I asked for a compact, and the rental company delivered ... and how! Other than large C-pillars and bad rear visibility (but the driver's mirror is a "towing" mirror!), no major vices to report. Handling on the mountain roads of east San Diego county was more than competent, parking downtown was easy. Car was a bit twitchy over 80 mph on the freeway, but so be it. Loved the interior layout -- retro-chic, yet clean and uncontrived. Front seats were comfortable, though I'd have hated to be the poor sod sitting in the back. Fortunately, that contingency didn't arise. Even the autotragic was pretty decent. In manual mode, it held the selected gear till redline, and didn't auto-downshift till the engine was lugging. Nice, as opposed to many manumatics that attempt to out-think the driver.

Cool. Every time I travel and I'm authorized a rental, I keep hoping for a 500. Instead I've gotten:

Pontiac G6: decent.
Dodge Caliber: Among the worst if not the worst thing I've ever driven.
Chevy Malibu: Not as bad as the Caliber, but close.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

When a young GI car guy in Germany ca. 69to71 I worked on lots of people's cars. Fiats were CLEARLY the poorest quality that I touched. I am thinking that their quality has drastically improved. I saw several brand new fiats that did not even make it to the 10K kilometer warranty without engines blowing to bits. They were miserable.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Fix It Again Tony, I mean, Larry!

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

I have not driven one, but I imagine they are fun to drive. The fuel economy is not the best for its size though.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Caliber and Malibu; twin sons of different mothers.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Returned ~35-37 mpg -- given the other rental choices, short of a Prius it was just fine. (And considering the impromptu trip out to Salvation Mountain east of the Salton Sea, I'd have ripped the front spoiler off a Prius on some of the rough-ass roads.)

I test drove a 500 when they came out. Was unsure about reliability so I decided to wait, also wanted to check out the Abarth. Not a huge fan of fwd either...

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

That is comparable to what the Mrs. Honda Fit is giving.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Last June and July, while I was on the Autobahn, and driving through Bavaria, Austria, France, Switzerand, Lichtenstein, and Italy, I saw LOTS of them on the road, they are hugely popular, even the convertibles.

Obvoisly the cost of gasoline, which was over $8.00 as gallon, had something to do with it.

Maybe they are good urban runabouts like the Smart car; and those Italian compacts historically have found more favor in the UK and Europe than the USA.

And most of the european cars on the road are pretty new. few are older than 4 years old. Strict safety tests and lots of salt on the roads in winter , most likely have something to do with that, I suspect, as well as in the UK the peculiar near-universal issuance of "company cars" to most employees as part of their compensation scheme, that are likely to normally be considered part of salary, so as to evade income tax legally in that country, may have something to do with it too.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

My rental last week in SoCal was a Crown Vic.

Managed 24 MPG average with LA traffic. I bet my seat was more comfortable. People got out of my way too.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Seats were actually very comfortable and supportive, though at 5'11", I'd consider it a two-seater. I went around other people

For the amount sold or on the roads in eastern Canada. There are too many showing up on used car lots already.

Just imagine THAT !!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

The leftover 2012 models are looking like a good value for a commuter car. Here's a new 2012 (not a former rental with 40k miles) listed at $11,800 on a dealer's website:

2012 FIAT 500 Pop For Sale | Highland Park IL .