DJM

Hello everyone,

Does anyone hear know how long it would take to order a C230K? And does MB even allow customers to order? I am interested in the C230 Komp. with the Entertainment Pkg, and Sunroof Pkg. It seems to me that most cars are equipped with far more options than what I want and since I am not in a hurry, I thought ordering might be an option.
This site has been a great place for information!!!

Thanks

DJM

Someone must have some info on this subject. Please......
Thanks

revstriker

You can order a car though the dealer, or through their website (mbusa.com). I believe you are looking at about a 3 month lead time.

FrankW

what rev said, 3 months.

CitronC230K_03

i ordered mine at the dealership and it was absolutely the best car buying experience ive ever had. every step along the way i was called or emailed by my salesmen informing of approximate build date, once it was built i was emailed the VIN approximate shipping date, once it was at port i was told the name of the ship and date of arrival, the day it cleared customs 10 days before arrive to the US i was informed, the day it arrived at Long Beach I was told, then when it left the port and arrived at MB of San Diego the same day where I met my car the same day. it was great. I ordered my car, Nov. 25, 2002, it was built Dec. 17, 2002, arrived at MBSD Jan 29, 2003. way cool. a car built for you, no one test drove, sat in to play with gadets, etc.

i'd do it all over again, and when i buy my next i plan to do it the same way.

DJM

Wow, sounds like you really enjoyed the whole process. Im going to really look into ordering. Was Mercedes willing to discount the ordered car? Thanks for the info!!!

amdeutsch

CA is a market where MBs seem to be discounted more so then any other place. In the end it depends on your dealer and how prepared you are to walk away. Look at carsdirect.com for your zip. Take that price , lower it by some amount, and then negotiate with the stealers, oops I mean dealers from there. A good place to start might be MarcusBenz on here. He sells MBs and is also a sponsor of this forum. for him and make contact. HTH

CitronC230K_03

$2500 off MSRP when i took delivery. they had a special going on at the time i took delivery. when i bought the car it was $1000 off, when I took delivery it was $2500. they said that if the discount were to go away when i took delivery id still be guaranteed the $1000 off when i bought it.

moa4r

was just told by dealer in NOVA a 05 c230K would take two months to get here; It seemed to me I would be able to talk them down to about 2-3K off msrp. If you need more info let me know, HTH,

Blakmoun

When you order a new benz, how much of a deposit do you typically put. And are all final payment arrangements made when the car comes or at time of ordering (ie., credit checking, c-spot coupons, etc,)

Thanks

CitronC230K_03

mine was more than normal. first of all i wanted Citron Green, a color which they thought if i backed out on they would have a hard time selling. plus i wanted most every option except i wanted a 6 speed manual. most typically get an auto with alot of options and that was another factor. I had to place a $5000 non-refundable deposit down to order my car.

JayinLauderdale

I ordered mine with stick, xenon, nav, metallic pt, entertainment pkg. I got 750 off and used my cspot coupon for another 1500 off. Car took 2 months and one week to arrive with a 500.00 deposit.

FrankW

a thousand down for deposit I think, at least for mine. discount, etc freebies you have to deal w/ the sales. Other payment crap is after you agree to what the sales offer and sat down w/ the financial guy.

Blakmoun

So you negotiate price, and discounts, then used the C-spot coupon, then leave deposit and wait for car, then finish down payment and finalize sale when the car comes...

Is this the order?

Thanks again

HiTEC

My car took about two months to come in. It really depends if your dealer has an open allocation or not. My dealer took one of their allocations that was waiting to be built and modified that order to my specs. They did a credit check on my wife and I (we both have awesome credit) and asked us to put $500 down. I negotiated a price of $100 over the invoice (what I saw on Edmunds.com at least).

It was a smooth deal. I was very impressed with the whole process.

JayinLauderdale

what you do is you give the salesman a deposit, he orders the car equipped your way. Car comes in, you negotiate the price, then give him the c spot coupon to increase the discount you already negotiated. If after the car arrives he doesnt give you a great price you walk and take your refundable deposit with you. Never go to the dealer after your car arrives to take delivery until you have agreed on a price first by telephone. Get him to fax to you in writing.

HiTEC

Why would you not negotiate a price before ordering the car? I couldn't see any salesman ordering a car before some type of deal is struck???

revstriker

I agree. I don't think the last post was the best advice. First, I would NEVER leave a deposit on something unless I have a written deal in hand. Otherwise, you risk losing your deposit. What happens when the car comes in and they can't meet your price? What happens to your $500?

JayinLauderdale

Heres why: First of all the dealer routinely hits you with surprises after the deal is made. My dealer quoted me 34,600 minus 750. When the car arrived the dealer said they forgot to add the Sirius radio and oh by the way it wasnt 695 but 1055 and I had to pay an added dealer fee of 499. The point is that the dealer's deal isnt worth the paper its written on. I got them to drop the dealer fee but not the sirius. So yes make a deal in advance and get it in writing but all bets are off if they will honor it when the car arrives. They can always feign ignorance or error. Thats why I said what I said. What i should have said is make a deal acceptable to you but dont bet that you will necessarily get the car for that price. Also the cspot coupon is only good for MB credit or MB lease which has bad residuals, rates and bank fees. They dont tell you that until you are in the finance office.

JayinLauderdale

Dealers in florida have to refund the deposit in full if for any reason you walk no matter when, why, how or what for.
If you order a specialized car model and you threaten to walk they know a refund of deposit is required and they are stuck with a specialized car they can't move.

CitronC230K_03

i disagree. it depends on the dealer. my MSRP for my vehicle was nearly $34k. that was before tax, title, license, teflon paint coating, etc. i was told i would get $1500 as a rebate. i got $2500 and still felt like i got a deal. i knew what i wanted. told them, ordered it, and GOT IT!. don't throw all dealers in one big **** pot. it seriously depends where you go. btw, i have no affiliation with any dealership, just felt like i had the best car buying experience ever. i was 26 when i bought this car, my 3rd new one and 6th total. best car buying experience i ever had, and would/will do it again the way i did.

plus i had to make a $5000 non-refundable deposit to place an order for the configuration i wanted. i felt it was fair, because Citron is a color every would like, let alone settle for, plus alot of option with no auto trans.

Blakmoun

Even if they tell you the initial deposit isn't refundable, my friend who works at a new car dealer tells me by law, you have a certain amount of time to return the car for all your money back. I'm not sure if its a day or if thats only in New Jersey but he said don't think just cuz you sign you are locked in for life. You do have a certain time frame to return the car if you wish.