I recently took a vacation to the island of St. Lucia. While I was there Imet a couple of Mercedes-Benz owners who showed metheir babies. This island is hard on equipment! Keeping them running and in good condition is certainly a labor of love!
If you’re ever headed to St. Lucia please do let me know! I have recommendations!
If you watched The Masters Tournament this weekend you might have noticed that Mercedes-Benz is a major sponsor! As a part of that sponsorship, dealerships are sometimes offered spots to send their customers to the tournament for a few days of luxury. A Mercedes-Benz Enthusiast fromMassachusetts attended this year and was kind enough to share his Masters Experience with us! The following is in his words. Thank you Mike!
2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
The text came from Michael Collins, GM of Mercedes-Benz of Portsmouth, NH. "Do you like golf?" My wife and I have done business with Mike for several years, and we have become friends. It was innocuous enough, although I thought it was still a bit cold to get out for a foursome. Imagine my surprise when I found out we would be going to the 2017 Masters Tournament as guests of Mercedes-Benz.
2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
Upon arrival at the Augusta Airport, it was clear that everything would be first class for our 3 days in Augusta. We were brought to the gorgeous community of River Island in a gleaming new GL 450, where all of the guests of MB would be staying in private homes. Our lodging was a gorgeous 7,500 sqft home with 4 other couples. I wasn't sure what to expect, sharing a home with other people, but we truly had a fantastic time with one another and will be staying in touch!
2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
Tuesday morning was a perfect spring Augusta day. We were brought to the Augusta National Golf Club (in a Mercedes Sprinter, of course) and there it was- the iconic Magnolia Lane. From there we were dropped off at the Firethorn Cabin, MB's hospitality cabin at the course. There we enjoyed breakfast and lunch, sparkling private bathrooms, and the ubiquitous open bar. With flat screen TVs everywhere you looked, there was no reason to go out to the course (yeah, right!)
Rickie Fowler interview at the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
We spent much of Tuesday on the gorgeous green grass of ANGC. There we saw the golfers skipping the ball on the water on 16, Amen Corner, and the Pro Shop (which was well organized chaos). Wednesday was a rainout, so much of the day was spent at Firethorn, hanging with our new friends and enjoying a cigar and drinks on the front porch. Each night had entertainment, but the final night was the cherry on top; a private concert by Lady Antebellum for the MB guests!
Lady Antebellum performs at the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
There are many words to describe the experience- bucket list, once in a lifetime experience, etc. Overall we had a wonderful time with first class service and accommodations, and made many new friends. What a privilege to be able to attend. Thank you MBUSA!
Steven Foster, Nancy Torrielli and Author Mike Torrielli at the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Masters Experience. Photo by Jensen Larson for MBUSA.
The 2017 AMG Driving Academy is underway! The first sessions at Leguna Seca Racewayhave wrapped up and they are headed to Road Atlanta in a few short weeks! When they arrive they’ll be picking up this awesome new transporter from Atlanta Classic Cars! It is currently empty but I can almost hear that GT S revving up!
This Freightliner is finished in Iridium Silver paint and is powered by a 15 liter Mercedesengine and DT12 transmission. Nice rig! It was customized byDaimler Trucks North America specifically for the AMG Driving Academy. Freightliner is a part of the Daimler Trucks family. The GT S is obviously finished in Solarbeam yellow!
If you want to see more of thishot rod and all of the otherAMG vehicles you canregister for the AMG Driving Academy here. If you purchased an AMG vehicle this year you may be eligible for a free seatduring the BASIC Program.The AMG Purchase Reward is a great perk fornew AMG owners!It is also a great gift for prospective owners. You’ve never been on a test drive this thorough!
I have attended the BASIC program at Road Atlanta twice over the years andloved every minute of it!You really can’t appreciate the AMG vehicles without pushing their limitsonthe track. The accelerate faster, brake harder and corner better thanyou have ever considered trying on the road. The driving skills they teach will also make you a better driver. Handling a car that is on the edge is a skill that takes time to develop. The AMG instructors are top notch and give excellent guidance.
Look for the AMG Driving Academy of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for excellent pictures of the vehicles and events. Their preferred hashtag is #atthetrack if you are looking for pictures from attendees.
Donation Link – Every dollar helps! My team goal is $2000 and I am about 25% of the way there. Thank you!
Do you have any great ideas for my car? I will use logos from my sponsors, Instagram or Twitter handles from individual donors. I am leaning heavily towards some racing stripes so the car is faster! I am open to your suggestions! Who out there is great with photoshop? Send me an image and I’ll try to incorporate your ideas! jcw@atlantaclassiccars.com
The event starts at the Virginia International Raceway and ends on the track at Talladega Super Speedway! There are 70 teams registered to participate in Rally Appalachia this July. It is going to be an amazing four days with other enthusiasts on some of the best roads and tracks on the east coast! I can’t wait! This is my first ever rally and I want to make it a good one. I’m obviously going to have the perfect car for this kind of thing. I would love to make a good showing on the fundraising side as well. Please consider clicking on the link above to donate online.
This event is a scavenger hunt style rally as well so I will be looking for certain checkpoints along the way. I will likely reach out via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook if I need help along the way. Do you live in this area or have knowledge of these mountains? Let me know and I’ll make sure we are connected! I’m really good with my navigation system but I have some studying to do on the area.
Stay tuned! Just 90 days from the starting line!
Recently the state legislature worked on a bill to restructure this system. There were several other components to the bill during negotiations and many of those were removed. Used car dealers were hoping to remove the book value portion of the taxation. There were also provisions related to state vs. county distribution of the taxes collected. The only portion of the bill that passed the house and senate relates totaxation on leases.
Upon signature by the Governor, effective July 1, 2017, TAVT on leased vehicles will be calculated based on the total of lease payments, rather than the full value of the vehicle.
As someone who leases a car every three years, this is great news to me! As someone who helps other people lease cars every day, this is even better news! This shouldlower futurelease payments for the average buyer by a noticeable amount.
Currently if you buy or lease a $50,000 car you will be assessed $3500 in TAVT. If youdivide that into a 36 month lease and add interest it is over $100/month in taxes. The new rules wouldmean that a $700/month base lease payment would be assessed $49/month is taxes.
There is some confusion about the effective date for the new taxation. I have heard both July 1, 2017 and January1, 2018. I will look for clarification on that in thecoming weeks.
Here is a link to the full text of the bill.
