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I am leasing my C 240 6 speed Desert Silver / Charcoal interior from Millennium MB in Bridgewater on Rt. 22. I have been very impressed with the entire dealership !! Ask
for Ed C. in Sales. I also had to have heated seats and love the 2 setting level: Hot for first 5 mins., then automatically switches over to the lower setting. This is my first MB. Now at 4600 beautiful miles. I ordered in Nov. and took delivery Feb. 15th.
Ian
Oh yeah, happy Canada day to the Canucks out there!
Drew
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Looking forward to 4th of July Wednesday !!
Cheers!!! (p.s. how'd "they" do that with the
3D wavy Flag....Well Done).
Bubba
"... my friends all drive Porsches. I must make AMENDS..." J. Joplin
Thanks for the tip about Millenium in Bridgewater, NJ. I looked at a few pre-owned MBs there recently, but they didn't have anything I wanted. It seemed like a nice dealership though, and everyone I spoke with seemed quite helpful. I just requested a price quote (online) from them, so cross your fingers for me!
I really enjoyed looking at the photos of the cars in the PhotoPoint link on the owner's board. I always buy black cars, but I'm really starting to like that Bordeaux Red...
Anyway, does anyone know when the new 2002 C240s are coming out, or if they can be pre-ordered yet? In case I can't find the right 2001, I could always order a 2002 if the wait isn't going to be too L-O-N-G!
Thanks again for everyone's help. Hope everyone had a fun weekend. Mine would have been better if I'd been able to buy my new car!
Regards,
Chloe
It's just my opinion, but I have driven the C240, the C320, and the E320, and I really think the C-Class is more fun. The E320 has a definite "sedan" feeling, which isn't a bad thing, but I prefer the peppy C-Class. If you go with an E-Class, you might want to consider the V8 engine with the sport package if you want more responsive handling.
When I was shopping for a pre-owned MB, I drove a 1997 E420 Sport and a 1998 E320 back-to-back, and there was a real difference in power and handling between the two cars (at least I thought so.) I liked the E320 until I got into the E420 Sport!
I hope you'll hear from other people about this though, because since both cars I drove were pre-owned, my preferences could have a lot to do with the condition of those specific used cars.
I have decided to buy a new C240. I like the power of the C320, but I can't see spending the extra money in my case, because I'll only drive the car about 2,500 miles a year.
By the way, my current car is a 1992 500SEL, so if you're worried that my preferences have always been biased toward the smaller cars, remember that most sporty little cars could fit in my trunk... I just honestly prefer the C-Class to the E-Class.
Good luck with your decision-making!
Regards,
Chloe
So if you're driving on the highway, vary your speed regularly - do not put it on cruise control in the break-in period.
Also, keep the revs down.
Mike T.
Is it my imagination, or can you actually feel an engine loosen up? Engine revs over the whole range seem a bit smoother now -- but it's entirely likely I'm obsessing. :-)
And this morning was a nice cool 60 degrees F here in PA, and it was great to drive in today without the AC on and sucking at my horsepower. It makes a difference with the 2.6L engine, but nothing like in my last car with a 140 HP 4 cyl.
Tim
Miki
Hmm...and this is even during the "break in" period. Sounds like Miki has a heavy foot.
Actually, my service folks also told me not to worry too much about the break in period. Likewise, I used normal LA traffic to vary my speeds and made a conscious effort to keep the rpm around 3500
It was a Grand 134th...we are so young...
sorry for being too anxious...HAPPY 4TH of JULY !!!
Miki
I had my car washed today. I was doing some errands and saw that the car wash had moved one of the side-view mirrors. Since I was driving, I used the touch and feel method and pressed what I thought was the button for the passenger side-view mirror -- alas, it was the headlamp. washer button. What a monster this press of the button released! -- it must have been created by one. It sprayed white cleaning fluid all over the hood, the fenders, the windshield, the top grill, the front grill. It is with even more conviction that I again say I will not knowingly use the headlamp washers (the washer button is quite close to the mirror button).
Miki
Nanky -- How heavy can one size 5 foot be when backed by 106 pounds ?
Miki
With a little spring in the ankle, a size 5 foot can do wonders in a nimble C. The spray from the headlamp washer sounds powerful. I will try mine to make sure it works only when the car is ready for a wash.
Dee
Stop by our weekly MB Tuesday chat tonight at 6-7pm Pacific if you would like to chat live with owners. Hope to see you there!
Don't miss the weekly MB Tuesdays chat at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10pm Eastern! All MB fans/enthusists/owners/potential owners are welcome to participate. Hope to see you there!
Click on the link below to enter the chat at the times above. Note that the link to the chat is always near the top of this page, just under the discussion topic title:
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/mercedeschat.html
Drew
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Just my 2 cents...
Drew
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nanky -- Methinks you will be safe from these wretched washers if you cover the front end of the car and stay inside the car for protection.
Miki
There never used to be a seperate headlamp washer button. Instead, the headlamp washer system would only activate if the headlamps were manually turned on + the main windshield washer function was activated. That would mean that you could get both your windshield and your headlamps blasted with washer fluid simultaneously ;-)
Miki, next time one of those squeege kids by the road comes up to your car, you can use these washers on him ;-)
Drew
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Topic: July 3rd: "Ford & Firestone - Major Malfunction... or Media Monster?"
depending on how muxh snow... here in jersey.. the c240 was ok... as good as a quattro? doubt it.
still having so much fun with my car..... love driving in the nice weather.... !
Thanks.
The E-class has the Xenon and the headlamp washers bundled together and the heated seats as a separate package
>next time one of those squeegee kids by the road >comes up to your >
>car, you can use these washers >on him ;-)
The suggestion box welcomes all ideas and comments as to what I can do with these headlamp washers.
Leaving tomorrow for a week, but want to wish everyone a Happy Fourth.
Miki
Having an air conditioning vent in the center of the dashboard -- aiming straight up at the inside of the windshield -- is a new experience for me. Here are some things I have learned about it:
1. It's pretty cool. A real blast in the face, so to speak. Helps a lot with knocking down the inside temp after the car heat-soaks on a sunny parking lot.
2. Bubba is right. It cools a spot in the windshield so it's cold enough that a fog will form on the OUTSIDE, if the humidity on the outside is high enough. Just like the moisture on the outside of an iced drink glass. This is probably a worse problem in the South and East than here in (usually dry) Southern California.
3. That middle vent is a real hog, and very inconsiderate of your back-seat riders. Try this: close the center vent, then notice that the rear A/C vents (behind the front armrest) will double in flow.
4. That middle vent is noisy. Next to the radio or your relatives in the back, it's the noisiest thing in the car you have the power to turn off. I do, most of the time. This can result in: a) no mist on the windshield, b) happier rear-seat passengers, c) sonic bliss, and d) no cool air in the face.
Well, three out of four ain't bad, even for a luxury car....
Pat
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Sedans Message Board
Having written that, there is indeed value in comparison tests, as some beneficial insights into the characteristics of the cars can be gleaned from the text (definitely not the ratings numbers though).
If numerically ranking competitive car models is a science, why don't all comparisons come out with the same result? I've seen others with the C 320 ranked ahead of the 330i, vice-versa, ad infinitum.
The best advice is, as ever, check reliability data (no, not R&T or C&D "long-term" tests, which are unrepresentative testimonials, but do check the stastically significant data) and then drive each of the models yourself. That is the fastest path to automotive happiness in my view.
Mike
One thing I read, what's this about having to push the AC fan control button multiple times to turn off the system (since I don't own the car, maybe some owners could respond), no OFF button.
Maybe MBUSA didn't equip the car with a CD changer because it would raise the MSRP even higher. I think the editors speculated about this. Too bad though, because the Bose system is great, IMHO.
Drew
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From this rather embarrassing experience, it is clear the range is just an estimation based on prevailing driving conditions including terrain. Why it varied that significantly to the point of being misleading, I don not know. Also, I am unclear as to why the car stopped with an estimated 1.9 gallons remaining in the tank give or take a few ounces for measurement errors. Lesson learned the hard way - Take no chances with the reserve fuel message and visit the nearest gas station when it lights up.
nanky, as our editors mentioned, the Sport package C-class would probably have faired better since a major part of this comparison was towards handling. The slightly stiffer suspension, stickier performance-biased tires, as well as the slightly lower ride height/centre of gravity would've helped a lot, I think. Adding the Sport package would've significantly increased the MSRP of the C320 though.
However, as since your own individual priorities may not match with the criteria that Edmunds' editors used, it is really up to you to make your own decision as to which is better. If I was in the market for one of these vehicles, I would still choose the C-class since it matches my priorities the best. I would've just about scratched off the FWD cars since I don't like the way FWD performs on wet surfaces uphill.
I have test driven the 3-series and I like it...a lot. I have even watched the 3-series owner's manual video. Nonetheless as it is right now, the biggest turnoff for me with the 3-series is the lack of several safety features which are standard equipment on the C. These include rear head protection curtains, rear side airbags (optional for the BMW), a rear centre head restraint, a 3 point seatbelt for the middle rear position, as well as rear seatbelt pretensioners/force limiters. The door latches on the Bimmer also look puny compared to the patented wedge shaped latches on all MB vehicles. In a smaller car, I want all of the best safety features and crash test performance available.
Just my 2 cents,
Drew
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