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Gordon

One Of The Cool Kids

34 posts in this topic

After some years of posting pictures of 450s and 451s that I've rented, I'm finally getting one of my own. It's a 2010 highstyle, one of 130 (or so I'm told) made for Canada. I've been working on the deal with MB Midtown in Toronto for a few days. The financing was just approved today. It's pretty much loaded. The only do-hicky I'm adding right now is an astray. (Tsk tsk, I know.)

I'm getting the tire and rim insurance, as I'll be buying a winter tire and rim package later. I already paid big $ following rim/tire damage on my Elantra after my son took it over a crater in a parking lot, so I figure with the small wheels, I should plan for the worst. I'm getting chipguard, as well as paint and interior protection, especially with the leather-cloth combo seats.

It's an employee-driven car with some 3000 km on the clock since February and thus a nice little discount for me. MB gave a good deal on the trade-in -- better than I was expecting, as the 06 Elantra 4-door HB was in a collision (teenage son) in 2007. $7000 damage. But I'm happy with what I got for it, and with only 63500 on the clock, someone's getting a comfortable, reliable ride. Usually, I've driven my cars into the ground before trade-in.

MB Midtown is really a cool place to do business. Everyone's been really friendly and helpful. I've been quite fortunate in this regard, having purchased three cars from Kingscross Hyundai over the last nine years -- they've always been really good for sales and service. Shopping at a Benz/Smart dealership is a whole other snack bracket -- whoa! There's nothing quite like it to boost ones ego.

Delivery should be some time next week, but the exact date will probably be revealed tomorrow, Friday.

So that's the view from Cloud Nine.

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NICE looking car!! What colour will you seats be?Bil :sun:

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NICE looking car!! What colour will you seats be?Bil :sun:

Thanks Bil.A couple of pics from the e-brochure...The photography doesn't really do it justice. It has a very warm, soothing feel. I was a bit surprised at how much I liked it the highstyle. I'm quite fond of the bolder, even outrageous colour schemes often found in Smarts. The metallic chocolate brown really caught my eye.Here's the link to the e-brochure:http://www.thesmart.ca/index.cfm?id=7910

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Edited by Gordon

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Very nice and I agree that the folks in sales at Midtown are good to deal with.

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Oh yeah I just thought, we should get a highstyle serial number registry going. Yours would be the first!

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Very nice and I agree that the folks in sales at Midtown are good to deal with.

It's a funny thing. My automotive tastes have been modest for the most part. I've had preference for two-door puddle jumpers. Back in the seventies, I had a used Pontiac Astra ("the car that rusted on the showroom floor") and a used first generation Civic. In the late eighties, I had a mid-seventies Datsun 210. First new car I ever had, I bought with my wife (her first new car too) was a 1989 Ford Festiva, which carried us and our son from the time he was born until he was ten years old. Under ten grand purchase.2000 was the break-out year. We splurged and bought a new Elantra wagon, with power steering and brakes, no less. Four doors. We thought we'd crossed over to full-on materialism. Then came my 06 Elantra five-door, which had an alarm and power locks and windows, soon followed by an 09 Touring to replace my missus' 9 year old wagon.So here I am trading in a four-year-old car, which, apart from my son's fender bender, has not been a burden of any kind. On top of all that, I find myself in the last place on earth I ever expected or particularly desired to be -- an MB dealership.A roundabout way of saying, I suppose, that for some odd reason, I thought MB would be a snooty place. Dunno why? We're talking Mercedes, not Bentley. It's not like someone's going to analyze how I'm dressed before they serve me. On the contrary, having dealt in person with three staff, they were flawlessly professional, but also friendly. They deal in a product known for safety, reliability and their stock-in-trade is customer loyalty.It's been a fun experience, and I will get to enjoy a car that I really wanted and which meets my needs for years to come. Edited by Gordon

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Very nice and I agree that the folks in sales at Midtown are good to deal with.

They rock, but I also had wonderful experiences with the sales and service staff at Kingscross Hyundai, where we've purchased three cars. In fact we settled on them for the first miniwagon because the sales manager there was the only one I talked over the course of a day and a half of visiting all dealers on Eglinton who didn't shine us on. One Ford guy took us on a tour of the entire showroom and shop, sat us down for hot chocolate, and then told us he didn't have any miniwagons (We were looking for new or used). The Nissan guy, ten seconds after I tell him, "Full-size or miniwagon; no vans, trucks or SUVs; new under $20K, used under $15k," he says:

Well, I got this Pathfinder I can put you in for $30,000.

That's when I killed him, your honour.As with my other cars, I researched the heck out of it, knew what I wanted and what it should cost. The MB staff were totally responsive to that.

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OK, we're closing in. Midtown emailed me today that my delivery date will be April 27 or 28. A big shout out to Haelee Lee (aka leo3399, here on the forum), my sales rep, and Holly Spencer, Financial Services Manager, at Midtown. You rock!

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I really like that color scheme!! I wish we got some of the cool special editions down here in the states. Good luck with your new baby and be safe!!

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OK, this is the last of my little countdown posts, but I think Smart owners are understanding of this, I have the final date and time. Tuesday, April 27, 5:00 pm. :buttrock:

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Happy Smart Day, Gordon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be sure to post a pic soon!!

This will have to do for now, as I'm off to drive... anyplace. It doesn't really matter. Pictured with me and my Smart are Haelee Lee and Holly Spencer of Mercedes-Benz Midtown. Haelee, in blue, is the Smart Sales and Leasing Specialist. Holly is the Financial Services Manager. You couldn't ask for a nicer team to deal with. They knew how badly I wanted the car and were really excited for me.In case you're wondering, I'm the large middle-aged bald guy with the ear-to-ear grin.

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Edited by Gordon

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Congrats!My own white car was parked in that very spot on February 5th when we picked Snowball up in Toronto earlier this year!

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Congrats!My own white car was parked in that very spot on February 5th when we picked Snowball up in Toronto earlier this year!

Cool. I noticed that every time I go in there -- three visits now in ten days -- they reorganize the showroom. Right now they've got a Brabus 10th Anniversary Limited Edition in there. It was over on the Mercedes side when I first came by. That turned my head, but if I came home with that, I'd be sleeping in it.The MB showroom was an eye-popping experience. First the Smart Centre, then the main MB showroom. I was walking around with Haelee the first day, and I look over and say, "Oh, another showroom?!" Then I realize it's the auto shop. Haelee worked for Benz in South Korea and said the overall look is the same -- very consistent.Who looked after you at Midtown, Mike?

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Jesse McLean, nice fellow. He was the one who first told me (through this forum) that these red and white BRABUS Canada 1 cars were for sale in Toronto. I would never have known otherwise.

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Jesse McLean, nice fellow. He was the one who first told me (through this forum) that these red and white BRABUS Canada 1 cars were for sale in Toronto. I would never have known otherwise.

I met Jesse the first time I was in. At that point I had no expectation of purchasing until spring, and I was fact-finding. He was real helpful, gave me a lot of info. Edited by Gordon

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Congrats.....I know the feeling , the one where you just want to go and drive....anywhere, a Timmies 50 km's from here just to hear it run and get the feel of it. I got mine in October. Still have those same urges. If you need a destination pm me, the coffee is on me. :D

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Update: The first twenty-four hours.

Well, it's been great. I always get a kick out of a new car, particularly since we were a one-car family for about sixteen years and tended to drive our vehicles to the point that trade-in was really an act of charity. I did all the usual things: combed every inch of the vehicle for compartments and gadgets and what-not; brought the owners manual to bed (All guys do that, right?); had my wife give me a list of things to pick up.

General impressions:

[*]The panoramic roof utterly transforms driving -- the already-generous cockpit just gets bigger. I'd enjoy a rag-top for, maybe, a few weeks in the spring before I want the A/C on. This I can enjoy year round. Driving in this morning with the sun coming up was spectacular.

[*]I've driven several 450s ranging from pure to passion to cabriolet, but only one 451, and that was two years ago. I thought I'd miss out on some of the charms of the 450 diesel burner, but I'm not feeling bereft. I don't particularly miss the noise -- especially with a nice sound system -- but the 451 still puts out its pleasant sounds.

[*]The temp controls and heated seats are great. This is the time of the year when I might have the heat on during the drive in and A/C for the drive back. Some warmth under the seat is welcome at 6:45 in the morning. The A/C on a 451 vs. a 450 -- no contest.

[*]For sure-footedness, the 450 and 451 feel very similar to me. I can feel the road all the time, and I can also feel the claw-grip the wheels have on it. I don't like cars that are floating couches.

[*]Seat comfort is great and I can get terrific positioning, even at 6'2" and 225 lbs. Nicest seating I've ever had in a car.

[*]My grandma taught me to drive in 1975, when I was fifteen!, on mountain roads in BC in a '69 Beetle. Even with all the creature comforts of the smart, this is the only driving that reminds me of that. I think it has to do with the solidness of the vehicle.

[*]Since the Beetle, with one brief exception, I've always owned vehicles with a manual stick and a 4-5 speed tranny. The semi-auto shifter lets me keep some of that joy. I'm finding shifting up works a little smoother if I quickly juice the gas, withdraw like I'm hitting the clutch, and then shift.

[*]Paddles will take me a couple of days to get good at again -- I've tried them off and on. Definitely a plus for weaving through traffic, but my right hook instinctively drops to the stick.

[*]On the automatic side, I look forward to not having to clutch-gas-break through heavily congested traffic. It's also nice for the parking lot.

[*]Parking -- an unexpected benefit. Usually, if I get a new car, for about the first six months, I'm looking for the spot farthest from the mall. I'm talking Deep Space Nine far away. Today I stopped by a few shops and parked up close, comforted by all the space around my car inside the lines.

[*]The audio package on the highstyle has all the toys. Again, I appreciate the somewhat quieter engine. Six CDs and a jack for my iPod? I'm lovin' it.

[*]Finally, is this car ever smart. It calls out to me when it needs to be driven.

Edited by Gordon

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Good solid report!Hey, we're the same age! I learned to drive when I was 14 in Alberta, on my Dad's Peugeot 504....drove an Alfa Romeo Spider around the block that year too. Wanted a convertible or 2 ever since....

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Hey, we're the same age! I learned to drive when I was 14 in Alberta, on my Dad's Peugeot 504....drove an Alfa Romeo Spider around the block that year too. Wanted a convertible or 2 ever since....

My grandma was an amazing driver -- she was fearless going over the mountain roads in her little bug. I believe she taught all of her children to drive.Like I said, this was 1974 or '75, so I was fourteen or fifteen. In BC you could get a learner's permit at fourteen -- is that still the case? Anyhow, I didn't even have the permit -- my dad and I were visiting for a month in the summer. "Don't worry," she says, "If we get stopped, I'll just explain it to them."Went back a few years later at seventeen to help out my grandparents, after my uncle was permanently disabled in a construction accident. Grandma didn't like driving much anymore because of a bad leg, so every day for two months, I drove the two of us from Langley to Vancouver to visit my uncle in the rehab clinic. She taught me to do the handbrake-clutch-accelerator trick on a very steep hill we had to take everyday. I've bought standard-tranny cars ever since.Since I've already drifted my own thread this far, one final note. To my grandmother's great credit, at some point in her sixties -- maybe sixty-five, she decided that she shouldn't be on the road anymore and turned in her license to the Province. Age, eyesight, hearing, reflexes. Another good lesson.Getting back to my smart, I looked at new Beetles when they came out, rented one when my Ford Festiva got totaled in 2000. For some reason, the smart puts me in that old Beetle frame of mind -- not the newer Beetle -- even though the two are worlds apart in comfort. Edited by Gordon

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My wife really wants one of those just so she can call it "Walnut" :lol:

Count Chocula comes to mind as a good name, but you can't get that on a license plate.

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