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YOUR RESEARCHPhotos: Merc E55 and the VW Beetle
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nicest looking 996
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Ben you have probably the nicest looking 996 on the board (it would be for sure if it was black).
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I respect the E55 for its power and comfort, but I wouldn't use my $ to get the E55 or any Merc for that matter.
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Typical Seattle gray and the same boring shades of silver on two decent German cars. My buddy just got the Lorinser roof spoiler along with the E63 trunk lip installed. The E55 is a smooth sedan that packs a straight-line punch. He can raise and lower his suspension via aftermarket module.
He's baaaaaaaaack
QUESTION: Does the roof spoiler act as an effective air flow management device that creates downforce at the rear of the car, or is it more of a cosmetic modification?
Primisimo!
Would love to own both of them, perfect his/hers cars. Very nice artistic like pics, beats the gas station series
...maybe one day a CLS AMG, as a symbol for the love for my wife
I respect the E55 for its power and comfort, but I wouldn't use my $ to get the E55 or any Merc for that matter. Well, save for the S65 AMG. Ballistic missile luxury cocoon.
yeah, meh,... I owned an E55 (supercharched) much like your friend's... although fast, it was very heavy pushed on the turns, was too noisy and bumpy for a "luxury family car."
After 6 months, I got rid of it. Alot of fun walking away from V12 benz models though.
i find myself pretty underwhelmed by most cars now. it took a freakin' modified ferrari 360 to show me that there's hope beyond the 911. otherwise, all this brute hp/tq wars kinda bore me unless it's like ultra luxury, again, exempli gratia the S65 v12 biturbo beast.
i do want to drive a 997 gt3 to see what's up, though. the 997TT... nice, but underwhelming.
I too was surprised how harsh the ride was when I took an E63 out while getting the little lady's car washed, but OMG torque!!
PS..way to rep those 16'' pythons there ben
the guy in the pic ain't me
i found the e55 ride to be pretty plush if you ask me. you can't have it all in one car, including the 911. so i dont complain about its weight, understeer tendencies (like the 911 doesnt do this either).
so to nitpick about that is kinda.. asinine. don't buy a heavy german sedan for lithe and juke and jive.
I'm quite sure it has some minimal benefit as a spoiler, but equally sure that downforce isnt on the menu.
The two things are quite different and often confused. A spoiler is meant to disrupt airflow so as to defeat lift. What a non-aero 996 has on the back is a spoiler.
A wing - a REAL wing - is meant to create downforce. This is desirable at extremely high speeds, like on a racetrack, and particularly in situations where pushing the car into the pavement will enhance handling at high speeds. They're also tuned carefully for racing, since too much downforce will limit top speed/increase the amount of horsepower required to achieve it, and must be paired with aerodynamic aids at the front of the car.
Both cars are sitting outside our door right now. Although my 996 is not an S. My partner had a 99 tip 996 and sold to buy the exact same car as your buddies, sans the goodies.
He is 20 years older than me and couldn't stand the ride of the 996 and wanted more luxury. His is that ugly Mercedes maroon color (Bluck).
Your car still looks better than the AMG.
I have no doubt that my car looks better than the AMG let alone many other 911s. Seriously.
But not to come across as a completely arrogant ****, I can totally understand why someone else would pick the E55 over my car and say the same thing. That it's better looking, it kills it in the power dept, it's more comfortable, etc.
My car looks insane in person and especially in motion. The amount of attn it gets is insane even with the bland silver color.
That's where I spent my money - to make it look damn good and drive a bit better than stock lowered on PSS9s and some wide wheels with good street tires.
Are there better looking cars out there? No doubt about it. Faster? Certainly. But I'm cool with that.
BC, Love that Seattle 'beetle' you got there! Seeing your pics really makes me wanna mod my 'base' HB 'beetle'.
Ain't always about straightline acceleration.
Haha! A few years ago, there was a midnight blue 996 TT with the circular VW badge on its rear that frequented the Newport Beach area. Made me laugh everytime I saw it.
I had a customer in the store a couple of weeks ago with a C4S. Exact same colour as yours'. He has a smaller wing and regular rims. Still looked real nice in person, and I bet yours' looks even nicer in the flesh.
My choice would be your exact set-up, but in Lapis Blue.
Different strokes!
Ben you have probably the nicest looking 996 on the board (it would be for sure if it was black). I've often said the C4S is the best looking of the N/A 996's and you have a superb example.
look, if a guy like Ray says I have one of the best looking 996s, i believe because i do love the way his 996 looks even if it's rolling on 18s. it's aerokitted, lowered, on some quality wheels which completes my checklist. plus he actually knows how to drive at a decent clip at the track so mad respect to him for this.
ls, same for you too. let me break it down for us: there are only so many people in this world that can relate to our love for 911s with aerokits... think about that. you guys are special to me.
(barf)
BC, I couldn't agree more. I just don't really care about HP wars at all anymore. I remember when I got my first M3 (e36); I almost had a heart attack when the e46 replaced it the next year. Now, it's like who cares...
I'm into driving and riding a lot more...and daresay maybe a little more aggressively.
I like the lowered stance and wheels aren't bad either.
But the CLS is one of those cars that needs a lot of bodywork help. It needs an aerokit and that's a lot of dough.
Cars that don't need a lot of plastic surgery:
-M5 (V8 and V10)
-E46 M3
-RS4
-R8
-Ferrari F430, 360
-GT3/GT2
-Merc G-wagon
-Nissan GTR
-Pagani Zonda (S, F, whatever)
Cars that do need plastic surgery:
-Porsche 911 Carrera and Turbo
-Merc CLS AMG
-Cayenne
-Honda S2000
-Nissan 350Z
Obviously there are more to add. I tend to stay away from the plastic surgery cars, unless I can find one done up right already like I did with my C4S.
Way to slip in the GTR in the no plastic surgery list
Will leave it alone
The CLS is a in its own styling league, not many othe 4-doors compare well to it.
It is a oozing w/power, style and class.
The AMG body work is all it needs to maintain and not take away from the very lines that define it so well.
As fa as comparing it to other high end 4-door sedans (E-55) I prefer it, hands down.
if it were my E55, i'd prob put on some 20" HRE 540Rs, though i don't like the fact that they vibrate in the rain as a testament to HRE's awesome engineering capabilities.
Would rather roll with a C55 than an E55 .... lighter and more tossable. This was the "other car" I considered before going with the P-car.
Love the fact that the front end (from the A-pillar forward) is completely different from any other C-Class, and the grille tighter.
Why there is so much disdain for Mercs on this board is a mystery. They're amazing cars.
the c-class is a hairdressers car. i just don't like the size of it. same reason i grew out of being a fan of the 3series, A4s etc. it's midsize sedan or bigger if i ever go down that route. ideally, it's a big body amg benzo S-class baby ride out!
Because this is a board for admirers and worshipers of sports cars in general, and Porsches in particular, it's hard to get excited about Mercedes sedans, even if they're AMGs. When all is said and done, they're still sedans (albeit highly competent ones) whether they're AMGs or M-type BMWs.
If I could only have one car, and it therefore needed to be functional/practical, an M3 from BMW would suit me just fine! At a lower performance level, the Audi TT is still fun and is very practical/functional.
+1...Post some pics of something that can, say, be obtained with a manual transmission and maybe you'll get my drool glands going, but we've been looking at a bunch of dentist's cars...no offense to dentists. I'm sure they're lovely people.
