How Old are You?
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Welcome to the GLA forum D3XPT. Tell us more about your GLA interests or experiences. Our forum gets easier to use the more time you spend in it, so have a little patience.
By the way, if I'm not mistaken, I believe we have two or three members younger than you, not necessarily checking in on this thread, but always happy to have folks from both ends of the chronological spectrum.
By the way, if I'm not mistaken, I believe we have two or three members younger than you, not necessarily checking in on this thread, but always happy to have folks from both ends of the chronological spectrum.
Early 40's here. I agree that this is not a melenial car overall, but that's not to say that there isn't the odd responsible melenial out there that may be able to purchase one without mom and dad's help. And if they can do it on their own, all the power to them.
I am 47. The wife is 43. She downsized from an ML350 to the GLA250 after the kids were gone. Six months into GLA ownership we are looking to upsize. Great car. Just too small for us. Couldn't convince her of it at the time because she was in love with its looks.
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If you're ordering it, I strongly recommend doing European Delivery. Take an extra month of road insurance and spend more time. Air BNBs are great.
Not sure i filled my details here previously, i'm 38, knocking on 39's door. So for mid-life crisis part 1, had to get something and instead of building a gym in my garden, i chose a gla 45 due to it's all round abilities, ie decent boot, decent space, but relatively short vehicle so will park more easily...oh and semi decent performance too 
I now have a little one who is a couple of months old and she doesnt enjoy the performance exhaust as much as i do lol meaning i've started driving a lot in sport or comfort rather than sport plus but i'm hoping once her moro reflex stops kicking in while she's sleeping each time i hit the throttle, i'll stop getting lectured by the Mrs and can revert back to having the exhaust valves open
Despite the wider girth than an A45, the GLA isnt much bigger in the rear passenger compartment and with a child car seat will realistically only fit one more person in the back. It is slightly cramped back there too and the recaros completely obscure visibility for the rear passenger sitting back there with the child but that's what the exhaust is there for lol. Close your eyes and enjoy the symphony of pops and crackles!
For a young family, the suspension is just about okay but i'd recommend active damping for anyone else who happens to be in my position. I just couldnt get my hands on a vehicle with that option. maybe in around 3 years when i look for my next vehicle, it might be another gla 45 but with that option.
Overall - no regrets that i went for this over a GLC 43 or an A45. A non-AMG GLA might have been more appropriate on the suspension front though but that would not do anything to alleviate my mid-life crisis
I now have a little one who is a couple of months old and she doesnt enjoy the performance exhaust as much as i do lol meaning i've started driving a lot in sport or comfort rather than sport plus but i'm hoping once her moro reflex stops kicking in while she's sleeping each time i hit the throttle, i'll stop getting lectured by the Mrs and can revert back to having the exhaust valves open
Despite the wider girth than an A45, the GLA isnt much bigger in the rear passenger compartment and with a child car seat will realistically only fit one more person in the back. It is slightly cramped back there too and the recaros completely obscure visibility for the rear passenger sitting back there with the child but that's what the exhaust is there for lol. Close your eyes and enjoy the symphony of pops and crackles!
For a young family, the suspension is just about okay but i'd recommend active damping for anyone else who happens to be in my position. I just couldnt get my hands on a vehicle with that option. maybe in around 3 years when i look for my next vehicle, it might be another gla 45 but with that option.
Overall - no regrets that i went for this over a GLC 43 or an A45. A non-AMG GLA might have been more appropriate on the suspension front though but that would not do anything to alleviate my mid-life crisis
Thanks Wayne-I would think very hard about this approach, and will discuss it with you more when the time comes. I will probably not go to Spain. (lol) My wife and I spent just over three years in Germany, and out two oldest kids were born there. I'd love to revisit some of the places we used to go to.
Wayne....can you explain the European Delivery process a bit? I haven't heard of this.
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If you order a car from your dealer you can specify European Delivery as a package. The car does not count toward the dealer allotment so in a way it is found money for them. So you may be able to negotiate a larger discount. You also avoid the $925 dealer prep fee.
And from the factory you get two days hotel and breakfasts in Stuttgart with two taxi vouchers to get to your hotel and then to the pick up location in Sindelfingen. Pam and I opted for the hotel across from the train station. We walked to the hotel so we saved a voucher for the return after we dropped the car off in Sindelfingen saving a $70 cab ride.
There are several drop off options but we chose Sindelfingen so we could visit the Porsche Museum and factory on our last day.
Also you get 0 deductible full coverage insurance for 15 days that can be extended in advance for a nominal price. The insurance is amazing. When our tire was slashed in Barcelona the tow to the dealer was free as was the tire and installation. FWIW, the phone service in Barcelona was awful, but once we got through to our contacts ... MB Germany, the dealer in Spain, our dealer in the US, and MB America were fantastic in making sure we were OK. The dealer in Spain even picked up our cab fare to and from our hotel.
You also get German road tax paid for and free Mercedes Museum tickets. The factory tour is free as well.
We got the AMG so we also got a private tour of that factory, which was an absolute joy.
BTW, with the AMG you also get membership in the Private Lounge, and an $1800 voucher for the AMG Driving School (at Laguna Seca on April first in my case). Add in the motor and suspension and I've got no regrets going the extra!!!
MB has pre packaged tours that are easy, or you can set off on your own. The pre packaged tours cover 3 to 5 days so you can combine your choices.
IMHO, there simply is no better way to get your car. There are things I would do differently ...
1. Contact Consulates in cities you are visiting and ask for safety concerns. Knowing scooters tend to surround you at lights in Barcelona and slash your tire to facilitate a robbery would have allowed me to roll very gradually to a red light to avoid a full stop, or at least handle things differently than I did.
2. Spend more than 15 days. We weren't there long enough.
3. Have the car dropped off on the US East Coast. This would have allowed us the chance to drive across the country rather than waiting an extra four weeks for the delivery.
Whatever you do, if you can work the European Delivery into your purchase, I highly recommend it.
And from the factory you get two days hotel and breakfasts in Stuttgart with two taxi vouchers to get to your hotel and then to the pick up location in Sindelfingen. Pam and I opted for the hotel across from the train station. We walked to the hotel so we saved a voucher for the return after we dropped the car off in Sindelfingen saving a $70 cab ride.
There are several drop off options but we chose Sindelfingen so we could visit the Porsche Museum and factory on our last day.
Also you get 0 deductible full coverage insurance for 15 days that can be extended in advance for a nominal price. The insurance is amazing. When our tire was slashed in Barcelona the tow to the dealer was free as was the tire and installation. FWIW, the phone service in Barcelona was awful, but once we got through to our contacts ... MB Germany, the dealer in Spain, our dealer in the US, and MB America were fantastic in making sure we were OK. The dealer in Spain even picked up our cab fare to and from our hotel.
You also get German road tax paid for and free Mercedes Museum tickets. The factory tour is free as well.
We got the AMG so we also got a private tour of that factory, which was an absolute joy.
BTW, with the AMG you also get membership in the Private Lounge, and an $1800 voucher for the AMG Driving School (at Laguna Seca on April first in my case). Add in the motor and suspension and I've got no regrets going the extra!!!
MB has pre packaged tours that are easy, or you can set off on your own. The pre packaged tours cover 3 to 5 days so you can combine your choices.
IMHO, there simply is no better way to get your car. There are things I would do differently ...
1. Contact Consulates in cities you are visiting and ask for safety concerns. Knowing scooters tend to surround you at lights in Barcelona and slash your tire to facilitate a robbery would have allowed me to roll very gradually to a red light to avoid a full stop, or at least handle things differently than I did.
2. Spend more than 15 days. We weren't there long enough.
3. Have the car dropped off on the US East Coast. This would have allowed us the chance to drive across the country rather than waiting an extra four weeks for the delivery.
Whatever you do, if you can work the European Delivery into your purchase, I highly recommend it.
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I was 25 and my wife 26 when we bought our GLA. Almost bought a 2016 BMW X1 considering I drive a new bmw and the trunk space is bigger. But we really like the GLA and so does our twin two year old daughters. Even added built in DVD head rest!
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