Getting All Luxobarge With a New Ride

I finally was able to spend some time with my new ride, a 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500, which is on the other side of the vehicular world from my bright yellow 2003 Mazda Protege5.

So far I like it very much. It has a great ride, surprising power considering how heavy it is, and still feels solid despite being 10 years old with almost 80,000 miles.

I was also impressed with the way it maneuvered around a crowded parking lot. It was easy to park despite being really, really long and wide.

There were a couple of small things that needed to be tweaked and I was able to fix them. It still needs a good wash and I'll probably get an oil change and lookover from a mechanic in the near-term. I'm a bit afraid of what they might find because these things are expensive to repair.

The only real disappointment so far, and it's not a surprise, is the mileage: about 18 mpg and premium fuel to fill the 23+ gallon tank. Still, the 5.0-liter V-8 pumps out 302-horsepower to push (rear-wheel drive) the 4,200 pound sedan.

I did a bunch of research before I bought (from a friend) and read reviews from Motor Trend, Edmunds, Automobile and the LA Times. Cars.com does a really good job of collecting reviews from many publications. It was surprising difficult to find reviews for this car on the Web. It's not like the Internet was a new thing in 2000.

This car sold for roughly $78,000 when new and included several features that were quite cutting edge at the time: 8 airbags, CD navigation, integrated carphone (can't figure out how to get it to take my SIM card), traction control and an electronic air suspension. That was roughly twice as much car as a Cadillac Seville SLS, Acura RL, Volvo S80, Audi A8 or a Lincoln Town Car at the time. But, how many of those are still around 10 years later? 


I'll update my impressions and experiences with the new ride as time goes on. And post more on my zippy little Mazda as I get ready to part with it.