Just curious, I'd like to hear your impressions/experiences of the others and what you liked most, and least(why not) about the coupe. No, I don't work for MB but they should probably read this and I do accept cash tips in the unlikely event that my posts actually get a worthy response.

Happy motoring,
Zimmer

 

I'm shopping around.I'm not a coupe owner, but if I was, mine would be: Silver/or White,6 sp.,w/C7 (Evolution)Pkg.,and maybe that roof as well.

I'm currently looking in to:

1. 2002 5 sp. Lexus IS 300
2. BMW 325 sedan 5 sp.
3. 2002 Audi A4 1.8t 5 sp.

My better half has actually given me carte blanche to go out & buy whatever I want, anything but a 2 seater(we have a 3 yr.old.son). I'm actually leaning against the IS 300 and the 325 is starting to look a little old.I'll make up my mind within a few weeks after the Detroit Auto Show & Toronto Auto Shows I'm going to both.

I'll Probably get the coupe as it is priced very well against the others. Sorry to get off topic I know you asked for "coupe owners" but I thought I'd share some insight.

wrabs

 

acura RSX
acura CL
lexus IS300
bmw 325i

best = panoramic moonroof
worst = no xenons

btw wrabs, when we took a trip to toronto, we took the c-coupe and the babyseat in the back seat fit like a charm but as it is a 2-door, you have to lift the passenger seat up/forward. the is300 is very tight in the rear. same for the A4.

 

I bought my coupe a week ago. When shopping, the following was my list of choices and the order they finished.

1. C230 Coupe
2. Audi A4 1.8T
3. Acura RSX
4. BMW 325
5. Lexus IS300

 

I also considered: new: MB C240, Acura TL and RSX-S, Chrysler 300M (no laughing - had one as a rental, it was pretty cool), I also considered buying a used C36 or C43. I orignally was in the market for a 4-door sport sedan. I came very close to buying a '98 C43, but decided that I didn't want to spend the same amount of cash for a used car when I could have a new one (even if the performance was not even close - not that much of a street racer anyway). Also, buying a used high-performace car can be a dicey proposition since you don't know how severely the previous owner thrashed on it. I then considered a C240, but after finding out about the Coupe I decided it had better performance at a cheaper price (didn't consider the C320 as I wanted a manual). Somewhere along the way the TL and 300M kind of fell out of the running, I think when I started to consider a two-door. To convince myself I had done some comparison shopping I then considered the RSX-S (which had just come out, plus I have an Integra which had always been a super good car), I then chose the Coupe as although it was about $5K more with the options I wanted, it had roughly equivalent performance, came with the free maintenance and I figured would be a more classy choice than the Acura. Especially as here in No. Cal. I expect to see about a million RSXs within a year (I've only seen 5 Coupes in the last few months since its release).

Can't give any impressions of the Coupe, yet - they're building mine this week: silver, 6-speed, leather, bose, C7.

Later, BT

PS: Sorry that this post ran to epic MB-BOB lengths

 

Thanks young. I remember I think you said your in laws live here right? I was aware that a baby seat will fit.Personally for us as with any of my cars it would only be occasionally, my wife is the one the drives the "family hauler" that usually gets all the extra mileage duty, my car is basically for back and forth to work. The main reason that the IS 300 is off my list (aside from the terrible clear rear lenses,that are unfortunately turning up on more cars these days-New Altima,New Mazda 6) is because of the back seat.I realize that it is a compact sedan but holy s@!t come on it is down right cramped back there-worse than a VW Jetta the previous king of cramped rear seating. I actually find the back seat of the C230 coupe roomy, 2 door or not.

Thanks wrabs.

 

OK, not afraid to admit it. We chose the c coupe over the boring but reliable Camry. Also looked at Audi A4, which are sooo common in these parts. C coupe won out for handling, price, head turning uniqueness, style, and the fact that I loved my last mercedes, a 300TD that I drove for 12 years and 150k miles.

 

Used 318ti with CA roof (closest thing to panorama roof currently available, but you can't keep it open past 60 mph, so I ended up crossing it off; also is still terribly overpriced in Northeast)

RSX-S: don't like being forced into one interior color, especially leather; bad backseat for midgets only

GTI: worthy contender, but exterior styling only ok, bad warranty on '01, mediocre stereo; iffy electrical system

WRX: no sunroof; can't fold down rear seat in sedan; gimmicky dash

Miata: too damn fat to fit

Mini: hoping that I don't like it when it comes out; I gave up my spot in their line (#3 at dealership - would've gotten one quickly out of the chute), and would hate to play what-if; but, I just have a tough time picturing it in a crash with any suv.

Trench - 300M is a really beautiful car inside - friends have a black/black one. Very nice, though it would be nice if they'd try to make it a little sporty. Well, I'm sure that it'll be getting MB parts soon enough.

 

Subaru WRX Wagon
I was seriously (very seriously) considering the Subaru WRX Wagon. I like the shape of the wagon over the sedan, plus it is a lot less common. I still like it quite a bit. Performance is top notch, reliability is pretty good, interior was nice (others don't like it, but I liked it), and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it quite a bit.

Price (with options) would have been about $1,500 less than the C230 Sports Coupe I ended up ordering instead.

Rick

 

yup, and i'm thinking about getting a decent LATCH type baby seat just to have in case i need to take the baby around... same situation, my wife takes the bmw wagon around w/ the baby normally, but its not a problem w/ switching the seat to my car once in a while.

i've ridden in the backseat of the coupé (when my friends forced me to let them test drive my car )and i found it to be quite non-claustrophobic b/c of the moonroof & the knee scoops in the back of the seats. better than my old acura integra which i really liked; hence my preference for acuras.

 

Seriously? None. At the risk of sounding a bit pompous, the C230 is almost without peer. For now.

I briefly considered the WRX, GTI, Prelude (previously owned a '97), BMW 325. All were lacking in one way or another.

When your ideal car can be described as follows - well-built, rear wheel drive, manual transmission, 2-door, decent power, with reasonable practicality - what other choices are there?

 

I looked at the Honda...oops...Acura RSX-S...too...Honda-ish
I test drove the Audi TT Coupe...TooTiny
Walked around a Mitsubishi Eclipse...but they cancelled the AWD foption I loved so much in my Talon.
Almost took a deal on a BMW M Coupe...out of desperation, the MB dealer ooopsed and the BMW guys would have brought it down to ~ $31k
I also considered the Boxster, the S2000 and the Mustang GT....but I already have 2 convertibles.

All in all, I'm glad I waited

 

My choices were:
-C-coupe
-BMW 3.25i
-Acura RSX
-Mitsubishi Eclipse

 

1 1998 C43. But it was scratched up with 88K miles
2 1999 ML320. Mice but i wanted a "fun" car
3 Audi TT coupe 225hp. Too tiny
4 1999 BMW M3. I liked it but it was too much of a sports car but no tourning luxury car.
5 1998 SLK 230K. Too Little


6 C230K Sports Coupe Perfect!

 

I am only considering a BMW 325/330 and a C Coupe. Actually, my first choice were the Bimmers, but as they quoted them higher for the lease payments, I decided to switch to C Coupe. However, last week BMW offered me a 325i for $400/month, and as Bimmer allows me to fix the lease price when ordering, I believe that I will go with it. Actually, they will allow me to fix the price when ordered, and when the car arrives, if the lease will be lower, than they will let me change to a lower rate, and if it will be higher, than I will stay with the fixed price. I will also try to negotiate the Hell out of them to give me a 330i for less than $500/month, and if I succeed, than I will go with it. By the way, I got a Benz for $385/mo + $1,200 out-of-pocket, which I believe is pretty decent. Oh yeah, I used the IS300 as a reference with the Bimmer people, as they offered me a 5-speed for $420/month, but I would never take it. And, as you all know, Benz does not fix any price in advance, so I would be left praying that the residuals do not go down (which they will), and that the rates do not go up.

 

Not sure what you mean by this. I placed my initial order in October, fixing the price at that time. Or are you just referring to lease rates?

Not being contentious - just curious!

 

Thanks for your input everyone and well said mapman, couldn't agree more. Sk-mia: you seem to be very much on the fence, and will just go for the best deal, which I understand, but I would pick one first, focus all your time on getting the best deal there and if its not looking good then reconsider your options. You'll have more fun in the C than 325 but if you're willing to plunk down the loot for the 330, I won't argue that decision- a fine automobile no question.

Good luck with whatever you choose and thanks again everyone. Kinda surprised not to see more lower cost considerations: I guess the economy ain't all that bad- that's good. My feeling was its at least 5k nicer than what you get for ~20 these days and almost as nice(and in some areas nicer) than what 30+ gets you- read 325. And like you said mapman- it doesn't really have a close peer. Life's good.
________________________

C230/6speed/orion/C7/changer -soon but not soon enough!

 

Mapman, I meant lease price cannot be fixed when ordering the car. Therefore, they may do whatever they want when the car arrives, and I am simply not comfortable with that, and especially when knowing that the residuals will likely go down, and the rates will probably stay the same, at best. The same happened on Nov 1, 2001, when the estimated lease for a base Coupe with metallic on the MB web site went from $410 to $487! Such a hike is ridiculous, and it is obvious that Benz is milking the customers, just because they can. But let us not go into that...

Zimmer, actually I initially wanted to continue with a new Bimmer, but when they introduced new 2002 3-series, the dealership in Miami had hiked the prices so freakingly high that it was not even funny - the lease of a 325i was in a $500+ range. Due to the economy and some significant losses that I had this year (thanks to Mr. Greenspan), I decided that I should not go over my current lease pay of $500/month, and the lower price would not hurt either, as I guess that would be a pretty universal feeling. This is the time when I decided to consider a MB Coupe. However, it seems that the situation has changed yet again money-wise, and both Benz and Bimmer come relatively close to the lease price (Bimmer is about $20 more per month), because BMW is willing to cut me some slack if I stay with them. Well, that makes it for me. I still believe that MB Coupe is a nice car, however, I like Bimmer better, but this is strictly my opinion, not an initiation of fight with you Benz/Coupe fans.

I believe that Benz should ease a little bit on its leasing policy, namely, that it should allow the lease to be fixed, because if I pay them a deposit, actually it becomes pretty sure that I will get the car. Luckily for them though, the demand for Coupes is so great that they can do whatever they want now, as it appears that they have more customers that the cars that they can produce. However, in the long run, it may turn some of the people off MB and go and look for other choices.

 

Not the first time I tell you this... but here it goes again...

Mercedes-Benz does not set the residual values for their cars. They are set by an independent third-party just as they are for every other car. Residual values automatically drop every two months to account for passing time. A 2002 model is worth more (residual wise) in 2001 than it is at the end of 2002.

From your previous posting, the ONLY thing that BMW is doing different is that they are partially subsidising their lease deals (the same as offering a discount or rebate) in order to get additional business. This is in the form of either artificially higher residual (they basically put money towards your lease), or holding a residual value locked at order time (they again put money towards your lease).

This is usually most indicative of a brand having too many of a model line and wanting to move them, even if it means dipping into their own corporate profit.

Mercedes-Benz isn't trying to gouge anyone with the C Sports Coupe. They are just not offering any discounts or rebates at this time. They have no reason to, with some dealers reporting up to 5 month back order due to demand and limited production run.

Remember, the Sports Coupe is a rare car, only 12-17K being made for world-wide distribution in 2002, unlike a BMW 3-series where I am sure the production quantities are much much higher. It is typical when ordering a high demand and low production quantity of a car like the Mercedes, that you will not see major discounts and rebates.

That said, there are dealers willing to negotiate with the Sports Coupe. I myself was able to get a very nice discount. I am curious as to exactly how much BMW is paying to "hold a residual" for two months... maybe a coupe hundred. If that's the case, then my discount was much better than that.

There are many ways to structure a car deal, especially if leasing, and especially if you are just chasing a monthly payment. But it the end, it all boils down to "how much are they charging for the car".

 

I bought the C230k Sport Coupe for the same reasons many have listed, but also because I don't keep cars very long, 6-12 months. When the 2003s come out next year, e.g., WRX STi, Cayenne, etc., I believe the the C230K will have held its value better than any of the alternative choices.