young

runner up for most dissappointing car for auto.com (the *******s! )
c230k coupe

ok, who turned on the censor software!

KWiK

I doubt they have even driven one. I have put over 600 miles on my C230 in the first four day of ownership and think it's great. I'm used to larger more powerfull cars, but this little one allows me to have fun without getting myself into trouble.

vadim

See what the absence of an HID and in-dash CD options can do to a car?

Mapman

The people at that site are obviously poo-poo-heads of the highest order. I scoff at them!

Mike T.

If you've ever owned and loved French cars, as I do, you'd have a thicker skin.

Don't believe everything you read, especially among "automotive journalists", many of whom are on the take, directly or indirectly.

Besides, what fun is there in following popular trends

tommy

I fart in their general direction.

I refuse to put any weight into their opinions, since they almost gave the car of the year honors to a T-bird, which is a Lincoln LS in better sheetmetal, with a HORRIBLE interior, and very little imagination (and talk about not being sporty!)

Also, I take it that they didn't sit in the back seat of the RSX, either. At least, we know the truth. Maybe the C230 that they had was not an Orion? Yeah, that's gotta be it. Must have been an Obsidian one that they had.

C230K

They must be on some else's pay roll. Or to fat to get behind the wheel. no class.

Mike T.

You could always wave you undies at their ancestors.

frankii

yeah, look at what they said about the explorer...

"......brilliantly??? c'mon, they stink (explorers), unless you consider explorring, going to the mall and soccer practice.....

still, it would be cool if they could shed a few pounds off it - or better yet, that the rumors of this summer hold true and there's a more powerful engine. if this "is" true, what engine could it be and how much more would it cost???

thanks ...
and HAPPY NEW YEAR all.

Buellwinkle

Wasn't the Chevy Vega car of the year for two years in a row! Who believes that crap. It's less believable as professional wrestling! Let them have their Vegas, T-Birds and Acuras, just means more C-Coupes for us!

zimmer26

All I can say is that maybe our baby is falling victim to its sports coupe moniker which is somewhat of a stretch. The bottom line is that this car was not designed to compete with the true sports coupes of the world (S2000, NSX, 911, 330CI) to name a few but more like(GTI, RSX, Saab,) and even SVT focus, new SI hatch, and the SE-r spec v. All of which I considered and feel that it is very competive and from someone that didn't want to spend much over 20K, that decided to give it chance(because of its seemingly reasonable price) saw the light and forgot about the competition soon after. Do you guys realize that none of the real competitors have rear drive? That was a big victory for C230 in my heart.

As I've posted the GTI was the hands down leader until that fateful day when a co-worker of mine decided to see what other German cars he could build online and stay out of the stratosphere in terms of price. 325, A4 are nice and if you can live with the stripper model are fine cars but its +++ for all those goodies and you're knocking on 35's door before you know it! Saw the C230 and built one well under 30 (didn't know about the no cd situation) but it looked awfully tempting/suspicious. I was very skeptical and had to visit MB just to see what this joke was all about. Had a problem in Greenwich, but upstate NY was the perfect remedy with a super nice salesman and great twisties! My skepticism went to true believer and drooler faster than I could say GTI- GT what? Even the "wife"(an admitted snob hater) and for that reason almost unwilling to accompany me to the other dealer was cured after 5 minutes behind the wheel. The rest is history and my new sport hatch is due in ~6 weeks!! Screw the critics- the C230 does it better than the competition and the style points are an added bonus.

They think the WRX is the hottest thing since sunburn- but two drives didn't convince me. It was OK, I didn't not like it but hey its still 25k to start and I didn't see that the performance could accomodate for its clear lack of quality and content. These are only opinions, dumb ones at that and we can't let them discourage us- our choice was a sound one- take it from the car freak who considered pretty much everything in this league. The C230 came to me like a revelation- it was a no-brainer I had to have it- and I will!!

Upshot to mixed press: May discourage some would be buyers and you'll be the only one. On that note, I'm still yet to see one out of captivity!!

Happy new year to all!!

C230/6speed/orion/C7/changer- I can't wait!!

benzomonterey

Fear not fellow Coupe owners, I am predicting the new T bird to go the way of the Beetle. A hot seller for a year then a vehicle flooding the used car markets with next to nothing miles so they can gouge. I bought a new Beetle ( the first in Vegas in 98) Sold it Three months later to the local Nissan dealer for a 2k profit, Four months later there it sat on the front line waiting to be sold. Since everyone else on the same dealership row had one.

Anyway I love my coupe and I think it will always be a semi rarity. Which is great with me.

frankii

You know, your mention of the GTI make me think for a moment.

While it's true that this is somewhat of the market segment they are going for, it must also be said, that the C230 coupe class is a bump up in acuirement perhaps...? Meaning, not everyone that can afford a GTI can afford a C230, however, be that as it may, if this segment of c230 owners does in fact grow, we can expect to see mods (chips) which should increase output if need be.

However, the c230 does have REAR wheel drive, a property that sets it apart from the others. Morevoer, I tend to think that the c230 users, are somewhat more....errr,...reserved in that their main goal is to have some comfort with zest over gas can exhuast and a "NO FEAR" stickers on their cars.

Personally, I am a composer and am looking at it as it seems to make the most sense, tired of the SUVs, not old enough for a sedan (will I ever be anyway???...unless you want to give me a C32, which is NOT a sedan in my eyes), but like the idea of the coupe for what it is, easy access space.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL.

frankii

Hopefully, will know what I'm going to get in the next several months, however, as I mentioned before, I want to make sure I know the specs for this summers model as I read that they (MB) are working on a newer engine offering for the c230 and I want to know what that engine would be and how much more it would cost.

DrMike

Zimmer:
Have noticed a few references to less than optimal experience at MB Greenwich. I have a car on order from there, and have only dealt with the saleman over the phone, but found him to be quite reasonable to deal with.
Our first venture to look at the coupe was to the nearest MB dealer. We arrived in a 30K+ minivan,
are unquestionalbly middle aged (& I qualify for an AARP card), so we are into the demographics of MB customers. After wandering around the showroom and being ignored, we were finally acknowledged by one of the new salepeople. When asked "can I help you", my reply of "yes, and so far the treatment here is the same as it was when I decided not to buy my last MB here".

At dealer #2, we had exchanged some phone calls and I scheduled a time to come and drive a 230 auto. We arrived on time, saleman wasn't there for another 20 min. He then showed us to a demo which was dirty outside and had someones laundry in the back. When we asked about a discount from MSRP, he got very huffy.

The point of this longish post is that experiences are variable, both between dealers and with different personnel at the same dealers.

zimmer26

Hey doc,
Yeah, you're probably right- I just got the impression that maybe this car was beneath them and not even worth waisting their time on, and/or a twenty something is not going to be serious anyway. I thought MB was trying to appeal to the younger crowd on this one!

The point of my posts was to express how little I felt in Greenwich and how important I felt in NY(50 miles north.) Pretentious snobs really do bother me (more than most probably.) The one significant con to getting this car was I feared that I would be labeled a snob or worse a wannabe snob. I think I made the right decision and that it just doesn't matter what people think- not buying it for that reason would be a silly one as I've come to recognize.

But as you correctly state, experiences can and will be somewhat different between different salesman as much as different dealers. Just venting some angst.

C230/6speed/orion/C7/changer coming soon

MB-BOB

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always believe everything I read in the newspapers, especially from that paragon of journalistic excellence, the Detriot Free Press. (Who?)

My sister and brother-in-law lived in Detriot for several years and they never even read that rag. Since the Detriot Free Press is based in the hotbed of American Automotive Iron, I am (only slightly) impressed with the fact that they included reviews of as many foreign cars as domestic. But that's all.

I have a Journalism degree and worked as a TV news anchor for two years. I can tell you from first hand experience that working in the media does not confer some mystical sense of clarity and knowledge unavailable to mere common folk... only empowerment to express an opinion, which is no better than anyone else's.