Are you reading the truth, or what Editor Scott Angus wants you to hear ? It seems Mr. Angus has taken up censorship on other articles on the Gazette Extra.....

http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2009/jul...

nothng to do with drugs or gangs ppl know what your talking bout. if u were a street thug or w.e with nothnig 2 loose y wouldent u take a mercedes and make sum extra money? the guy is a family man has gone threw alot and is taking care of his family duin whats right... few can relate...

momo: I didn't read them all because they started to get too off topic :) I did skim through some of them to see if any of them seemed relevant to the story, but I had no luck!

trojan: then don't read them ALL.

But, I agree with your assessment of the situation. I think the majority of us on here find something is amiss here and more than meets the eye....

A lot of these comments are WAY off topic, it's very annoying to read all of them.

If the car is going to a chop shop (which I believe it is) then the older the car, the better. All I did was google "chop shop" and I found my answer.

This isn't a random act, so people don't need to be scared if it's going to happen to them. Although, to be cautious is always a good thing. I happen to know WHO the victim is. I don't know that I should be posting this, but I will anyways. He is a former gang member who is trying to straighten out his life. I believe (don't KNOW) that his former gang went after him because he left. I *do* believe that this is an act of gang retaliation. If this victim had a gun on him and fought back, the victim would go to jail. He's under close police supervision and they're waiting for him to mess up. Also, if he had a gun on him and killed/injured the people who attacked him, then chances are, other gang members would find him and kill him/seriously injure him. (provided it's the gang who did this.)

Maybe I gave too much information, I don't know. If I did, I'm sure my comment will be removed.

Hannah: hitch? Rear end? You crack me up!! Omg!

And....thanks for coming to my rescue re: bigger woman :)

916: Why are you so hung up on the 0-60 speed? Hasn't anyone ever told you that slow and steady wins the race? Or half of the fun is in getting there? I'm not interested in 0-60 as much as I am in what's under the hood or the junk in the trunk :p

I'll take my beautiful Focus anyday over those over priced pieces of crap.

no problem momof5! :)

Hannah....It looks like you put the same amount of effort writing your posts as you do reading the posts of others:) I never said I had a Mercedes, I was simply defending the fact that this guys car was getting railed on for being a unreliable, ugly piece of junk. I'm a huge fan of imports, both euro and Japanese, and when I see them getting bashed, I try to inject some reality and truth into the conversation!

Momof5....Trust me--there's almost a 100% chance that I wouldn't be jealous at all......Not into the Yukon driving/mom scene at all, so I probably wouldn't even notice:) No offense, of course--just not my scene. Not to prolong this agony of the "ugly car" discussion, but google the Cayenne. Porsche fans almost universally cry when it comes to that SUV. It performs as well as it looks--poor mid 8 second 0-60 times. As much as I hate GM cars I would have to go with the G8. Technically it's a Holden(built in Australia) car, so I have to give it some credit for that. Good luck w/ whichever you decide to go with!

hannah: If you watch closely in this clip of Walker Texas Ranger, you can see a C class in the background towards the end. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ5w4MkFo...

Situations such as this would be easily remedied by the example in this Walker Texas Ranger clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ5w4MkFo...

Facebooker: thank you for "defending" me...but the truth is the last laugh is on 916. Those who know me on here, know that I am FAR from being a "bigger woman" or fat. I wore a 0 in high school. I weigh the same now as I did then (plus whatever 500cc's of saline weigh...).

Besides, he's just jealous that he can't make driving a piece of "junk" "ugly" Yukon look as hot as I do :)

PS-916...my husband has his eye on one of 2 cars by year's end: a Pontiac G8 and a Porsche Cayenne. I PrOMISE you either of them will smoke your M3--even with my "bigger" body riding shotgun!

facebooker......Who asked you? And when is being called a bigger person such a negative thing? Stop trying to project your negativity through my comments.....

916wi do you know her personally? If not lay off. I dont knwo her either but Id never call someone fat without seeing them. And dont come back saying I called her a "bigger woman" its the same thing.

greengina: they have not made any arrests. the police are to busy arresting hippies.

mooof5.....Yep, keep telling yourself that!!!:) I would hardly call seat belt retractors anything to get worked up about. Over the last couple of years the Yukon has been recalled for electrical issues, fuel delivery issues, brake problems, head restraint problems and, you guessed it, seat belt retractor problems.........The guy with the C320 is the one driving the junk? Seriously....LMFAO!!!! I think you better take a look in the mirror to get a look at who the true clueless one is:) Have fun watching Oprah!

916: my point in listing the recalls was that "math" said the C320 had NO recalls EVER. She wants to talk about lies and eating words...

Speaking of eating: I am kinda hungry. It's been a good 30 minutes since I last fed this hunka hunka burning love beastly body of mine. Better go eat bon bons (no fat free for this wamma jamma) and watch Oprah. LMFAO!! If you ever saw me, you'd realize how HILARIOUS you calling me a "bigger woman" really is....unless you are referring to my mental capacity and in that case you are correct and I thank you.

Momof5......We get it, you think his car is ugly. People living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones though. The Yukon is a little on the embarrassing side. I'm sure being a bigger woman with 5 kids you need the extra carrying capacity:) This doesn't change the fact that the Yukon is hardly what one would call an attractive vehicle--quite the opposite actually..........BTW--I checked the reliability rating of the GMC Yukon.....6 out of 10. Congratulations--a good solid D minus!!!!!! The recall history you posted on the Merc C320 had nothing to do with it being the supercharged version.....It was a recall w/ seat belt tensioners. Funny though.....back when I was driving my GM product, before I made the switch to imports, this was one of the many things that my car had to go into the shop for..... for.........

So, have they got any usable evidence from the video cameras? Have they made any arrests in this case?

best car on the road...haha...try lookin up the safest car on the road today. Cause if its up to math here its ok to drive high so we need the SAFTY factor.

Mercedes-Benz C320 Repair and Maintenance : RepairPalInformation on Mercedes-Benz C320 including known problems, ... THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372. ...
www.repairpal.com/cars/mercedes-benz/c32...

2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor Hatchback Recalls ...THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800- 367-6372. ... 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C320 Sport Hatchback ...www.internetautoguide.com/...recalls/.../mercedes.../c-class/.../index.html

2004 Mercedes-benz C320 Sport Coupe recalls, safety ratings at CARFAXThis 2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 SPORT COUPE safety recall information was provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Data Loss Institute ...
www.carfax.com/.../MERCEDES.../2004MERZC... COUPE

And...wow! A Kompressor got recalled. Those are suppose to be the creme de la creme!

More THAN not then.

There ya are, thekid!!!! :)

Math: nope, not full yet. I couldn't care less who you bought your car from, how much you paid for your house, what you think of GM...point is you drive an ugly overpriced boat (which seems to have given you a false sense of status) and have the nerve to THINK you are better than anyone else, throw out demeaning personal insults (how classy of you!) and smoke pot. You are confident and comfortable in what your drive and so am I. End of discussion......

as if you cant have a good life with a 115G house?? LOTS of peeps in this area who spent more and are havin a lil trouble makin pmts...but anyways...did someone say something about a dime bag?? ill throw in;)

Math: I've been thinking for the last 30-some minutes about my response to you. The best I can come up with is 1) lmfao! And 2) yes! I am proud of the Avalanche...so much so it is what we are using for a Christmas card backdrop this year :) (just because I am loyal to GM does NOT mean I like every product they have put out or agree with how they have been brought to market. I, do however, have a lot of respect for the men and women who worked at THIS plant and THAT is why my USED Yukon (that's for you 916) is my vehicle of choice...and YES! It was built in Janesville).

If you've been driving your Benz for 7 years, and you bought it used....does it have collector's plates now? Oooo....you drive a Benz. Too bad it is probably worth less than a dime bag :) :)

916: you dirty rascal! How did you know? Not a big fan of the t-tops though, really. Now...a Landau top and some wood paneling and I'll be swooning for days. :)

Sorry momof5.....I didn't realize you had the ability to be sarcastic! Usually you come off as clueless, so you can understand where I'm coming from:) Seriously though--as far as you calling other peoples cars ugly, please don't go there when you're driving something "close" to a Suburban........Not a fan of the M5 at all, as I'm not into 4 door cars. As far as impressing you, somehow I get the impression that it would take something much, much less than a M5......a clean,'86 Olds Cutlass, with t-tops and a velour interior would probably do the trick......tell the truth now:)

PS--916WI: when and ONLY when you get an M5 will I be impressed by you :) Although, ya know, my therapy is working wonders...thanks for suggesting it. LMAO!! :)

916WI: First of all, I do not drive a Suburban. Try again. You are close, however. Secondly, did I say ANYTHING about Bimmers? Lastly, I know it is BRAKE pads...I was poking fun at "jsntm"....DUH!

Momof5--Too funny......No one driving a Suburban should be commenting on the ugliness of another's choice of car. That's totally the pot calling the kettle black.:) There are quite a few German cars that my family members own. They all get driven extensively. The '03 M3 had a problem with fluid leaking out of it's rear view mirror. BMW NA replaced it even though it was out of warranty and the Merc G500 had an interior door handle break. No problems with the other two. The cars are solid and feel more "substantial" when compared to domestics. None of them have ever been stuck on the side of a road. Also, it's "brake" pads, not "break" pads......Now, let's try to stay on topic please.......

Hey pubsrus - I watch with interest as the JD Powers rankings come out, and am always hopeful to see GM moving up.

However, the list you posted is not their Car Quality rating (which is the one the media always shouts about), but rather the results of their 2006 Customer Service Index Study, a study that not only is a few years old, but also is a rating of the brands' dealer service departments. (See http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/21/j-d-p... for pubs' numbers)
To see the more important quality study, click here: http://www.carforums.net/showthread.php?...
Both Cadillac and Mercedes are above the industry standards, but sadly Buick, GMC, Saturn and Pontiac are not.

And just so no-one thinks that I'm GM-bashing, we drive 2 GM and 1 Ford product in our family.

Oh yeah! Well...well... you are all just a bunch of poopie heads. I've officially sunk this topic to it's lowest level. Now we can move forward in our car of choice. :P

Justsaynotomath rambles: "here is some schooling for you GM lovers and Mercedes haters ! the Mercedes C320 (not the car that was stolen)is the best car on the road by far, period. it is made by UNION auto workers who are treated better then Union GM auto workers by far. it has NO recalls,ever ! it gets 33 mpg and has almost 4000 lbs of solid steal not plastic like American cars. I have been driving mine for 7 years and have never had a break down. only tires, oil, and break pads. the only way to steal a Mercedes c320 is to have the key ! yes the car is very expensive but it doesn't break down and the Union workers who made it have jobs and health insurance. GM would like you to believe they are the only UNION cars on the road but that is a lie like most things they say. I see GM cars/trucks on the side of the road all the time, but i never see a Mercedes on the side of the road. if you keep eating crap and saying it taste great i guess it's not a lie if you believe it !"

1-Congratulations! You drive an UGLY car. Please pick up your prize at the Gazette the second Tuesday of next week.

2-I don't EVER remember GM EVER saying they were the only Unionized auto manufacturer. Did you forget, or not know, that the UAW also covers Ford, Chrysler and others? In FACT, if you go to the UAW website, it will give a list of makes/models of vehicles that are "permitted" to be parked on Union grounds. I KNOW there are "transplants" on that list.

3-Maybe you see domestics on the side of the road because the owners are not mortgaged up the wazoo or maxed out on credit because they didn't "have" to drive a high faluting Benz and therefore have more disposable income allowing them to DRIVE their vehicles places and spend money doing things instead of being holed up in their McMansions.

4-My full-size SUV probably doesn't weigh 4,000 pounds. Think about what you said for a minute, ok?! 33 mpg AND 4,000 pounds of steel. Are we talking steel wool?!

5-How does one endure a fire, job loss and other personal crisis and still manage to drive a "very expensive" Benz? And people THINK GM'ers live above their means.....

6-How expensive are BREAK pads for a C320?

Hannah: I was JOKING! You know I come from a GM family. Just like you with Chrysler, I get a little "protective" over the brand. I will drive a GM product any day of the week and twice on Sundays. No doubt. I will agree with you on the Jaguar: especially the X-Type. I've never been so happy to sell a car in my life! However, our Hummer was AWESOME. The only complaint I had was that it was underpowered--so stupid to put an inboard 5 in that beast. You are a tried and true MOPAR girl and I am a bow tie girl....let's just agree to disagree on which one is better :) (although a "friend" has a new Challenger and he says the Camaro is hands down a better car and nicer ride....)

I would think that a carjacker at Wal-Mart would be looking for targets of opportunity. Having driven through that lot, I’d have to say that Mercedes, while old, would make a pretty good target- comparatively speaking.

I am just wondering if these guys perhaps stole the car to part it out. Maybe it's only worth $7K (which isn't bad for a 10 year old car) but wouldn't it be worth more parted-out?

Who gives a rat's behind what you or anybody drives. Sounds like a little ego boosting to me.

Who cares?? Only you.

I am glad to see all the tools on this board that think they get a great deal from shopping at walmart. If you folks would try shopping at other stores you would see that your getting ripped off. If I were to ever feel bad about myself I would just walk around a walmart store and it would make me feel better

It's a blog. People discuss. That's the point. The story leaves room for conversation due to a lack of information. If it was clear cut and completely laid out, then the conversation wouldn't veer of course. In addition, it wouldn't be nearly as long. Gazette writers aren't as stupid as people think. If they misspell a word, it's one to ten people who feel the need to post about it, which is more eyeballs on the ads. If they leave out details on a story it creates speculation and people veer off topic. More eyeballs on the ads.

With the change to only putting snippets of news on this website, we are all becoming reporters, investigators, and editors.

BRAVO to all of you liitle junior detectives and wanna be editors! BRAVO I SAY BRAVO

I think it's funny, once again, that a story about some messed up guys leads to fighting about cars and Walmart bashing...where are these conversations going????

gonefishin: Unfortunately, the bad guys probably would have had guns too ... the victim might be dead in that case.

I'm not suggesting I'd ever steal a car or rob anything. In addition, I drive American cars. However, if I was to make the jump into a life of crime there is several things:
1. I wouldn't rob a bank or home unless I could get enough money to live a comfortable life out of the country.
2. I wouldn't steal a Chevy or Ford (other than maybe a Corvette). If I'm going to steal something, it's going to be something I couldn't own on my own. A Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguar, maybe a Caddy. The fact that it was an older Mercedes probably wasn't the first thought that came to the thieves minds. I wouldn't want to do time in jail for a Chevy Cavalier or a Ford Focus. If I'm going down, I'm going down in style! I'd want to look good for the car chase on TV.

"Police aren’t sure why they targeted the Mercedes..." ... hmmmm ... I wonder how many thieves leave a Mercedes to car-jack a Blazer?

More than likely the car will be chopped for parts. I am sure that the car is worth more in pieces than whole. GM parts are a dime a dozen, but Mercedez parts are expensive and a lot harder to get.

Times are tough when people with Mrcedes automobiles have to shop at WalMart.

Well, that really does depend on whether it was the owner who was targeted, or if this was a theft to order. If the latter the car is probably hundreds of miles away and perhaps already dismantled. Either way, I don't think this is a particular concern for the neighborhood -- they targeted the Wal-Mart lot because it's big and anonymous.
.
If it was just for drug money they could have stolen any car they could jack (and an experienced car thief can bash into almost any car and get it going in 60 seconds). So there was probably something about *this* vehicle.

Anyhoo, getting back to the subject at hand: I believe there will bne more information coming out on this as I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was targeted for more than the car and there's more to the story than what he has told police and/or what they've told the public.

I don't believe Ford has made Windstar's for about 6 years (2003?). Anything that is 6 years old or more might have a couple of itches or two.

Then again, not everyone can afford to drop a pile of green on a Mercedes.

Hannah.....You're way off topic....again......I'm fairly sure that "just say no" wasn't talking about impact zones, when he was describing how "plastic" the domestic cars are compared to his Merc. It was most likely a description of the interior and exterior feel of the car. You can throw up a little chart with numbers relating to quality, but at the end of a day, if you were to put a Mercedes next to a Chevy and ask 10 objective people which car felt more solid and offered a higher level of quality, the Mercedes would get picked 10 out of 10 times......Obviously they cost more, but you get what you pay for.......

now were all mindless walmart shoppers,lol,and that is coming from the mouth of a mindless idiot.im very sure their not going to close their doors because you dont shop there.i will say it wasnt very nice of me to call you a mindless idiot,but you shouldnt call names, and people wouldnt call you names,so in my opinion you deserved it now have a nice day.

a movie worth watching for all you mindless walmart shoppers. I can't remember the last time I gave walmart any of my money. www.walmartmovie.com/

Have the police made any arrests in this case? This is really scary. It's not far from my house, and it makes me glad I drive a piece of s#!* that only I want to drive. The entire parking lot at WalMart has surveilance(sp?) cameras; did they catch this car-jacking on tape?

pubsrus-If you have been around this blog long you would realize that justsaynotomath has very little use for truth, common sense or civility in any of her posts.

http://www.jrrobertssecurity.com/article...

justsaynotomath--once again you prove your screen name. No recalls of the C320 Mercedes??? Just doing a yahoo search I found at least three recalls of the 2001, 2003, and 2005 C320. 33 miles to the gallon? 4000 pounds of steel??? Read the specs of this 2005 C320: 2005 Mercedes-Benz C320
Specifications and EquipmentGeneral Information
Customer Reviews Be the first to Write a review
Body Types 2D Hatchback
4D Sedan
Transmissions 5-Speed Automatic
6-Speed Manual
Engines 3.2L 215 hp 6 Cyl
Trim Levels Base
Base 4WD
Sport

Print

2D Hatchback Sport

Search Stock

Add
Add

Fuel
EPA Mileage 19/24 mpg
Fuel Type Ethanol/Gas
Fuel Capacity 16.40 Gal


Specifications
Engine 3.2L
Drive 2WD
Transmission 6-Speed Manual
Cylinders 6 Cylinders
Horsepower 215 HP
Torque 221 @3000
Overall Length 171.0"
Height 54
Width 68
Curb Weight 3385 lbs.
Cargo Capacity 38 cu. ft.
Seating Capacity 5/5
Payload Capacity N/R
Towing Capacity N/R
Not quite 4000 pounds, you were only off by a little over 15%, fuel economy only off by a little over 27%. You really need to know a little more about your car before you start spitting out statements. I also checked the specs back to 2002 with no significant change in either fuel economy or curb weight.

If anyone "feels safe" because of security cameras, maybe you should understand why they are there. They are to protect Wal-Mart, not you. They record every square inch of their property to help defend themselves against frivolous lawsuits, false accusations, and have a hard objective record of any event that unfolds. By the time the security people saw and reacted to the event taking place in the parking lot, the perpetrators were already driving away.

or alcohol money

another reason to add to the hundreds of reasons not to shop at Wal-mart.

NVgrf - Especially on the East side, eh?

mom2marlal: Thank you for the explanation. This makes total sense to me and I take back my previous comments re: drugs, etc.

aside from all the confusion on how this was so understandably written.....does this sound like dejavu to anyone else???? Seems to me this same thing happened a while back and at walmart too I believe..........

The robbers were waiting in a white SUV for the man (with the mercedes) to return to his car from inside the store. The 'victim' was not returning in another car, the robbers were in another car. When he got to his car they exchanged pleasantries and the guy was getting something out of his car when the 2 guys started beating him up. While this was happening, a 3rd person left in the white SUV.
Someone I know saw the whole thing and actually gave the police a description of the guys and the vehicle.

unidentified and faith44 said they couldn't believe the police would wonder why they targeted the mercedes. They made it sound like the mercedes is the most sought after car in the world. I was just pointing out that the mercedes has a reputation by its name and not by its quality. That the perception of a mercedes is reality and that it is just not that great of car.

pubsrus, the car is ten years old. Do you think the thieves were really checking out the initial quality rankings in the J.D. Power archives to decide what to steal?
.
I could speculate that this was a theft-to-order for a chop shop to get the engine or something, but the Mercedes E-Class is supposedly one of the LEAST stolen cars. So, huh.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/S...

Are you sure the article isn't in error? Must have been in Beloit. Couldn't have possibly been in Janesville.

http://walmartcrimereport.com/crimerepor...

nukka, what the writer apparently meant, and should have written, was "The men had been waiting in a white Chevrolet Blazer for the victim to return."
That took me a minute, too.

Im still confused........makes "NOOOOO" sense........."The men had been waiting for the victim to return in another car, a white Chevrolet Blazer, Kleisner said. Police aren’t sure why they targeted the Mercedes, he said".
Unless the victim called the robbers and told them he'd be pullin up in a white chevy trailblazer....and the robbers told the guy thats what they expected, then how in the heck does anyone know that they were waiting for the victim in the blazer???!?!?!?!?

Pubsrus: your numbers have to be off! There's no way GM products can outscore a BMW, Benz or the beloved Honda and Toyota brands. (Note sarcasim....good work!!)

Is "thekid" older than 20??! Lol

not about the car

it's about drugs & money

it's about drugs & money

what is so desirable about a 1999 mercedes e320? The car is worth about $7000 tops. Once again perception becomes reality. Mercedes makes a decent car nothing that is over the top quality wise. Here are the jd power rankings (Based on a 1,000-point scale, where a high score is better)

Lexus 912
Buick 911
Cadillac 909
Jaguar 908
Lincoln 906
Mercury 905
Saturn 904
Pontiac 903
Audi 890
MINI 890
Volvo 890
Acura 889
Chevrolet 887
Infiniti 887
Porsche 887
BMW 884
Honda 883
HUMMER 882
Saab 880
GMC 879
IndustryAverage 873
Mercedes-Benz 872
Hyundai 869
Chrysler 867
Ford 866
Dodge 862
Toyota 861
Subaru 858
Jeep 851
Nissan 849
Mitsubishi 848
Kia 843
Mazda 843
LandRover 840
Suzuki 823
Volkswagen 810
Isuzu 781
For all you GM haters look at #2 and #3 and chevrolet has better quality than Mercedes. Once again percetion becomes reality.

I think that maybe the men were waiting in the white Blazer. the sentence was not written properly.

Sheesh, it is only worth about 7 grand.
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1999/mercede...
.
Maybe Refluculated is right and this is some kind of gang thing. Another theory could be it was seized in order to satisfy a drug debt. There certainly are more valuable vehicles about, even in the Wal-Mart lot.

They were waiting for the guy, because it is easier to steal a car with the keys in it.

2LevelHeaded: The question is this --- Why were they waiting for the guy? Doesn't matter what vehicle he returned in. Personally, I think it has something to do with drugs. I will probably be attacked for writing that, but that is still my gut feeling.

Maybe the police made that comment because they weren't sure of the exact reason to target the Mercedes. Was it for the car, the person in it, or maybe something that could have been in it? More than likely it was because it was a Mercedes but sometimes it may have been because of another issue.

nukka_70: I agree with you ... what is this really about? Something is missing here.

Im confused!!! "The men had been waiting for the victim to return in another car, a white Chevrolet Blazer, Kleisner said. Police aren’t sure why they targeted the Mercedes, he said".
Why were they waiting for the victim to return with anohter car?!?!?!?!?!

faithbball44: You said it for me. I had to read it twice to be sure that is what the police really said. I just hope it was a momentary lapse of common sense.

That's strange that this is being reported as such. The initial call came in with a specific description of at least two people. Go figure! This better be because they are with holding information to assist with the investigation. If it's for P.R., then God help us all.

"Police aren’t sure why they targeted the Mercedes, he said."

lol.....hmmm...i wonder why they would steal a Mercedes?

I'm sure everyone agrees it's good nobody got hurt, and bullets weren't whizzing through the parking lot. I'm not sure why some people are projecting ineptitude on the part of the police. Every officer I've met appeared to know what they were doing.

gonefishin you are way off base as far as Janesville's dectives are concerned. I suggest you do your homework before you spout off in the future.

I think they are too busy going after all the seatbelt violators.

On another note...aren't there security cameras EVERYWHERE in that parking lot? How do they not get a good description? Those cameras suddenly don't make me feel so safe anymore.

nice real nice....at least they could have not smashed it up......sheeeesh