9-27-17 Mercedes-Benz Day – Lover of Wine – Travel along on our adventures

Not much has happened over the last couple of days – we have been waiting for TODAY. The planning for TODAY started way last November when we started thinking about a car for our time in Europe and decided it would be best to just buy one. Well, that lead us to look at the four basic car makers who have what is called Foreign Delivery programs: Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. We checked each of their programs, sat in a few different models and decided the Mercedes-Benz GLC-300 would be the car for us.

While we were in Virginia last December, for Christmas with our granddaughter and her parents (Jason our son and his wife Terri) we ventured out to a Mercedes-Benz dealer and put down a deposit for a new car for delivery in Stuttgart late September. When this is now late September.

We arrived at the delivery center only to find out there was a custom’s paperwork that hadn’t been completed. Nothing we could do about it so we were given a voucher for a beverage and tickets to a factory tour. The factory tour was about 2 hours and quite interesting. Having gone on a GM tour in about 1972, things have most certainly changed. Robots do 90% of everything – heavy lifting, welding, screwing, gluing – you name it and they can do it. The human touch only comes in for the fine detail work and finishing touches.

The entrance to the pick up center for our new car.

The factor tour was really interesting – lots of robots.

The cars come down the line and are shifted in all different directions to allow access.

The paint line ends up putting 6 or 7 layers of paint on the car.

Welding, crimping, bolting, screwing – all by robots along the line.

After the tour we were given another voucher for lunch – which was quite nice. After that, we were finally introduced to our new car. As we were going through all the particulars we soon realized it did not have European Maps in the navigation system. Well, another voucher for a dessert and beverage while the loaded the correct maps to the system and ultimately about 2 hours later we able to finish the introduction to the car and take off.

Janeen really likes this color of the Mercedes-Benz GLC-300.

First stop was to the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Started in 1886, this organization has done an extrodinary amount of different things over the last hundred or so years. Cars, boats, motorcycles, airplanes, racing cars, buses you name it and they have had a hand in doing something one way or another.

Along with the various cars presented there was a general timeline listing important events happening around the world – interesting to see and learn about all of this from their (Mercedes-Benz) perspective.

Built in about 1890 – this “motorcycle” could be the first one ever built.

Not something I would want to have driven.

With this LO 1112, Hector Prieto began a career as a bus operator in Buenos Aires in 1969. As was customary in many private bus companies, his vehicle was colorfully painted and decorated inside with lucky charms, mascots and souvenirs to attract customers.

The Museum had a really HUGE collection of old cars.

This is the car Janeen really wanted us to pick up. Sad to say, not made any more.

After finding our way back to the hotel I turned the car over to them to put in the garage and we went out for a beer. All in all a very pleasant day.

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