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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

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Comments

  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for the feedback. I may have left out a little detail, the car is a demo unit w/ about 2000 miles on it. Does it still make a good deal?

    The trade in was for a beat-up '98 Sentra GXE with 67K miles that goes for about $2K in KBB.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    I strongly disagree. The entire C-class line is geared at new and/or young MB buyers. The 230 coupe is actually the one that is geared towards 20 somethings and early 30's.

    The 230 sedan is aiming and missing the BMW 3 series.

    The erratic pricing of the 230 vs 240 only causes confusion and people are choosing the 230 merely based on price. I have seen too many older people driving 230 sedans. It may actually turn that market off of MB's. I would think that most MB buyers are intelligent enough to realize this discrepancy and perhaps are annoyed at it. It is also bad business since they are giving away profits. Anyone who has a basic understanding of economics realizes that a lower price for higher volume does not necessarily result in higher overall profits especially in niche market.

     There little doubt that the 230 is a better value than the 240, but whether it it the correct choice for all individuals is more cloudy. They really should have priced it the same with different transmissions to make up for equip diff. then customers would pick the car that they would be happier with and not try to save the $2k-3k price difference.

    Your concerns about the cost of maintenance is short sighted and ludicrous. I hope you realize that you will probably spend more on tires than maintenance in the first couple years of the 230.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    Hello,

      I am good. Yes, it makes a big difference in price but not in the actual car. If you like demos they are always a good deal escpecially at a MB dealer.
      It is very hard to price them as a since a couple thousand miles makes a difference in price. It is technically a NEW car and the only people who know different is you and the dealer. The most important thing is that you given a complete inspection. A couple paint chips or even a dor ding is acceptable and will happen to all cars sooner or later. It seems that you were credited for about $1/mile which is very generous and it is an '05. I think it is a very good deal even as a demo.

      A great price on a MB C-class would be $400-700 above dealer invoice adjusting for any money incentives. An average price is the edmunds TMV about $1400 above invoice.

     The trade in where you really need to see the car to determine whethter it was a good deal. Most likely, the MB dealer is just going to sell it to a wholesaler and would be happy making $500 on it if anything at all. It was more of courtesy for them to take it. You said "beat-up". Poor condition vehicles have no value so it should be better. An average condition model of that car probably would get $3500, and then you deduct all the repairs that would be necessary to make your car average. Whether $1500 is fair, you will have to figure that out. It is not a lot for them to work with in any case.

    Overall, I think it was a very good deal. I think it would be very hard for anyone to do better on an '05 except for a loaner car which would be considered used and have much higher mileage.

      You have to read everything here with a grain of salt. If it is too good to be true, it usually is. There was someone who said people were getting $7700 below MSRP which is highly unlikely for a NEW current c-class with no damage. If a dealer discounts that much, there is always a reason.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    I am curious how you negotiated the price on the car and trade in.

    Which came first etc....

    What part of the country are you in?
  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    I am curious how you negotiated the price on the car and trade in...
    >>> Went to the dealer looking for a new '05 C230 and got priced for a brilliant silver one with the "Love Merceces" coupon I got from an event 2 weeks ago. Came out to be about $32000 but they don't have the ash interior I want and will take 2-3 weeks to get one with ash interior in. My wife was insistent on the ash interior so they offered the demo unit with 2k miles on it but with ash interior at the same price. After another 20 mins of complaining about it being a demo and not a new one, they gave it to us for $31295.

    Which came first etc....
    >>> Then came the trade-in, we took the car to a BMW dealer before (was shopping for a 325i before, but now decided on an MB instead) and they offered only $500. So when the guy at MB appraised the car and came back offering $1500 we bite immediately.

    What part of the country are you in?
    >>> We live in the NorthEast Tri-State area. The car was brought at a NJ dealer.

    Regards, Ken.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    It sounds like you did everything right. It is always better to negotiate the car price first and the trade in later.

     Also, I think you got a very low mileage demo and they wanted to make a sale. I think most demos are at least 4K.

     What was the "Love Merceces" coupon good for? I missed the event. We are in the same area. Tri-state MB dealers.

     Two things. I considered the Ash interior but sometimes you get a reflection off the speaker which is distracting. It is very common in many cars. I chose a charcoal interior for that reason. MB used to make all their dashes black.

     Two, you might want to check into getting a set of snow tires or all season M+S tires for the winter.
  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    Love Mercedes event... 2 weeks ago they hosted it at Six Flags, where we get to test drive a bunch of new cars, like the new SLK convertables. They gave us a coupon good for $1500 off purchase of lease of new MB. They do it every year I heard... here is the web site: http://www.lovemercedestour.com/

    All season M+S ties... what are those? Should I get them at MB dealer or from other retail store?
  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    Does any recommend using (or recommend AGAINST using) LoJack on a C230 Sedan?

    My wife want to put LoJack on the car so it is easier to recover if it is stolen, but the dealer does not offer installation. The dealer keep tell us how good the anti-theif features are and don't have to worry about it.

    I had LoJack on my last car, a Nissan Sentra. It did not make any difference to me, but want to see if it is a good idea to put it on the new Benz.

    Thanks.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    OK, thanks...
     
    They keep renaming it and the offer/coupon varies. Sometimes it is only on certain classes. I think I am want to get the new SLK and the coupon would come in handy.

    Did you use it on your 230 for an additional discount to what was stated earlier? They usually are tied to MB financing.

    M+S means mud and snow which most all season tires are. Since you are in NJ, you get a decent amount of snow for about four months. You can get them at any tire shop. A lot of people get another set of cheap rims so they can just swap them after the first snow. See how it handles after the first snow storm before deciding or even the rain.
  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for the advice.

    I wasn't able to use the coupon because it is only good for a new vehicle and mine is considered as demo, not new. Besides they force you to finance through MB credit but I paid in full.

    RE: the tires, do I need to change all 4 or just the 2 RWD ones?
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    Oh, do you think I can have the coupon? You can view my profile for me email address. If I send my address can you mail it to me?

       That is the catch since it doesn't take much in financing to offset the coupon, but if you were financing or leasing anyway it is a good deal.

       I guess it is different in NJ. In NY, I think the title still says it is a new vehicle since you are the first registered owner.

       If you decide to get set of snow or all season tires you should definitely get a set of 4. Putting two only on the rear would be dangerous since it will cause oversteer.

      See how it handles first. With the traction control and ESP, you may be fine. It is just somethig to consider.
  • ken1361ken1361 Member Posts: 7
    Unfortunately the coupon has my name on it (the workers at the event wrote the name in), and non-transferrable...

    If you want to take a shot at it anyway (if your name is close enough to Ken Tang), I can mail it to you, no problem. just email me the address.
  • myopinionmyopinion Member Posts: 11
    Yes, I would like to try. I don't see any email info in your profile.

      If you click on my ID, you should see me email address listed somewhere.

    Thanks.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    I am not sure what you find "ludicrous" about my statements on the maintenance. I am saying that the "free" maintenance that went away with the MY 2005 isn't likely to be worth more than $750 in the first 50,000 miles. Do you disagree with that? What IS ludicrous is your statement that the entire C class is oriented toward the new/young MB buyer. There are MANY older/repeat MB buyers of Cs on this board and in the real world. I would say that the 20-somethings are a small minority and that they usually go for the 230.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    John R, on your EDs, how did you get to Stuttgart? I assume you flew first to someplace like Frankfurt, Paris, London, or Amsterdam. Did you then fly to Stuttgart or take the train or rent a car and drive there? Any recommendation in hindsight?
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    What a wild first year! What a great gang of regulars: drew, Miki, nanky, zmeenow, fuzzo, mbnut1, nyca, 404c, mercx, mleskovar, ctic, dennett, husky11, bubba3007, mtroy, djasonw, ahost, and of course, jrct9454. I miss these guys and never even knew them. I especially wonder what ever became of Miki. I guess having her car keyed destroyed her enthusiasm. :(
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    It's a simple question of figuring out what is cheapest. You can fly to Frankfurt or Munich and connect to Stuttgart via rail or air; if there is anyone flying nonstop to Stuttgart from the USA, I don't know who they are. Renting a car out of Frankfurt for a one-way to Stuttgart also is a possibility.

    You can try the standard sources: Orbitz, Travelocity, SideStep [they require a download that builds some tools on your computer], or any of the online travel sources can get you started. For autorentals, my favorite place to start is AutoEurope.

    There just isn't one best answer to the question, because air fares change by the hour. I'm sorry to say I know of no shortcuts beyond spending a couple of hours on the computer and noodling through the alternatives.

    If you live in the Southeast, LTU flies regularly out of various FLA airports to Dusseldorf [in the northern part of Germany], and often has cheap connections to other German cities. LTU's fares are some of the cheapest around, but not if you have to travel far in the USA to get to them.

    In 1968, when we did our first OSD, there was a German law that required MB to collect the VAT and hold it in escrow until the car was exported [a requirement that has long since been dropped] - so we avoided the problem by taking delivery in Zurich and slipping back over the border the next day. This was long before the new Delivery Center, and all of the nice side perks that go with the process today. I should mention that in those days, I worked for United Airlines, and we got a ridiculously cheap fare [$99 roundtrip] on SAS from any US city they served to any European destination....adusting for inflation, a lot of ordinary fares these days come very close to that offer in constant dollars.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    Thanks, I'll probably just fly to Frankfurt then and then rent a car to get to Stuttgart. IF I do an ED. Following your advice to look at carsdirect.com (which I have no experience with) it appears that dealers in my area are selling at $1000 below invoice. If that holds for the next few months, there's little/no financial incentive to go ED at invoice.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    If saving money is the main goal of OSD, then it's likely you can get a better deal right here at home - again, assuming you can live with the option load that the typical in-stock car comes with.

    As I've mentioned, for me that price difference includes not only the 7%, and the destination charge [which is actually another 2% these days], but also the useless options that I would just as soon live without. If you are looking for a car that matches what can be found on the typical dealer's lot, then it's very likely that you can do better with a good deal on a domestic delivery, especially if you live in a competitive market.

    In our case, our last deal was $30k on a car with a $34.5k MSRP - 15%...but about $1500 of that, or 5%, was for options that I would have skipped if I had ordered the car for OSD....so I always say it boils down to how much you want the experience of actually driving the car in Europe, and how you value that.
  • 307web307web Member Posts: 1,033
    Looks like the new B class will become available in 2005 and will be the new entry-level Mercedes since it will be priced below the C class.
    There is a new forum in the Mercedes B Class area.

    What do you think?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    It's a car I've been looking forward to for some time. If they can get a good launch, and avoid some of the early startup problems of the past few models, it could help them in the North American market in a segment that promises to grow in the next few years. I'll be there for an early test, though my serious buying interest probably won't be until the '07 model year - when I am hoping [without much conviction] that they may offer the diesel in this car [and more others in the whole lineup] as low-sulfur diesel fuel finally becomes universal in the US.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    in this class car...

    What's the approximate overall length of the A and B class cars?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...is a stretched version of the A, and just a bit shorter than the original W201 190E back in 1983. Because of the architecture [this is hard to describe without graphics], the fore-aft interior room is actually larger than a C. The drivetrain is partially buried in a "basement" compartment that runs the length of the car.

    For me, size is strictly about utilitarianism - it meets the safety standards and I want the smallest, most economical package that will actually hold 4 real adults. The back seat of the C [and all of its direct competitors] is too tight for anybody over 5'8" if a 6' person is occupying the front...I know, because we've tried it several times.

    B's details are here:

    http://www.whnet.com/4x4/w245.html
  • tlantlan Member Posts: 3
    I have a '98 C230 with 104,000 miles on it. Periodically, it does not want to change gears. It revs up but will not change.... Do I need to have the transmission fluid and filter changed? Is this a transmission problem? Has anyone else had this problem?
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  • rip5rip5 Member Posts: 2
    2004 c320 sport sdn , or, 2005 c230

    I am looking at both, both 6 sp std . I believe the price will be about the same on th current 39/mo lease. I am leaning towards the '05 simply because of the improvements discussed on the board, but the 320 seems to have some nice upgrades, plus a v6.
    any suggestions or input on pros / cons of each appreciated.
    JK So California
  • bing330ibing330i Member Posts: 89
    Hi, I am debating if I should get a 2003/04 XC70 for $27-29k or so or a 2003 Mercedez C240 wagon for $25k, for Metro DC use. Both are less than 10k miles. What are yout thoughts on this?

     

    How reliable are 2003 C class in general?

     

    Your insight would be appreciated.
  • jflyer51jflyer51 Member Posts: 1
    The most economical way to get the the MB customer delivery center in Sindelfingen is to:

    1. fly to Frankfurt - very busy place, easy to find competitive air connections

    2. Take a train from the Frankfurt airport (there is a train terminal in the airport) to Stuttgart. The train tickets for two will be less than the cost of a rental and gas - I think we paid around $75 for two 2nd class express train tickets. It's also probably an hour faster than driving, unless you want to take your chances at high speed in a rental car. You may have to change trains once, in Manheim, but that is pretty easy to do. The ICE (inter city Express) trains leave every hour, take 1:14 to get to Stuttgart with no stops, and a first class seat is E73.

    3 Use the voucher that the ED package includes for the taxi ride from train station to the delivery center. You are there with no rental to drop off, and they have a place to store your luggage while you have lunch in the dining room and take the factory tour prior to accepting delivery on your car.

    It's easy - the train is comfortable and fast.

    After you get the car you have to run over a mile or so to the EH Harms agents to schedule your drop-off of your car for return shipment to your dealer in the states. That took us around 45 minutes by the time all the papers for return shipping were signed. Harms has drop off agents all over Europe, so you could drop the car in Frankfurt and have a short cab or train ride back to the airport.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    And on that note....the new C350 has been announced:

     

    http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050124.002/mercedes- /1.html

     

    M
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    I was close to ordering a C320. I wonder if they are still orderable. Personally, I don't want to be beta-testing the C350 for MB.
  • jcat707jcat707 Member Posts: 169
    That C350 looks pretty cool. I remember when the C320 was at the top of the class in terms of power and slowly it fell but it looks like it is going back to the top.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    The engine is not that new....it is only "new" to the C and E class. Same with the transmission. No beta testing required....
  • kt90275kt90275 Member Posts: 2
    I need to buy extended warranty for the C320, does anyone have a recommendation and pricing info?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Is it within the first year of ownership [eligible for the factory extended warranty]?

     

    If so, start with the F & I Manager at the dealership in Chico, California [get the details from the MBUSA website]. She has traditionally offered rock-bottom prices on the factory extended warranty. Then, you can either buy from them or use the info to get your neighborhood dealer to match or better the price. ANY dealer can sell the factory extended warranty, for ANY price they see fit. Ours was discounted nearly 25% from "list".

     

    If the car isn't eligible for the factory warranty, I can't help - have no opinions or insights about the various 3rd party warranties out there.
  • kt90275kt90275 Member Posts: 2
    Actually my factory warranty runs out next month, it's a 2001 model. Does Courtesy Motors in Chico offer competitive warranty rates for older models (not covered by MBUSA)?
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    engine isn't new? The article seemed to be indicating it was new.

     

    Also, I wonder what they were thinking. I've heard no one complain about the performance of the C320. I also find few people buying the C320 over the C240 because the C240s performance is "okay" and its not worth the extra money to most to upgrade to the larger engine. Now, it will presumably cost even more to upgrade to get unneeded power. This may force me into a C240.
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Well the engine is new to the C-Class and new overall as it just debuted in the 2005 SLK350. I don't think engines are of any worry at Mercedes no more than anyone else. The C-Class should finally be more reliable now considering it is entering its last 2 1/2 years of production.

     

    M
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...is the classic MB all-aluminum V6, with new 4-valve heads, and I guess that doesn't qualify it in my mind as a "beta test". It's been offered on the SLK, but also on the S-class in all markets except this one, and is an example of where they are going with all of their engines. [The v6s and v8s share a common architecture and can be produced on the same assembly line]. There is simply nothing "risky" about this engine, or much of anything else with the C-Class these days....it's a proven commodity.

     

    Eventually, the family of V6s with the new heads will range from 2.4 to 3.0 to 3.5, with hp ratings from just under 200 to 350+ with turbocharging. But drivetrains have never been the problem with these cars - it was always the electronics.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    The spread between the C240 and C320 was already too great, in the sense that few C320s are being sold, as far as I can tell. Will an even more expensive C350 have any market? But that's not my personal concern. Mine is that when the C350 comes out, there will probably be some good deals on the C320s already on dealer lots so perhaps I should just hold off on everything.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Yeah, can't help you there - I've always thought the C320 was overpriced, but it is an old MB [and BMW] tradition to make huge $ jumps between models with the next biggest engine. They always throw in more equipment to help justify it, but I've always found this to be a poor tradeoff and no bargain. We're perfectly content with the performance of our C240, with 168 hp and 0-60 in the mid 8s. We took our last real road trip in October, including a lot of two-lane passing, and I simply never felt the need for the extra hp....but there is a whole generation now who thinks you have to get to 60 in less than 7 seconds [or is it now 6 seconds?]. In my day, this was supercar territory....whatever the market demands, I guess...
  • tlantlan Member Posts: 3
    My dash indicator light, "check engine" is on and when tested comes up with the Fuel Trim Bank 1 error. My mechanic replaced the oxygen sensor last summer and this light went off but it's back. And, it won't pass the Illinois emissions test until it is fixed. Does anyone know what is a Fuel Trim Bank 1 error and what is the cause? My mechanic is a German Master Mechanic and he said it was nothing to worry about but that was when I lived in Virginia. Now, I need to get it fixed. Any ideas?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    What model, year, and mileage? I have a source to ask, but those will be the first questions...
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    I'm actively in the purchasing phase now and I was looking at old posts here and noticed reference to the "C2" package. Will you explain what that was? Obviously, MB has changed their naming conventions for packages and options since then.

    Thanks,

    postoak
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ....for the '02 model year meant sunroof, rear sunshade, and rain-sensing wipers. You have to be specific about the model year you're inquiring about - the package designations change pretty much every year.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    Ah, so from your post #5931 you basically got only the sunroof and metallic paint. I really only WANT the light pkg and the powerseat pkg (plus metallic paint) but it looks like everyone forces you to get the sunroof and the 6-cd disc changer. Unfortunately, I'm not going to get the deal you got because you got factory cash of what -- $1500? But it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get the additional $3000 off that you got either. So far, I can't even get invoice plus IRG. I'll keep plugging away though. There are lots of dealerships out there and I find I don't mind negotiating as much as I did when I was younger. I guess it is email that has really made the difference.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    In our case, it was year-end [Sept of '02, and the '03s were already coming off the trucks], the car had been in their stock for 5+ months, and there was a $3000 [!] dealer incentive on the table. So we got $4500 off, the dealer still made money, and they put a car on the street that was more than ripe.

    Yes, for all practical purposes, it is impossible to get a sedan without the sunroof. Dealers are afraid to order them for stock, because they claim most customers won't buy them. Personally, I find the roof to be a useless option, and if I ordered a car from scratch [for overseas delivery, for example] I would not pay for it. BMW is about to make it standard on the new 3er - that at least is intellectually honest, if not a better solution.

    If you waited until late summer, the kind of deal we got tends to be quite common....less so at this time of year. Right now, MBUSA might be offering some subvented financing, but their inventories on the C sedan are within reason, and it just isn't the time for big dealer incentives to be on the table.
  • giovanni1giovanni1 Member Posts: 106
    There should be some incentives on the C320 as introduction of the C350 draws near, which I believe is this summer.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    Well, I want to do something soon. Price is becoming (a little less) of a concern and just finding a car with Xenon is my mission now. I know there isn't one within 100 miles.
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    I took delivery of my 2005 C240 Luxury Sedan today. Xenon, Sunroof, 6-disc CD changer, power seats. I wanted pewter but couldn't find one so went with Silver/Ash instead.
  • jcat707jcat707 Member Posts: 169
    That kind of sounds familiar. I have a C230 with the same options but I wanted silver and had to settle for pewter.
This discussion has been closed.