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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans

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Comments

  • benz747benz747 Member Posts: 91
    Read about your post regarding 2002 C Class, are you referring to dealers in North America ?

    I am waiting for 2002 models as there is no point ordering one now as it still label as 2001 is it? correct me if I am wrong

    thanks in advance
  • c32c32 Member Posts: 8
    I am going to take delivery around May 20th of a 2001 C320.

    I special ordered it because I want the command and contour seat.

    Is anyone here going to take delivery of a 01 C320 in this time frame?

    I am paying MSRP. They said because it is a special order one they won't budge.

    If I go ahead and get this car, how much do you think it will effect my resale value instead of just waiting another 3 months for a 2002?
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    i hoping that because the run of 2001 c's was a short one,and theres so few around.. that it will bouy up the resale value.. my understand also is that.. no only are there very few changes in store for 2002. but what changes that ARE scheduled.. are esenntially downgrades
  • fuzzofuzzo Member Posts: 88
    Yes the dealers that I am talking about is in North America.

    When i ordered my car, all the cars being built were in production and it was too late to order a 2001 model. So I put the order in for the first batch of 2002's. I was told that I will get it in mid-july because it was ordered. He told me that the cars that are made without an order will also start arriving in mid July but will not be put out for sale till august or all the 2001's are sold (which ever comes first) If you are waiting to get a 2002 off the lot, then it won't be till august I think.

    As for the difference in resale value, I was told that the C will depreciate about 2500-3000 a year if there are no body changes. If there is a body change then it will be around 4500 to 5000. If you wait for a 2002 c320, you are looking at an extra 2 month wait....

    Thanks
  • loyloy Member Posts: 14
    Don't mean to offend anybody, just want to state my opinion.

    I actually don't mind FAST driver, but I do detest STUPID and CRAZY driver. They are the ones that cause most of the accident in my opinion. Unfortunately, the correlation between fast driver and stupid/crazy driver is very high! So, it is best to exercise an extreme precaution no matter how fast you drive, b/c even if you don't hit them, they will hit you.

    About the 2002 model, I have no problem order mine last Wednesday. It is scheduled to be built during the first 10 days of June. Thus, I know for fact that it will arrive at the shore no later than mid July, I guess, you just have to push the dealer for it. If you live around PA or NJ, I can give you my dealer name.

    Loy
  • fredtwdfredtwd Member Posts: 25
    So far I'm very happy with my new C320; however, I am having the "C320 losing my memory settings problem" (seat position, mirrors). Luckily it happened when the salesperson was demo'ing the car. I'm scheduled to bring it in on Thursday. It's a little annoying because I brought up this issue with the service guy before my C320 came in and he said he never heard of this. I guess I get to say "I told you so".

    Has anyone else on the board been able to have MB fix this problem? I have not been able to develop a reproducible test case yet, as I had to go on a 5 day business trip right after taking delivery.

    I'm going to use the MB dealer evaluationas leverage until it works correctly. I figure this is the best motivational tool I have.

    Everything else works great. I really love the voice recognition option. The COMMAND navigation and integrated phone are cool too.

    Thanks for your help.

    Robert
  • nycanyca Member Posts: 232
    How are you folks ordering 2002 Cs when you don't know the prices yet? What the price increase? Do you have to pay "extra" for the C1 option in the C320 now, did they lower the spread prices versus the C240 accordingly, or did they just bump the price of the C320 $1200?
  • michhalamichhala Member Posts: 375
    ctic,

    The subject started by some bravado statements has gotten out of hand. Let's not perpetuate it with any more silly, nonsensical, and ridiculous posts.

    Miki
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Let's just go back to discussing the cars and get away from talking about each other, okay?

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
  • michhalamichhala Member Posts: 375
    Ian,

    I remember printing your work sheet record of C problems when I first came to the forum, but I cannot remember how to get back to it. I would like to update my files and be well informed when the Obsidian is delivered.

    My thanks.

    Miki
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    it just gets too darn personal! and we worry about the drivers getting angry on the road??? looks like road rage is HERE! on all sides!
    miki if u know dennets e mail please send me at zmeenow@aol
  • p996p996 Member Posts: 56
    Now we lost one of the truly respected people on this forum!


    dennett don't leave. Please just practice what you preach and ignore those very conservative people.


    I read the Rennlist and the BMW forums all the time. They always talk about how fast their cars are and how they race people on public streets.


    http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/986-996/986-996.pl?read=1477


    Here is a recent post on the Rennlist. IT is a VERY popular forum for Porsche. BMW and Porsche people are performance oriented. Most Mercedes people aren't. Just cause husky11 and ctic turned this forum into a battle field doesn't mean they have to take the HILL!!


    I thank you for standing up for other peoples opinions and words.

  • loyloy Member Posts: 14
    Lets get back to normal productive conservation here, don't you all agree?

    nyca,

    Here is what I know according to my dealer. He has all the prices for 2002 options, which is exactly the same as the one somebody posted here (it was a link to a different URL) couple weeks ago. He also said that the C1 will no longer be std on 320, and the new base price will decrease by that amount. In addition, the new base will increase by $500. Which means that the new base is MSRP'01 - C1 + $500, or at least that is how he calculated my price. We also agreed on a fixed price; thus, I know exactly what I will be paying :) Oh, also keep in mind that my dealer could be totally wrong about to price too, this is only based on the information that he had at the time of my order.

    Lastly, I know that I am a newbie here, but at least I have been following this board for a while now. Dennett has always contributed good advises here, and it would be sad to lose him. I know that people are all different, and that is why this world is so interesting. I guess, we should all take a step back and try to realize that people do have different opinions, and please try to understand them (not accepting them, just look at them from a different point of view). Nevertheless, we should choose our words carefully. Just my 2 cents.

    Loy
  • michhalamichhala Member Posts: 375
    I, too, am disheartened. Seeing Pat's post following mine upset me, and I did send her an E-mail. It is my feeling that the subject was off-topic and became more so when it was perpetuated by Husky11, which was when IMHO the thread should have been stopped. This diminishes my enthusiasm for the forum, I am sad to say.

    Miki
  • cticctic Member Posts: 291
    I was only responding to dennett's post #2825 in which he invited a reply.

    For your information I have been posting in the C-class forum since part 1, circa 1999 or so. And husky11 has been here since about the same time. That accounts for both our advanced ages.

    Apparently dennett can dish it out but not take it. Members comes and goes, life goes on.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Miki has raised some concerns here and in an email to me that I received this morning. Maybe I can clarify a couple of things.

    First, Town Hall's message boards are not monitored in real time. Your hosts are part-time contractors who catch up on all posts on their board(s) as often as possible, usually at least once a day.

    Some things here got out of hand sometime after I had read all the posts here Thursday night and before I got back again last night. By the time I saw what was going on, it appeared - at least at the moment - that some of you were doing a good job of self-policing the discussion and trying to get the conversation away from personal issues.

    My post was meant to support that effort. It was not directed at Miki, it just happened that she had made the last post when I got here. It was directed at everyone, just as this post is.

    In reality, you folks have a large degree of responsibility to keep discussions on track by not making off-topic posts, not making personal attacks and generally following all of the Terms of Use to which you have all agreed. This means that if you see a post which in your opinion does not follow the TOU, you really should respond in only one of two ways - ignore it and rest assured that one of your hosts will be along shortly to take care of it, or email one (or both) of your hosts to alert them of the problem. (You can always find your hosts' email addresses by clicking on the links to our profiles at the top of the main discussion lists.)

    If you respond in kind to a problem post, you also are in violation of the TOU.

    With all of that said, I am now going to insist that we get back to discussing the cars that are the subject of this topic and stop talking about other posters. If anyone wants to talk about these issues any further, please feel free to email me and I'll be happy to respond.

    Thanks.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
  • nycanyca Member Posts: 232
    I don't recall that those prior posts included 2002 prices, just the option lists. In any case, using your numbers and information about C1 on the C320, that would make the base prices:

    2002 C240: $29950 (2001 base price) + $500 = $30450
    2002 C320: $36950 (2001 base price) + $500 - $1200 (C1) = $36250

    Did I get this right? I wonder if they felt that demand was too strong for the C240 and they have tried to lower the "spread" to the C320 by removing C1 as standard, allowing a less expensive C320 to be available (albeit eithout C1)?
  • loyloy Member Posts: 14
    nyca,


    Sorry if I confused you. You are absolutely right about the c320 base price (I don't know about the 240), at least according to what my sales person has told me, but please keep in mind though that he himself could have obtained wrong info.


    Here is the link to 2002 option prices; nabzy55 posted here couple weeks ago.


    http://content.communities.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?album&ID_Community=CLKOwnersDiscussion&ID_Topic=74


    Hopes this help.


    And I do agree that they want to equal out the demand between the two cars. After all I think they make more money on the 320? higher margin?


    Loy

  • loyloy Member Posts: 14
  • fuzzofuzzo Member Posts: 88
    When I ordered my car, my salesperson couldn't even give me an estimate on the new prices. All he said was that there will be an increase in price for 2002 and he said the maximum price increase would be about $1000. He said that there is no change to the car at all.

    Hope this helps.. Please also let me know if there are any minor changes from 2001 to 2002.
  • sequoiasaurussequoiasaurus Member Posts: 240
    Does anyone have a copy of the 02 C class ordering guide in .pdf format.

    I remember last summer someone posted it here for the 01 model year.

    Thanks
    Jack
  • fredtwdfredtwd Member Posts: 25
    In addition to losing the memory settings (post 282)a new odd problem started today. When listening to the stereo (radio or CD) the sound will stop every two minutes for a few seconds(when playing the CD, the CD pauses). This is more irritating than the losing the seat positions. Has anyone else come across this one. It's hard to believe it's a wiring problem given the consistent timing.

    Also, I had no replies to my original post on losing the seat memory, so I'll ask again...

    Has anyone else on the board been able to
    have MB fix the seat memory problem?

    Thanks in advance.

    Robert
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    i had that problem when i had my cd installed... intermoittent radio and cd...they just put in a new radio.... no problems since then
  • postoakpostoak Member Posts: 537
    I test drove a base 240 the other day and was so impressed with the grain of the wood that I asked the salesman if it was real wood and he said "no". I readily accepted his answer because I just don't (didn't) believe there is enough high quality grain wood in the world today to be putting it in the lowest grade Mercedes. Later, looking through the brochure he gave me and also here on Edmunds, it appears that it IS real wood. Is this correct?

    If it IS real wood, is it solid wood or a veneer? Also, what gives? -- I've been in a number of E and even S class cars and the wood was very plain grain. Is there a more plentiful supply of grainy wood today than there was 10 - 15 years ago?
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    i always thoughtits real wood... all he literature says it is... i think your salesman is poco loco

    incidentally.. just for the heck.. i was browsing the posts on the bmw323 board. topics of discussion included:non functioning sun roofs,paint chips,quality of leather vs tex,cost of cd player direct from dealer....so.... mb is not singular in these aspects!
  • boredyboredy Member Posts: 19
    I read the manual for my C320 and it says there is a green light/button inside the trunk that will allow one to relase the trunk in the event that someone gets locked in it. I checked mine and I dont have it!! Anyone of you have this problem? And... I noticed that the volume of my sound system lowers when my car is at a halt.. And the car moves, it goes back up to the normal. Is it the norm?
  • 4murphy4murphy Member Posts: 20
    It has been almost a month since I have had any problems with my 2001 C240. I am afraid to get too sanquine, but maybe things are beginning to look up for me and my car.

    Further, I have been getting fewer paint chips as the car ages. Maybe there is something to the fact that the car comes with a soft paint that hardens over time. Nevertheless, I just spent considerable time in the garage touching up the ones that I acquired in the first several months of operation. I bought an expensive paint brush with a small point from an art store for the job. It appears to work better than match sticks and other homemade devices that I had been using.
  • cd96nscd96ns Member Posts: 42
    Any members of this forum live in the Detroit area? If so; would appreciate a response to how the dealer service rates. My cars are domestics--96 Deville w/Northstar for the wife and I pilot a 99 Intrigue GLS w/3.5L Shortstar.. Being self-employed with clients scattered about from 150/200 miles away from home base, I do a fair amount of driving. Cruise 75/85, no tickets, no accidents, and no radar detector..Spend time in Canada and they don't like detectors..

    I was thinking about getting my wife the C320 since we are no longer traveling the Detroit/S. Flordia and require a large car to carry all her stuff back and forth..The Caddies haul alot and the Northstar devours the road..

    Is the 215 hp V-6 able to maintain a fast flow?? Tell me about the required maintenance services to keep the warranty happy??? My normal services on cars is oil change every 2500/3000 miles and tire rotation every second oil change. Air cleaner filter replacement every 20k miles, brakes and tires as needed, other fluids never..

    The last time I priced a Benz was back when the 280 was a straight 6, and I ask the salesperson when was the first scheduled maintenance stop and the charge??? His reply was 7500 miles and cost was $450,that turned me off.

    The May Issue M/T gave a good writeup on the C320 and I believe it had the Sport package.. The stiffer suspension, the better..

    I am interested in seeing very little of the dealer and the service dept. I have owned some 43 cars in my 67 yrs and dealers do not rate well and the foreign car types are little uppidity..

    I understand cars fairly well, and I know when they need fixing; so any additional service time for alot of tweaking not part of the scheme..My most recent experience was with the General and a 98 Intrigue which after 26k miles became their car and I had the check.. Bought another one for I didn't hold a grudge.

    Can I drive a C320 100k miles w/o renting a room at the dealer??? Is it true that the Benz is not discounted like the past--another belt tightening practice since they purchased Chrysler.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Postoak, Since no one else but Gary has answered yet, I'll chip in (excuse the pun ;-). Yes, the wood is real wood, not just a veneer. It is also aluminum backed since MB didn't want the wood to splinter in an accident. If I recall corrected, the trees are specially grown at a tree farm just for this purpose. You'll be surprised at how many pieces of dash trim can be made from one trim (a lot).

    cd96ns, I'm surprised that the salesguy told you that the charges were so high with the 280 because in my experience, they're not; I drove a 300E 4-matic in the past.

    As for maintenance, it's free for 4 years and the Flexible Service System (FSS) computer, which monitors oil quality/viscocity + your real world driving conditions/style + the environment, will tell you when to go in for servicing. The FSS counter will always have a minimum 10000 miles interval to your next service (max of 20000 miles) after reset.

    Since the C320 is a new model and in high demand, don't expect any discount off MSRP, but you may be able to get them to throw in a few accessories for free. MB has slashed dealer profit margins significantly starting in 2000, so as to bring down the MSRP of the vehicles.

    Considering that all MB vehicles are designed to run all day at triple digit speeds on the German autobahn, it shouldn't have any problems keeping up with traffic. Perhaps our other C240 and C320 owners here can share their real world experiences.

    You may want to visit the MB owner's club experiences topics for dealership and service department experiences/recommendations. Here are the links:
    /direct/view/.eea6921

    /direct/view/.eea4717

    Hope this helps!

    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • 404c404c Member Posts: 146
    I had a chuckle when I read cd96ns' question as to whether a C can handle "fast flow". All Mercedes cars are optimised for cruising at a sustained 200+ km/h. Even the C 240 is capable of 235 km/h (nearly 146 MPH) provided the US speed limiter is removed and tires are upgraded from the HRs we get over here.

    Compare and contrast this with a Caddy Northstar. I don't have any proof for this model, but I would not be surprised if its cooling system is not capable of handling sustained high speeds (meaning over 120 MPH). Not to mention the likely inadequate oil capacity in the sump and transaxle, which would lead to overheated lubricant and component failures. I certainly know that most other US GM cars sold in Europe suffer to one degree or another from this sort of problem. Corvettes used to be notorious for this (I'm not sure if the C5 has been improved in this regard). Chrysler cars are similarly affected and it's not really feasible to drive them at any more than 160 km/h (100 MPH) for long periods without highly predictable gearbox and engine failures. In all cases it's due to inadequate heat dissipation being designed in. My experience in this comes from knowing a dealer in Germany that handles US cars.

    So the answer is virtually any European car, and especially a German one, can handle very high sustained speeds without any worries. I'd be a lot more worried about a US car's ability to handle "fast flow".
  • mleskovarmleskovar Member Posts: 171
    Visit this site for excellent advice and products.

    http://www.autopia-carcare.com/
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    I agree that small art brushes you can get are MUCHHH better than using a round toothpick or the end of a matchstick. I've got one that has 3-4 bristles at the very end. Gave up on the toothpick for touching up a few fairly large and irregular chips I got.
    The brush was $3. Well worth it.
  • fschneckfschneck Member Posts: 5
    most talk about the c320.i have to decide in 1 wk if i'm going to take the c240.? horsepower.bmw 325 seems quicker but bare inside along w snotty sales people. would appreciate comments.thanx
  • cd96nscd96ns Member Posts: 42
    Thanks folks for addressing my concerns and those Benzs that never wear down. Did you good people know that the new GM I-6 did 300k miles wide-open; not one but I think it was a dozen prototypes were run through the boring test..

    Having driven 2 Porsches 30k+miles in Europe, I realize the importance of bragging rights..

    With the test info I was given, then the Benz dealer doesn't need a service dept..Right???

    I don't think I said that I drive cars until they melt or did I say the Northstar was a Formula 1 car.

    Thanks again for the effort, and I came away with the feeling that oil changes are even optional.
  • nycanyca Member Posts: 232
    Don't over react, many people here agree with you on some points for sure. These "high end" car dealers can be very snooty for sure. Also, many people are uncomfortable with a 10K mile interval oil change, so you can pay for the "in between" ones yourself (Mobil1 is standard fill on dealer oil changes for this car now), or a DIY is possible (all top side, no crawling under the car):


    http://www.mercedesshop.com/diy_oil_change2.htm


    When you go to the dealer, ask to see the service department and ask about their loaner car policy.


    I for one like the new DeVilles. I wish MB had night vision, it's great for spotting speed traps when driving at night!

  • c32c32 Member Posts: 8
    The new C just glides along with prestigious poise and elegance.

    C Class = Graceful
  • newmbfannewmbfan Member Posts: 59
    The sound system is working correctly. It is noise compensating. When the ambient noise is less, as in when you slow down, the radio/CD volume will go down.
  • sirus32sirus32 Member Posts: 55
    I think all 2001 MB have an interior trunk release because of Federal regulations.

    The green emergency button on my C is located behind the license plate. Check it out... Let us know if your C doesn't have one.
  • flyingfoxoneflyingfoxone Member Posts: 12
    We took delivery on our C320 in late January and noted at that time that it did NOT come equipped with that glowing green button on the trunk lid as described in the owner's manual. Since our car is equipped with the fold-down rear seatback option (C3?), and the seat release is located inside the trunk, I thought that this was the substitute escape method intended for those annoying days when kidnappers lock you in the trunk for a ride in the countryside.

    That comfortable feeling lasted until just last Saturday when I visited the Mercedes dealership and saw a fresh C320 on the showroom with the same seat-fold down option AND a glowing green button!

    So I'm just as confused as you are....
  • nfotxnfotx Member Posts: 15
    This Town Hall Community was a daily part of my life up until I purchased my C320. Now, having just turned 9,000 miles, this is my first "log in" for many months.
    The C320 is doing great, absolutely worth every penny. Yesterday I checked a couple of items in my manual and found more things I did not know about my car. What a thrill.
    Hope all my old friends from back in October, November and December 2000 are doing well.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Yup, MotorVision tested the C-class (and the coupe, but only informally) ) when it first came out around March/April of last year. I've seen it re-run twice since, but not recently. They actually had Mika Hakkinnen and David Coultheart drive the C320 Sport and the C32 AMG on a test track. That was pretty good! Both loved the cars.


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • c32c32 Member Posts: 8

    I just LOVE it!!


    image

  • c32c32 Member Posts: 8
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Nice, James! Life is good indeed ;-)


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    i have the"stock radiosystem" seems to have ambiant noise feature tho not mentioned in manual.when i speed up it get louder and visa versa.... or am i getting delusional??
  • zmeenowzmeenow Member Posts: 341
    that was a nice review...and yes.. there are times when the trans has a bit of lag..but. ive gotten used to driving with my hand on the shifter..using select shift freely as i need it... as a result... i rarely have lag... and almost always have the torque that i need.. when i need it.
    as to the"attention" one gets by owning an mb? i really dont care.. i bought this great car because i deserve it... no other reason!!!
  • fschneckfschneck Member Posts: 5
    would appreciate your experience w c240 automatic. thanx
  • richieprichiep Member Posts: 1
    Msg #2848 refers to noise compensation (ambient noise is less, as in when you slow down, the radio/CD volume will go down).

    While I have an M-class, my vehicle is at the dealer as I type for this very thing. In fact, it is the 3rd time I've mentioned it and the 2nd time I have brought it in. The service people have not mentioned this as a possibility. In fact, they act like I'm hearing things (which I am!).

    This 'feature' is not mentioned in the manual and I had suspected it had something to do with the sound leveling circuitry for the telephone (which I don't have installed).

    How do I know if my sound system has this feature and not a real problem?
  • jfongjfong Member Posts: 11
    Hi everyone,

    I have a hard time deciding what car to purchase--my shopping list includes C240, ES300, IS300 and BMW 325I. I need your recommendation. If I opt for the C240, what other (1 or 2) options are a must to have? Since I can't drive a stick, I have to get it with 5Sp. auto. Also, can you give me an estimate on how much you have to spend on maintenance for this car (with active warranty) per year? Also, do I have to change for Winter tires? Oh, what about depreciation for this car?

    Thanks in advance!

    Joe
  • boredyboredy Member Posts: 19
    Thanks Newmbfan, yes I have the ambient one.
This discussion has been closed.