links143

My wife and I are considering purchasing a MB. For us this would be the first one we have ever owned. Been a GM guy for years. You mentioned you went with the Benz do to poor service with Lexus, which is definitely understood. However, there has been some mention by folks of minor electronical problems. can you fill me in a bit on what some of these are? If it helps we are looking at the C230 Sport. I have read mixed reactions to the car between, Edmunds.com, KBB.com, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, etc.

Thanks for the help.

LILBENZ230

I'm a bit lost. When you say "You"... who is "you"? We have many, many members. Also, the title of the post says Mercedes C280 but in the body of the post you say C230 Sport. These are very different cars. The C280 is not available in Sport trim, thus making it undesirable to me (but not many others, indeed it's a fine car).

Also, C230 Sport.. but what year? 2005 was powered by a 1.8L Supercharged I4. 2006-2007 were equipped with 2.5L V6 engines and new 7G (7-speed) transmissions. The newer powertrains would obviously be more desirable. I have a 2005, and it's been very reliable. The 2005s are a bit quicker, a bit lighter, and a good bit more fuel efficient. The 2006-2007s are much smoother, quieter, and more refined.

I'd take a C230 Sport over a Lexus IS250. However, I'd take a Lexus IS250 over a C280 simply because the C280 is a luxury model and if I were into that, I'd go Lexus - newer design and superior build quality/materials.

krisv420

+1

LILBENZ230

I forgot to add that "poor service from Lexus" would be the exception, not the rule. Lexus typically has some of the best service in the business. Mercedes service has been fine, however, to me... much better than Honda/Acura.

FrankW

between v6 C230 and C280, i'd get the C280 and mod it. C230 sport doesn't hold much for me because the C280's 3.0L motor performance wise is a lot better. other than suspension setup difference adv goes to the sport. neither seats offer lateral support anyway.

03MBC320

not sure where you heard this but lexus/toyota has had the #1 customer service for the past like 14 years. My family has been a very "lexus" family, we've owned 4 of them, out of the 4, 2 of them made it to 200,000 miles without anything other than routine maintenance. Their service centers are amazing, and when they couldnt fix my dads GS300 in one day, they apologized so much that they figured loaning him an IS-F for 2 days (the first year they came out) would make up for it. (as opposed to my mom getting a PT Cruiser while waiting for her Benz to get a bearing replaced which took the service center like 3 days to do properly)
besides, even if their customer service was crap it wouldnt matter, your IS250 wont break down or have any problems

btw, posting for advice on this site will be quite biased, it is a mercedes site =p
check out Clublexus.com and see what your answers are over there, theyre gonna tell you that your C280 will be in and outta the shop its whole life, they hate MB reliability lol

i havent gotten into a C280 yet, but my first car was an 06 IS250, and i absolutely loved her. The interior is soft and plush, and in '08 they made the driver and passenger seats convex (or concave, which is like this /( lol) to increase the leg room in the back if youve got kids to put in there, otherwise the engine is smooth as butter, it really is quite a beautiful car, especially now with those LED tail lights

zerocover

I made my choice and went with the C280. I dont much care for the "sport package" even without it it's still a very capable car, smooth ride with almost no body roll.

That being said I really like the look of the IS250, its certainly easy on the eyes. But compared to the C280 its too soft and there are too many compromises.

I have no problem at all at my MB dealer, I always get a C300 4matic loaner, and they get the job done quick. If your unhappy with your dealership there is always another in the area, not all dealerships are the same (from the same manufacturer).

PS my car has been to the dealer once, for its first oil change. That is all.

TemjinX2

In southern california, I receive much better customer service at the toyota and acura dealerships then i did at the MB dealership.

Other then the the brands reputation, i don't see how they even sell cars.

But anyways, if you plan on getting a is250 used, make sure its cpo. The is250's are known to have valve tapping issues. I didn't really believe it until it happened to my friends 2008 is250. Lexus's solution was to offer a brand new engine..lol.

LILBENZ230

To say that there is "always" another Benz dealership in the area must be easy for someone in NYC.. It's the same in Atlanta. But depending on where you live, this may or may not be the case.

LawRens

That must be one hell of a Lexus dealership to loan out an IS-F like that. Lexus is known for stellar customer service, but not that crazy, unless you're yankin' our chain. pics?

As for my own experience, Mercedes customer service varies greatly. Sometimes they treat you great, other times they brush you off like a bug on their shirt.

FrankW

not that surprised. my college roommate had her GS350 serviced last year and they asked if she wanted a LS430 or a SC430 for loaner.

MB loaner depends on the dealership. HOI has always give out C-classes as loaner. Penske as well until recently Roger Penske actually sold the Penske Mercedes to his own son which his son is a cheap ****. I've gotten a W204 C350 loaner for a month and half when my C32 was in the shop.

AdidasC230

If MB is anything like Land Rover, then you can participate in the rental program or you cant, if you do you get LR rebates to use the cars til 10K or so and then another rebate to you for selling it used, as well as the customer who buys it gets one, although I know as a dealer I wouldnt want to because people are pigs and make the cars disgusting and they dont care which is why we pulled out loaner programs out. Of course a 50K used LR is alot harder to sell then a 30K C class.

OneOfaKindTrini

I made my mistake and bought a C280 4matic. I said mistake because I was coming from an EVO and it was like day and night, it's a great car none the less, but it wasn't for me. I haven't taken my car to the dealer since I got another key and was charged for programming .. I still love it tho

03MBC320

nope unfortunately i didnt take any pics (didnt have a digi camera at the time), but i've got too much to do make up stories on a car website =p, i think they gave it to him cuz he bought 4 lexus's from the same dealership/salesman lol and when i was in there with him looking at the 250's i mustve said IS-F about 100 times, the salesman started tryin to sell one to my dad lol, that dealership loved him. i got home from school and there was an obsidian black F sittin in my driveway, i almost shat myself. wasn't allowed to drive it though =( had to sit shotgun (still a fking blast lol). It had the dealers name plastered allll over it, the back windshield was a moving advertisement. It was Lexus of Greenwich, CT

to the original poster - enjoy your C class, you'll love it their great cars =) congrats and welcome to MB!

Dingleberry

lexus makes much better cars than mercedes

samaritrey

-1
why do you have a mercedes then?
well a crossfire is not a real Mercedes.

LILBENZ230

He has a C32. If he had a Crossfire, I'm pretty sure he'd have it listed as Mercedes SRT6. That's my prediction - but I've seen him post and he absolutely has a C32. I have a Benz, too, and you know how I love it. But Dingleberry is absolutely correct - Lexus builds better cars. They don't quite "move" you the same and the Benz carries a certain satisfaction that is unquantifiable, but that doesn't make it superior to a Lexus. I've always disliked brand-fanboi attitudes, where whatever car someone owns is the superior one regardless of any sort of facts that state otherwise.

zerocover

To the OP
All I can say is just test drive everything!

Make sure you like the car, and dont listen to a bunch of guys on forums. I spent a month carless while I was shopping around for a replacement to my Volvo. I drove a different car everyday. In the end my choice was between a 328xi or my c280. Everything else was too soft, too juvenile, or too expensive, and I got a smoking deal on the c280 (plus the bmw was kind of harsh). Everyone has their own sweet spot.

Reliability on any modern car is very good, I wouldnt worry about it. Check truedelta.com for the real numbers, remember those numbers are trips to the dealer per 100 cars in the survey. Even the least reliable cars go to the dealer once a year on avg with the best (oddly mercury seems to be kicking butt in this area) only having 10 cars per 100 going to the dealer each year (honestly who would drive a mercury anyway)

samaritrey

My family has owned lots of Toyota and Lexus products. I have never been a big fan of most of them. I know they are built well and will got forever they just don't drive as well in most cases and the ride is to plush in most of them. i am not talking just about the w203 vs the IS. i am going on all Lexus vs all Mercedes. And honestly all of my familys Mercedes over the years have been just as reliable as the 3 Lexus. The Toyota land cruisers are way ahead of every thing though. my family has had 6 or 7 of them and they have all gotten to 200k with zero issues. they were abused every day of there lives and then sold and 2 i know are still driven today one has 345k on it last i saw it. I would honestly buy almost any brand of car or model as long as i liked it. except for Mitsubishi (had some bad experiences with one)

LILBENZ230

Yeah, I like the Benz feel, too and my car has been completely reliable. But the fact of the matter is that statistically you're not going to get much better than Lexus. If you want to buy a luxury vehicle that is reliable, buy Lexus. They have a better track record.

My ex has a 98 Camry. Over 200k miles without issue.

samaritrey

can't wait till i get to 200k with zero issues lol then i can laugh at you all.

wait that is bad to say know the wheels are going to fall off crap.

LILBENZ230

Well Scott on here already made it to 200,000 on his 2005 C230K without issue. So I would like everyone to remember this when they start bashing the M271 for being unreliable. To best the Camry, though, you can't replace any component. And your car has to be 12 years old and all the electronics must work.