Name (entirely optional):

Address (entirely optional):

State/Province of Residence:

Country of Residence:

Cyber Name (Any will do.):

Enter a 4-digit alphanumeric (This will permit you to provide updated info.):

E-mail address:

If your vehicle is chosen for listing in an Auto on Info roster, display on an Auto on Info gallery, or both, do you authorize a link from your cyber name to your e-mail address?    Yes    No    If no link is authorized, none will be made.

Date:

About you:

Age:

Sex: Male  Female

Years of education (Enter a number between 0 and 24. Examples: 2 PhDs =24, 1 PhD=20, 2 Masters=18-20, 1 Masters=17-18, Bachelors=16, High school diploma=12,  Graduation from elementary school=8, etc.):         

SAT score total: Math score + Verbal score =

If your elementary and/or secondary education regularly tested skills with national norms, the most frequent percentile at which you placed was:

About your vehicle:

Year:

Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz

Line:

Model:

Vehicle Identification Number:

Year of acquisition:

Would you be willing, if requested, to provide verification of your ownership of the foregoing vehicle?

        Yes    No

Number of miles on odometer: Note that 1 km = .621373 miles.

If the number of miles claimed for the vehicle exceed the number of miles on the odometer, please state the number of miles claimed for the vehicle: Note that 1 km = .621373 miles.

Note: If you claim more miles on your vehicle than there are on the odometer and you wish the former to be given as the current mileage for your vehicle on an Auto on Info Gallery or Roster, you must have the service department(s) forward verifying service histories to J. Bleeker, 56538-0457, U.S.A.

About you and your vehicle:

1.  Please explain how you came to own this particular model of vehicle.

2.  To the best of your recollection, have you spent more than $30.00 for replacement of any part of the engine (not including replaceables, such as timing belt), transmission system or air conditioner? Yes  No  Can't recall

3.  Have you spent more than $150 for labor and materials to replace any part of the engine, transmission system or air conditioner? Yes  No  Can't recall

4. Do you still have the original:

      a.  Engine               Yes  No  Unknown

      b.  Transmission     Yes  No  Unknown

      c.  Air conditioner  Yes  No  Unknown  The vehicle came without a factory-installed air conditioner.

Your transmission is:   Automatic    Manual

5.  Have you spent any significant amount of time or money on repair, renovation or cleaning of the original engine, transmission or air conditioner? Yes  No

6.  Engine oil consumption

a.  Has oil ever been added to your vehicle between oil changes?     Yes  No  Unknown

b. If so, was oil added due to oil consumption (burning) by the engine?     Yes  No  Unknown

c. If so, please give the mileage at which you first noticed that your engine consumed oil.

7. Please select from the following to answer this query.

Based on your experiences with your current high mileage vehicle, please estimate the expected life of your:

In the event that any of the foregoing has already expired, please simply give the mileage category in which the first expired. In the event that any of the foregoing expired in a lower mileage category than those listed above - i.e., 0 to 100,000 miles or 100,000 to 200,000 miles, simply enter that category.            

8.    Please describe your behavior toward your vehicle on each of the following two scales:

9.    Please give all of your reasons for owning your high mileage vehicle. (Check all that apply.)

I enjoy tinkering with it.

I have no money for a new car.

I have no money for a different used car.

I have no reason for a new or different used car.

I am awaiting a significant technological advance, such as locomotion by fuel cells.

The vehicle has a lightness and unbulkiness that imparts a sense of freedom, unclutteredness, nimbleness and closeness to the environment that cannot be found in new vehicles.

The vehicle is a thing of beauty.

The vehicle has timeless lines.

The vehicle is the embodiment of engineering excellence, which I appreciate.

The vehicle is the embodiment of engineering excellence, which I passionately enjoy.

There is a bond between me and the vehicle that has been fostered by many years of ownership.

I have a concern that new vehicles by the same manufacturer are of poorer quality by reason of increased use of North American made components.

I have a concern that the model in which I might otherwise be interested may be of unacceptable quality because of North American manufacture.

I wish to make a statement as to my standards of quality and performance.

I wish to make a statement as to the standards of performance that I expect of others and other products.

I wish to make a statement as to the standards of awareness that I expect of others.

I wish to make a statement that I have more in common with the 1970s' and 1980s' buyers of this manufacturer than the 1990s' and 2000s' buyers of this manufacturer.

I wish to make a statement as to my cleverness.

I think that owning this year and model of vehicle that is well maintained is a symbol of culture.

I think that owning this year and model of  vehicle that is well maintained is a symbol of high culture.

I think that owning this year and model of vehicle that is well maintained is a symbol of high intelligence.

I think that owning this year and model of vehicle that is well maintained is a symbol of good common sense.

10.  Please describe your feelings for your vehicle. (Check all that apply.)

It's like an old hound that just won't let go.

I love it for its beauty.

I respect it for its rather flawless performance.

I have fondness for it because of its faithful performance.

I have an attachment based upon a utilitarian value that is several times its current market value.

I have an attachment based upon a utilitarian value that is many times its current market value.

I have an attachment based upon an esthetic and engineering value that is several times its current market value.

I have an attachment based upon an esthetic and engineering value that is many times its current market value.

11.  Please state which of the following you are currently experiencing.

Persistent unpleasant odors

Persistent obnoxious odors

Persistent suffocating odors

Persistent under the hood knocks

Persistent under the hood roars

Persistent under the hood growls

Persistent under the hood grinding sounds

Persistent under the hood clicks

Persistent rattling

Persistent screeches

Persistent bleeding or sweating of plastics

Faded plastics

Cracked plastics with cracks greater than .5 millimeters

Warped plastics

None of the above

12.  Please state which of the following you have experienced.

Windshield "stars" that have expanded into cracks several inches or feet long

Small cracks on the windshield that have expanded into cracks several inches or feet long

Screws that have popped out of sockets

Missing screws

Loose insulation strips    

Lost trim

Broken or ineffective compartment locks

Broken or ineffective door locks

Broken windshield wiper

Belts that deteriorate with time independent of use

None of the above 

13.  Please state which of the following best describes how your engine presently runs.

It runs now as well as it did when it was new.

It runs now nearly as well as it did when it was new.

It runs some worse now than when it was new.

It runs quite noticeably worse now than when it was new.

It runs much worse now than when it was new.   

It barely runs at all.  

14.  Please state which of the following best describes how the mechanical parts, other than your engine, presently run.

They run now as well as they did when they were new.

They run now nearly as well as they did when they were new.

They run now some worse than they did when they were new.

One or more run now quite noticeably worse than they did when they were new.

One or more run now much worse than they did when they were new. 

One or more barely run at all or don't run. 

15.  Please state which of the following best describes how the electrical parts of your vehicle presently operate.

They operate now as well as they did when they were new.

They operate now nearly as well as they did when they were new.

They operate now some worse than they did when they were new.

One or more operate now quite noticeably worse than they did when they were new.

One or more operate now much worse than they did when they were new. 

One or more don't operate at all.

16.   If you purchased the above vehicle new, please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, the engine noise of the vehicle at the time of acquisition:

barely tolerable           very great                 considerable                        some                  nearly none

17.   Please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, the current engine noise of the vehicle:

barely tolerable           very great                 considerable                        some                   nearly none

18.   If you purchased the above vehicle new, please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, all noise other than engine noise that the vehicle had at the time of acquisition:

barely tolerable          very great                  considerable                        some                   nearly none

19.   Please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, all noise other than engine noise that the vehicle currently has:

barely tolerable           very great                   considerable                       some                   nearly none

20.   Please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, the current dilapidation of the vehicle, taking account of noise, poorly functioning or nonfunctional components, loss of trim, loss of exterior color, fading, bleeding, cracking or warping of plastics, etc.:

barely usable               very great                   considerable                      some                   nearly none

21.   If you purchased the above vehicle new, please rate, on a scale of –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, the comfort of the vehicle at the time of acquisition, taking account of such things as noises, vibrations, feel of the seat, sense of well-being at the end of a trip, etc.:

extremely uncomfortable   uncomfortable                       okay                                 comfortable      extremely comfortable

22.   Please rate, on a scale of –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, the current comfort of the vehicle, taking account of such things as noises, vibrations, feel of the seat, sense of well-being at the end of a trip, etc.:

extremely uncomfortable    uncomfortable                       okay                                comfortable       extremely comfortable

23.   If you purchased the above vehicle new, please rate, on a scale of –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, the overall pleasantness of the vehicle at the time of acquisition, taking account of such things as comfort, smoothness of operation, nimbleness of operation, etc.:

extremely unpleasant    unpleasant                    okay                            pleasant       extremely pleasant

24.   Please rate, on a scale of –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, the current overall pleasantness of the vehicle, taking account of such things as comfort, smoothness of operation, nimbleness of operation, etc.:

extremely unpleasant    unpleasant                    okay                            pleasant      extremely pleasant

If there are comments or qualifications that you wish to make with regard to queries 1 through 24, please use the following:

For queries 25 and 26, please choose from the following list of answers.

25.  Please use all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard to estimate as to when your vehicle ceased or will cease to provide a extremely pleasant driving experience, i.e., fell or will fall below +9 on the above scale of Query 24.  

26.  Please use all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard to estimate as to when your vehicle ceased or will cease to provide a pleasant driving experience, i.e., fell or will fall below +4 on the above scale of Query 24.  

27.  Please rate on the following scale:

            a. the reliability of your vehicle. 

            b. the durability of your vehicle. 

            c. the dependability of your vehicle. 

            d. the smoothness of operation of your vehicle. 

            e. the quietness of engine and the absence of under-the-hood clicks, knocks, roars, growls, 

            and grinding sounds. 

            f. the absence of fading, bleeding, sweating, warping, cracking, and disintegrating plastics

             in your vehicle. 

            g. the engineering of your vehicle. 

            h. the comfort of your vehicle. 

            i. the overall pleasantness of your vehicle. 

Smoothness of operation include such factors as absence of engine surges, ease of shifting, etc. For a partial listing of the factors comprising comfort, see query 22; for a partial listing of the factors comprising overall pleasantness, see query 24.

28.  Please rate on the following scale:

            a. the reliability of your vehicle. 

            b. the durability of your vehicle. 

            c. the dependability of your vehicle. 

            d. the smoothness of operation of your vehicle. 

            e. the quietness of engine and the absence of under-the-hood clicks, knocks, roars, growls, 

            and grinding sounds. 

            f. the absence of fading, bleeding, sweating, warping, cracking, and disintegrating plastics

             in your vehicle. 

            g. the engineering of your vehicle. 

            h. the comfort of your vehicle. 

            i. the overall pleasantness of your vehicle. 

Smoothness of operation include such factors as absence of engine surges, ease of shifting, etc. For a partial listing of the factors comprising comfort, see query 22; for a partial listing of the factors comprising overall pleasantness, see query 24.

29.  Do you live in a region where rusting poses a problem? Yes  No

30.   Please rate, on a scale of –20, -19, -18, …,-10, …, -2, -1, 0, the severity of rust on your vehicle:

extremely bad               very great                   considerable                      some                          none

31.  Please describe your response to any rusting problem.

Initiated rust control efforts and regularly (annually or biannually) removed rust 5 or more times since then

Initiated rust control efforts and from time to time removed rust 5 or more times since then

Removed rust, but fewer than 5 times

Never removed rust 

No rust problem 

32.  Please check those of the following that you have done.

Removed rust or replaced body panels because of rust five or more times

Replaced or repaired interior components five or more times

Renovated the interior cabin at a cost, labor and materials, exceeding $300

33.   Please rate, on a scale of –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, the quality of service received at each of  the local dealership service departments that you have used:

extremely incompetent   incompetent              average                   very competent   extremely competent

34.  For this query, we define mechanical and functional quality as a composite measure of (1) reliability, (2) dependability, (3) durability, (4) smoothness of operation, (5) absence of axle grunts and screeches, (6) absence of under-the-hood clicks, knocks, growls, and grinding sounds, and (7) absence of fading, bleeding, sweating, warping, cracking, and disintegrating plastics. Based upon all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard, please rate on the following scale:

the mechanical and functional quality that each of the following motor vehicle categories denotes to you:

               Made in Japan Acuras...................................

                Made in U.S.A. Acuras................................

                Made in Japan Hondas.................................

                Made in U.S.A. Hondas...............................

                Made in Japan Infinitis..................................

                Made in Japan Lexi......................................

                Made in U.S.A. Lexi....................................

               Made in Germany Mercedes-Benzes.............

                Made in U.S.A. Mercedes-Benzes...............

                Made in Japan Subarus................................

                Made in U.S.A. Subarus..............................

                Made in Japan Toyotas................................

                Made in U.S.A. Toyotas..............................

                Made in Sweden Volvos..............................

35.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when your vehicle operated or will operate as a typical Big Three (General Motors, Ford or Chrysler) vehicle at 3,000 miles.

0 to 3,000 miles

3,000 to 100,000 miles

100,000 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 300,000 miles

300,000 to 400,000 miles 

400,000 to 500,000 miles 

500,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 700,000 miles

700,000 to 800,000 miles

800,000 to 900,000 miles

900,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

36.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when your vehicle operated or will operate as a typical Big Three vehicle at 6,000 miles.

0 to 6,000 miles

6,000 to 100,000 miles

100,000 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 300,000 miles

300,000 to 400,000 miles 

400,000 to 500,000 miles 

500,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 700,000 miles

700,000 to 800,000 miles

800,000 to 900,000 miles

900,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

37.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when your vehicle operated or will operate as a typical Big Three vehicle at 22,000 miles.

0 to 22,000 miles

22,000 to 100,000 miles

100,000 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 300,000 miles

300,000 to 400,000 miles 

400,000 to 500,000 miles 

500,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 700,000 miles

700,000 to 800,000 miles

800,000 to 900,000 miles

900,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

38.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when the interior of your vehicle aged or will have aged to that of a typical Big Three vehicle at 25,000 miles.

0 to 25,000 miles

25,000 to 100,000 miles

100,000 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 300,000 miles

300,000 to 400,000 miles 

400,000 to 500,000 miles 

500,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 700,000 miles

700,000 to 800,000 miles

800,000 to 900,000 miles

900,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

39.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when the interior of your vehicle aged or will have aged to that of a typical Big Three vehicle at 40,000 miles.

0 to 40,000 miles

40,000 to 100,000 miles

100,000 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 300,000 miles

300,000 to 400,000 miles 

400,000 to 500,000 miles 

500,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 700,000 miles

700,000 to 800,000 miles

800,000 to 900,000 miles

900,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

40.  Please use all of what you have seen, read and heard to estimate as to when one of the Big Three manufacturers (General Motors, Ford or Chrysler) will have engineered a vehicle as reliable, durable, dependable, comfortable, smooth in operation, and quiet as your motor vehicle is.

One or more already do

0 to 10 years

10 to 20 years

20 to 30 years

30 to 40 years 

40 to 50 years

50+ years 

No basis for estimate

41.  To replace your present vehicle with a new Big Three (General Motors, Ford or Chrysler) vehicle, you would require: (Check one)

A 5% reduction in the selling price of the Big Three vehicle

A 20% reduction in the selling price of the Big Three vehicle

A 50% reduction in the selling price of the Big Three vehicle

Gift of the Big Three vehicle 

Gift of the Big Three vehicle plus $20,000 compensation for the first year, more subsequently

Gift of the Big Three vehicle plus $200,000 compensation for the first year, more subsequently

Unwilling to make such a replacement

42.  Based upon all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard, your understanding is that the life expectancy of your vehicle is:

0 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 400,000 miles

400,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 800,000 miles 

800,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000 to 1,200,000 miles

1,200,000 to 1,400,000 miles

1,400,000 to 1,600,000 miles

1,600,000 to 1,800,000 miles

1,800,000 to 2,000,000 miles 

2,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

43.  Based upon all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard, your understanding is that the life expectancy of a Big Three engineered motor vehicle is:

0 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 400,000 miles

400,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 800,000 miles 

800,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000 to 1,200,000 miles

1,200,000 to 1,400,000 miles

1,400,000 to 1,600,000 miles

1,600,000 to 1,800,000 miles

1,800,000 to 2,000,000 miles 

2,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

44.  Based upon all of what you have experienced, seen, read and heard, your understanding is that the life expectancy of a made in Japan Toyota motor vehicle is:

0 to 200,000 miles

200,000 to 400,000 miles

400,000 to 600,000 miles

600,000 to 800,000 miles 

800,000 to 1,000,000 miles 

1,000,000 to 1,200,000 miles

1,200,000 to 1,400,000 miles

1,400,000 to 1,600,000 miles

1,600,000 to 1,800,000 miles

1,800,000 to 2,000,000 miles 

2,000,000+ miles 

No basis for estimate

45.  Based upon all of what you have seen, read and heard, the gap in reliability between the manufacturer of your vehicle and the Big Three average, with respect to 6 to 7 ½ year old motor vehicle models, had, from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s:

greatly decreased

decreased

remained about the same

increased

greatly increased

No basis for characterizing

46.  Based upon all of what you have seen, read and heard, the gap in reliability between the manufacturer of your vehicle and Toyota, with respect to 6 to 7 ½ year old motor vehicle models, had, from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s:

greatly decreased

decreased

remained the same or about the same

increased

greatly increased

No basis for characterizing

47.  Based upon all of what you have seen, read and heard, the gap in reliability between Toyota and the Big Three, with respect to 6 to 7 ½ year old motor vehicle models, had, from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s:

greatly decreased

decreased

remained about the same

increased

greatly increased

No basis for characterizing

48.  On the  scale –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, please rate the following statement: If the parking lot of a store, restaurant, or rental agency has mostly motor vehicles of Japanese and European nameplates, I view this as a good indication that the store, restaurant, or rental agency offers products and services of high quality.  

strongly disagree                                                                                                         strongly agree

49.  On the  scale –10, -9, -8, …,0, …, +8, +9, +10, please rate the following statement: If 85% or more of the vehicles regularly parked in a parking lot of a store, restaurant or rental agency are Big Three vehicles, I view this as a good indication that the store, restaurant, or rental agency offers products and services of low quality.  

strongly disagree                                                                                                         strongly agree

Please select from the following to answer queries 50 through 51.

50.  Please use all of what you have seen to estimate what percentage of the 1980s vehicles in regular use in the nearest metropolitan area (1,000,000+ residents) are Toyota vehicles.

51.  Please use all of what you have seen to estimate what percentage of the 1980s vehicles in regular use in the nearest metropolitan area (1,000,000+ residents) are Japanese (including Toyota) nameplates.

52.  Please use all of what you have seen to estimate what percentage of the 1980s vehicles in regular use in the nearest metropolitan area (1,000,000+ residents) are European nameplates.

53.  Please use all of what you have seen to estimate what percentage of the 1980s vehicles in regular use in the nearest metropolitan area (1,000,000+ residents) are Big Three vehicles.

54.  Would you be willing to take a similar such survey periodically, say, annually or biennially?

           Yes        No

If there are comments or qualifications that you wish to make with regard to queries 25 through 54, please use the following: