Xpeed

You miss understood me its not about the brand of the car or $$ it all about what kind of car dose he like SUV, luxury, sports car. I like sports cars and driving an SUV is like torture for me, ill take an old sports car over a new SUV. My dad likes SUV and that what he got me and I hated it.


I don’t know maybe its just me.

galaxygrrl

Well, I'm a bit bias against MBs :o, but did you look at the Infiniti g35. It's awesome!!!! I would buy that one. Otherwise the mb or lexus.

LorinserCClass

You should also consider the 3.0 CVT A4 like someone previously said. I had it for a few months and it has been GREAT!

Mike T.

If you insist on buying your son a new car, give him the money and let him decide what to get. He is an adult, after all. The idea of getting him something without him being in control of the process is kind of pathetic actually. He's not 12 any more, you know...

This "buy a car for the kids" thing is rather foreign to me. I had to buy my first car myself, and every one after that too...maybe something about my parents not swimming in money I suppose. I'm not going to buy my kids cars, new or otherwise. Racing/Mountain bicycles, yes, University tuition, yes, cars, no way!

BlueZone

I'm not swimming in money by any stretch of the imagination, but I've always told my kids that if they do good in school, stay out of trouble, and hold a part time job that I'll take care of the cars. I know some parents things isn't completely 'wrong' to do so, but I see no harm in getting my kids a nice car if they hold up their end of the deal, and give them something that will have a little value when they're on they're own and ready to buy themselves a new car. We decided on what type of car he wanted, so I went and looked to suprise him and he really likes the car. If he would have hated if when I brought it home I certainly wouldn't have purchased it this morning.

kimchiFLAVA

my friend has the g35 coupe and i like the look quite a bit
but after i drove it i looked back at my benz and for some reason
i like the look of my car alot more

does that make sense?

well the g35 has speed but the feel of driving it is like a upper class accord...dun get me wrong g35 is still a freakin sweet car..

the benz has that solid feeling you just cant beat

my 2 cents

Xpeed

You’re a great dad. Obviously you care about you kids. and you are doing the right thing by buying you son a nice car I am sure it means a lot to him that you care. I don’t know what more to say except don’t buy an X its junk and keep us posted on what happens. Good luck

kimchiFLAVA

benz= 11 air bags cant go wrong...although the gas prices might kill ya

Dubs42

well i want to be a C class through a private person. its a 2002 with 20,000 miles on it and still under warranty. Im wondering if i should look into a MB under the starmark used car. What does the starmark program include?

if i buy the car throguh a private party could i still take it to any MB for free service..like oil changes, wiper blades, etc?

what whould you do

nukblazi

I'd ask for the VIN and go to a dealer and look up the service records, carfax, etc.

Private party is going to net you a better price.

Dubs42

yeah im going to run a carfax report probably (its only $20) but should i also go to the dealer and check service records??

what about free dealer service? do i get that if i buy through a private party?

Buellwinkle

The car is under warranty so it's probably a safe bet mechanically so there's no big advantage to buying Starmark except they are much better at hiding defects. The main thing I look for in a late model car under warranty is for any frame or body defects. It takes experience to know where to look like where body shops spend less effort but if you are not sure, take it to a local body shop, they can spot collision repair a mile away. Imagine getting a car that has frame/substructure damage and it eats tires every 5k miles, handles funny, bends the wrong way in a crash, rusts prematurely, airbag doesn't deploy and fades unevenly. It doesn't mean it's bad that it's been hit, just means you have to be that much more cautious like get collision repair bills so you can access the extent and quality of the repair.

Good luck......

revstriker

You should expect to pay less through a private party than through the dealer (starmark). What you give up is any kind of guarantee, so you have to be sure that the car is in good condition before you buy it.

The car is under warranty for the first 4 years (from time of purchase - because it's an 02, it could have been purchased in 01 meaning you only have about a year left). A and B service will be covered during this time (assuming the car was purchased in the US).

Dubs42

but itsnt it also under warranty until 4 yrs/50,000 miles? not just 4 months right..?

revstriker

If the car was purchased in the US, it is under warranty for 4 yrs as you say. But since it is an 02, then it could have been purchased in 01 (I'm assuming that they probably started selling MY 02 around July 01), which means that the warranty will be up in 2005.

For example, if the car was purchased in July 2001, the warranty will be up in July 2005.

Not sure what you mean by 4 months.

MJ50

just to be safe, i'd pay little extra and get starmark model at ur local dealer...
not all, but some dealers tend to give u better service if u bought the car from them...
plus, doesn't starmark give u full 4yr warranty?

Buellwinkle

I don't know about your dealer but my dealer charges a huge upcharge for their Starmarked cars. For example, I wanted an 2003 E320. They wanted 48K for a used one by I can get a brand new 2004 for that price on Carsdirect.com. To add to the ripoff, I can go to a wholesale auction and get the car for 32-35K, still have 2-3 years left on the warranty and use a very small part of the 15K savings to get an aftermarket extended warranty and get it professionally detailed.

cracker123

Hey Guys,
Looks like I have decided to buy the 05 230 sedan. The options I got are

Color
Brilliant Silver + Charcoal leather inserts
Lighting Package
(adaptive bixeons + washers)
Entertainment Package
(12 speaker Harmon Kardon sound system + 6 disc cd player)
Sunroof Package
(similar to the current package)
Comfort Package for driver
(The package has been changed to give the
memory only for the driver nothing for the
passenger)
Metallic Paint .

I used to drive a 01 C240, I loved the C240 becuase of the ride quality and low noise levels. Then couple of months back I got rid of it and an 02 BMW330CI is my primary car. The 330CI is a nice car but it is too noisy and bumpy. So couple days back I went to the benz dealership to see the new C class. As soon as I saw the 05 C230 I knew I wanted it. The annoying things in the 01 models have been fixed mainly the dials and the controls. The exterior looks so much better. The dealer made a good offer to trade in the BMW I am getting the edmunds trandin price which is great.

The final price for the 05 230 is 36100 + TTL.

Hopefully everything goes according to plan and I will be driving the 05 C230 soon. Also I hope the quality holds up on this Merc.

My advise stay away from BMW's. If you want sport then just go for a porsche dont try to get a BMW which is neither really sporty or really luxurious. If people say BMW's are the ultimate driving machines then they really have not driven a porsche before.

Also if any body has a reason why I should not get the 05 C230 let me know I still need to sign the papers.

Jkw

The Car is great you'll love it, I don't know about the pricing seems high.
Jkw

cracker123

all I am getting is about 500-750 off MSRP on the model, which I think is fine considering it is the second car they will be selling. Are there better deals elsewhere.

cracker123

forgot to mention the automatic transmission.

revstriker

I haven't seen any mention of great "deals" on the 2005 C Class. Considering that they are just hitting the dealers, I would expect them to sell pretty close to MSRP. You could probably get a great deal on an 04 since the dealers are trying to clear out the 04s to make room for the 05s, or wait 6 months or so, and get a better deal on the 05.

jbcritch

Sorry to hear you did not like your BMW. I loved my 2001 330Cic, but dropped it when I needed 4 doors. Love my Benz also, dont get me wrong, but I did not buy a BMW for lux or quietness - I bought it for pure sport. Did not shop Porshe (well, I did check out boxters - but did not buy) because 2 fewer passengers, no golf clubs in trunk, and MUCH more expensive.....not to mention no dealership in Macon...nearest one is Atlanta.

I still retain membership in BMW CCA and went racing the Z4 3.0, and found it to be quite a remarkable machine. They let us drive and they held the race days all over the US...Mercedes hacks me since they only have certain driving locations and they dont let YOU drive the cars on the track....(at least that is what I have been told) if you want to drive, the last event I saw had a $1000 price tag on it.

I still love BMWs and will have another one day, but the Benz is gonna last me a while first - 7 year minimum.

FossilFuel

I got my 05 C230 sedan for $350 over invoice, but I forget the total. Somewhere around 33k - 34k with sunroof, ent pkg, lighting pkg, rear seat, heated front seats and automatic. When I get home I'll look through the dealer paperwork and get you an idea of what prices in LA are like. Congrats! I love the car!

05 C230k Sedan - Pewter/Charcoal

cracker123

well may be i should say stay away from the 3 series, becuase 530 is a nice car.