bender73

hello, i am new here. today i just got a 2006 C230 sport sedan (i actually pick her up monday). i am pretty excited. this is my first benz. before this i had an e46 M3...actually i had a brief stint with a hummer H3 but i missed having a fine german car!!! i don't need 333HP and those M3s are fickle cars. i don't like the new bimmers. so, here i am.

black on black and nicely equipped.

so, i'm sure i'll be posting a lot with some questions.

i cannot wait to pick her up. ahhh!!!

patrick_y

Congratulations! I have the same colour combination.

You might find the C230 to be noticeably less powerful than your M3, make sure you break it in well.

If you are having second thoughts, the C350 is a good choice as well!

bender73

thanks! oh, sure, i don't expect it to be like my M3...that thing was a beast. the M3 was a phase and i just want a nice classy sedan with a little sporty feel. anything over 200 HP is plenty. i NEVER needed or even used 333 HP!!!

MB hit a homer with the design of the C230...looks-wise at least.

patrick_y

It's a good car. The handling is very good, comparable to that of the E46 M3. I have the 05 version with the normal fixed ratio steering. Your car might possibly come with a variable ratio steering.

My steering feel was even better than the feeling from the M3. The M3's ratio wasn't direct enough (by a little bit) and the feedback was a bit too light. I hope you share the same opinion when you have driven yours for a while.

The car has excellent feel at high speeds.

The C230 that you are about to acquire has a compex 7 speed transmission. Just to let you know, you may find yourself constantly downshifting, even on the highway. Thus, make sure that are always in the right gear by not allowing the car to upshift when you want to keep the gear. You can do this by using the shift lever and the throttle.

It's a beautiful car. To me, it often looks like an onyx or some other kind of jewel. This car looks good from the front, the side, and the back. The inside is also well done.

Having driven the M3 in both coupe and convertible (but only with the SMG), I have to say, the M3 is an already excellent car (except for the SMG when driving normally, sometimes lurches during take off or turning); but i'm sure that you'll be familiar with the C230 almost immediately. Also, you will enjoy the fact that the trip computer (instrument cluster display), air conditioner, and radio is easier to use than the one found on the BMW.

bender73

the only thing i wish i had was the xenons...oh well. i did fine without them.

Tangerine

didn't all m3 come with xenons?

congrats on the purchase. post pics when you get a chance of your new ride

patrick_y

Actually, it was an option on the coupe version. $800 if I'm not mistaken.

I consider Xenons as a must. Although the halogens are perfectly liveable.

bender73

oh, i'll post pics in a couple of days!

i'm like a giddy school girl tonight...LOL.

oh, and the M3 had xenons but the new C230 doesn't. its not worth the long wait imo when i already found a black on black C230 with 6-speed. they're nice, but not a priority to me.

rlee02135

nice, but coming from a nice M3, why not go with a c55?

bender73

i just don't need all that power for the cost. it gets to a point where having a lot of HP is just a bragging right to which 99% of people don't care. so, i'll take my 201 HP in a car that looks like an AMG and be happy.

...the ONLY time i could ever really enjoy the M3's power was 0.01% of the time on an on-ramp to a highway!!! aside from that, it was just a nice BMW most of the time because you can't use 333 HP on 35 mph roads.

BlackLiquorish8

congrats on your purchase you can never go wrong with black/black

FrankW

congrats with the car.

mick1

congratulations.

Me, I would have waited a little bit longer for the 2007 model year because I like to have these standard features.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/149876-07-sport-models-include-spoiler-dual-tips-c55-discontinued.html

SUNILP

You can always add them later on.

patrick_y

Besides, 2007 might be the last model year. You're gonna see major depreciation if they switched to a completely new model in 2008.

I'm happy with the 2005 model year. Besides, the 07 won't have any leather on the seats at all, at least we have a little bit on the 05s and 06s standard.

mbny

I agree. The quad AMG exhaust is enough to make me wait an extra few weeks.

white_w203

congrats. was your e36 m3 modded? are you planning to mod the C?

bender73

the only thing i would really want is the AMG style exhaust...but i doubt it will be quad (just dual oval and that can be changed easily). i like aluminum a lot more than wood. digital means little. basically, the changes don't really bother me since they can be added anyway.

white w203,

i had an e46 and it really required no mods

i might mod the C a bit, but prolly just exterior stuff for looks.

bender73

where is the C230 built? (city)

samuel003

Congrats.

I have the same thought with you when I bought the 06 c230 sport in feb.
I drove an audi a6 before this, I hate those digital climate control
took me a long time to set to my prefer temp.
wood trim, i like those on e-class, but i don't think the wood fit well into the c-class. the engine is quiet, but this is what i expect.
but what surprise me is I don't really hear the wind at high speed
which i heard the wind noise when i was driving my audi
the hp is ok for me, it's great

mick1

my C320 was assembled in Bremen, (Germany). I assume it would be the same for the C230.

patrick_y

Actually the exhaust will only be a two pipe (only, for a lack of a better word).

I like the wood, if you've seen the wood on the luxury cars, noticec the chrome strip that is present, I think that's a nice touch. My other Merc also came with this black birdseye maple wood.

The digital climate control systems has its ups and downs. Not too big of a deal.

The key to get in and out of the car and start the car will be more beautiful. However, you can always create new keys at your dealership and they will feature this upgrade.

The current C Class Sport sedans have leather on the front seats as standard (only for the seating surfaces). In 2007, the car will only have vinyl. That's not a good thing.

TA-9FF

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, why didn't they make the Digital Climate Control standard for the 06's??? That's been a major peeve of mine...........
I know a lot of this stuff you can add later on, but still......

LorinserCClass

lol dood I remember the hard time the fanatics gave you for turning your LSB M3 for a Hummer....I wonder how they are gonna take you having an MB Congrats on the purchase though

patrick_y

It's a minor peeve of mine as well to have such a simple climate control. The other peeve I have is why don't they have lit door handles and lit footwells at night.

However, I knew all of this before I bought the car and I was willing to live without it.