Jeff J

My wife and I are getting close to buying a new 2007 C class, either a C230 or C350 Sport. I've been able to get answers to most of my questions with the forum search function, but have two that I can't find concrete answers to:

Are folding mirrors (power or manual) available on these cars? I've seen plenty about retrofitting components on older W203's that make it sound like the feature is present on newer ones, but I can't confirm it with the MB website.

How is the 6-speed manual transmission and clutch? Our dealer does not and will not have any in stock, so I would be ordering blind. Does the gearbox have a decent feel and throws? Is it reasonably sturdy and durable? I'm coming out of a Saab, so I'm well acquainted with rubbery manual transmissions, and am hoping for something a little better.

Thanks,
Jeff J

benzc230wz

You can get info / feel on 6-speed manual in this thread:
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ighlight=speed

MJ50

Power folding mirrors are not available for US.
However, you can get them from www.MBenzNL.com after you purchase the car.

Jeffy

We have a 2006 C350 Sport 6-spd and just LOVE it. The 6-speed feel and performance is very nice.

Good name btw.

-Jeff

ffejalink

I had a stick in my 03 C230 and loved it. Sold the car last month with 78,000 on the clock. It was an excellent car - never had a problem. Finally got tired of having to shift constantly in traffic.

As a side note, I bought an 05 C230 as a replacement.

Jeff J

Thanks for the input.

I'm leaning towards the 6-speed, if only to save the cost of the automatic. My commute is only 17 miles, and there's no traffice around here, so the "stuck in traffic" arguement doesn't really apply.

The MB (particularly the 350) is more expensive than many of the other cars we're looking at, so cost is really my biggest problem with the car right now. We'll see how it goes.

Jeff J

scottw

For what it is worth, I have been driving a manual benz since 2001...first the c230 coupe and then a 2004 c230 SS. I loved them both...the manual makes the car so much more responsive and gas mileage is good too. I commute into Manhattan everyday and simply love driving. Enjoy.

Thomas K

Jeff,

I'm probably the minority here, but my 230 runs like crap. It sounds like a diesel when idling, and now I'm having this cold starting problem the dealer can't identify. For the money bro, go drive an SRT car. 300c or Jeep SRT8's are bigger and faster than any c230 or c350 will ever be. With employee pricing, you can steal them for under 40K easily. The quality is def. on par with the c classes too.

my .02,
ps. or go with a G35 Sedan. I've owned one of them too, and they'll kill a non-amg C class. The new 6 speeds have like 300hp or something!

amdeutsch

I think I read that you are from CA. Are you finding out that their pricing doesn't come close to CA prices?

Jeff J

I'm actually in Wichita, Kansas.

We're looking at the C230, C350, Passat 3.6 pkg 2, Chrysler 300C and SRT8, and Acura TL. We've eliminated the G35, 3er, IS, X-type, and a few others.

Both of us like the C's styling, but the 230 is by far the slowest car we're looking at. Obviously power isn't everything, but my previous cars have all been significantly quicker (1992 Audi S4, 1999 Saab Viggen, even my wife's GTI VR6). And I have a hard time paying $37K for something that's slower than one of my old Dodge pickups.

The 350 would have plenty of power, but is darn expensive at $44k for what you get (and what you don't - leather in a color other than black, parktronic, folding mirrors, etc).

The Passat ($38K)does everything reasonably well, but is a bigger car, and to my eye is the German Accord. The TL ($35K), well, it is the Accord, and I just can't see myself in one, but it's likely to be reliable. And the Chryslers are big old fashioned American cars with plenty of power and enough Benz in them to make it interesting for $33 to $40K.

I'm just not sure what to do. I can likely get a deal on the Chrysler and Passat since they're 06's. The MB is an 07, so I doubt I'll do much more than $2K off sticker.

Any thoughts about any these competitors?

amdeutsch

I know where you are at; I said where you are from.

2k of an 07 C at this time of the model year introduction; from what you posted so far (midwest, small dealer, nearest competitor = 200 miles, etc) I would say GL. Your MSRP of $44k for the car, invoice being 7% (~$3k), etc, etc. Don't forget that advertising and the paperwork/contract fee.

HTH

Jeff J

Oh, sorry! I did live in San Diego for a while, as well as in Atlanta, but I'm originally from St. Louis. Prices on most things are cheaper here than on the coasts, but Wichita actually has the highest ratio of high income jobs of any city in the US other than Manhattan. It's due to our local industry of aircraft and oil, mostly.

In any case, the sales manager said he'd order / locate whichever version of the car we wanted for halfway between sticker and invoice, which he said would be about $1500 off. If that's his opening offer before I even said the MB was the car I wanted, there's probably another few hundred to work on.

But the main issue is the price diff between the 230 and 350. It all comes down to whether the performance and a power passenger seat are worth $8K. If not, the Passat is probably the way to go for me.

Thomas K

Dude, get the SRT! It's only a matter of time until Paxton comes out with a tidy little kit that'll put down 400rwhp or more. I know performance isn't paramount for you, but c'mon...you'll be smiling so much after day one, you'll forget all about not having a power rear widow shade or the Bond rear headrest defeat button!
btw, drove the Jeep and it will eat the 300's lunch off the line. Plus that awd will come in real handy come winter time!!

Anyone want to payoff my c230

Moviela

Consider European Delivery for your choice of C class cars. Enjoy a no hassle 7% discount, and burn off the preservatives on the Autobahn.

Your dealer can sell you the car at invoice and make money all day long on the holdback (3%) and other incentives (2% for excellent survey, and up to $3500 depending on model and how thick is the factory inventory.) You should also contact the sponsors of this forum who are dealers. They price very aggressively, and shipping to the midwest is not that much if you choose not to collect the car yourself.

ffejalink

Have you considered going with a CPO car to reduce the price? You can do a national search to find the car you want with the right options (or at least close). Plus with the new model on the horizon, I would be hesitant to purchase an 07, instead holding out for the 08 model. These cars may not be the quickest off the line but they're great to drive.

Jeff J

Unfortunately, we want a wood interior in a C, which limits us to the new 07 cars, so CPO isnt an option. I'm not worried about having the last year of a particular body style. If anything, it means most of the bugs should have been worked out by then. I'd never get the first year of a new style for the same reason. In fact, I've pretty much taken the Passat off my list now that I'm seeing how many serious issues they're having.

davis449

If I were you I would cross the TL off my list. Yeah it's kinda fun if you like that FWD torque steer, but the transmissions are CRAP. If I were you I would forget about the wood interior and buy a used, CPO C32 or C55 AMG. But that's just me. The SRT8's are enticing to some, but the gas is gonna kill you. Buy the C32 and you can eat them for lunch AND get better gas mileage for around $30-34K. Plus, if you pulley it, you can be pushing over 400 HP easy. Maybe it's just me, but for cars, American made is out of the question.

dmg3

If it was me I would choose between the '07 VW GLI/GTI or the C230, more so in taking the MB. Its an incredible handler on the freeway esp above the limits. Its luxury and I think the reliabilty may be better than the Veedub from what it sounds on vwvortex.com

I think what they did on the '07's is beautiful and would seal the deal for me. Automatic would make your commutes easier. Plus I think it's cool that it's flex fuel, you could buy your own ethanol still and make your own gas for .75 to 1.25 a gallon. lol

In a nutshell buy the Benz.. you won't regret it. Good Luck

Glasgow Gold

Hey Jeff, sorry to suggest expanding your list, but here's another vote for a used C-class AMG. There are some good cars in the running there (several of which I evaluated when I bought last year) but if you test drive a C32 or C55 you will immediately notice that it blows away the field in practically every respect. Great power, comfort, luxury, handling, same warranty as non-AMG, prestige without flash, etc.

If willing to spend up to $40k, you're easily in loaded '03 and later CPO C32 territory even from a dealer and potentially into a C55.

If you want to make changes to the car, you're closer than most of us to Kleemann USA headquarters in Colorado Springs, where they can take care of most anything.

alpinweiss

In my opinion, the 6-speed manual is the right way to go in the C-Class. It really makes the car a lot more responsive and fun to drive. No, it is not sloppy or rubbery. You will always arrive with a grin on your face. This is before money matters are even considered.

My wife and I also have a new series 2006 Passat. It is a 2.0T with a 6-speed manual. The Passat is a very nice car, but not nearly as sporty or as sharp handling as the C230 SS. The 3.6L version is available only with automatic, which makes it even less sporty. $38K is a lot to pay for a Passat....ours was less than $25K, but it is not real heavy on the options.

Acura TL? Sorry, boring in my opinion.

Chrysler 300? Really big car. Think gasoline.

If you can swing the money part, the C230 manual would be my first choice. You may choose to go light on the options, which add quickly to the price. How much do you really need things such as Command ($2200), Sunroof ($1800), full leather ($1500), etc.? Think about how much you will really use these features before you check the options box. The basic C230 is a very good car. The C350 is a better car, but too steep for my budget.

amdeutsch

From what I see here I can see several issues with some of the suggestions offered:

1) Jeff's location is not a big market
2) MB without SR is always harder to sell later (based on his location)
3) MB with 6-spd will be harder to sell (based on his location)
4) small volume dealer,
5) long drive (~150+ miles) to other dealers to compete

drifter

Jeff our situations are a little the same. Mainly in the fact that I was deciding between the '07 C230 SS and the Passat aswell. I have decided to go with the C230 but not because the Passat is not a great car. I have driven the Passat daily and have seen what it can offer mainly because my mother owns a brand new one. I believe the same package you are looking for I am not sure. But trust me the Passat for sure made me have to think of which I wanted because although the Turbo is no big deal compared to others for a sedan like that it can kick in and sounds nice!

So look at the Passat again for sure VW is making some great cars that have quality! Coming from someone who has owned 2 Jetta's including the newest one and I've practicaly stolen my moms Passat whenever I could get the chance.

Ok enough Vw hyping. heh

Jeff J

Well, we went out looking again yesterday and have narrowed things down considerably.

It's now between the C and the 300C.

The Acura is just too boring even though it does everything well. I'd walk into the garage in the morning and think "blah" every day.

The Passat was crossed off because of all of the mechanical issues I've been reading about. VWVortex is full of people who have major transmission issues, primarily a 2-second lag between throttle input and engine response. I felt some of this during a test drive of a 3.6. That's just scary, and it's almost caused a couple of wrecks for people over there. Nice car, just seemingly plagued by first-year woes. We love my wife's 03 GTI VR6, but it was a fairly mature product by then.

We really don't want a used car (even CPO), so that wipes out a lot of the other suggestions.

The SRT 8 rode fine and had good power, but it's just too thirsty for premium gas. The regular 300C, though, gets 25mpg on regular gas, so that's about the same cost efficiency as an MB on premium. Loaded, it will run about $34K because of the current rebates. Good highway ride and great room, but I worry about all of the service bulletins it's had. Somehow owning one would seem almost wasteful.

The C230 looks great, but I think the engine isn't enough power for the car. It's actually slower than my old Dodge pickup... Some of that is the auto trans we drove, of course. But the car can't keep up with the statement made by the body work. We'd be getting it loaded (entertainment, sunroof, lighting, heated & folding seats), so that puts it at $37K. I just can't see myself paying that much for a car with such relatively low performance, even if it is really nice inside.

We tried a C280 Luxury, and it wasn't bad. Much better power than the 230, and it comes with a power pax seat standard. But I think the non-sport bodywork is really boring, as are the little 16" rims and 205 tyres. At $41K, it's closer to our comfort range.

I personally want the C350 out of all of the competitors, but they don't have any 350's here (sport or luxury) to sample, so I can't get a feel for the extra power in the car. And at $44K, paying $8K extra over the 230 to get a power pax seat and more engine is pretty steep - probably a little more than we want to spend. If it were $40K instead of 44, it might be a done deal. Too bad it's not.

Ideally, I'd take a C280 Sport, but obviously there is no such beast. I'm not the type to make changes to the car after I buy, so adding body kits and rims to a C280 Luxury won't happen.

Euro Delivery would be nice, and would help the price somewhat, but our dealer claims they want a $10K non-refundable deposit to do that. I think that's absurd, and it's certainly not MB's policy.

Thanks again for all of the input - it's been very helpful. And keep it coming

Jeff J

amdeutsch

10k is absurd. I've never come across anything like that on these boards. AFAIK the EURO doesn't even come out of their allotment. Its extra gravy for them. Unless its the fact that you're wanting a stick which they would get stuck with in case you have to cancel.

dmg3

It sounds like to me that you want to be convinced in buying the C350 instead of a C230. The power is obviously an issue.

I realize that 34,000 can get you a lot of engine in 80% of the cars nowadays. I wonder why bmw 325i is not on your list. It's under 40k. And it's 1-2 seconds faster in auto and manual form than the c230.