My first Mercedes-Benz was a 1997 CLK320 (W208). I'd originally ordered an SLK230 (R170), in May 1996 after it's February introduction. Upon getting the opportunity to drive a brand-new CLK in October I decided the R170 was a little too small for me and changed my order. Although I'd expected a 24 month wait, I got a call some 8 months later in June 1997 letting me know there was a similar-spec car someone else hadn't taken delivery. After considering my options, I chose to take delivery of this car -- it didn't have all the goodies I'd wanted, but it was 16 months early!

I never once regretted taking earlier delivery versus waiting for an exact order, but I did eventually resolve (a) not to ever purchase a first-year example and (b) to not compromise on features I wanted versus faster availability.

Below you can see some pictures a friend captured from the first week I had my CLK.