from a spare 1982 300d i have. He wants to put it in a toyota pickup .. he says there are kits, etc to do it i think they mate the benz engine to the toyota transmission he and a friend plan to do two of them over the next few months There was a fellow here years ago that made a 4WD 300TD using a Nissan pickup chassis. As I recall, part of the reason he choose Nissan running gear is the divorced transfer case - which means he was using the Mercedes transmission. I'm remembering he was pleased with the result, despite grief from the purists. *smiles* Nope. Still can't remember his name... ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
