Ryanr317

The "C-Class Forum" tends to gets bashed a lot in other forums. I think one of the reasons is that a good amount of the posts in here do not look like they took any effort from the poster to look or sound anywhere near proper. No one wants to bring out your term paper best, but this is not like instant messaging. Some of people's responses to posts also contribute to why our forum gets bashed. Again i am no moderator, but lets try to break this stereotype guys! I know a lot of us don't contribute to this stereotype however, but i just noticed it getting worse. Anyone agree, even slightly, or am i the only one? Any comments or opinions? Maybe its something else, perhaps just because its a C-class?

TruTaing

I would imagine that in terms of percentages.... we are about on the same level w/ the rest of the forums when it comes to crappy posts. It just happens to be that there are MANY more C class owners, or thats what it seems like to me.

Then again, this is probably another ****ty post............

-j0hn

Ryanr317

Well personally i dont have a problem with most of the posts as long as they are readable. I was just thinking that that may be the reason that we get bashed. Going through other forums, the posting is about the same, so maybe it really is because of our volume. I believe we are the biggest forum.

Buellwinkle

I don't think there are MANY more C class owners. I think it's an annomoly of MBWorld where W203 C class posts outnumber any other model. On the W203 forum I moderate, Benzworld, ML and SLK outnumber C post by a huge margin, more than 4X. Also, out of the 3 MB forums I participate it, this one appears to have more people interetested in large wheels and less on technical aspects of their cars.

C240Style

The reason we get bashed is because we have, in others eyes, a "cheap" luxury car. I know this isn't what your original statement was about but I feel like this one needs to be addressed. That statement in itself is absolutely ridiculous. When you look at the price of any other car company, the $32,800 sticker price on my car is higher than most. Most people in the country don't have the income to buy a car of this caliber, hence why most cars on the road are cheaper Japanese cars. We have a C-Class, yes it's the entry level luxury car and probably the most common (along side the BMW 3-series), but it still doesn't mean we have a cheap car. It just frustrates me when people bash on us for that.

advans

I agree.


well one other thing is that, if you look at the other forums, they are pretty much, dead compared to the W203 forums along with w203 amg forums.

one thing is that, the C class is a compact sport sedan, and on this forum, we seem to have a huge group of 18s-20 something year olds (I myself is 20) and the youngsters dont seem to ask as "brilliant" questions as the maybe 30+ on the other forums (i'm assuming that you have to be atleast around 30 to afford something more expensive, unless daddy is rich)

just my interpretation

Ryanr317

That's a good point. It was what i was thinking also. People just tend to judge to quickly. Yea its one of the cheaper MB's but we are still part of the MB family, don't look at us as the runt.

C240Style

The point is that we own a Mercedes. We have the income and the ability to spend upwards of $30,000 on a new car. I can't STAND when little kids in their ricer cars say, "Hey nice C240, way to get the cheapest Mercedes around." It's really annoying because they're sitting there saving their pennies for a 3hp add cold air intake for a '97 Honda Civic. The fact is, we own a Mercedes. No matter what Mercedes it is, it was built as a luxury car and will always be considered a luxury car. So we have an underpowered V6 engine, so what? I don't see those BMW 3-series guys with anything astonishing under the hood. Our cars are meant for an entry-level classy, luxurious ride at an affordable price for upper-middle class society which is exactly what it targets. I see no reason as to why anyone would look down on someone who owns a 3 year old Mercedes.

Sorry for the rant, but the way people have bashed us about it just bothers me.

Ryanr317

It bothers me a lot as well. Being 18 and driving an MB is something to be proud of, especially while paying for college too!

amdeutsch

P.S.

Did you really mean to say IS up above or is that just a reflection of the age group you are referring to?

Moze

Count me in on that also...

I work my *** off to own a car of this caliber while in school... Sure, there are better cars out there... Some of which I will probably own one day when I can afford to own one. But if you're going to bash on a car, let it be that cheap POS who slams its doors into your car when it parks because its worthless and they don;t give a **** about it... Don't bash on a benz.. even if it is an entry-level model.

Ya gotta start somewhere.

SeaCoupe

I agree with Buell on this. I go to cough-cough MBKlasse for Tech now. Now I'm doing my own service and it's saving me dough. Money I am using for another car.

I too do get annoyed at the spelling, or some of the devil may care attitudes, but I can choose not to read the posts. What I am pleasantly suprised about is how little, "Look how rich I am" attitudes we get on the board. Plus meeting you guys in person is cool.

Yeah, sometimes I get a little ornery, but know this, I am always sure to help if I can.

E

C240Style

Ok, well I may only be 19, but I think I keep my grammatical errors to a minimum. I like to present myself properly so I don't get thrown in that "ignorant unappreciative little rich kid with a Mercedes" group. I worked for my car and can proudly say it's paid for in full out of my own pocket, so I'd like to present myself the way I am.

I must admit though, proper grammar is a large part of a luxury car forum. Go to any ricer/muscle car forums and you have a bunch of 15 year olds talking about the cars they're going to get and the things they're going to do when they get their license in 3 years. Not to mention, they explain these things with the worst grammar possible, but no one takes notice because most people around there are like that. But that's why we all bash on those forums, not just their POS cars, but the age group and the age people act. So I can see where people bash this forum just because of those individuals who type in ALL CAPS, Or The First Letter Of Every Word With A Capital, or abrv. evry werd along w/ misspellliings. It does make us look bad, unfortunately, but it'd be the same way with every other Mercedes forum (or any luxury forum) if there were people who wrote like that. Fact is, most people with a new CLS are a little bit older, with better grammatical skills.

Again, sorry for the lengthy chat, but it's been a topic I've wanted to bring up for awhile.

CM208

For me... I can just ignore the "forum bashing", not gonna waste my time reading up some crap. The thing that get me most is when you speak to someone about car and they goes "WHY would you want to drive a C class?! I rather drive a BMW!" THAT really **** me off!!!

TruTaing

Back on topic: Now that I think about it... there are only really a few post-happy people who BUTCHER their spelling and have a very "rough" writing style on the c class forums.

As for the places to get quality information. I find that the forums (this one and the others) offer me enough technical support that i hardly have to post......

-j0hn

Ryanr317

I HEAR YOU MAN!

advans

AH! I got a soultion!

add SPELL CHECK!


*edit*

I don think spelin mattas, wer not writin a colege esay (lol check out the spelling!!!)

but if someone really "spells" like this, i'd get annoyed also.

but as for grammer, I dont think that should be considered an issue.

Ryanr317

When you work for you stuff, you take more pride in it. That's usually the case. People who do this present themselves better, which is why they try to use decent grammar. My thing is, this is and MB forum, MB and class usually go hand in hand. Luxury and good grammar go together. Plus, these "kids" make it bad for all the rest of us "kids" because they use that bad grammar and such, and form the stereo type that the all the "kids" are like that.

C240Style

My biggest pet peeve, when people spell grammar, grammEr. Completely contradicts any argument being made. Not ripping on you specifically advans, but it's just a pet peeve.

MB-JIM

Please stop apologizing for the C Class being an "entry level" car. I drive a C Class because it is what I want. I could be driving an E or S Class. I simply believe my C350 is one of the finest cars Mercedes makes. I own it because I had a choice and picked the model I enjoy driving the most. I had an E350 before my C350 and found when driving a C350 that I liked the C350 handling much better. My only objection to the C350 is its price of over $48K MSRP the way mine is equipped,

Ryanr317

My biggest one is when people use then for than, and than for then.
This is better then that.
This is better than that.
It's ok than.
It's ok then.

That's enough of the grammar lessons. I just really had to get that one across.

Ryanr317

Right, as i said it's no term paper or anything. I just find that some are just really really bad, to the point where it makes you think: "Are you serious?"

alwayzspeedin

i do agree and dis-agree on some of the things mention above...to me this forum is way dead, compare to is300.net.
also the info on this forum is only 50% useful..i have posted a few things and wanted some answers but no one had a real good answer for me besides the basic use the search or bring it to the dealer...i'm a DIY person i prefer doing things myself..i've swap my own supra twin tubo motor in to my is300 , and all elctricals need to run it properly. i found all the info for the swap on is300.net a very useful forum thriving with info about the lexus is300 from audio installs and motor swaps..i couldnt even find a decent supercharger upgrade or any good upgrade for the
C230 SS..i'm really glad i bought this car for my fiance as a daily driver then my own car...i do give that the people on this forum have a better attitude then some of the punk kids in the is300 forums..but by far this forum is alot quieter..also wondering does this forum have local meets, like something clublexus had last saturday
http://clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239583


p.s. i actually learned about the sprint booster now thats a niffty little mod ill be buying in a few weeks

vraa

You hit the nail on the head buddy.
I'm a year younger than you but lots of folks don't know it from the way I write my posts. Look at my first few posts, see how juvenile they were? You can't get respected for having "lol" at the end of every sentence, lack complex sentence structure and overall look like a chimp.

Sure you don't need to know the ins and outs of English to convey you're thoughts in a respectful manner, but you don't have to type like 'omgomgtwinturbo WOT SHULD I DO 2 MY KAR?!?!??!???!?!?!' all the time...

patrick_y

I agree with the other forum members who bash on the W203 forum, these other forum members are usually quite accurate with their accusations. Many of the forum goers here on the W203 forums are setting a (bad) stereotype of W203 owners in general.

This is to be expected from people who would choose to acquire a Mercedes. It's apparent that many people on this forum boast the reason why they acquired their C Class simply because of the fact that it was a Mercedes. While I understand that the Mercedes brand name is coveted by some, I personally think it is bizarre that one would acquire a product simply because of the brand name. However, I still afford some respect to these people for their honesty.

The reason why I acquired a Mercedes-Benz vehicle is because it is supposed to be a safe car (both in active and passive safety), I'm familiar with the service requirements, and it's supposed to be a reliable car (albeit it does seem to have quite a few small electronic glitches).

Also, notice what market MBUSA is trying to cater to with the Mercedes-Benz C Class, and it's sometimes a pity for a long-term Mercedes-Benz client to see this, but they're trying to cater to the people who really can't afford this car (especially the maintenance). If you look at their advertising schemes, attractive lease rates, etc. You'll know what I mean.

For example, if you look at the BMW 3 series and the Mercedes C Class, over half of them are leased. Leasing stereotypically means a few things; 1, the person is not going to care about the wear and tear on the car (since they'll be changing cars in about three years anyways) so s/he will drive aggressively thus endangering others on the road; 2, leasing for this type of car usually attracts the first time "brand name" car buyer who is usually someone who wants a "brand name" car but can't afford one (nobody buys a 3 series or C Class as a car to be written off as a corporate expense, they would buy larger cars for such a purpose); and 3, the people who would buy such a vehicle (3 series or C-Class) can be very young, their tastes unrefined, brought up in deprived families and perhaps recently got a job and want to treat themselves to something substantial so they overly splurge on and also highly impressionable (a whole host of possibilities).

Look at the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 series this way. Undoubtedly, it's a good car. It's just the people who drive it often leaves something to be desired.

Here's an excuse for some of the people who drive a Mercedes-Benz vehicle but probably don't belong in one. This is one of many excuses and this focuses on a narrow group, of many different groups. With "Rap Culture" and the efforts shown by the inhabitants of urban ghettos trying to impress the Joneses next door by showing off a little "bling bling". Many of said inhabitants would find it an entertaining venue to acquire a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, possibly pre-owned or leased, put gigantic wheels on the said vehicle and try to be "pimp". This is especially true among the "Rap Culture" of which its active players love attention. They want your attention when they're blaring loud rap music through their stereo systems that you can still hear and feel the bass several blocks away, they want your attention by having such large chromed wheels to catch your eyes, they want your attention to supplement the lack of attention they received when they were younger. The rap culture also has an emphasis on the following traits; "tough", you gotta be a tough MF (the swear word) to keep your dough and to be able to collect from others who owe you said dough; "dog", notice the word dog is very popular among the hip-hop rap culture featured prominently especially in the music industry, one has to be a pimp dog and sleep with many women (possibly also contracting and transmitting vanarial diseases); and also "DUB", in order to attract these beautiful but superficial women for their one night stands, the "dog" must have a nice vehicle with catchy looking wheels to attract the women. Undoubtedly, many C-Class owners meet the criteria for following the "rap culture" stated above.

Another prime example that is parallel with the W203 demise is Louis Vuitton. The instant you read "Louis Vuitton" you are thinking "handbags". This is putting it lightly, but if you were thinking "handbags" then you are probably a person who is very superficial like many other people on this forum who bought a Mercedes-Benz vehicle for superficial reasons. And for your information, when I think of Louis Vuitton, I don't think of "handbags" and I don't personally associate with anyone who does (I might superficially associate with them, but not on a personal level). This is the sad story of how one of the most prominent design houses of Paris got trashed around the world because of rapid expansion to a neavou riche clientele along with poor brand management.

I could go on, but then I'd eventually have to get into demographics and that gets a bit racial.

This forum has extremely good and reasonable moderators and a handful very helpful and insightful members (to which I am extremely appreciative of) to which is the reason why I continue to participate on this forum. However, because the Mercedes-Benz vehicle (not only the C-Class but the entire model range) is no longer exclusive and widely accessible, you get a huge amount of clientele who buy these cars for superficial reasons. When this happens, you will get stereotypes about the type of people who drive them. Needless to say, most stereotypes are bad ones and are exaggerations, but they usually do have a grain of truth which can be exhibited here on this forum.

But! If you read the previous paragraph carefully, you’ll notice that I also mention that the C-Class is not unique to this problem. There are quite a few S-Class drivers who I would say is not any better than some of the “bottom of the bucket” members on the W203 forums.

Do what you can. Don’t drive like a maniac on the road in your car, especially if you drive a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Behave like a well-educated person both here on this forum and make sure you allow the grandma driver to go first when you two meet at a stop sign. Be a decent person and perhaps we can eliminate this W203 stereotype that hangs above us like a bad stigma.

Lastly, this post is not intended to insult anyone at all. However, if you interpret it as such, that's your perogative, but I have already stated no hard feelings to anyone on this forum whatsoever.