Acura RSX vs. MB C230

trae

I am in the market for a new car. I loved my old integra, but I hate front wheel drive cars. The new RSX has a great motor, transmission, interior and acuras are very reliable, but it is ugly and priced too high. If I can get a MB for the same price and have rear wheel drive, that makes it a tough decision. I know the RSX will be faster and handle better. I need some suggestions.

badtoy

It sounds like you've already made up your mind anyway, and there is no rational way to compare a hot Japanese coupe with a quasi-sedan like the Merc.

mdouglas3

What is there to think about? The Mercedes is going to be hot! I have silver one on order for mid July delivery and I can't wait for it to get here! Also, you have to at least consider the resale value of your next vehicle. There is no question which vehicle would win the resale contest. Choose wisely!

boomn29

How much is the C230?

tommyp13

Prices should be about the same - boomn29: c230 starts at $24,950 plus 6 hundred something for delivery - but the Acura will have more stuff standard. MB would come to $28 or 29 with same stuff, depending on what color you order. The Acura will hold its value pretty well, also.
The c230 won't be as fun to drive, I'd guess, but it would feel more luxurious than the RSX. Panorama sunroof is a great option on the Benz.
It's going to be a tough call for me as well; I'm adding in the Saab 9-3 base (had a 900 - just love them, for some reason) and a GTI 1.8t.
I'm still not convinced that the Benz is worth the money, but I guess MB is not the company to go to for value.

himiler

The RSX is dumpy looking, while the MB is very sharp--kind of what Honda should've been thinking about as a continuation of the CRX's styling.

The MB, however, has a boat anchor of a motor.

mb710327

Personally, I think you can't go wrong with either an RSX Type S or MB C-Coupe. It just depends on what you like in a car. From looking at the list of standard equipement for both cars, both cars are well equiped, but the MB C-Coupe actually has more standard equipement compared to the RSX such as Electronic Stability Control and Smart Key protection. Given that the MB weighs over 3000 lbs., I wish there was more horsepower. But at 192 hp and 200 lbs of torque, the MB Coupe is more powerful than the BMW 323 Ci and BMW 325 Ci, both of which are also heavy cars and those bimmers cost 5k more to own. RSX Type S has 200 h.p., lighter, and faster than the Benz, but you have the rev the living [non-permissible content removed] out of the car to get the power, while the Benz will be more easier to drive. From looking at the numbers, the RSX Type S will only be about a half second faster than the benz. I love both cars. I like the RSX for its grind it our performace and I like the Benz for its looks, roominess, and usable torqe. If I had to buy either one, I'd have to go for the high reving RSX Type S. Just because I love to drive hard and fast, but I'll gladly pay an extra 3K to 5K for a 3.2L 215 h.p. RWD MB C-Coupe.

mercb230coupe

I think the RSX I and MB 230 Coupe have only a few real similarities but the MB makes the kind of "statement" that the RSX simply can not. I thought about buying either the RSX S (I own and still will keep my 94 Integra 5 speed) the BMW 325, the Saab 9-3 and the MB Coupe. After comparing everything (It came down to the 325 and the 230 Coupe) I put my order in for the MB Coupe; black with a 6 speed and the premium package.
I think the MB will have older demographics because each will appeal to different audiences. (I must be getting old if I am fitting into any age based MB demographic) To me, it is not ALL about speed and handling. I want enough of each, but I want some luxury to go with it. And I want to make a statement of success, which a MB does. And, the amount of features that the Coupe has is quite impressive!
I am somewhat dissapointed with the styling of the RSX. I expected more from Acura. The RSX's styling just does not "jump out" and impress me while the 230 Coupe's styling does.
Lastly, I should be getting delivery of my Coupe the week of July 16th and I will keep my ears open as to whether MB will later offer the 3.2 engine in the Coupe. If so, I may trade in the 230 Coupe if the 3.2 Coupe only costs about 3 or 4 grand more.

diploid

Actually, Acura would have a higher resale value than MB. Honda (parent company of Acura) and Toyota (Lexus) vehicles hold their values better than other brands, including luxury marques such as MB.

sgrd0q

Well, actually MB has one of the highest re-sale values. I still got the RSX-S though. The car is a blast to drive. It has just about the best stick shift that I've ever tried. I guess I am getting bored with my A/T Maxima; the RSX-S is very refreshing.

tommyp13

I took the MB Powertrip yesterday morning, and really liked what I saw. The C230 felt like a Benz to me, ie, solid and heavy. The handling was pretty good, though I'm sure that the RSX could run circles around it.

The biggest difference that I have found so far is the interior room. I'm 5' 10 1/2 " (what I weigh is a personal matter, and none of your damn business!), and having sat in both of them, I think that the C230 is much more comforable to spend time in. Especially in the rear, with the RSX's bump intruding on where your head is supposed to go. If you're comparing between the two, and will have 4 non-munchkins in it at once, I'd highly recommend trying to fit in the RSX. This was the deciding factor for me crossing it off my list. Now, only two contenders left: Mini vs. C230.

diploid

You want the best interior room in a compact car and you would even think to include the Mini on your list? I saw the Mini at this year's auto show. While BMW does manage to create a very large interior for a very small car, it is still a cramped car (I think it's even classified as a sub-compact vehicle). But I hear its engine is very sweet.

tommyp13

Unless you have, you don't really get an idea of how much passenger room there is in the car. I actually had more headroom in the Mini than either of the other two cars. Legroom wasn't all that great, but I could fit in the rear with the driver's seat placed where I like it (I position myself close to the wheel, so if you drive ghetto-style, with the seat all of the way back, your rearseat passengers will hate you).

Now, I'm not saying that there's alot of trunk room either, but the car could definitely handle 4 people better than the RSX.

Actually, the engine is what's gotten the worst reviews so far of all of the features. It's kind of harsh. That's been the story with the base Cooper engine; hopefully, the S engine will be a different story.

l943973

Test drove the Mercedes C230 Coupe at the 2001 Mercedes Powertrip held just recently. Its a pretty quick car and fun to drive.

I haven't driven the RSX, but given the amount of standard features in the C230, I think the C230 is a better value. I have the new RSX brochure from Acura and there are plenty of nice features in the car, but MB has all those features plus other stuff like curtain airbags.

diploid

How is it possible that you've actually sat in a Mini when it won't come to the U.S. as early as the first quarter of 2002? At the auto show, no one was allowed to sit inside.

tommyp13

There was a 3-day Mini event in n. NJ, culminating at BMW's NA hq. At the hq, they had two new Minis that were there. We were all allowed to go through them, and I took a lot of pics of various parts. I even got to see some idiots break some small interior bits.

If you keep watching the events section of miniusa.com, they will post info on future events. I think that several Minis will be making appearances at US dealers in October or so.

As far as standard features go, the rsx has leather and sunroof that the c230 doesn't. And, it seems as though you won't even be able to order leather in the c230 for a while anyway. True, the c230 has other stuff that the RSX doesn't, but I think that they pretty much wipe each other out as far as standard features go.

stuartbonia

Interiors on both are pretty nice. I think the MB was a little nicer.

I saw the RSX first and thought the exterior looked a little funky at first. Dealer added $2500 in extras to it. Wing for $895, ground effects $1500 and door protectors for $185 which should cost $25. They were asking MSRP plus extras for around $26k and change.

I then went across the street to the MB dealer and saw the MB 230. The exterior looked kind of econobox. To me, the Acura looked nicer. As for the prestige of the MB, forget it. Anyone who know the car won't be impressed by the bottom of the line MB. They added the leather seats and the package with the panoramic moonroof. Sticker was about $31k and change (the 2 additional packages added $7k total total).

I'll have to find a time when the Acura dealer is open for a test drive. I might consider trading my Prelude SH if they give me a decent trade value.

pocahontas

in this new discussion: Mercedes-Benz C230 Vs Acura RSX (2002). Thanks for your participation. ;-)

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