truelove

i've been wanting to order the C1 option on a new 2003 c230k for a while now but looking through the forum i've noticed that not many people have the C1 option. it does seem kind of pricey for just power seats with memory, another $1250. and i would always welcome knocking off another 1250 from the price. what does everyone think. did you just not get C1 cause you bought one off the lot or does noone even order a car with C1. basically, i'm trying to talk myself into believing that i don't need power seats. also, the new C4 option with the bi-xenon lights, does everyone think that option is worth the price, $750 (assuming the netstar info is correct). give me your opinions. i'm definitely going to get C5 and C7, 6-speed and 6-disc. just iffy on C4 and C1. thanks also, has anyone verified that the dealers have 2003 pricing and are taking orders. sorry for all the questions. thanks again.

avlis

C1 was a must-have for me. I share the car with my 4'-11" wife and I can't even get in the car without moving the seat back.

Do a search on C1 and my name and you'll find more info.

NANA

With C1 you also get the Easy Exit/Entry feature which is way cool where the Seat go back and the Steering Wheel goes up when you remove the key! They return to its preset position when you insert the key again. Two keys can remember different settings for different drivers. I think you get the value for the money spent.

MB-BOB

truelove79, if you anticipate having others regularly driving your Coupe, and they are of different height from you, I think you will find it a very worthwhile investment.

It's not so much the power seats that is cool, but the memory features, as alvis and NANA have described. I'm 6' even, and my wife is 5'2" so we each have completely incompatible seating positions, and outside mirror settings. With C1 memory, you simply insert your key, and the seat, headrests and mirrors move to your preset position for that key. You only have to adjust the inside rearview mirror. Very convenient.

In addition, (specific to the coupe) if you think you will put passengers in the back seat alot, C1 is a good option, because your front seat headrests will retract (lower)automatically when you let people in back...

On the manual seats, the flip forward and up entry feature works nicely on the front seats, but the non-adjusted headrest can snag on the sunvisors. I noticed this while test driving a coupe. It was very difficult to disengage headrest from sunvisor. It took me and the salesperson quite some time (2 minutes) to untangle the mess without breaking something.

They didn't have a power seat version with which to compare, but I understand the auto-retracting headrests avoid this embarrassment.

Mark08859

First time I've had power seats in a car and I love it! The easy entry/exit feature is a blast. I still smile when it operates.

Power seats also help resale value. Also, the power seats are more supportive than the regular seats.

But, if you're buying the coupe for outright speed, you won't want them. Power seats do add weight.

Go to a dealer and give them a try.

Boo2

Power seats is a must. Bi-Xenons for $750 is a steal!

TimmyC230boy

Power seats were never at the top of my list. if i get them thats kool, if not thats kool too. I am the only driver and I wanted cloth anyway, so it worked out well for me.

Lynn

This is done mechanically on non-C1 coupes. It works well on my passenger seat, but only intemittently on the driver's seat. I'll have to remember to mention that at Service A.

London AMG

I think you should get the electric seat option(it's wothwhile just for easy entry)Does anyone know if it is possible to get an electronic seat pack fitted after delivery if later required?

avlis

You can still get C1 with cloth.

truelove

i really did want C1 in the first place but i didn't know if i could afford it. i think i will probably just wait until i have more of a down payment so i can afford everything i want.
C1, C4, C5, C7, 6-disc, illuminated door sill (conversation piece)

thanks everyone

avlis

$1250 spread over 36 months is only $35/mo. Cut the cable TV, buy some rabbit ears and get used to NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX programming.

I know... it's not a good way to justify it, but if I bought $1250 of Enron stock in January what would it be worth now? On the other hand, if I bought $1250 Euros in January....

hokusbenz

i didnt get the power seats because im pretty much the only driver and once they are set, they are set... although i do like them for the easy exit/ entry feature. as far as bi xenon if it was an option for 2002 i would have got them in a second for that price because i love the look, and headlamp washers would have been good 4 me because the wiper fluid tank is twice as big as on non headlamp washer models, which means more time between fillings, but i wouldnt have used the headlamp washers because the fluid would mess up my wax job.

trench

I also vacillated on the same question. I was talked out of it by the fact that pretty much no one else would ever be driving the car. So, if you're the only driver, I would say, "no" - but if you have to share the car with someone else, i'd say, "yes."

Cheers, BT

viper

There is one thing you may want to keep in mind. Power seats add extra complexity to an already complex vehicle. This increases the chance that something could break and cause you much inconvenience waiting for repair. Also remember that this is an entry level MB so loading it up too much may actually hurt resale. I do agree that if you are the only driver it does not make a lot of sense as an option.

MarkL

I don't think so, at least not for the sedans. I drove both and there was no difference in seat feel, IMO.

On my C240, I opted not to go w/ C1 since the sedans have partial electric seats, height and recline. At times I wish I did have it even though my wife doesn't drive the car (6-spd ). But, the manual (& partial electrics) at least have the adjustment knob in front to vary the seat bottom angle which is nice. But, I still have the problem when someone else (service guy, valet, etc) moves the seat and I try to get it back into position. The memory feature and power steering column are definitely nice.

trench

I'm actually curious what the difference will be. Neither Kelley's or Edmund's has enough data yet. One thing I did notice is that the integrated cell phones depreciate a lot the first year (about $1000). Most of the other options retain about 80% of their value.

Cheers, BT

Boo2

LOOK WHAT MERCEDES HAS DONE!!! It used to be so simple, with leather power seats standard on every model. I remember when people used to laugh when asked if the leather in the Mercedes was an option. The exclusive association of Mercedes was that they never came in cloth. Does BMW offer cloth?

shtatc

I am glad I got the C1 package. The only thing now is that the memory is not going back to the original position.....everything resets except the seat forward/back adjustment. The seat does not go back to the full forward position where I have it set. I always need to hit the memory button to get the seat to move back up. I will have the dealer check this out. Also, the driver side mirrow seems to "drift" alot. A topic covered alot here. So, pushing one memory button helps alot. That was one thing I really wanted - my prevous vehicles were all maual adjustable and I was always "in-between" settings. Could not find a comfortable position...Now I can change whenever I please to how I am feeling that day.

MB-BOB

shtatc, this is not in the manual but it was told to me by my MB service advisor (so that's two reasons why it may not be true). But, he said you can re-sync the seats, too (just like the windows) by running the seat all the way back... hold the button in the back position for 3-4 secs. Then run the seat all the way forward (repeat 3-4 sec button hold procedure). Get out of the car for this, unless you're real short and skinny.

I've not had a reason to do this myself, so don't know if it really works, but you might want to try it.

shtatc

MB-BOB, Thanks for the info. I will try to do this and will report back. It really is not a problem, but sort of a PITA.

trench

Some non-leather Mercedes use a fake leather called MB-Tex (which looks pretty good and holds up better than real leather); BMW has something similar (but the quality isn't as high).

Cheers, BT

revstriker

Currently, the seats with MB-Tex come with the leather center panel. The tex is just on the sides.

Also, I know that MB has been offering cloth in Europe for many years, so mabe the exclusivity thing is a US (N. Amer) thing.

Boo2

Good point.

Deb

When I first ordered my C230K, I requested power seats. Later, I deleted the power seat option from the order, thinking that I was being really dumb to pay for power seats for just one driver. Well, when the car arrived, it took me about 6 weeks to find just the right seat/steering wheel position. There are so many different combinations and adjustments that can be made, that once one finds just the right combination, it would be well worthwhile to be able to put it into memory. As it stands, I am reluctant to let someone else drive the car just because I don't want the seat moved. (Well, that's not the only reason, but that's what I tell them :p.) If I had it to do over, I would definitely buy the power seat option.
Deb