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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans
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Comments
Not sure if you are still checking the board, but I was wondering what was the status of your C230. I found our at the end of Feb that my production date was moved back to March 20.:( So, I will not see my car until 3 1/2 weeks after that. I was bummed to hear that, but, I guess good things come to those who wait. I am expecting my car around April 10th. What's up with yours? If you tell me you already have and you're driving it today, I might be sick!!!
But, if you do, I would love to hear how it's going.
Tony
M
Well my car is built already got the vin #. It takes only one day to build. I should get my car in about 6 weeks. Why did your car get pushed back on production? The wait is killing me. By the way what color did you get? I saw a C230 sport sedan in black opal and it was beautiful, I hope Pewter looks just as good. Let me know any updates on your car!!!
Perhaps Nissan's motor is tuned for regular gas but it probably takes premium as the compression is pretty high at 10.3, especially compared to the 320's 10.0. The Nissan motor has a shorter stroke so it probably would require higher reves to achieve the same torque. An interesting comparison would be a C350, using MB's latest 3.7L engine that powers base model MLs: it also is just 0.2L larger than Nissan's 350 (about the same bore but with the 320's stroke) and puts out a torque amount at 3K rpm that requires about 4.8K in the Nissan motor.
As for the 320 versus the 330i (which is a 3L engine), the 320 develops a higher torque than the 330i motor, beginning at a lower rpm, and over a wider range, and at a lower compression. The 330i motor still may develop more torque in a more usable rpm range than Nissan's motor which also would explain the real world driving experience versus what you'd expect by simply comparing peak hp and torque ratings.
I got a call this past Saturday from my dealer and my car has been produced! It's currently at the dock in Germany waiting to get assigned to a boat. When it is assigned, I should see the car in three weeks. He did give me the VIN as well. Now I am really excited! I'm counting down the days. To answer your question, my car is white with the charcoal interior. I have yet to see a white sport sedan, only Pewter (which does look awesome), silver & black. I loved the silver, but my last two cars have been that color.
By the way, has anyone else seen the new C230 commercial. The one where the guy in the black 230 is being chased by motorcycles, black helicopters, etc. . .AWESOME!! The 180 he pulls on the bridge is just cool. . . .I know, I need help!
When I mentioned this on the G35 message board - that I felt the acceleration was not as sizzling as the numbers would have you believe, I got a fair number of hostile responses. I wasn't being malicious or mocking, but I was genuinely surprised at how hostile everyone became. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who chose not to believe the very decieving numbers.
Congrats on your purchase of your 02 C320. I'm happy to hear that you saw the light on your purchase, and did not become clouded by those touchy Nissan, er, Infiniti dealers/owners. I, too, checked out the G35 sedan and was not impressed. The power did not seem as overwhelming as the numbers would have indicated and you mentioned the often criticized interior, but I feel as though the exterior (especially the rear end) will not age well either. And taking into account the fact that the Infiniti's don't hold their value nearly as well as your Benz will, you made a very smart decision.
Stay away from those Niss/Infi boards!:)
I took delivery of a loaded C320 in Nov 2000 which has been a very poor example of quality control. As they say, it costs to be first having paid full list, but I wouldn't mind that if the problems were not there. Its good to see that the later cars are looking a lot better in the quality dept.
Finally I saw a 320 at the dealer that have been rear ended at 50 mph and you would be impressed with how the passenger compartment stayed intact with the front doors still operable. I understand that the driver walked away with a stiff back and a keen appreciation for the solid body that gave in all the right places to protect passengers. In the end maybe this is what its all about.
first i did see the new commercial tonight and is nice specially the babe in a white one heheh.
Now I have huge dilemma as most of you know I did put a order for a new c 230 sport few weeks ago and total was $31400 including tax and all diler charges my car should be here in 6 weeks as of tonight, but tonight i received a call from dillership and they have one coming in 7 days with all my options that i requested c-2,c-4 bose system with changer manual but has heated sets too and they asking me extra $600 for the option ,what to do, wait and save or take the one that is arriving next week has the colors too that i want.
any suggestions what to do ...
thank you all
http://www.thecollection.mbusa.com/Accessories/catalog/Product.jh- tml?PRODID=1379&CATID=321&clearAttribute=true
or a nice time piece like the Kompressor watch
http://www.thecollection.mbusa.com/Accessories/catalog/Product.jh- tml?PRODID=1532&CATID=329&clearAttribute=true
My dealership gave us a basball cap, a "New-C" t-shirt and a $100 gift certificate to an excellent restaurant.
Regards, Michael
Okay, now that I've got that out, the bun warmers are a pretty good option to have anyway. It's kinda nice to fill up as many of those switches on the dash as you can; otherwise you've got a couple of blank, dead buttons. Alright, maybe that's not a great reason, but $600, what's $600 bucks in the light of over $31,000!!! Plus, when you do sell the car many years from now, most people expect heated seats in any luxury car.
Okay, forget all that I've just said, I'm just impatient!:) And if that opportunity presented itself to me, I'd jump on it.
Good luck with your decision & if you do get it, please fill us in on your initial ownership experience.
Regards, Michael
I don't think much of CR anymore. I saw the issue you read and the column for our '02 C320 was all red bubbles. But, they gave it black dot.
CR says the 5-series is the best car they've ever tested. Annual 5-series sales up to March for '03 were more that 11% lower than the prior year through March '02, and 3-series which are about half of the unit's sold for the mfg stalled 3 mos ago. The C's sales are still rising and the new E-class has got to be the finest sports sedan in its class, and its sales are rising too, so I think most consumers really don't pay CR much attention anymore.
Personally, I think the reporting by the various "powers" are influenced in some way by some non-public backroom relationships that still leaves them free to feel like they're not a complete bunch of liars when they pretend their opinions are strictly impartial.
Even the way supposedly impartial tests like the way the insurance institute runs cars into walls and poles can be interpreted in some interesting ways to get a funny result that it seems they want to arrive at.
Ours is an '02 model that was made in Bremen in January '02; we took delivery [new] in Sept of '02, and now have about 3500 miles on it. The only real problem that has developed so far was a leak in the differential, which was diagnosed as a plugged vent tube. (It was delivered with a wheel alignment problem [drifting to the right], but we knew about that at delivery and it was remedied within the first couple of weeks.)
Consumer report is the perfect example. The C class was given a wonderful review, but then they started complaining about the "overly complicated controls." Give me a break-If you have the means to buy the car, you probably have the intelligence to figure it out fairly quickly. The reliability is another issue. The little dots do not correspond at all to what they are saying about the car's reliability. I own both a C320 and an ML320 and, based on Consumer Reports,you'd think they would have both erupted into flames within moments after driving off the dealer's lot. The majority of owners that I have encountered like the cars and have had no serious problems at all.
My other issue is that these magazines forget why we buy cars. After the first mile, you really don't need to feel every bump in the road. A slightly cushioned ride is probably a really good idea if you plan to drive from LA to San Francisco. I would also assume most people don't drive slalom-type roads to get to work.
Mercedes seems to "get it" and knows what the consumer wants. That's why they can sell cars so well even in a bad economy.
Could you tell me what you did and the deal you got. I have a 2001 320 delivered in Nov 2000 that has been in 24 times since new. email me at robtroxel@earthlink.net if you have a moment.
thanks!
One of the things that may have helped us is that our C240 has relatively few options. We don't have the memory seats so we missed out on the whole key/seat/memory snafu that took MB a while to figure out. We also don't have a sunroof nor Command.
We had originally ordered a no-roof custom build in early '00, and would have taken delivery of one of the first W203 cars built for the US. We cancelled that order, in retrospect a good decision. We wound up paying less some two years later, for a car with at least 18 months more of factory experience before it was built.
rich
Join us tonight, 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for another
round of automotive trivia and member-to-member chat.
Test your skills (or multiple choice guessing ability)
against other Town Hall members.
http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html
Hope to see you there!
car has c2,c4 heated seats and cd
i will post my first impressions as a owner after i drive from the diler
1st character- Identifies the country in which the vehicle was manufactured.
For example: U.S.A.(1or4), Canada(2), Mexico(3), Japan(J), Korea(K), England(S), Germany(W), Italy(Z)
2nd character- Identifies the manufacturer. For example; Audi(A),
BMW(B), Buick(4), Cadillac(6), Chevrolet(1), Chrysler(C), Dodge(B),
Ford(F), GM Canada(7), General Motors(G), Honda(H), Jaquar(A), Lincoln(L), Mercedes Benz(D), Mercury(M), Nissan(N), Oldsmobile(3), Pontiac(2or5), Plymouth(P), Saturn(8), Toyota(T), VW(V), Volvo(V).
3rd character- Identifies vehicle type or manufacturing division.
4th to 8th characters- Identifies vehicle features such as body style, engine type, model, series, etc.
9th character- Identifies VIN accuracy as check digit.
10th character- Identifies the model year. For example: 1988(J), 1989(K), 1990(L), 1991(M), 1992(N), 1993(P), 1994(R), 1995(S), 1996(T),
1997(V), 1998(W), 1999(X), 2000(Y)------2001(1), 2002(2), 2003(3)
11th character- Identifies the assembly plant for the vehicle.
12th to 17th characters- Identifies the sequence of the vehicle for production
as it rolled of the manufacturers assembly line.
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Good to hear that you test drove the vehicle this morning. Can't wait to hear your impressions! I'll be checking the board tonight.
Valon,
That is one incredible price you got on your car. I was only able to get $1000 off MSRP; which is still about $1200 over invoice; and even that was a hard deal to pull off. Great haggling and keep us informed of your initial ownership experience.
jdisan,
Great post about the VIN. I checked it with mine and was able to determine that it was definitely built in Germany. . .cool stuff; thanks for the info.
The reason I did not opt for the C1 package was I am of the school of thought that once I set where my seat is most comfortable for me (and I am basically the only driver of the car), I never use the power/memory seat. I currently have power/memory seats in my Jetta, and after I set the memory three years ago, I never used that button again. Also, since it already comes with 4 way power seats and I only have to set the for and aft position manually, I just didn't see the need. Just my opinion, of course.
So, no word on your car, huh? When is your dealer saying that you will actually take delivery of the car?
Thanks for the website, the anticipation is killing me!!! It doesn't make sense why your VIN did not work. I would double check it with your dealer. Thanks AGAIN!
Truth be told, I've always been a big fan of Mercedes. Even now, I think that they pen some of the most beautiful cars on the road. Some of the issues that my friends have had in the last few years with their new M, S, & C class cars have definitely skewed my thoughts away from Stuttgart and towards Munich (I'm not saying BMWs are perfect, and no I don't want a Lexus ES300). BMWs chassis dynamics are remarkable. I like the styling of their cars, but Mercedes are still more beautiful.
When I'm in the market for an entry-level sports sedan, I'll deinitely check out the C230K Sports Sedan (Black/Black 6-speed). For now I plan on enjoying flying onto and off of highways as well as the twisties in my 2001 Honda Prelude Type SH.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD