Brakes

The pads and discs are reasonably priced at around £450 per set. Fitting the brakes will add a bit to the tag especially when the brake fluid will be changed. This generation of Benz requires you to plug it to a computer when you change the fluid.

Cabin

When you get an E55 with high specs you can expect that the cabin will have a ton of gadgets. You have to take note that these systems will be expensive to fix.

Chassis

The brand speaks for itself through the years and it has been known to produce tough chassis with no weak joints or bushes.

Engine

The powerplant of the E55 is hand-built and you will be able to see the names of the persons who assembled it.

Bodystyle

You only have an option between a saloon or an estate. The wagon is easier to put again onto the market later, and still you can give it a good price.

Wheels and tires

Every corner will cost you about £200. We advise that you avoid the aftermarket rims since an original wheel set on the car that is chip-free will give a hint of a careful owner who is careful with parking or spent some sum to take care of the car.

Janis Joplin had it right, don’t you think? And even those who might night be fans of the big Benz, you guys have to admit that the new concept, the F800 Style, is a seriously sexy looking machine.

This beauty will get its big reveal next month at the big motor show in Geneva. Mercedes’ traditional design aesthetic has been seriously reinterpreted with this concept, the idea being to showcase where the automaker intends to go in the future.

And the F800 Style is definitely futuristic, not to mention sleek and somehow sensual, stylish and so speedy looking you can practically hear the tires scream.

*Lyrics from Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.”

American and Japanese car manufacturers don’t have the positioning and advantage that the European brands have. The vehicles they produce are mainstream and they do not have significant diesel programs in Europe or other parts of the globe.

The European car makers are grabbing the opportunity to dominate the market as diesel prices drop and as clamor for more fuel efficient engines increase. They are finding the greener solution in diesel which has more energy stored compared to gasoline. Diesel technology can still compete with the emerging hybrid vehicles.

Consumers can save on average about $3000 to $8000 per car compared to getting hybrid systems. Diesel powertrains also prove to be torquey and perform in real driving conditions. The hybrid, on the other hand, has the street image of being the greener of the choices and is more popular nowadays.

The European luxury car makers will definitely push forward with their plans of selling more units in the United States as Japanese and American car makers struggle to bring back their diesel solutions to North America.

Lexus might have something in its fleet to challenge the European marques. The 2010 HS 250h is being marketed as a luxury sedan. It also has the RX hybrid in the SUV segment. Experts are pretty sure though that the 355d of BMW and Bluetec diesel GL-Class and ML-Class (Mercedes), and the Audi 7 will give a good fight.

According to company executives, they exported high end models to the United States last January affecting their overall sales.

The different versions of the GLK came in as a surprise to some consumers when the sticker price reached $40000 plus. The price skyrocketed because the packages offered by the dealerships were loaded by options.

Most of the US consumers were expecting see the tag as advertised at $34775 for the two-wheel drive version. The all-wheel drive starts selling at $36775. These prices include shipment of the vehicle.

Mercedes Benz adjusted the interest rate to 1.90% for up to 5 year and 6 months for the GLK class last February. The options for the GLK have also been reconfigured to make the package more appealing to consumers.

Some of the features sought after by consumers like the sunroof was marketed as an option package for $3150 before and is now sold as a stand alone feature tagged at $1450. The multimedia package that came with a navigation system had a sticker of $3350 is now being sold separately for $1800.

GLK owners who purchased packaged options last February or March got a refund of around $2000. Mercedes-Benz did not disclose how many customers received the refund.