Is anybody else impressed by the usage of "padding" under the A pillars and above the steering wheel? I was in the mrs sunfire for the first time in a long time and god those rattles are horrible. I then thought about it when I was in the 300 and thought that was brilliant, I had taken it for granted. Perhaps I'm just amused by simple things.

Also, I'm probably going to overhaul the 124...do a black interior and then a light crystal blue on the exterior...perhaps a very pale grayish/blue a la the Crossfire etc. Along with newer euro lights and clear corners...and probably the jeweled tail lights...all the standard stuff. And I think I'm going to have the driver's seat done with a solid right side, b/c I believe I'm going to dump the fold down armrest. It is uncomfortable to have down considering my driving position and the fact i like to hold my hand on the shifter as though it was a manual. So the corner digs into the underside of my forearm. Anybody else have this problem? Besides, I don't really care if the passenger wants the armrest, I like how the interior looks w/o it and I won't miss the extra bit of storage.

As far as leather...I have a shop that will do the interior 50/50 for 700...or 100% leather for 1k. I'm tossing that around considering how old the car is and that it is mostly a foul weather vehicle. I figure I'd save the 300 and use it to buy the carpeting and the windlace. I'll let you know when I get started in case anybody wants the armrest (it needs some upholstery work but I'll sell it really cheap).

Any thoughts regarding interior dies/paints?

PS: I know this should probably go in the detailing forum...but hell, I'd actually like to hear back from a decent number of folks...

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2004 Chrysler Crossfire

I like the exterior color you are considering. I have 2 w124's, one burgundy and the other silver. I like the burgundy color more than the silver. I've been thinking about repainting the silver (the full-monty--taking down to metal and back up) and have thought a blue on the lighter end of the spectrum would be attractive. But very subtle tonal qualities can make a huge aesthetic difference. I hate spending as much money as the car is worth on a paint job that isn't just right.

Another color that I liked was Bruce (is that right?) Hat's car. It was a green. I think he totaled the car, but walked away. (Haven't heard from him in a while).

I'd like to have a black-line, 3-d model of a w124 exterior so I could try different paint colors on it.

You gotta know that repainting is nowhere near cost-effective. I mean, there's no way you'll ever make economic sense of it. So as long as it is economically illogical, make it an aesthetic decision.

Finally, as a wise person mentioned to me, imagine how you're going to feel when you get that first scratch on your 'new' paint job.