Silver_Lana

Well its been over 2 months and i have 3200 miles on my C320 and i wanted to share my experience so far.

Performance : I got 3 words for ya, LOW END TORQUE.
Its no 260hp coupe... but boy it moves. And oh my god, at 80mph on the NJ turnpike, i can pull away and switch lanes with confidence its such an addictive feeling.

Problems: (1) My Voice control module mysteriously stopped working and i was informed of a TSB for the PSE involved with the phone and voice control modules for V60 equipped phones.
(2) My Rear Shade was bunching up but it seems to have resolved itself after i kept using it over and over again.
(3) Driver's headrest isnt moving up or down.

My problems will be checked out on saturday.

All in all... i still love my car.

session

ah, the torque in the coupe is the same way. i LOVE slamming the accelerator and flying by traffic!

i don't care that it doesn't pull mid-5s for 0-60mph; it's still fun to drive.

Silver_Lana

yup.... and by the way, it feels a lot faster than its supposed 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds or is it 7.0 seconds?

session

i wouldn't know as i've never driven a car faster than 6.5 seconds

Silver_Lana

anyone had any similar problems with the C320?

bagwell

not similar but....I had a cooling problem in which they kept the car for 3 days...and 2 trips to fix it.

and all the drivers door functions were screwed up on my car.

all fixed after 3 visits in 30 days to the dealer (thinking Lexus now)

Silver_Lana

Noo!!!!!!!!

Silver_Lana

New problem.... my AC's fan is making a loud noise that dissapears after about 15 minutes of use.

Grrrrrr
I didnt expect to see this many little things going wrong.

GTIDAN

I suggest you check out the Lexus owner's club forum or one of the others before you make that switch. I did and sadly you will find people there having problems with their cars as well.

There all cars and they all have problems. Some small some big.

The more technical the car the bigger the chance for a problem. You want a reliable car. Go buy a low end Toyota with a 5 speed and no air, radio, etc. Will probably run forever...what's to go wrong.

It cracks me up when some guys on this forum try to tell me there Ford is more reliable or better built then the MB. Yeah that's why Business week and some other magazines have run articles talking about what Ford has to do to bring up there quality. Forget the surveys.....figures don't lie but liars figure.....

My C230K with 2400 miles had an anoying rattle in the hatch and a faulty BAS/ABS harness. Both fixed and all is well. What's the big deal really.

Enjoy the ride

bagwell

the big deal deal is I waste about 2 hours of my time every time i bring the car in explaining/showing the svc advisor and becuz they have to shuttle me around since I refuse to wait 10 days for a loaner car. I had an Infiniti I30 for 4 years 72k miles that only had 2 chk lites come on - that's it. And didn't have to wait 10 days to bring it in either. My buddy has a 2001 330I with 30k miles on it - has brought it in ONCE for a window prob - that's it.

if you don't think Lexus is more reliable than a MB -- check Consumer Reports -- and a LEXUS IS A TOYOTA -- and YES I DO WANT TOYOTA RELIABILITY !!!! actually I didn't expect the MB to be that reliable - just not 3 times (4 days) in the shop and in one month...and the feakin drivers seat still squeeks (after 2 attempts to fix).

now when cold the engine almost dies at the first stop sign after startup...

bagwell

I don't see ONE SINGLE PROBLEM ON THE IS300 FORUM !!!!
note my new poll I created !!

tommy

I guess that some threads didn't show up on the forum:

I am so sick of the chrono dash. Who's with me?

The rear seat in this car is so awful. Wish I'd have gotten a TT!

My taillights make a Tiburon look classy. Yours too?



Get the damn thing if you want. It will definitely have fewer problems than your typical Benz offering, but just make sure that you remember that reliability is not the whole picture behind what makes a car a good buy.

FrankW

Went to the OC Anaheim Auto show this past weekend. and have sat in the IS for the first time. I'm pretty impressed with what Toyota has done with the car. The chrono speedo although it's hard to read but it is very detailed and nicely finished. the seats are nice, but the backseat is smaller than the C. The center dash control is neatly done, but the round turn *** for the AC is too plastic. The dash board material is not as good as in the 3er and the C.

btw, i also sat in the M45/Gloria/Cedric from Nissan/Infinity. The fit and finish is top notch, much better than the G35, which is already nice. The backsit, according to my friend is similar in space like my C.

GTIDAN

I feel your pain.

I have no doubt a Lexus is more reliable than a benz. I have absolutely nothing against Lexus at all other than there cars have not one orginal thought in them other than that terrilby ugly GS300 and IS300 sedan.

The Lexus LS430 is a wanabee Mercedes if I ever saw one. It tries to look like one in the styling as well as in the inside. Is it well made? I suppose so but come on Lexus try making something original for once. Say what you want but noboby confuses a BMW, VW or Mercedes with any Japanese product. They all look alike aside from the LS430.

Back to Mercedes. Sadly I do believe the quality control has dropped off some. I guess they have tried to cut costs to stay competitive with Lexus and Infinity. German wages are higher than those in Japan and I think it shows.

Just yesterday in fact I rode about 150 miles in a 1992 LS400 that had 150K miles on it. It was solid as a rock and was running on original shocks. Nothing done to engine or tranny. Only the A/C has required service. But everytime he ran over the botts dots you could hear and feel it inside the car. For some reason even though the car was quiet and rattle free it didn't have that benz tank solid feel. Can't explain it.....

Enjoy the ride