After recently driving a rental A-class on a trip to Spain and enjoying it, giving my youngest son his mother's car as a gift for graduation (and getting him out of the house), I find myself in the perfect situation for getting an A-class:
A. no kids
B. I like it
So, the big question. How the hell does someone get an A-class into the heart of truck country-Texas.
we are trying to do the same thing... i have herd a while back about some people in houston importing them but havent got any good info on that... also being in texas the best bet would be to go and buy one in Mexico... however the car will be in KPH, not miles, and if there is Navigation or radio and what not it would be in Spanish but i think an aftermarket/importing company can modify the computer for english... if you really do go through with it let me know... because we are really thinking about doing it. We also were amazed by the A class after renting one in England a couple of months ago
also many people would say Canada, but the A class is not for sale there
www.mercedesbenz.com then go to the mexico site...
also on another note at the Lotus dealership in San Antonio (Gonzaba?I think?) i saw an A class there however it had mexican plates, but mabey they could help... in the conversion and other stuff... also Mercedes dealerships on the border in the US like laredo and Brownsville could help too as they may service them from across the border
also heres the one we had in the UK very nice car! we drove this car well over 600 miles all over southern england and were very surprised about the space and everything.
let me know about what kind of results you get with getting the A class in the US/texas hope this helps
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95' E 320-current ride
94' E500(Gone)
88' 300SEL(Gone)
Exercise a little patience, and the new B-Class should be here about this time in 2005. Word is that it will be previewed at the Detroit Show in January, and for sale here in the third quarter of '05 as an '06 model.
This car is based on a slight stretch of the new A-Class, which will be on the road in the EU shortly.
We'll get only the most powerful gasoline engine, the 2.0 turbo [making something on the order of 180+ hp], but it sure would be nice if the highest-line CDI diesel would make it here, as well. We'll see.
Transmissions are 6-spd manual and new CVT automatic that can be run in a 7-spd stepped mode that mimics a clutchless manual.
what?? i didnt know that A-Class doesnt exist in the US market!!! anyway, i just wanted to drop a thread here in the A class section just to say that i ve seen and sat on the driver's seat of the new A class, out in October here in Europe. it feels and it is bigger that its predecessor.
Hi you guys, if your considering buying the New 'A' class when it reached the states then you had better take a look at the dedicated 'A' Class site in the uk http;//baby-benz.com ('A' Class owners Club) have a look at one of the members comments on the new model compared to the present 'A' Class
We as owners are aware of the problems on the existing models, the new one is an economy job narrower tyres, flexible parcel shelf, plus lots more! Time to look for a different car?
lofty [;)]2002/A160 petrol great little car.
I Would Seriously Wait For The B-Class To Come Out Before Buying A "Baby Benz" In The States... Althought It's A Great Car... (Well A Great Car If You Rented It...) There Are Way Too Many Problems For A Long Term Vehicle Investment... I Own A 99' A160 Avantgarde RS... And I Have To Say Although The Car Performs Very Well, Up Keep Of The Car Is Boarder Line... Form The Time I Have Owned It To Today, I Have Had The Following Problems:
1) Changed The Gearbox (Manual 5 Speed) Since It Will Not Let Me Select 1st, 3rd Or 5th Gears One Morning...
2) Sway Bars On The Front...
3) Brake Discs At An Incredible 35,000 Kms... When You Think About It Being A Manual, I Use Engine Braking A Lot Unlike An Automatic... I Had Another Car With 100,000kms And Didn't Need A Brake Disc Change...
4) Interior Has Been Shocking, Knocks And Rattles Everywhere...
Im Just Providing An Honest Opinion About The A-Class Being An Owner Of One. Yus This Car Has Great Features, In Space As Well As Safety. But You Really Have To Take A Good Hard Look At What You Are Expecting From The Amount Of Money And Is It Worth The Effort...
I Would Seriously Wait For The B-Class To Come Out Before Buying A "Baby Benz" In The States... Althought It's A Great Car... (Well A Great Car If You Rented It...) There Are Way Too Many Problems For A Long Term Vehicle Investment... I Own A 99' A160 Avantgarde RS... And I Have To Say Although The Car Performs Very Well, Up Keep Of The Car Is Boarder Line... From The Time I Have Owned It To Today, I Have Had The Following Problems:
1) Changed The Gearbox (Manual 5 Speed) Since It Will Not Let Me Select 1st, 3rd Or 5th Gears One Morning...
2) Sway Bars On The Front...
3) Brake Discs At An Incredible 35,000 Kms... When You Think About It Being A Manual, I Use Engine Braking A Lot Unlike An Automatic... I Had Another Car With 100,000kms And Didn't Need A Brake Disc Change...
4) Interior Has Been Shocking, Knocks And Rattles Everywhere...
Im Just Providing An Honest Opinion About The A-Class Being An Owner Of One. Yus This Car Has Great Features, In Space As Well As Safety. But You Really Have To Take A Good Hard Look At What You Are Expecting From The Amount Of Money And Is It Worth The Effort...
Well, for starters, the A-Class is not going to be offered in the North American market. The B is what will be offered here, and is already being featured on MBUSA's website, with the intro date [as has been announced previously] as 3rd Qtr '05.
I am indeed very interested in the B, and will be out there for an early test drive, but I would not even think about buying any new MB until they have at least a couple of years of production under their belt. We've owned 14 MBs since 1968, and our '02 C240 has been an excellent car so far, but their track record on new-car intros is so dismal right now that I can't imagine thinking about this car until '07. Then I'll be ready for my next one, and the B will be on the list, assuming it drives as well as it should.
Anyway, don't hold your breath for any version of the A in the USA - it isn't going to happen.
It looks to me like the B is going to be very similar if not identical to the A mechanically, like the drive train and the controls and displays. If so, it may not be necessary to wait so long to insure that the bugs have been worked out.
My advice would be to buy a current A160 Elegance LWB. However, be warned, the build quality is a bit of a let down by MB standards. We can all dream that the standards will be raised for the replacement but this is a cut back world we live in.
My wife has a 99 A140. We have had it for 3 years and in that time it has been into the stealership 3 times for repairs that really should not be necessary in a car this young.
The first was a rear suspension fault due to rusty parts!!! The second was anti rollbar bushes (a well known fault), and the third was the air intake monolith (last week £600.50). This last one was the straw that broke the camels back for me. It is the "don't even attempt to fix, just replace" attitude that seriously annoys me. I kept the old monolith and intend to take it apart to see how it works.
During our ownership there have been several minor problems like broken switches etc. Again thing that should not go wrong on a car of this cost.
On the positive side it is great to drive most of the time but the suspension is on the hard side. That is not really MB's fault though. When it was originally released in '96 two British journalists managed to turn on over on a sharp bend and every single A class was recalled by MB. Major suspension revisions meant that there is absolutely no way tha car will roll now but it has lost much of it's smooth ride. A great shame.
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