APR Payment Credit Program from Mercedes-Benz for November

If you finance a new 2010 C, GLK or ML with Mercedes-Benz Financial this month you will qualify for the APR Payment Credit Program. Through this program Mercedes-Benz will make your first 2 payments! You can use this in conjuction with the very low special finance rates that are being offered as well!

Qualifying Vehicles:
First 2 payments, up to $1300
C300
C300 4Matic
C350
GLK350 2WD
GLK350 4Matice

First 2 payments, up to $1500
ML350 4Matic
ML350 2WD
ML350 Bluetec

What a great opportunity! You get a new car, a low APR and 2 months payments for free!

Mercedes-Benz Navigation Disk Updates Now Available

In Texas they are always adding or modifying roads so it's good that Mercedes-Benz has just released updated navigation disks. You can order these disks from your local Mercedes-Benz parts department. They should cost $249. You can also order them directly from Mercedes at NAVTEQ Maps or by calling this number (888)628-4483.

There are several reasons to update your navigation disk:
- Every year thousands of miles of new roads are added.
- Hundreds of Points of Interest are added or deleted.
- Improved routing efficiency can save you time and fuel.

Mercedes-Benz Financial iPhone App

Mercedes-Benz Financial has just introduced their own iPhone application. It's available at the iTunes App Store for free to any Mercedes-Benz Financial customer who has an active account on MercedesBenzFinancial.com. With this app you'll be able to make your payment, request a current payoff, and view your account details. Users with and without a current Mercedes-Benz Financial account will be able to take advantage of the dealer locator and the ability to browse current lease and finance sepecials.

Buy A Mercedes-Benz And Stay At Wynn Las Vegas For Free

Mercedes-Benz has announced a partnership with WYNN Las Vegas that will garner our new owners one or two free nights at the world-renowned 5 Star, 5 Diamond WYNN Las Vegas in Nevada!

One night for C-Class, E-Class, CLK-Class, SLK-Class, R-Class, GL450 or GLK-Class.

Two nights for S-Class, SL-Class, CL-Class, CLS-Class, G-Class, GL550, Maybach, SLR or AMG.

Vehicle must be a 2009 or 2010 Model Year purchased between January 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

To take advantage of this offer you can email or fax your purchase or lease agreement to Mercedes-Benz at wynn@mbusa.com or 201.476.2858. They will give you a special reservation code that you can use to claim your free night(s). There are restrictions on minimum stay and the free nights cannot be on a Friday or Saturday. Mercedes-Benz will provide you with the details when you get your reservation code.

Introducing the AMG Driving Academy

Back to school was never so much fun.

This fall, there's a new kind of school in session, and every student is guaranteed to drive the coolest car. Instead of class bells, it will be the echo of Mercedes-Benz AMG high performance cars ringing through the air. Get ready for the AMG Driving Academy.

Maybe you already own an AMG, a car that sits with the automotive elite at the pantheon of modern performance. Maybe you'd like to learn how to safely get the most driving fun from your machine. Perhaps you'd like to sample an AMG before you buy. There is no better place than the one at which AMGs are bred -- the racetrack. That's exactly where the AMG Academy takes place, beginning this fall.

For years, Mercedes-Benz AMG offered customers and prospects the chance to drive these amazing machines on racetracks in the AMG Challenge events. Now, the new AMG Driving Academy replaces the AMG Challenge, and the difference is that the Academy is what its name says -- a true driving performance school. The AMG Driving Academy offers greater in-depth instruction, driver development and seat time that the AMG Challenge.

Can you hear the engines revving? That's the sound of the cars you'll drive including the C63, E63, SLK55, SL63 and the very rare AMG CLK Black Series - all provided by the program. There's even one you've never heard of yet -- the 2011 AMG SLS, a supercar developed entirely by AMG, the high-performance development division of Mercedes-Benz.

You'll learn the principles of vehicle dynamics, car control and high performance driving techniques. Eighty percent of the course takes place behind the wheel and on the track. Teachers are professional instructors and are past champions or current race winners covering the spectrum of racing including open wheel, sportscar and sedan racing in North America and Europe.

The AMG Driving Academy is not just about learning to drive fast. You'll learn driving techniques such as vehicle weight transfer, throttle management, the limits of adhesion, thresold braking, as well as line theory. You'll progressively build your skills by high speed lapping around some of the best tracks in the U.S. including Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, Palm Beach International Raceway and Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

For something truly amazing and exclusive, drivers attending the AMG Driving Academy in Laguna Seca on select dates have the opportunity to be among the very first to drive the all-new 2011 SLS AMG supercar.

The AMG Driving Academy offers two levels. The one-day Stage I program ($1,895) is open to all participants without any prerequisites of prior AMG programs or other qualifying driving programs. Once you practice car control and handling, you'll spend the afternoon doing high-speed expercises that make use of the full length of the tracks.

The two-day Stage II program ($3,495) picks up where Stage I leaves off. You'll get advanced training and technical on-track instruction including a full day of track time. In Stage II, the Academy uses detailed computer analysis and evaluation of each driver using an onboard data acquistion system with in-car cameras. A performance-course competition at the end of all Stage I and II programs will allow drivers to compete head-to-head for best course time and a grand prize.

To register for a Stage II program, you must have completed Stage I or another qualified performance driving school. The AMG Challenge qualifies; visit AMGacademy.com for details.

Edmunds Road Test Review: 2010 E550 vs. BMW 550i vs. Jaguar XF

The Mercedes-Benz E550 takes 1st Place!

"They're the right size, and when equipped with V8s, they've got the right amount of effortless performance. In relative terms, they provide a value commensurate with the asking price. Driving any one of these three announces that you know the price of quality and can justify paying for it. And clearly you're smart enough to resist overpaying for more than you require."

"We're glad the 2009 BMW 550i, 2010 Jaguar XF Premium and 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport exist. This ideal trio goes 90 percent of the way to the M5, E63 AMG and XFR super sedans, yet they're 100 percent easier to live with and rewarding in ways the thoroughbreds are not."

"The Mercedes-Benz E550 is the quickest to 60 mph with a run of 5.3 seconds and its quarter-mile run of 13.6 seconds at 103.5 mph is also the best of the group... the E550 returns the best observed fuel economy in this comparison with 19.3 mpg, compared to the BMW's 16.9 mpg and the Jaguar's 16 mpg."

"... we're not sold on the BMW's steering effort, which we found to be too heavy, especially compared to the lightly weighted Jaguar and buttery Mercedes-Benz system. So syrupy and out of character does the 550i's steering seem that more than a couple drivers thought there might be something wrong with the car."

"The E550 Sport is by far the most adaptable, rewarding and confident car on the widest variety of surfaces despite not being the outright best-handling car."

"It is the only car here that is universally regarded as comfortable and intuitive to operate from the moment you get behind the wheel. It manages to be warm and rich, well-equipped and well-planned, and high-tech and high-quality all at the same time."

"The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport amounts to more than the sum of its parts. It's hard to describe, but there's an overall sense of satisfaction, competence and experience that's somehow baked into the fiber of this car. It drives like it knows where it's going. It looks like it knows where it's been. And it's priced as if it knows where we're all headed."

See the full review at Edmunds.com.

2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - New York Times Review

The New York Times recently reviewed the new ML450 Hybrid that will be arriving at Classic Mercedes-Benz this December.

"The gas-electric version of the popular ML-class S.U.V. easily beats the mileage of the regular 6- and 8-cylinder models: 21 miles a gallon in the city and 24 on the highway"

"Even in the barely crawling traffic, I returned to the New York auto show at the Javits Center showing 22 m.p.g. on the trip computer, convinced I could have done much better in a longer test."

"Mercedes is hoping that its luxury buyers are more receptive to a midsize S.U.V. hybrid, which officials said would be priced between current V-6 and V-8 models: Figure roughly $51,000 to start."

"Drivers can select an economy mode that maximizes mileage, or a sport mode that mimics having eight conventional gears, which can be operated by steering-wheel paddle shifters."

Read the full New York Times Review of the 2010 ML450

Call or email me to schedule your ML-Class demonstration drive today at 903.534.7060 or Michael@classictyler.com.

2009 S-Class, The Benchmark in Luxury

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the benchmark for the luxury class automobile for many years. Just take a look at the following video and you'll see why.

SPLITVIEW display - fyi 7.9L/100Km = 29 mpg

Call or email me to schedule your S-Class demonstration drive today. 903.534.7060 or Michael@classictyler.com.

Chemo is Done!

I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the last nine months while I was going through chemo for my cancer. And I am glad to say that I am done with chemo! A chapter in my life that I am glad to see put behind me.

Now I should have more time to work on the iCarGuy blog and bring more information to you on a regular basis. And since I have moved to our Mercedes-Benz dealership in March, most of the new post's will be about the Mercedes-Benz line of cars.

Again, thank you for your prayers and emails. Without you this journey would have been much more difficult.

Myths About Leasing - Part 5 of 5

Myth 5: Leasing is a mistake if you put high mileage on a car.

Do you believe that racking up high mileage on a car you own carries no cost? The difference is that when you buy, you realize the loss as a lower trade-in value. With a lease, you pay out of pocket when you turn in the car.

If you expect to drive more than the 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year built into a typical lease contract, negotiate a higher mileage limit. That's likely to cost less than 10 cents per mile per year -- a less painful prospect than paying a penalty of 15 cents or 25 cents per mile over the contract ceiling.

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350

With the new Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 now available for delivery, I wanted to post some reviews for you to see.


"The transmission rocks. While the GLK's seven-speed auto allows for manual shifting by rocking the shift lever left to right, driver input really isn't necessary. Switch the vehicle from Comfort Mode to Sport mode and the seven-speed will hold gears longer, allowing quick bursts between turns without ever changing cogs." http://www.motortrend.com/

"Few Mercedes-Benz owners in the U.S. ever take their vehicles off-road, a reality the German automaker not only realizes but embraces. Thus, the GLK is targeted at affluent women -- and it appears Mercedes has hit its mark. This baby Benz has clearly been refined for the on-road market." http://www.emercedesbenz.com/

"Good vehicle safety integrates the prevention of accidents via quick response to driver input, electronic assistance (ABS, stability control, brake assist), progressive impact absorption, controlling the body movement of passengers due to impact, and quick emergency response to passengers in severe impacts. The 2010 GLK fulfills each of these five elements in this increasing scale of safety concerns: As such it's ideal for today's family, whether they're visiting relatives halfway across the country or running errands around town." http://www.sfgate.com/

The all new GLK is here and ready for you! Call or email me to schedule your personal demonstration of the latest Mercedes-Benz SUV.

Myths About Leasing - Part 4 of 5

Myth 4: Early-termination fees exact a far heavier penalty than if you change your mind when you buy a car.

It only seems that way. If you decide to bail out of a car purchase, you'll pay the piper, too. The car may be worth far less than you still owe on the loan. And because depreciation is spread evenly over the term of the lease, if you turn in the car early, you are sure to have "used up" more of the car than you've paid for, particularly if you made no down payment.

The early-termination fee is the way the dealer evens things up.

Moral: Plan to keep your car to the end of the lease. It doesn't make sense to stretch out the term to get lower payments if you're likely to break the lease early.

Toyota Is World's Top Automaker

Toyota has dethroned Detroit rival General Motors as the world's top automaker, but there were no celebrations Thursday at the crisis-hit Japanese giant, which is bracing for its first-ever loss.

For many automakers around the world, particularly the US Big Three, the main priority is not to be the biggest, but just to survive a global economic downturn that has sent demand for cars plunging.

Figures from the companies showed Toyota had ended General Motors' 77-year reign as the world's biggest automaker last year, selling 8.97 million vehicles against GM's 8.35 million.

But both makers suffered from weak demand. GM's sales tumbled 11 percent while Toyota saw a four percent drop in global demand -- the Japanese group's first decline in a decade.

"Toyota's rise to the top wasn't really positive because it was achieved not by growth in sales but by a sharper decline in GM's sales," said Mamoru Kato, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre.

"The gap between the sales of Toyota and GM will probably expand for a few years because of growth in the market for environmentally-friendly cars where Toyota has a lead with its hybrids," he said.

"Then, hopefully, a few years later GM will begin to catch up with Toyota, which would be the best scenario for the auto industry. But at this point it's not clear if this scenario will be realised," Kato said.

"Being number one in terms of size has never really been our goal. Our main objective is to be number one in terms of quality and customer service," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco.

But despite all its troubles, Toyota is still in better shape than GM, which will run out of cash if it does not get the second part of a federal bridge loan next month.

GM president Fritz Henderson said the situation was dire for his company, which received a four-billion-dollar emergency loan last month and is due to collect another instalment of the bridge loan in February.