Updates, Tidbits, Thoughts, Long Overdue

By Scot Hinckley

1. I wrote a little something about the state of the dealership, transition with our new owner, etc. which you can't see yet because it's not quite ready. Also, I want Phil Smart, Sr. to read it before anyone else since he's the head honcho around these parts. It's just a one page deal to share our thoughts with anyone who cares to read it. It's a good read since there are lots of positive things to say about the transition and our future. You'll see it soon.

2. One tidbit I can share ahead of time is that we will be opening the doors to our brand-new-shiny-awesome dealership in approximately 500 days. As in, we will be starting soon and it's going to be really exciting. We have the blueprints here at the dealership for anyone to check out. I plan on claiming a cool office. Phil Smart, Sr. has already claimed his, front and center.

3. One other tidbit I can share is that the new owner also owns Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships, which means it's now OK to acknowledge that Land Rover and Jaguar are super cool as long as you also acknowledge that Mercedes-Benz is still the coolest. Case in point, the CLK Black Series is the coolest car ever. Healthy competition with our new friends, I'm all for it.

4. It's cookie season, plain and simple. Snow, ice, rain, and overcast skies mean it's time to go out and bake some cookies. I've made cookies twice this week, and they were awesome. Yes, you can share them with your family and co-workers and with us. Here's a link to my favorite recipe, by cookie king David Lebovitz.

5. It's been an OK January so far, not great, but OK, and we're thankful for those of you who have chosen to trust us with your business. We have some exceptionally nice pre-owned cars right now. In no particular order, here are some samples. Show your friends, show your family, show your co-workers.
2009 CLK350 Coupe
2005 Toyota Tacoma Acces Cab 4x4 TRD
2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman 4x4
2004 C230 Sport
2008 Bentley Arnage T Mulliner

6. Here's a link to a really great book I'm reading right now. I can't recommend it enough. You can buy it anywhere, but the company who's website I'm sending you to is really cool and they buy lunch for their little family of employees every day. Good stuff. http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/bo11.htm

7. Last thing for now. I might be crazy, but 2012 feels more like a fresh start than any year has in quite awhile. Don't know why, don't really want to know why, but there's something in the air. Seems like possibilities are out there, maybe because the world's been so nervous the last few years and people are starting to say "alright, that's enough of that, let's get on with it". Whatever it is, I think there are some good things in store for all of us.


Thanks for reading, more to come.

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Buyer's Guide part V: Classic Touring and Modern Style, the CLK-Class

By Scot Hinckley

This is the fifth of my attempts at giving you a practical, hyperbole-and-marketing-speak-free guide to our cars. I won't mention alloy blends, and I won't mention drag coefficient because nobody really cares about that. I spent a lot of time with these cars, and this is simply meant to be my best attempt at giving you my impression.

The CLK-Class (The CLK carries on as the E-Class Coupe as of the 2010 model year)

Ah, my personal wildcard favorite; the CLK (coupe in my case, but the cabrio is really cool too). Speaking of that, the first thing to realize about the CLK is that it comes in many forms. There’s a coupe and a cabrio, which is a soft-top unlike the SLK and SL, both of which use a hard-top. Why? It has 4 seats, and a soft top made more sense, space-wise. It’s a good, modern soft top that keeps out rain and stays quiet. Back to the many forms; in the U.S. there is a V6, a V8, an even bigger V8, and one year there was an even bigger V8. There’s a little more to it than that, but you get the idea (just email me at scothinckleydanielson@philsmart.com if you want to talk engines). There are also a bunch of different wheels that came with the CLK over the years. They’re all pretty cool looking. Speaking of, the CLK just looks really good. Not to gush, but it totally does. Subtle, elegant design that really works. Simple and good.

The next thing that is (possibly) important to realize about the CLK is that it’s not a sports car, not really. The SLK is a roadster-y sports car, the SL is sort of a sports car, but the CLK is really more of a touring car. Not a term you hear very often here in the U.S., but that’s really what it is. It has a luxurious interior, 4 seats, and suspension that is slightly taut but very comfortable for long drives. You can sit down nice and low and the whole cockpit of the car sort of surrounds you. You can get all the gadgetry and stuff if you want, but most CLKs came with very little in the way of options. I, for one, don’t mind at all since the experience of driving a car like this is best enjoyed without all manner of extra filler. It’s way more functional than a sports car because of the extra seats, and because you can fold down those extra seats (in the coupe) and fit an absolutely staggering amount of…well, whatever you want. I once fit an entire bed frame inside one, and another time I fit a 9 foot long roll of paper. Seriously.

So the CLK is a thoroughly modern car, but with the sensibilities of the classic touring cars of days gone by. What about its competitors? I don’t really know what they are, since most car brands tend to overlook the touring car segment. If you like to drive, or you suspect that you’d learn to like to drive if you had a car that would allow you to actually enjoy the act of driving, the CLK is a good choice. If you can simply envision the act of getting in, closing the door, and taking a deep, relaxing breath before setting out for a nice drive in the country…well, you’re already halfway there.



Who should buy one?

Someone who wants something a little different from the norm

Someone who wakes up on a misty Sunday morning and feels like having a nice drive

Someone who needs more than two seats, but less than 5

Someone who doesn’t mind having a car that looks twice as expensive as it actually is

 
Thanks for reading, more to come.

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January 18th, 2012: SNOWPOCALYPSE !!!

By Scot Hinckley

This is a not-at-all poignant photo I took with my phone on the way to work today. I was walking because I take the bus and it only gets me within maybe a half mile of our Airport Way location. As I'm able to type this, you've probably already realized that during the 30 seconds it took for me to removed my glove and snap a photo, my hand did not flash freeze and drop to the ground, shattering on impact. Anyway, we're at work today, or some of us at least. I may start taking odds on whether or not any customers will come in to buy a car. I'll bet a lot of people are wishing they had a nice Mercedes with 4Matic all wheel drive and seat warmers. I know I'd like one; that and a nice cup of hot cocoa would be just about the two sweetest things on a day like today. If we find ourselves in an Ernest Shackleton-esque scenario, at least we have the snack machine to see us through the worst of it. Right now I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping the buses don't stop running. If they do, it's about 2.5 miles of walking in this, uphill, against the wind, backwards, on my hands, with shorts on, patting my head and rubbing my stomach. At least I'll have a tale to foster admiration in my non-existent grandchildren when they complain about eating their vegetables.


Thanks for reading, more to come.

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Buyer's Guide part IV: Quintessentially Benz, the E-Class

By Scot Hinckley

This is the fourth of my attempts at giving you a practical, hyperbole-and-marketing-speak-free guide to our cars. I won't mention alloy blends, and I won't mention drag coefficient because nobody really cares about that. I spent a lot of time with these cars, and this is simply meant to be my best attempt at giving you my impression.


The E-Class (the E-Class coupe is a very different car and will have its own section)

Some people call cars of these general dimensions “executive size”. I never have, and you don’t have to either unless you really want to. It’s a good size, a size that can fit everyone comfortably on a long drive. Lots of headroom, legroom, well though-out space, and the biggest trunk I’ve ever seen. If you’ve never seen an E-Class trunk, it’s impressive enough that you ought to just come down and I’ll show it to you. Cavernous. The drive is smooth, and quiet, and poised. All that aside, the E has always been a really nice car. That’s just a fact, or very close to one. The E-Class sedan is what people think of when someone says something like “My friend just got a new Mercedes”, and rightfully so; the E has a decades-long history and happens to have sold very well during that time. There are people alive today (probably really young ones) who’s great-grandfathers were driving the original E-Class back in the 1950s. OK, so aside from the nostalgia there are a lot of reasons why an E could be the right choice for you. This latest version of the E debuted for the 2010 model year, and it follows in the tradition of its predecessors. As usual, it’s about a half step ahead of the competition. Better made, better thought out, more versatile, and 100% consistent in a world of crazy cars that make very little sense. I think so at least. The reasons (my opinion here) have nothing to do with typical modern vehicle advancement, or very little anyway. The E strikes me as a car that has made a very healthy habit of keeping it simple and getting the basics right. Tiny improvements, performed all the time, seem to be the real reason the E has always been so good. Everything about interacting with the car takes center stage; the steering wheel, the seats, the door handles, the feel of the accelerator, the brakes. A very “E” characteristic has always been the voodoo-like combination of solid, predictable handling and a very luxury car ride. It’s supple, I guess. Connected to the road, certainly. Most of the E-Class’ you find at Phil Smart will be equipped with all the cool stuff like Navigation, Heated Front Seats, and iPod Integration. You can get more stuff, stuff you never heard of; stuff I’ve barely heard of, but most people keep it fairly simple. You can even get all-wheel-drive, or a big V8 engine, or both if you want. Knowing what I know about the E, I can’t think of a single person who wouldn’t be impressed if they drove it. I won’t even pretend to know how they did it, but they made a car that serious enthusiasts love just as much as average drivers like me. It’s a car for everyone. A really, really, really, good as it gets, car for everyone.



Who should buy one?

• Someone who wants the best mid-sized sedan money can buy

• Someone who wants a surprising mix of the latest gadgetry and highly refined design

• Someone who actually wants to be a part of the driving experience

• Someone who thinks about a car as multi-functional and demands a lot of one

• Someone who is me (I really want one)


Thanks for reading, more to come.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Is One of KBB's 10 Best Redesigned Cars!

The 2012 SLK-Class redesign has made a splash with its sporty exterior, sexy style and impeccable interior! Noticed by the Kelley Blue Book team, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class has been named one of the 10 Best Redesigned Cars for 2012. With extra touches like the Magic Sky Control roof that goes from clear to tinted at the touch of a button, this roadster exceed expectations in creating a memorable driving experience.

While summer seems like a long way off, it's never too early to look forward to sunny days. With excellent end-of-the-year offers, a 2012 SLK-Class may be more affordable than you think! Schedule a test drive today at Phil Smart.

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Mercedes-Benz Highlights for 2011

With new model launches, increasing sales and a 125 year anniversary, 2011 has been a great year for Mercedes-Benz. Here are some of the highlights from this memorable year in Mercedes-Benz history!

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: A True Investment

Buying a new car is truly an investment, and the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a good one. Recently honored by ALG in their 2012 Residual Value Awards, the C-Class is a proven leader in its market. This award is particularly meaningful for C-Class owners, as residual values are a widely used measure of brand health and vehicle quality. With clean lines and powerful performance, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz is a stylish addition to any driveway. And knowing it's a good value whether you keep it or trade it in makes it a remarkable choice.

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