I have a dilemma. I've long been an admirer of Mercedes, engineering and
rock solid reputation for reliability. But as I move closer to making the
decision (and I am doing the homework) I am hearing things that are making
me hesitate. Friends, people I talk to at the gas station about their
Mercedes and comments on the web are all suggesting that the new vehicles
are much less than reliable, it is hard to get a service appointment with a
lead time of less than 2 or 3 weeks and in several instances vehicles have
been damaged at the dealer and they have refused to accept responsibility
(one owner had a driver side mirror broken and Mercedes tried to charge him
$500). A reoccurring comment is that Mercedes is definitely not a car you
want to own AFTER the warranty expires and since I'm going to buy - not
lease, with the intention of owning the car for a number of years this is
troubling. I've owned two Lexus's in years past and each was in the shop
just once (which is a marked contrast to the Volvo S80T that I currently own
which was in the shop 15 times in the first 16 months).

I'd appreciate it if you folks could take a few minutes and give me the
straight and skinny.

Duffy
sabre36 (AT) optonline (DOT) net

Jeff,

I owned a 1990 300E for 11 years, purchased new. I loved the fact that it
was a Mercedes, but the fact is that far too many things broke on the car.
It never left us stranded, but I think the maintenance bills were rediculous
for a car of its "quality". I bought a 2002 GS300 new. It has 21,000 miles
on it and has been flawless. You take it in to be serviced and they give
you a new Lexus as a loaner car. Mercedes makes great cars, but Lexus beats
them hands down, no contest, for quality. By the way, lest the
Mercedes-only crowd tries to jump on me, I bought a 92 300SL about 18 months
ago, 87,000 miles. So far, I've spent $4500 fixing things that really
shouldn't be broke, e.g., tranny, air conditioning evaporator, radiator. I
love the car, but a transmission should last longer than 85K miles.

Good luck with your Lexus.
"Jeff Sloane" <sabre36 (AT) optonline (DOT) net> wrote

If you really don't want to have to fix your car all the time, stay with Lexus.
But don't buy the MB unless you are willing to put up with REALLLLY GREEDY
STUPID shops. And the car will need lots of service. Wish it weren't so, but
even the car mags won't recommend the S class cars because they are not
reliable.

mcbrue sadly under the bridge in the trailer down by the river

96 S420

Lexus does not compare to Mercedes on the highway. Unfortunately Lexus is
clearly superior in reliability.


"Jeff Sloane" <sabre36 (AT) optonline (DOT) net> wrote

Consider the expensive JAP spare parts in long term running.


"Mark Conklin" <conkmwc (AT) worldnet (DOT) att.net>
news:wXKxd.17478$EA3.12172 (AT) fe04 (DOT) lga > Lexus does not compare to Mercedes on
the highway. Unfortunately Lexus is

-glaze with sherry, add the reduced broth.
Finally, put in the root vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly.
Place the pie pan in 375 degree oven for a few minutes so bottom crust is not soggy,
reduce oven to 325.
Fill the pie with stew, place top crust and with a fork, seal the crusts together
then poke holes in top.
Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown.



Sudden Infant Death Soup

SIDS: delicious in winter, comparable to old fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup.
Its free, you can sell the crib, baby clothes, toys, stroller... and so easy to
procure if such a lucky find is at hand (just pick him up from the crib and
he?s good to go)!

SIDS victim, cleaned
½ cup cooking oil
Carrots
onions
broccoli
whole cabbage
fresh green beans
potato
turnip
celery
tomato
½ stick butter
1 cup cooked pasta (macaroni, shells, etc.)

Remove as much meat as possible, cube, and brown in hot oil.
Add a little water, season, then add the carcass.
Simmer for half an hour keeping the stock thick.
Remove the carcass and add the vegetables slowly to the stock,
so that it remains boiling the whole time.
Cover the pot and simmer till vegetables are tender
(2 hours approximately).
Continue seasoning to taste.
Before serving, add butter and pasta,
serve piping with hot bread and butter.



Offspring Rolls

Similar to Vietnamese style fried rolls, they have lots of meat
(of course this can consist of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp).
Who can resist this classic appetizer; or light lunch served with
a fresh salad? Versatility is probably this recipe?s greatest virtue,
as one can use the best

of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp).
Who can resist this classic appetizer; or light lunch served with
a fresh salad? Versatility is probably this recipe?s greatest virtue,
as one can use the best part of a prime, rare, yearling, or the
morticians occasional horror: a small miracle stopped short by a
drunk driver, or the innocent victim of a drive-by shooting...

2 cups finely chopped very young human flesh
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
5 sprigs green onion, finely chopped
5 cloves minced garlic
4-6 ounces bamboo shoots
Sherry
chicken broth
oil for deep frying (1 gallon)
Salt
pepper
soy & teriyaki
minced ginger, etc.
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water
1 egg beaten

Make the stuffing:
Marinate the flesh in a mixture of soy and teriyaki sauces
then stir fry in hot oil for till brown - about 1 minute, remove.
Stir-fry the vegetables.
Put the meat back into the wok and adjust the seasoning.
De-glaze with sherry, cooking off the alcohol.
Add broth (optional) cook a few more minutes.
Add the cornstarch, cook a few minutes till thick,

On 2004-12-25 02:01:05 -0800, "admin" <admin (AT) xtra (DOT) co.nz> said:

Wow! Both offensive and completely dumb! Good job!