Steve (Sorry, I prefer top-posting)
Thanks for your nice comment.
On a CLK 55 you probably get quite a few items thrown in that are optional extras on 'lower' versions.
Yes, the visibility out of the Cab is "acceptable" but it's still not as good as out of a car with full-size rear window. If you're spending all that money the extra is not so great; anyway, do test it as you said you would.
Regarding the other options in or out, I would say:
- CD changer. Great, I am sure, if you spend a lot of time in the car listening to CDs. I only have a single-disc player (Audio 10) but I spend a lot of the little time in the car listening to the radio (in the UK we have the excellent BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, if you like news and current affairs as well as radio drama, that is). On the few longer journeys I make I don't mind manually changing 2 or 3 CDs. I do only about 6 000 miles 10 000 km pa tops.
- Integrated hands-free telephone kit. I paid about GBP 400 / USD 600 for it. How much is now in the US? If you don't use the phone much and it's not illegal to hold a phone, then I guess you don't need it. Also, the type of PDA and how it's used is very personal. I don't think I would like to have a phone/PDA combo as I like to be able look at the PDA while phoning. (I have a Palm m505.) However, a neighbour swears by his integrated PDA/phone device. It's called an xda by the mobile phone operator that supplies it and is Pocket PC based (it's sold under various names around the world). He used to have a Palm.
I must say it is great to be able to receive calls without having to lift a finger off the steering wheel and to make calls, even if 'only' to those numbers stored on the SIM card.
The 'air flow' seats sound good but why do you need them? Aren't you having air-conditioning? And when the roof and a/c are off on a hot day you won't be worrying about a cool derriere...
Whatever you get, I think it'll be terrific.
DAS
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