There has been much talk lately about MB's reliability, and the current problems that many new(er) car owners are having. The discussion has turned to gadgets and needless complexity.

So, what gadget(s) would you HAVE to keep, and which ones would you toss?

For me, if I were buying a new MB, it would have to have:

1. Heated seats. You Yanks might be able to live without them, but here, my a$$ would miss them terribly.

2. Sunroof. I love my sunroof, especially in the spring and fall. Not sure about your W202 cars south-of-the-border, but our versions had the sliding roof as optional. I had to have it.

3. Air conditioning. I HATE opening the windows. Also, most cars have too much tumble-home in the aerodynamics, and driving windows-down is awful.

4. Keyless entry. I never loved this feature until I had the munchkin. Now it's a requirement!

5. ABS brakes. I rarely use them, even in the winter, but when I do, they're great. Too bad most people don't use them, and release the pedal when it pulses. Better driver training, please.

6. Cruise control. I would get mitts of speeding tickets without it.

Things I would not want to have:

1. COMAND/Navigation/phone. I don't need any of this crap. I plot my route on a map before driving. I have a cell phone, but rarely use it while driving, and don't need it "integrated" into the car. I don't need a giant screen to display the radio station. I want a simple HVAC system and don't want menus to scroll through or anything like it.

2. ASR/ESP. It's still tires on ice, and when we had the C36 and the E300, I grew to dislike the traction control. It jumped in when I least expected it, and I always felt like someone else was in charge. I do like ABS, but not the other end. Yuck.

3. Distronic Cruise Control. I am looking out the windscreen (since I don't have the stupid COMAND) and can see the car in front of me.

4. Power windows. Since I rarely wind the window down, I could easily live with manual windows.

5. Keyless "Go." Well, it's neat. However, I would always be wondering if today was the day the car didn't like me anymore. "Nope, this is a nice spot, I think we'll stay here." It took MB more than a few years to get keyless entry right, why break something that we just got right?

6. Fully-electronic-transmissions. If "older" hydraulic trannies work better, let's go back. It's not like they were terrible driving cars, ya know.

7. Rain Sensor wipers. I CAN SEE the rain, since I am not COMAND equipped. To engage the wiper, I just ease my left index finger forward a teeny bit, and presto! it swipes the screen. How lazy are we?

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

Don't need:

- auto climate control - I can set it myself

- leather - not worth the money

- sunroof - I only open it to clean and lube the tracks

- wood - serves no purpose

- alloy wheels - MB wheel covers are the classiest ever

- gasoline engine - Diesel does the job

- covers in the engine bay - is MB ashamed that there's an engine in there?

Would like to see:

- if ACC is mandatory, make the settings adjust with driver seat memory

- let the 560SEL be the SWB and offer a 560SEL-L

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I too would have said I did not need navigation devices until I spent a lot of time driving in the UK and France the last two years. Certainly in the UK, there is not a 90 degree intersection in the whole country. I first started driving there with a friend who was less than an astute navigator. We were lost more than found.
The next time I went over with my wife and I took a Garmin Streetpilot mapping GPS. Life was totally different. I think it was an inexpensive investment in marital harmony. We were never lost and it could tell us where the nearest fuel stop and grocery stores were. A definite must in Europe.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Must have

I think my 300TD amd 560SL have what I like.

Haves
Leather or MB tex material, I hate Valour.
A good AC sytem. Manual is ok, Less to break.
CD player with 6 Cd or more in the dash. What a pain when its in the trunk. Cds, not radio, We don't listen to it much.
A good place to store Cds, look at the Honda Accord
Electric windows. I do like them. Auto up and down
Electric seats but not mandatory.
GOOD cup holders, Not the Mercedes wantabees.
Good interior lighting.
Cruise control
A good horn button, not one that requires a laser guided hand to find.
A soft top, folding hardtop might be nice.
Good ratings form the IIHS institude on crash safety
No Xenon lights, More junk to maintain
Standard tires vs. sport size tires that are more expensive.
ABS

Don't haves.
electronics, displays, telephones, voices etc. More to break.
No ASR ESP FSS etc, etc.
Auto wipers.
plastic trim
Command system, I'm in command dammit
retractable rear window slide.
to many visits to the shop.
To many dollars to buy

Dave

__________________
1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

Gotta have's:

1. Power Windows

2. Sunroof for the fall and nightime.

3. ABS

4. Decent Stereo

5. Excellent mirrors - 124 car was a failure in this department.

6. Good instrumentation.

7. Integrated hands free phone

"Don't wants":

Comand
ASR
Distronic
power seats
ACC
cruise control

John - I am curious about your comment regarding the tumblehome in today's cars. How does that affect turbulance or windflow? Ever driven a 116? Doors are about 1 foot thick and result in a body shape reminiscent of a Spanish Galleon.

Mike

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

In newer cars with a noticable amount of tumblehome, I have found that driving with the windows down produces a huge amount of buffeting.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

Could not live without the three pointed star on the hood. Could live without anything that was not available on my old 420SEL, althought the 32v engine in my E420 might be the exception to that.

__________________
Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

Don't know if it's much different these days, but in the 300E I drive a lot with the front windown down and the same-side rear window half-down, and it reduces buffeting substantially, even at 70 mph.

-anthony

I'm with Anthony - rolling the back windows down a couple of inches (I do opposite side or both) gets rid of wind buffeting.

Is that what tumblehome is? I've never heard that term.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I suppose I could have them leave off the rear sunshade, multicontour/pneumatic seats (the ones in my CE are better), auto-dimming rearview mirror and, oh, the cupholder

things I appreciate in my car:
* ABS
* heated mirrors, which prove their worth when there is freezing rain.
* MBTex upholstery
* full instrumentation
* brake lamps that are separate from the rear lamps, which makes braking more discernible from the rear
* the plastic lower-body cladding

things I would like to see in my car
* driving lamps, like those in the 500E/E500 (mine is a W201)
* rear fog lamp (it has been neutered in my model year)
* cupholders

Things I can live without:
Air conditioning. Heat never seems to effect me as much as it used to. I know you americans love your aircon though

Oil bath air filter. Sure it's a good system but it makes the car hella noisy and i'd rather change out a paper airfilter than spend an hour emptying and refilling the oil bath.

I can live without starting in 2nd on take off. This feature really gives me the irrates, I live in a country where it almost never snows, yet I have this feature.

I could do with out cruise control never use it ,makes me very nervous and removed from driver feel.........could also do with out power antenna and two tone horn,also could sure do with out the ye old GM hidden windshield wipers on the 126's that catch leaves and other debris..........
William Rogers......

Stuff that I MUST HAVE:

Air Conditioning (I HATE HEAT!!!)
Cruise Control (bad hip; gets real difficult to push the throttle down for hours on end)
Diesel (see sig)
Single-disc CD player (to assist in keeping me awake on long trips)
Cloth seats (I hate vinyl/leather; the 300D is the sole exception to this, although I want to either replace the seats or get seat covers)

Stuff that I like, but don't absolutely need:

Power windows (beats leaning over to roll down the passenger's window from the driver's side)
Sunroof (never thought I'd care for it, until I got the 300D)
Heater (nice for cold nights, but I'd rather have workinc a/c than a working heater)
ACC (it honestly comes in handy, although I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune if mine were to break {knock on wood})
Adjustable seats (power preferred, although manual works as well)
Tilt steering wheel
Center console

Stuff that I don't care for:

Automatic transmission as standard equipment (my back's happy that my car's an auto, but I wish it had been available with a manual)
Most of the brand-new electronic systems (phone, navigation equipment, etc - I don't know what all they have these days)
Electronic-controlled engines (I know there's no choice these days in a new vehicle, but I like being able to do my own work)
Leather or vinyl seats (I find them very uncomfortable)
Gas engine (same reason that I like diesels)
"Sealed-For-Life"/maintenance-free anything (seems like an expensive repair down the road to me)

I'm sure that I can add to the list

__________________
2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999

Don't need the W163 heated seats in Texas! Probably never ever switched on since I took possession of the ML.

My wife drives the R129 like a "grocery getter" so most of the active electronic driving systems just loaf.

As far as the W124 is concerned, it would be the stupid door-mounted subwoofer design!

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car