dozier08

How has your 05 C320 been, reliability wise?

I would say right now I am (somewhat) decided on the Mercedes. And I am probably too analytical for my own good. I blame that on my Georgia Tech education...comes in handy at times, but not now...if you know what I am saying.

MHPHOCKEY

The starting price on the IS is $3000 higher than the 06 C 230. Therefore you can either save the cash or buy some options/mods for the C.

mick1

i have racked up close to 20,000 miles and so far it's been reliable

I had one build quality problem and one wear problem: they didn't install the rocker panel on the passenger side properly and my armrest peeled out after about 10k miles. Both have been fixed/replaced under warranty and I got a loaner car both times, so I don't hold those defects against them.

dozier08

That is good to know. Sure its anecdotal, but it is good to know from someone specific that their ride runs like they want it to. It looks very nice from your picture.

e1000

lol - i "attended" GaTech too

dozier08

I loved my 5 years at Tech. (Everyone goes 5 there). But man does it have side effects.

- no girls
- thinking a 75 on a test is top 2%
- overanalysing every decision
- forgetting what its like to communicate face to face with people for long periods of time
...and I am sure a few too many to list since that education lead to the job I know have...which is ironically cutting off this post

However I am able to understand poorly spoken english from all dialects.

TA-9FF

Dude, no girls in a school would kill me.

MHPHOCKEY

How did you live???

e1000

duude - there were girls there.... but both of them were ugly

that's why I got booted after one year!

TA-9FF

Nothing against you man, but do you come into MB forums to tell everyone "how much better" Lexus is? You've said nothing but negative stuff about MB's......and I've read most of your posts. You sound like a Lexus salesman buddy. I'm glad you like your Lexus; good for you, you have a great car. But stop knocking our cars if you hate MB's so much; consider whoring around in a Lexus forum so you Lexus guys can all pat each other on the back for buying Lexus'. And we here can drive and discuss our otherwise "****ty" MB's.

MHPHOCKEY

Well put.

dozier08

Well, for any non-Tech people (hopefully most of you) Georgia Tech is a great school in Atlanta Ga. Right smack dab in the middle Atlanta. A great ACC school for sports, meaning we have our ups and downs. However it is still a very techincal school, mostly math and computers type stuff. Very multicultural, not so much multi-gender. There are girls there, cute ones even. But maybe a joke would best explain...

What do Ga Tech girls and parking spaces have in common?
All the good ones are taken and the leftovers are handicaped.

(If you are disabled, I apologize, but you get the idea)

So if you ask...what did I do in college? I dated girls from other schools, homework, worked, and worked out. Lots of work. But it was great. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. And I got plenty of action, just had to go find it. Maybe I am better for it....had to earn it...ya know? At least that is what I tell myself.

dozier08

I second that.

This makes me want to tell a story...today I had a Lexus salesman tell me the C class was a cheap Mercedes. All I did was ask him why do you say its a cheap Mercedes? Keep in mind, this was a salesman with a lot of experience, not just some rookie. His explaination, it just is. Its a Mercedes for just over 30 grand. I was test driving the IS250 at the time. I said, how much is the sticker on this car? 32 and some change he replied. I asked him does that make this a cheap Lexus?.

He said...maybe affordable is a better word for both.

I don't like it when people put down other cars like that. Its immature. You can talk about differences in a car without cutting down the competition. Both cars have tremendous upsides.

e1000

I would have left if a salesman told me another competitive car was "cheap".

MHPHOCKEY

Good work!

C_Wagon

I can't stand it when sales people cut down other brands. It doesn't convince me anything except to show that the salesman is ignorant

METC240

I tested drove an 06 IS 250 and by far it is not a cheap Lexus. It is an entry level, affordable entry to good car line. I would agree that the 350 would be better.

I had te same issue 3 months ago as I was looking for a new car. It came down to the Lexus and MB. Took me 3 weeks of going back and fourth, the reason MB won was overall look. There is no other car that would loook like it.

Example, The Camary looks just like the GS 300, The Acura looks very close to the accord and so on. Look at the car and yea there are few out there but there is no other maker that would look like the C, E or S class.

It is up to the buyer and what they are looking for. All I can say is good luck.

TA-9FF

I agree. Personal choice is basically all it comes down to. When I was shopping for a new car when my last car was totaled, I narrowed it down to:

1.) MB C230 SS
2.) BMW E90 325i
3.) Acura TSX

I liked the E90, and it's def mechanically a little better than the C, but to me, it was a bit aesthetically challenged. IMHO, the 3 Series handled better, and was a blast to drive, AND that BMW Free Maintenance was very appealing, but in the end, after test driving the C and the 3 back to back, I figured if I'm going to have a daily driver, I wanted to get something I'd enjoy looking at and give up some of the mechanical perks the 3 series has.

I was at the Acura dealer with my parents, and my dad, who doesn't know much about cars, made the comment......"Isn't this the new Accord?" and "Wow, $34k for a 4 cylinder?" So yeah we left. I think Acura's and Lexus' are great cars, but they seem to have image problems; it's like whenever I see someone pass by with an Escalade, I think what an idiot they are for paying $45k EXTRA for what is basically a Chevy Suburban with different body panels..........

I'm disliking the fact that so many auto companies have been merging, buying other companies out, or spewing out new makes. Seems like everyone is owned by someone else, and it makes so many cars these days so boring and homogenous; Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley are owned by VW, who uses their massive parts bin to use in all those cars, Fiat owns Ferrari who in turn owns Maserati, BMW owns RR and Mini, Ford practically owns every major British car maker, who churns out X-Types based on Ford Mondeo's, etc.

No wonder Porsche is my fav car manufacturer of all time. They're still independent AND they own 20% of VW stock. I wish more car makers could learn how to RUN an auto business as well as Porsche has in the past few decades. Instead of running rampant with getting bigger and bigger, car makers should concentrate on growing INTERNALLY, and on making existing cars better, instead of being too concerned with producing so many cars with identity problems. Having TOO much variety, I think, is not always a good thing.

*End Rant*

MHPHOCKEY

Thats it...Lets just all go get Turbos...Too bad that can't be the solution...

TA-9FF

LOL let's do it! Dude, we're both forum ******!

MHPHOCKEY

I have done nothing today but post...this is bad...do they have rehab for this?

14cue

i second that, lol. power/

sdsilverm3

Between the C230 and the IS250 I would personally go with the IS250. I've driven my sister's IS quite a bit and based on my dreaded experience with C230 loaners the IS gets the knod. Keep in mind both cabins are pretty small but the IS250 just has a better looking one. In all honesty if I didn't have the C55 I would be driving an M45 or IS350. No bias here just reporting my opinions.

mick1

beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

top pic, Lexus IS250
bottom pic, C-class sport sedan

patrick_y

This is coming from a Mercedes-Benz owner, but I've test driven both the 2006 C230 Sedan and the 2006 IS350 (not the IS250 mind you). I currently own an 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan. Thus, since I have test driven both cars, I think I can provide a fair assessment. I have a friend who owns an IS250 (acquired in the middle of April, two weeks ago).

Let's start with the Mercedes C230 with the 7 Speed automatic transmission. I think the 7 Speed is a bit overdoing it. Also, look at the C230's specs and compare it with the 2005 C230's specs. The 06 model got a new engine and transmission. While the new engine produces 12 more hp, it produces 11 less ft/lbs of torque. Is the difference noticeable? Not really. What you do notice is the 7 speed transmission always seems to be quite busy. It shifts a lot. On the highway, I loved the fact that even my 05 C230 which had only 5 gears could stay in top gear and accelerate so much, but when I do it in the 06 model, it has to downshift quite a bit.

The Lexus IS 350, I drove the IS350 and I didn't get a chance to drive the IS 250. Power in any gear in the IS 350 was not an issue. Another thing, I was impressed with the beauty of the IS 350's interior, although the exterior wasn't terribly special in my opinion. I also liked the paddle gears but disliked the fact that they don't work when the car is in "D". In Mercedes, you can still influence the transmission. The IS is more of a luxury car when the Mercedes is more of a standard car.

I never mention anything about handling when it comes to Mercedes and BMW vehicles, since they're 100% faultless on the handling. But the Lexus IS 350 was surprisingly almost equally as good at the handling. Had no problems with the handling. I took some of the turns faster, and it was able to do it.

The IS 250 also has a lot of special standard features. Whenever I test drive a vehicle, I pay particular emphasis to the audio system, I bring my own classical music and jazz CDs (classical and Jazz music requires more out of the audio system than your hip hop and rock and roll). The standard lexus audio system (not Mark Levinson) was superb. I have the Harman Kardon on my C230, the standard Lexus audio system is comparable and I find no faults with it.

The Lexus does have a lot of special features that the C230 does not have. So, if you are getting your Lexus with the navigation system, it will come with the bluetooth phone system. Something that you can't get directly from the factory on the C230 per my understanding even with the navigation system.

Maintenance on a Mercedes Benz still isn't that bad. In the family, we have two cars that go to the same service manager at the dealership. We're very nice to him; small Christmas gifts, etc. And he gives me the best possible price the company will allow. An A service is $279, I said that I heard it was only $239 at another dealership (in a less expensive town nearby) and he gave it to me for $199. I'm happy. Lexus however, does have some special things, for example, they will sometimes drive over a loaner vehicle and drive your car to the dealership. Sometimes they can do the oil change at your own home. Lexus service is known to be the best.

My verdict. If you're gonna get the Lexus IS with the navigation system. Go for the IS. If you're not, go for a C230. Test drive both, make one decision, and never regret it. I bought my car in January of 2005. Back then, the new IS had not come out yet, neither had the new BMW. Thus, I was looking at the old 325i, the G35 Infiniti, the C230, and the Volvo S40 T5 AWD. Ruled out the 325i quickly, ruled out the C230 too. But then, I got an extremely good deal on the C230 $5k off plus another $1k employee discount (from a family member who works for a large Fortune 500 company), so I went for the C230. Today, I'm glad I made that choice. I knew I didn't want the Volvo, the Infiniti was undesirable, the BMW would've been outdated soon, and the C230 was the best choice.

Today, I would buy the IS 250. The car is much more luxurious, yet it's not any worse than a Mercedes on handling (my most important factor when buying a car). The rear seats are smaller on the IS though. Safety on Mercedes should still be better than that in the IS even though the IS is a newer model. Fuel economy is better on the Lexus, 0-60 time is better on the Lexus because the current C230 has too many gears and the first and second gears aren't very far apart and thus much time is lost to the shifting, the Lexus has a larger fuel tank which means even longer cruising range. The Lexus transmission in my opinion is even smoother than the 06 C230's transmission and definitely much smoother than the 05 C230's transmission.

The Mercedes C230 is a bit cheap, most Mercedes vehicles of this day come with lit door handles and footwells. The Lexus comes with the lit footwells for the front passengers only. The C230, doesn't come with any of them. Also, the Lexus has cool interior lighting, a brighter and whiter LED lighting. Very cool. The Mercedes, you can get those aftermarket, but it's not worth it.

I'm very detail oriented. And I notice that the Lexus has more stitched leather than the Mercedes. In your C230, the front seats are in leather with vinyl sides while the rear seats are completely in vinyl. The Lexus supposedly comes with leather to my understanding.

The Mercedes is one thing though. If you're comparing both without the Navigation system, the Mercedes is MUCH EASIER TO USE. The Lexus has this whole pile of buttons. The Mercedes (without Navigation), you can drive it without even reading the manual.

The Lexus will have 18 inch wheels, or unless you want the 17s, which are very difficult to clean with so many spokes. The Mercedes has beautifully staggered 17 inch wheels that are easily cleaned.

Just to let you know what you should be getting on the pricing. The Lexus IS250 should be about $3000-3500 off sticker (my friend got one with nav that was originally stickered at around $36k for $3100 off), and I got mine $5k off from the dealer and then I got an additional $1k off from the company discount, mine was an 05 C230K Sports Sedan originally stickered at $35k. So you should get about $5k off a C230. My friend bought his recently in mid April, I acquired mine in January of 2005 over a year ago.

With Mercedes, you always should get the extended warranty, that's going to cost you about $2k. Make that part of the contract when you talk to your Mercedes sales consultant. They may give you a good price on the car, but then they will mark up the pricing on the warranty (those tricky *******s).

Anyways, my two cents. Both cars are great cars, definitely the best you can get for the money. It'd be wise not to rule out the 325i either. Good luck and remember, regrets are a waste of time. Also, consider the lifestyle that comes with the car. Mercedes owners are eligible to join special clubs etc. I don't think Lexus have those yet. A C Class isn't much of a status car. In fact, it's downright inappropriate for certain age groups. Whatever fits you.

Last tip, if you get the C230, inflate the tires 4-8 PSI over the recommended to get that BMW feel. The Merc and BMW (2005 models, the 2006 Merc has the same as the BMW 05 model) have the same sized tires. But Mercedes recommended 28/32 when BMW recommended 32/36. This is why I inflate mine to 32/38. Don't know about the IS. But take the tire pressure of the "DEMO" version. Dealers also tweak the Demo cars a bit. Higher tire pressure sometimes, sometimes even more. THEY'RE TRICKY LITTLE BUGGERS.