Are you a current Michigan-based car shopper? A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/2 for details.
I got my car back from the Smythe Service Department(San Jose, CA) two days ago. When I was there to pick up the car, they told me they couldn't find the problem.
So, I got the car back, and yesterday, it happened again. Shaking after a stop. I guess I will have to bring it in again and HOPE they will do something.
If the car shakes and shows symtoms of rough idlign, they should at least try to replace some parts. AT LEAST! It's gotta be something related to fuel injection or computer that's related to it right? JUST REPLACE THE DARN THING AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!
Man.. I am getting tired of this.
BTW, I found interesting neon colored, eye catchy sticker on the sheet with all the results. (IMPORTANT : You may receive a questionnaire from Mercedes-Benz Regarding your service visit. If for any reason you cannot grade us "EXCELLENT", please contact "blah blah" in the service department. Thank you. SMYTHE EUROPEAN)
Isn't this something? Obviously, they don't want me to grade them low, well then fix my car!!
This is my call to MB Customer Center regarding teleaid remote unlocking feature
============================================== cclass117 : "I heard that Tele-Aid system in new 2001 C class with serial below certain Number is not capable of unlocking doors remotely by the teleaid client center. Is that true?"
MB : "Yes"
"SILENT" "SILENT"
cclass117 : "Um.. Is MB working on updating or replace the teleaid device for those don't work?"
MB : "Um.. Yes.. " then started asking around..
cclass117 : "Any Approx. Time frame???"
MB : "No, we will notify you when we have a solution." ===============================================
SO FAR, I am not happy with MB at all. I am very disappointed with my first MB experience. I regret I didn't ask her what they would do if I lock my keys in the car now. Dispatch somebody to stick big metal piece into my car and try to open it up?
I know BMW's locking system don't work that way. I work with Public Safety Staff so I had a chance to see when a lady locked her kid(5-6 mo old) in her 7 series BMW in a parking lot(of course with the key inside, in a hot day), Fire Dept people tried to unlock it old way but didn't work... had to break the window. MB works this way??
WRT the C-class owner's club in Townhall, absolutely! We'll let Karen, the host of the Owner's Club message board, know about it. I was actually already going to ask whether anyone would be interested in such a club.
I'll also check into the Top 10 list issue. Try dumping your browser's cache and reloading that page though. Sometimes the previous page gets stucked because of that.
Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Anyone else told of the Key warning? Like I posted earlier MB has issued a warning for people not to put too many keys on the key ring. Too much weight on the key ring pulls down over time and the infer-red sensor becomes un-lined and the car stops. Thats what i was told Saturday. My brakes squeeled this am it was 35. They squeel during the last few feet before I stop.
Sorry to hear that you're still having the problem. It seems that the MB dealership is the one that is making your MB experience not as pleasant as it should be. WRT the MBUSA 1-800#, I think that there is a consensus that it depends on who you get when you call. Some appear to know something, whereas others are well...clueless.
Why don't you try the other MB dealership in town? This time, absolutely insist that the MB technican and service advisor come along with you for a test drive so that they can actually feel the problem and won't be able to deny it later. As for Smythe, you know what to do about the survey. Be honest and give them black marks if you feel that they deserve it (certainly seems that way from your service & loaner vehicle experiences).
Anyone else told of the Key warning? Like I posted earlier MB has issued a warning for people not to put too many keys on the key ring. Too much weight on the key ring pulls down over time and the infer-red sensor becomes un-lined and the car stops. Thats what i was told Saturday. My brakes squeeled this am it was 35. They squeel during the last few feet before I stop.
Sure, bring it back to the same place that can't/won't fix it. Makes sense to me. :-P You know you don't have to bring it back to the same place you bought it from, right? That's what factory warrantees allow you to do... :-)
Yes, I'm pretty anxious, but no problem waiting a few more days. Auto Hauler should arrive at Dealer's tomorrow from Baltimore. What is also nice is this weekend coming up is President's Day, so hope the weather is nice for the long weekend. I'll be at Friday Freeway, but doesn't matter if I don't get any Trivia correct, hope to be on cloud 9 and will have some photos posted by then... There's another good piece of advice on the Key Warning !! Thanks w2p2.
My car came with the Continental Tires. I was not able to get any discount, and at the time I ordered (October)I was happy just not to have to pay over sticker.
I did get the "special" $200.00 discount to $799.00 for the CD changer. I called the salesman and explained that it was on the MB web site at $522.00. I asked him to not even try and answer but to check with his sales manager and let me know what they were going to do. That was Thursday and so far, no answer. I will see him at the new owners orientation at the service center on Tuesday night. I will let you know if they give me any sort of adjustment.
BTW, my trunk quit opening. Worked great yesterday but this morning I can not get it to open. I can hear the mechanism working but it will not open. I tried all the key positions and no luck.
One more thing. I know that at 55 I should be over stuff like this but I can not help myself. The boss and I took a drive around town today and I could not believe the looks the car got. This area is littered with Lexus, MB and Bimmers but they all look. One guy in a Lexus almost drove off the road, DON'T YA JUST LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Anuj has taken some really sweet pics of the Chicago auto show. Got to love those multipiece wheels on the cab and the C32 not to mention the CL 55, check them out
Ian- can't wait to hear you've got your car!! I bet you are looking forward to having three days next weekend!! Remember not to test the speed limiter out until you've got it broken in! LOL Let me know when you get it! If you can't make Friday Freeway, jsut drop in and tell carole that I can have all your points for the week!! I'm going to be jealous when you post pics from the get together all you NY area owners are planning, hint hint!
newmbfan- we had the exact same problem with our car when it was around a month old! I too tried all the key positions to no avail, and I could hear the mechanism trying to unlock. When we picked it up our dealer acted like we were idiots and had put it into valet mode and that's why it wouldn't open. Be sure yours isn't in valet mode when you bring it in, and if I were you I'd get a service person to confirm it's nonop before you leave it. They claimed that when they turned the key it opened, I didn't feel like arguing and it worked so I drove off. Later, upon closer inspection, I could see where they had applied tape and plastic over and around the lock and license plate area to protect it WHILE THEY WORKED TO GET IT OPEN! It's worked ever since and I didn't feel like arguing after the fact. Please post here what they find out with yours, I'm sure it's the same as our situation was. It really is nice to get all the looks, our is a special order color and really gets the looks especially from bimmer owners, I think they thought the color only came on bimmers! I don't have any pics yet, but here's a link to one that looks identical.
That C32 is absolutely incredible!!! You didn't get anymore details on pricing did you? I've only heard rumors so far, $53k? With those hp and torque numbers I wouldn't be surprised if it could put a hurting on an E55 or CLK 55. Can't wait for a rode test article! The CLK55 Cab is equally incredible, but I bet the price will be more like $78k, I can't even count that high!!!
Excellent link and amazing photos, will have to view at work with the T1 connection tomorrow morning, 56K modem just to slow when you click on the thumbnails. Thanks nabzy & anuj !! What did you buy ?
The C32 does look sweet, I presently drive a CLK 55 AMG, just hit the 1000 mile mark, have deposit for my dealers first CLK 55 cabriolet, will most likely trade this fall as I had a clk 430 cab and loved it, but wanted an AMG car, however, this fall I can have best of both worlds
When I received my C320 this happened a couple of times as well. I used the SOS and they said to use the valet key to open the trunk. I did this and it worked. It happened once more about a day later and I used the Valet key again with no problem. Interestingly, the problem no longer appears. I think the technical term for this fix is is "F.M." ... as in F***in' Magic" ...if you catch my drift.
Has anyone had problems with remote operations for their C320/C240? My key has stopped locking/unlocking and trunk operation. Key # 2 works. The batteries tested GOOD. I have had my C320 for only 6 weeks. This is the only problem I have experienced. When I picked up the car I overheard another owner with similar problems but dismissed it at that time. I don't believe that the key technology is new to I class. I will have to visit my Service Advisor for a solution (new key??). Anyone else with similar problems?
It's interesting that you mention this. On two occasions I've had trouble unlocking the door. The first time it eventually worked after several attempts. I thought maybe I was just pushing it wrong on something, but after 4+ months of owning the car, this didn't seem likely. Then about two weeks later, had the same problem and had to pull out my extra key to lock the door. I thought maybe the battery was going, but, it hasn't happened since. Sherrill
Just to keep you all updated on the live MB chat idea. How does Tuesday, March 5th at 5-6pm Pacific sound? This will be our premiere chat, and it should be a weekly thing after that. All MB owners and enthusiasts (C-class, CL-class, CLK-class E-class, G-class, M-class, S-class, SLK-class, SL-class) are welcome to participate, of course.
Please let me know! Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
I have noticed that I need to hold the trunk release button down for a few seconds before the trunk will pop open. Sometimes it opens faster than other times. Maybe it has to do with how the remote is aimed? I don't recall any trouble with locking or unlocking the doors now that I have it down.
I also had the joy of watching the remote window closing in action the other day. I had popped the sunroof open and didn't close it before turning the car off. So, when I got out I held the lock button down for a couple of seconds and the sunroof closed like magic! I thought it was neat, maybe I'm easily impressed.
I'm also learning more and more about the various display modes for the screen in the instrument panel. I usually set it so that it shows the digital speedometer readout...I've always wanted a car that could do that. :-)
lxgmb, On Dec.9th,2000, I placed a $1000.00 deposit on a Black/Java interior 320 w/th C2,C3 Pkgs.,Full Leather and CD changer. Total cost of the car including tax and destination charge was $40,735. The CD was thrown in at no charge along with a car cover and all season weather mats. In addition the dealer is paying the registration fees.
I am leasing the car for 48months w/th 12K miles per year. Total payment per month is $596.87. By paying the tax upfront,an amount of $2165.45. Which I plan to do. My total payment will be $546.83 per month. A hell of a deal in my opinion,considering what type of car we are talking about.
The build date is Feb.20th,2001. With a delivery sometime in mid March. Total waiting time, about three months. I live in NYC and am leasing the car from Prestige Motors in NJ. Hopes this helps you.
Fear not, I have 2 forward facing car seats permanently installed in my C240. It is our "kid" car. The seats fit and there is enough legroom for everyone. I'm 6' 3" with a 2 year old behind me. My wife is 5' 10" and our 4 year old rides behind her. The C has some cool car seat clips, the tether anchor and 2 in the butt part of the seat.
MGA3, Congrats on your order of the new 320. First remeber that your lease payments wil change based on when you take delivery of yout new ride. The longer it takes, the less your residual will be which will show up in your payment. Perhaps the declining interest rates will offset this. I would suggest you do everthing you can to limit your term of lease to 3 years and beef up your mileage to 15 K a year. the cost is minimal(approx $25 a month) for the extra miles and the increased residual will help the shorter term extra cost cost. Realistically you should plug in at least 3 to 4 grand upfront. This deal is dripping with profit for the dealer. Make the mkick in the cd changer.
My C320 has been a bit of a problem child with the squeeling brakes,(now quiet for 750 miles) rocking front drivers seat( still moves after two tries at fixing), and a few other misc squauks. Little by little, the dealer is sorting it out, so I'm confident yoiu'll enjoy the offsetting benefits of having the MB.
You did it!! What is your plan with the chat, I mean is there a planned format, or just chat? Whatever you decide will be fine with me. I'll be sure to mark it on my calendar! Good work! Will you be our host? I think Ian gets his Benz tomorrow, to bad we couldn't have a party!!!
We've got an 8month old in a rear facing car seat and it fits fine! We're planning on going to one of the LATCH seats, designed to work with the mounts between the rear seatback and base, when our son outgrows his current seat. MB hasn't come out with their brand LATCH seat yet, but it's coming. Fisher Price and Cosco are the only 2 manufactureres currently making LATCH seats. I'd say the C is great for kids, the power rear sunshade is a real blessing with a rear facing car seat, our son absolutely hates the sun in his eyes!
robtroxel, I went with a four year lease because of the 48mo/50K miles warranty. For four years I have zero out of pocket maint.& svc. pymts.. I am not planning to keep the car after the lease is up. As I will either step into a larger car or maybe even a different luxury car. That is the beauty of a lease. I'll have a brand new car again.
Living in NYC,I do not put that many miles on a vehicle. As I plan to use the car on weekends and for the occasional getaway trip. So 12k miles is more than enough for me.
A 36month lease w/th 12k or 15k miles for a 320 w/th the options I am ordering, Would have easily cost in the mid to upper $600 range. Possibly the $700 range. And I did not want to pay over $600 a month, no matter how cool the car is. As it was, I was getting quotes as high as $674 for 48/12k lease. Due to the high demand of the car at the time. Fortunately,Prestige met my request of pymts under $600 per month.
The whole idea of a lease is to put as little money down as possible. Which is exactly what I am doing. Just paying the tax upfront and first month pymt. and bank fee. The tax upfront is simply an option I am exercising, The drive off could have been just first month pymt,and bank fee. As you said, with the declining interest rates, my pyments will probably be alittle lower by the time I take delivery. Probably just a couple of dollars,but every bit helps.With the lease plan I am engaging, other than operating cost such as gas,insurance and garage. I have very little out of pocket expense. I got one hell of an insurance guote from Geico and I have a great deal on a garage. In the end, this lease will enable me to drive $41,000 car for $26,249. That is the point of a good lease.
PS. Prestige did throw in the CD changer. Along with a car cover and all season weather mats. They are also paying the registration fees as a further incentive for me to come out there and lease the car from them. They are fifteen to twenty minutes from the city by car.
You need to post your message in the box under the title column. As far as Command, I had heard that initially it wasn't availible but I wasn't aware that was still the case. I'm sure someone here has the answer. If not just call Mercedes.
I got my car Saturday a C-320. Didn't think the radio was all that great, not what I expected at all. I got the book out to read about the car and I found out the car was preset to the OFF position on the radio configuration! Turned it on Amebance mode and .........HOLY COW it kicks BUTT!Could not believe how great it sounds. I am only disapointed in the wood in the car. It looks like plastic to me. Still likeing it and now getting better gas milage. Do get a lot of looks. There are not that many on the road here in Atlanta.
COMAND has been available on the new C for a couple of months now. SOme one posted photos yesterday (?) of a new C with the COMAND system in it. I think it's something like $2000-3000. Initially there were problems with it (across all models) and the first several months of production it was not available, but now it is.
As I have posted before, I own a C320 with the COMMAND/Nav option and the phone and voice recognition option. I have no complaints: it works as advertised with not issues.
That's Fantastic !!! What color (ext./int.) did you get with which options ? Gotta get some photos up here...Do you know if your 320 arrived in Baltimore just last week from Hamburg, or had the Dealer had it a while longer ? I ordered the Bose upgrade in my 240, after listening to it in a friend's 320. Glad to hear you really like the Bose AudioPilot !!
5PM is prime commute time here in Calif. I'm either still at work or on my way home. I'm certainly not suggesting you should change the time for me if it works for everyone else, but I was just wondering why so "early." (I recognize it's not early on the east coast.)
Part of the reason is because 6-7pm Pacific is dinner time for many (including yours truly :-)). 5-6pm is also when we host our Friday Freeways chat, and it seems to be an ideal time for everyone, either east or west coast. Anything later than 6-7pm Pacific would be too late for many of our friends on the East coast. We would certainly like to try to accomodate as many people as possible, so I hope you can make it.
Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
It arrived in Savanaha, Ga on 1-24. I got the c2 package and the CD. This car wasn't the one I orginally ordered. They are having a few cancelations due to the tock market I think. I was neding one fast and this one came in. It's white with Java interior. Did not think the leather seats were worth the price and you cannot tell they are not all leather.
I recollect few messages back somebody was talking about reaching new shipment to baltimore and wondering how many new C will be on that consignment - does anybody have any updates on that?
I tried shopping via Internet for new C, (using Driveoff.com, the nearest CAR from my location is 192 miles away - the prices are MSRP plus they add additional few hundred dollars to cover shipment
If anybody interested and happen to be near their area, can have NEW C w/o. wait
Some of you are probably tired of my saga, but it is finally over. After many phone calls from both myself and Eloan my dealer FINALLY faxed the necessary documents to have my loan completed and the money released. I can't say enough good things about Eloan. Their rate was absolutely the best (7.06% for 48mos) and they were extremely patient while dealing with the idiots at the dealership who just couldn't seem to figure how to work the fax machine. It turns out that the actual lender is Bank of America. I can't understand why any dealer would refuse to work with this company. When the people at the dealership claimed to have had problems with Eloan in the past it is clear to me now that those problems were the dealership's own doing in not providing them with the necessary documentation. So, if your dealer will accept Eloan I would say they are a great resource.
As for my dealership, American Service Center in Arlington, VA, I really would like to be able to recommend them. My order and the months of waiting went smoothly enough and they were extremely nice and forthcoming with information. But once I picked the car up and tried to finalize paying for it, the story definitely changed. Despite my salesman's assurances that they would "bend over backwards to make you happy", they clearly have not. My salesman has even stopped returning my phone calls. When I last spoke to him on Thursday he told me that the necessary paperwork was taken care of the day before and that I had nothing to worry about. When I called Eloan on Saturday and found out that the documents were never sent I called the salesman again and left a voicemail to let him know that the draft would be returned and they would not be paid unless they sent in the documents. He never called back. Yesterday Eloan called me to get the dealership's information in order to get the documents. I gave him the contact info, he spoke to the woman there in charge of this stuff and she told him she would send the things, but never did. Eloan called me again today to see if I could get through to the dealership. I called the salesman and left another message for him today and have not heard from him. Luckily I was able to get ahold of the woman at the dealership and got the point across that Eloan needed the documents by 1PM or no money. Apparently that did the trick. You can guess what kind of score they are going to get on their survey! It just baffles me that they claim to want to provide good service and then totally drop the ball on such a very simple thing. They could have easily avoided putting me through so much frustration, but chose not to for whatever reason. It sure doesn't make me want to ever buy another car from them.
Luckily the car itself is great. I finally got asked some questions about it by a guy who lives in my building last night...he's thinking of trading in his '98. Now I guess I can finally go on to really enjoying the car itself. Thanks for letting me vent. :-)
Glad it finally all worked out!! If your saleman ever calls to ask how all is going with your new car, common call, do you plan to mention your MB survey and feelings toward him and the dealership? I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't offer you some token to make you happy, but maybe not. Are there other dealers in your area? Keep us posted on how all goes and what if anything you hear from your dealer. Enjoy it!!
Comments
So, I got the car back, and yesterday, it happened again. Shaking after a stop.
I guess I will have to bring it in again and HOPE they will do something.
If the car shakes and shows symtoms of rough idlign, they should at least try to replace some parts. AT LEAST! It's gotta be something related to fuel injection or computer that's related to it right? JUST REPLACE THE DARN THING AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!
Man.. I am getting tired of this.
BTW, I found interesting neon colored, eye catchy sticker on the sheet with all the results.
(IMPORTANT : You may receive a questionnaire from Mercedes-Benz Regarding your service visit. If for any reason you cannot grade us "EXCELLENT", please contact "blah blah" in the service department. Thank you. SMYTHE EUROPEAN)
Isn't this something? Obviously, they don't want me to grade them low, well then fix my car!!
==============================================
cclass117 : "I heard that Tele-Aid system in new 2001 C class with serial below certain Number is not capable of unlocking doors remotely by the teleaid client center. Is that true?"
MB : "Yes"
"SILENT"
"SILENT"
cclass117 : "Um.. Is MB working on updating or replace the teleaid device for those don't work?"
MB : "Um.. Yes.. " then started asking around..
cclass117 : "Any Approx. Time frame???"
MB : "No, we will notify you when we have a solution."
===============================================
SO FAR, I am not happy with MB at all. I am very disappointed with my first MB experience. I regret I didn't ask her what they would do if I lock my keys in the car now. Dispatch somebody to stick big metal piece into my car and try to open it up?
I know BMW's locking system don't work that way. I work with Public Safety Staff so I had a chance to see when a lady locked her kid(5-6 mo old) in her 7 series BMW in a parking lot(of course with the key inside, in a hot day), Fire Dept people tried to unlock it old way but didn't work... had to break the window.
MB works this way??
I'll also check into the Top 10 list issue. Try dumping your browser's cache and reloading that page though. Sometimes the previous page gets stucked because of that.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Why don't you try the other MB dealership in town? This time, absolutely insist that the MB technican and service advisor come along with you for a test drive so that they can actually feel the problem and won't be able to deny it later. As for Smythe, you know what to do about the survey. Be honest and give them black marks if you feel that they deserve it (certainly seems that way from your service & loaner vehicle experiences).
Good luck and please keep us updated.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
You know you don't have to bring it back to the same place you bought it from, right? That's what factory warrantees allow you to do... :-)
There's another good piece of advice on the Key Warning !! Thanks w2p2.
I did get the "special" $200.00 discount to $799.00 for the CD changer. I called the salesman and explained that it was on the MB web site at $522.00. I asked him to not even try and answer but to check with his sales manager and let me know what they were going to do. That was Thursday and so far, no answer. I will see him at the new owners orientation at the service center on Tuesday night. I will let you know if they give me any sort of adjustment.
BTW, my trunk quit opening. Worked great yesterday but this morning I can not get it to open. I can hear the mechanism working but it will not open. I tried all the key positions and no luck.
One more thing. I know that at 55 I should be over stuff like this but I can not help myself. The boss and I took a drive around town today and I could not believe the looks the car got. This area is littered with Lexus, MB and Bimmers but they all look. One guy in a Lexus almost drove off the road, DON'T YA JUST LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
:>)
here:http://www.clkmercedes.com/cgi/if/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Chicago_Auto_Show_2001
Nabzy
newmbfan- we had the exact same problem with our car when it was around a month old! I too tried all the key positions to no avail, and I could hear the mechanism trying to unlock. When we picked it up our dealer acted like we were idiots and had put it into valet mode and that's why it wouldn't open. Be sure yours isn't in valet mode when you bring it in, and if I were you I'd get a service person to confirm it's nonop before you leave it. They claimed that when they turned the key it opened, I didn't feel like arguing and it worked so I drove off. Later, upon closer inspection, I could see where they had applied tape and plastic over and around the lock and license plate area to protect it WHILE THEY WORKED TO GET IT OPEN! It's worked ever since and I didn't feel like arguing after the fact. Please post here what they find out with yours, I'm sure it's the same as our situation was. It really is nice to get all the looks, our is a special order color and really gets the looks especially from bimmer owners, I think they thought the color only came on bimmers! I don't have any pics yet, but here's a link to one that looks identical.
http://www.kbb.com/nctdpics/cc01mbcclass2.jpg
Excellent link and amazing photos, will have to view at work with the T1 connection tomorrow morning, 56K modem just to slow when you click on the thumbnails. Thanks nabzy & anuj !!
What did you buy ?
How about the time frame and the price?
Thanks.
nabzy
Just to keep you all updated on the live MB chat idea. How does Tuesday, March 5th at 5-6pm Pacific sound? This will be our premiere chat, and it should be a weekly thing after that. All MB owners and enthusiasts (C-class, CL-class, CLK-class E-class, G-class, M-class, S-class, SLK-class, SL-class) are welcome to participate, of course.
Please let me know!
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1508702&a=11393668&p=40789380
I also had the joy of watching the remote window closing in action the other day. I had popped the sunroof open and didn't close it before turning the car off. So, when I got out I held the lock button down for a couple of seconds and the sunroof closed like magic! I thought it was neat, maybe I'm easily impressed.
I'm also learning more and more about the various display modes for the screen in the instrument panel. I usually set it so that it shows the digital speedometer readout...I've always wanted a car that could do that. :-)
On Dec.9th,2000, I placed a $1000.00 deposit on a Black/Java interior 320 w/th C2,C3 Pkgs.,Full Leather and CD changer. Total cost of the car including tax and destination charge was $40,735. The CD was thrown in at no charge along with a car cover and all season weather mats. In addition the dealer is paying the registration fees.
I am leasing the car for 48months w/th 12K miles per year. Total payment per month is $596.87. By paying the tax upfront,an amount of $2165.45. Which I plan to do. My total payment will be $546.83 per month. A hell of a deal in my opinion,considering what type of car we are talking about.
The build date is Feb.20th,2001. With a delivery sometime in mid March. Total waiting time, about three months. I live in NYC and am leasing the car from Prestige Motors in NJ. Hopes this helps you.
COMMAND is... (You won't believe this..)
$6,270.00
Phone with Voice Recognition
$1,775.00
I think Clairparts.com is willing to sell it with this price. I was bummed after I found the price for COMMAND... I really want it... but not for 6K.
Fear not, I have 2 forward facing car seats permanently installed in my C240. It is our "kid" car. The seats fit and there is enough legroom for everyone. I'm 6' 3" with a 2 year old behind me. My wife is 5' 10" and our 4 year old rides behind her. The C has some cool car seat clips, the tether anchor and 2 in the butt part of the seat.
-John
First remeber that your lease payments wil change based on when you take delivery of yout new ride. The longer it takes, the less your residual will be which will show up in your payment. Perhaps the declining interest rates will offset this. I would suggest you do everthing you can to limit your term of lease to 3 years and beef up your mileage to 15 K a year. the cost is minimal(approx $25 a month) for the extra miles and the increased residual will help the shorter term extra cost cost. Realistically you should plug in at least 3 to 4 grand upfront. This deal is dripping with profit for the dealer. Make the mkick in the cd changer.
My C320 has been a bit of a problem child with the squeeling brakes,(now quiet for 750 miles) rocking front drivers seat( still moves after two tries at fixing), and a few other misc squauks. Little by little, the dealer is sorting it out, so I'm confident yoiu'll enjoy the offsetting benefits of having the MB.
I went with a four year lease because of the 48mo/50K miles warranty. For four years I have zero out of pocket maint.& svc. pymts.. I am not planning to keep the car after the lease is up. As I will either step into a larger car or maybe even a different luxury car. That is the beauty of a lease. I'll have a brand new car again.
Living in NYC,I do not put that many miles on a vehicle. As I plan to use the car on weekends and for the occasional getaway trip. So 12k miles is more than enough for me.
A 36month lease w/th 12k or 15k miles for a 320 w/th the options I am ordering, Would have easily cost in the mid to upper $600 range. Possibly the $700 range. And I did not want to pay over $600 a month, no matter how cool the car is. As it was, I was getting quotes as high as $674 for 48/12k lease. Due to the high demand of the car at the time. Fortunately,Prestige met my request of pymts under $600 per month.
The whole idea of a lease is to put as little money down as possible. Which is exactly what I am doing. Just paying the tax upfront and first month pymt. and bank fee. The tax upfront is simply an option I am exercising, The drive off could have been just first month pymt,and bank fee. As you said, with the declining interest rates, my pyments will probably be alittle lower by the time I take delivery. Probably just a couple of dollars,but every bit helps.With the lease plan I am engaging, other than operating cost such as gas,insurance and garage. I have very little out of pocket expense. I got one hell of an insurance guote from Geico and I have a great deal on a garage. In the end, this lease will enable me to drive $41,000 car for $26,249. That is the point of a good lease.
PS. Prestige did throw in the CD changer. Along with a car cover and all season weather mats. They are also paying the registration fees as a further incentive for me to come out there and lease the car from them. They are fifteen to twenty minutes from the city by car.
I am only disapointed in the wood in the car. It looks like plastic to me. Still likeing it and now getting better gas milage. Do get a lot of looks. There are not that many on the road here in Atlanta.
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
Drew, can you check this out? Also any chance of changing that topic title to C-Class from C-Series? Thanks -
I tried shopping via Internet for new C, (using Driveoff.com, the nearest CAR from my location is 192 miles away - the prices are MSRP plus they add additional few hundred dollars to cover shipment
If anybody interested and happen to be near their area, can have NEW C w/o. wait
As for my dealership, American Service Center in Arlington, VA, I really would like to be able to recommend them. My order and the months of waiting went smoothly enough and they were extremely nice and forthcoming with information. But once I picked the car up and tried to finalize paying for it, the story definitely changed. Despite my salesman's assurances that they would "bend over backwards to make you happy", they clearly have not. My salesman has even stopped returning my phone calls. When I last spoke to him on Thursday he told me that the necessary paperwork was taken care of the day before and that I had nothing to worry about. When I called Eloan on Saturday and found out that the documents were never sent I called the salesman again and left a voicemail to let him know that the draft would be returned and they would not be paid unless they sent in the documents. He never called back. Yesterday Eloan called me to get the dealership's information in order to get the documents. I gave him the contact info, he spoke to the woman there in charge of this stuff and she told him she would send the things, but never did. Eloan called me again today to see if I could get through to the dealership. I called the salesman and left another message for him today and have not heard from him. Luckily I was able to get ahold of the woman at the dealership and got the point across that Eloan needed the documents by 1PM or no money. Apparently that did the trick. You can guess what kind of score they are going to get on their survey! It just baffles me that they claim to want to provide good service and then totally drop the ball on such a very simple thing. They could have easily avoided putting me through so much frustration, but chose not to for whatever reason. It sure doesn't make me want to ever buy another car from them.
Luckily the car itself is great. I finally got asked some questions about it by a guy who lives in my building last night...he's thinking of trading in his '98. Now I guess I can finally go on to really enjoying the car itself. Thanks for letting me vent. :-)