dello

Hey Guys thanks for all the great information. Here's a brief update, after battling some major repairs, we were finally able to get rid of the Mercedes E500 4matic wagon. Mercedes put a defective radiator which leaks antifreeze into the transmission and totally screws up the tranny. They were fully aware and issued a Service bulletin regarding possibly problems. However, Mercedes decided only to address the issue only if the problem manifest during the course of the factory warranty. Our car had 62k, and was outside of the factory warranty, so guess who had to foot the bill. After useless debates with Mercedes, we were still stuck with the bill of replacing the tranny and radiator. Mercedes wanted 10k for the tranny. I searched high and low for a place that could efficiently rebuild the tranny, and the lowest price was 5k, plus 300.00 dollars to have Mercedes reprogram the tranny after installation. Needless to say, I will never ever look or buy another Mercedes again in my natural life. We pick-up a 2007 530xit Monaco Blue with 53,000 miles on it. Only features are navigation, cold weather package (front and rear heated seats, and sunshades). The car drives very nice, but it is a big departure from the Merc. I will miss the power of the Merc, but not missed the gas mileage and the expensive repair bills. The 5 is alot small in the cargo and rear than the Merc, but is very sufficient for us. The quality level is far better as the Merc interior pieces felt like they were lifted from a Buick century. Our Merc, was fully loaded with active seats (heated and ventilated), rear climate, jump seats in the cargo area, keyless go, and the dreadful airmatic suspension. Thanks again guys for all the great info. By the way, we tested drove every possible wagon. Our decision was narrowed down to between the Volvo XC70 and the Audi A6 avant. The Volvo was okay, nothing to write home about. The Audi A6 Avant was a good contender, but there are not a lot of those out there on used car market. In addition, it really felt like an upgraded passat wagon that we test drove, so we really didn't see the point of paying extra for the brand. I will post pictures shortly when I get a chance. This car is my wife's car, so I probably won't drive it much, except for family trips, but I am happy to say I can sleep a lot better with this car. The Merc gave me nightmares, and I dreaded the fact of waking up in the morning not knowing if the suspension collapse again or if the something else went wrong.

Theo

Congrats on the new ride, hope it'll give you lots of enjoying miles.

Be sure to post some pics and let us know how you like it after some family trips.