mercedes club of america: are you a member?

[ProV1]

i was a member of BMWCCA when i owned 4 bmw's the last several yrs and there were some nice benefits like 10-20% off parts, local events, DIY tech sessions, etc. this is my first benz, and i'm wondering if mercedes club is any good? are you guys members?

[Monomer]

I just joined

I get 15% of parts at the local dealer.

[Ethan]

I belong.

Benefits;
Local tech sessions are great, the techs at dealership that my club utilize are very cool.

10% discount is good but so is the Buy Parts link on the top of this page. Luckily my local dealer parts people are very good also.

Magazine has some tech articles and Q&A sessions which you can never get enough of.

Mercedes offers some nice cash back incentives on new cars to MBCA members.

No matter what car I owned if there were a national/regional club for it I would join.

Joining MBCA along with this forum have made my Mercedes ownership affordable and my car wouldn't be in the excellent shape it is in now with 90K miles.

[t walgamuth]

i have belonged for many years. it is very worth it to me. the mag alone is worth the price. imho

tom w

[Pete Geither]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

i have belonged for many years. it is very worth it to me. the mag alone is worth the price. imho

tom w

Ditto.

[uberwgn]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

i have belonged for many years. it is very worth it to me. the mag alone is worth the price.

X2

[whunter]

Membership Chair of http://www.internationalstars.org/



Love the cars.

[blueeagle289]

I like the magazine, but most of the events are not what I really want to participate in. Unfortunately, the North Texas group is centered in Fort Worth, not Dallas where I live ... and most of the events are picked by the members in Fort Worth, which to me is a foreign country!! I may or may not keep up my membership, since I don't actually use it to any extent. I think it depends on which area group you are in. By the way, getting 10 or 15 percent off parts at an MB dealership is like getting Armani suits at a slight discount... I prefer to buy parts from Phil on this site; he always comes thru at a very good price and quality. BC

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by blueeagle289

. . . I may or may not keep up my membership, since I don't actually use it to any extent. I think it depends on which area group you are in.

That was my experience exactly. When I first got into MBs, I lived in Denver, which is Ground Zero for Mercedes -- "The Star" is published in a Denver suburb, and the club store is located an hour south in Colorado Springs. The Denver Club actually had events, like a rally/scavenger hunt, tech and detailing workshops, and track days, which were loads of fun.

Then I moved back to The Swamp. The local club rep, when I called him, said, "Oh, yeah, we're gonna have some events," and took my number. Well, that was in 2001 or early '02. By the end of '03, never having been called, I declined to sign up again. Nobody here has money enough to buy and properly maintain a Mercedes, it seems, unless they're well over 60, and guys like that apparently wouldn't be interested in track days or how to detail your car yourself.

It's a shame; that was part of the fun, being in The Club.
.

[sokoloff]

If you're in a section that is not putting on events or not putting on the events that you would like or not holding them in a convenient location, then step up and do one yourself that you want. I don't know of any section that would not welcome help with organizing an event. Everyone in the club is a volunteer and whoever does an event does it on his/her own time. The sections usually have money for sending out fliers, etc.

Len

[Jim's500E]

Since it is the only national club we have in the USA.... it should be supported by us owners !!

Yes, definitely worth the money for the (recently getting better) magazine and discounts alone. Some local club chapters are great with a ton of cool events both driving and non-driving related; while some border on geriatric extinction (that being CTs, which I am a member on the board now and hope to help re-birth it within the next few years; no more trips to the Yankee Candle factory !...sheesh)

Join up...its all good.

[the tenor man]

I was a member for about three years until I happened upon this site. Yeah, the magazine was colorful, but most of the articles seemed to be about cars that I couldn't afford even after they were ten years old.

I also thought that too much coverage was given to national events and not enough on the older models...although very interesting, it's not what I was searching for. It's tough to be poor!

All in all, I think this forum is the best thing to happen to the "true users" of the Mercedes.

[curbfeeler]

I'm a member and belong to the Delaware Valley section in eastern Pennsylvania. Initially, I was very active and won awards for my participation, however, present obligations to family have kept from many club events. The tech sessions and rally's are great.

[lee polowczuk]

It seems like my chapter is starting to have more events.. i sort of suspended my membership..but will probably do it again.

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by Jim's500E

Since it is the only national club we have in the USA.... it should be supported by us owners !!

Yes, definitely worth the money for the (recently getting better) magazine and discounts alone. Some local club chapters are great with a ton of cool events both driving and non-driving related; while some border on geriatric extinction (that being CTs, which I am a member on the board now and hope to help re-birth it within the next few years; no more trips to the Yankee Candle factory !...sheesh)

Join up...its all good.

I'm 21, offer trips to Yankee Candle and I will make sure not to go! I check in on the website once in awhile and may finally join.