I went to my local MB dealer, Rusnak in Arcadia, CA and they had 4 base model S550s available. There wasn't any waiting list because I could have taken one of them--if only my 2005 S430 lease wasn't underwater. :-( They had two Alabaster White and two Iridium Silver cars. The only add on was US$500 for Sirius Satellite radio. There was also a US$10,000 market adjustment but I was led to believe that this could have been negotiable.
I would have expected that all these cars would have been accounted for from waiting list orders. Maybe sales aren't as brisk as MB would want them to be. Also, there was a 2005 Maybach 62 in the dealer showroom. Why would an old Maybach still be sitting there? Did someone order it and default on payment? Maybe MB & Maybach sales are really hurting that's why they were willing to talk to me.
By the way, there was no trunk closing handle. Am I supposed to leave my handprint on the trunk lid when I close it? How crude!
Oh, I wish I could have driven home with the new S550 and be the first one on the block to have it. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Ricky