e92miami

Being a long time BMW fan and leasing them for the last 12 years. I was in a budget this time around and thought the C300 gave me the best deal with the options it provided. I also like the styling but the interior sold me. When I test drove the car it was just in straight lines not many good roads to drive on here in south FL. Having said that I wish I did more on my test drive because now I'm extremely disappointed. Wow this car is a death trap... taking a long on or off ramp at any speed above 45mph and you hit a bump the car starts dancing and bouncing like a Cadillac or Hyundai. I then had a to do a evasive maneuver on the highway to avoid a big shred of a truck tire and again the car was all over the place felt like I would lose it. I never felt so unstable and unconnected to the road since I used to drive a friends old Crapillac 10 years ago. What is MB thinking...I thought all German car had that good road handling but I guess its only BMW, Audi, VW and Porsche. Sadly I'm stuck for 35 more months. I like the car driving strait and slow...that's it.

equetefue

StanNH

Something doesn't sound right here. I've pushed my C300 with standard suspension pretty hard on rough roads and it's been rock solid. I've felt no instability at all.

You might want to have the alignment and even the tires checked by your dealer. This is not normal for this car.

BTW .... did you bring it in for the steering recall yet?

PeterUbers

Lolol

Sportstick

I have not driven a W205, but have read many reviews. BMW and MB are not two brands' versions of the same idea. MB makes premium luxury sedans in different sizes. BMW attempts (although some recent efforts have strayed a bit too far to lux/comfort at the expense of feedback precision) to build premium sport sedans in different sizes. They have different market goals, not just different appearances. You decide if you want luxury and comfort OR premium driving enthusiast performance...and take your choice. Both valid, but each different. You may have preferred the "other" design intent.

c4004matic

The guy is trolling no need to feed him. I drove the c300 on switchbacks at 80mph and on highway ramps at over 100. This is one Mercedes that schools BMW as far as handling is concerned. Either that or he got the crazy wheels suspension option, its reserved for BMW owners.

Ron J

Might want to check and make sure your tires aren't over-inflated too. I'm waiting for the 360 camera before I pull the trigger but I did test drive the C400 on a winding mountain highway and it felt planted. Haven't driven the C300 but from all reports the C300 corners better than the 400.

StanNH

What's being described here is not anything even remotely normal for this car. While it may offer less aggressive handling than an M3, it certainly stays composed over bumps. The OP is talking about coming close to losing control during high speed handling ... and that just doesn't happen with any variation of the C300 or C400.

So, we're looking at a serious defect in the car, a non-factory mod such as the aftermarket wheels and spacers the OP had been discussing earlier, or an issue with the steering and/or tires.

This is a really well planted car and it handles very well. As I said before, something is wrong here.

abstractls

Yeah sorry buddy your car has problems then, this is not how the car handles or feels

e92miami

I wish I was trolling and I didn't buy the car but this isn't the case. This car feels "wobbly" lack of a better word. Even doing a lane change and high speeds feels uneasy. I have the C300 with the Continental RFT's and 18" rims its not the sport package but neither was any of my BMW's and Audi's for that matter. Like I said I got a deal on the car and its a lease it was $50 less a month then the same priced 328i with much less options. MB sold me on the options and interior but I just wish I drove it a bit more at higher speeds during my test drive. I'm okay with it, I will drive it like a old man for 3 years then go back to something with a soul. Maybe the sport package does the trick for MB but still, does the non-sport have to drive so poor...

e92miami

Nope, still haven't found any spacers for this car.

StanNH

I really don't get it at all. I have the same setup ... 18" Contis on a C300 with the standard suspension ... and I have never experienced what you're describing. I've owned 3 BMW,s, 3 Audi's, several sports cars including two C6 Corvettes, and my current Porsche 981 Boxster S. I have plenty of experience with good handling cars, including track time, and I don't have any issues at all with how this car handles.

I would strongly suggest a trip to the dealer to check the alignment of the car, which can be off even if it tracks well. I'd also check the tire pressure. It's a long shot, but your steering may be the one bad one in this country affected by the steering column recall. You could also have a bad tire, which is not all that rare.

You have a problem. The type of handling issues you're reporting are not normal, and none of us who have these cars have experienced this. Also, these problems haven't come up at all in the many tests which have been published. Definitely talk to your service manager about your complaints.

Jinzen

I think this is a troll post - look at his username.

I was just going to say - get the lease payoff and trade it in for a BMW. You're never "stuck" in anything, you may lose some money on the trade-in due to being a little a few $grand upside down on your car.

But who cares, it's a new car. You're paying on depreciation rather than buying a 3 year old used car so you're losing money anyway.

PeterUbers

Best way to end a troll thread is stop responding

MJ50

Sportstick

He may have been hyperbolic in his first post, but I'm not seeing "troll" here. If he came out of a 3 Series older than the current F30 platform, the change in feel will be palpable. He may be over-dramatizing it, but these cars have different dynamic objectives, neither better, but they are not intended to be similar and he may be noticing that now.

PeterUbers

Lolol

I love the popcorn guy!!

e92miami

You might want to read... 1 I got the MB because I was on a budget. I will deal with a poor handling car for the 3 years. 2 I had 4 other BMW's before this car hence the username.

Jinzen

You might want to improve your math or budgeting skills? Go lease a 3 series? they are nearly $10K cheaper than the C-Class.

e92miami

320i maybe but then you are not comparing apples to apples. This base C300 was 42k and the 328i was also 41,900 but much less standard options. And I got the MB for 35k so I was saving over $50 a month on a lease over that BMW. Again you might want to read up on things, there is no way a similar BMW is 10k cheaper, not in any of the (*) class vs (*) series.

Jinzen

You're missing the point? If you're on budget - get a budget car. You must be really bad at keeping a budget.

StanNH

Getting back to the original point, the handling instability reported by the OP is not normal and has not been seen by others ... either owners or professional testers.

My bet is still on an issue with either the alignment or tires.

frank69m

Let's see...you negotiated a lease for a 42k C300 to 35k. You must be the negotiator of the year. So tell me then, how much is your monthly payments and how much did you put down? And, where do you find a 42k C300. You must have no options.

c4004matic

Please stop feeding the troll. He's starting to get fat!

e92miami

Yes that is what Ive been writing its a base car only options are backup cam and 18" wheels. And if you read the posts a lot of people are getting 6-7k off the C-class so I'm not the "negotiator of the year". And who puts money down on a lease. The point is to keep the money invested. I guess you're not big on reading things before you post either.