Tall Giraffe

As some of you may know I am on a (osama bin laden style) hunt for a 05 SS. I originally was going to use a C spot to be supplied by Citron, but I was informed that I could not use it with the summer sales lease event. Apparently it is only intended for straight purchases or straight leases according to the Mercedes North Dealership in Houston.

The next problem I ran into is locating a six speed. According to them there is only one in their system and it was in Plano TX for the entire US. It was Obsidian w/Ash but it had heated seats and no Xenons. They tried to convince me to get that one. The dealership was going to install bi xenon without the washers for the same price. I declined.

What I am looking for is a Black (or Diamond Black now), Ash, six speed, Lighting, Sunroof, and premium sound. I have to order this one and the soonest I could see one was in October. Even if I wanted to buy, you have to have used the C spot by the expiration date with a built car's VIN number attached with their paperwork to qualify for the $1500.

So now I will decide when and how I will order the car and whether I will lease or buy. Unfortunately I will not have my own until early fall unless my saleslady finds one that meets my criteria

I did hear the premium sound and it was better than the stock system. I am going to get it.

Anyway just wanted to share my experience with you guys. Hopefully I will get lucky and find what I want.

moa4r

if you absolutely HAVE to have the car w/ur exact specs, you have no choice but to wait (two months is nothing once you get the car btw), otherwise you're going to have to sacrifice a little to get the car now; GL

mick1

i am in the same boat as you are. I'm ordering a C320 w/ 6-speeds

remember, good things come to those who wait.

CitronC230K_03

trust me its worth the wait. i did it, there werent any Citron coupes with pretty much every option excluding auto trans. i waited, well worth it, and it is agony when you think you could be driving a new MB, but when it arrives you know the car was built for you. GO FOR IT!

Iceman's C230

I had to wait 7 months for my 2002 C230 from germany.

CitronC230K_03

damn my wait was only 3 and i thought that was bad enough.

LWL

From my past experience, I really really think you should order a car that has everything you want. My family used bought new cars when they just came out to the market; and because we didn't want to wait, we got the ones that did not have the options that we wanted, for example Xenon. After a short period of time, we all regreted not to wait for a car with the options that we wanna get. For this reason, although I hadto wait for 2 months until the car arrived in US, I still ordered my 05 C230k. I am very very happy and satisfy with the car, and have no regret for waiting. It seems like a long period of time, but when you get your car, you will appreciate it even more. Worth the wait
By the way, obsidian black is a very very good color. I compared obsidian and diamond black side by side at dealership; that's why I got the obsidian. Just my opinion.

Guest0001

just get an auto, unless you want to order. Dealers usually don't care autos because 95% of benz owners drive automatic.

CitronC230K_03

na, get the stick. youll stand out from the common crowd. order what you want, not what 95% of other owners want.

cracker123

Getting the car you want depends on your luck, if you are not lucky you have order the car if not the dealer will find it in transit somewhere. I went to MB of Austin on a Wednesday and I drove my car the following Friday. I was the first on in Austin SanAntonio area to get a 05 according to the dealers in this area. I had Brilliant Silver/Charcoal, Power drivers seat, Sunroof , Lighting Pkg, Entertainment and Auto tranny. The dealer found a car unloading from a ship in florida and had them ship it ASAP. This was back in first or second week of May when some morans at MB of houston did not even know about the differences between 04 and 05 were. MB of Georgetown told me the had to custom order the car, and MB of Austin got the car in less than a week to me. I suggest you talk to MB of Austin my sales person was Baily Mullins, really nice guy

Good luck

LorinserCClass

I'll give you a different spin. Are you planning on keeping this car for 7+ years? If yes then of course ordering it to your specs is fine. If you are already eyeballing a porsche/e class/etc in the next coming years, then just get a bargain deal like everyone these days seems to be getting because trust me the car's resale value will SHOCK you when it come down to selling or trading in. I know a car is NOT an investment but dont just throw money away if you get a chance to buy at or below invoice

Tall Giraffe

Thanks for all the advice. I know ordering what I want is best. I just hate to wait. Hopefully by October I can post pics. I would also like to drop 19" Lorinser RS-5's, but we will cross one bridge at a time . May be I a can order the car and get the rims when the car is delivered.

Noble,

I/we all know how much you favor autos, but not this time for me. May be the next benz. Stick was part of the reason for wanting a 230SS. I do appreciate your input though.

I will check other dealerships just to eliminate the possiblity of error.

Tall Giraffe

I hear you. I was trying get a great deal/opportunity w/ the C spot. I will continue to try to get what I want, if I have to order then so be it. I cant find anything close or to where I could get a good deal, so I will deal with it.


Thanks LorinserC

pj230

Sounds exactly like the situation I was in back in April/May. I was very optimistic in finding a manual with all 3 packages, color combo, plus other accessories, etc. I found several cars but none were exactly complete so after verifying thru several dealers coast to coast, I ordered the car and expect delivery in 3 weeks (produced but not shipped status). It'll be about 7 weeks total.

Since in CA, it's not an hassle to get your deposit if you change your mind, you're better off ordering the car to get in the pipeline.

CitronC230K_03

i had a $5000 non-refundable deposit on mine though. guess a loaded citron coupe with 6 speed prpobably wont be a big seller.

mick1

whoa. that sure was a lot of $$$ for a deposit.

i ordered a 2005 C320WZ with options 744, 221, 287, 319, 324, 332, 387, 410, 530, 691, and 819 and the deposit was $1k.

CitronC230K_03

yes if i ordered a silver car with options C1, C4, C5, C7, and CD changer it would have been $500 refundable.

i was told since the car would be hard to sell should i back out of the deal. the sales manager told me i required $5000 non-refundable to place my order. this was mainly because of Citron Green, and secondly because i wanted lots of option but required a 6 speed.

CynCarvin32

FYI California State law prevents any dealership from taking a non refundable deposit on ANY car regardless of risk involved. They can refuse to take the order but they can not take money and refuse to return it. If you want to back out of the deal for any reason they MUST refund your deposit no questions asked.

Guest0001

sound good. but we are still going to haze you

mick1

i'm with tall giraffe. i like the C-class just because i could buy it with a 6-speed. If i had to buy a Mercedes with an auto, I would opt for the E-320.

CitronC230K_03

well on my receipt it states non-refundable. it didnt matter to me, i wanted the car, i wasnt going to back out and i was putting more than $5k as a deposit anyhow.

Guest0001

Very Good point Enri.

FrankW

welcome to car ordering hell!! hahaha my wait was 6-7 months.

Tall Giraffe

OH NO!!!

CitronC230K_03

on that note, welcome!