shyy

Hey guys,

I want to get a c class by summer, but my insurance is sky high, I'm 25 with no experience and its close to 6-7 grand annually. I was wondering since its a German car, how much does maintenance cost? Replace brakes, etc...

What does the warranty really cover?

Is it worth it?

How long and how many miles have you been driving and what kind of problem have you experienced?

Thanks

AMGfan

Shyy...What do you mean "...6-7 grand annually?" Do you mean the car payment?

I'd take anything warranty related to MB and any other maintenance to a independent MB trained mechanic. MB will screw you on labor charges. The warranty should cover you with anything not wear or tear related. You will be liable for stuff like oil changes, brake pads, tires, etc...

I bought my wife a C300 and we haven't had any problems yet (6 months of ownership). I'll just buy the synthetic oil at Costco ($24 for 6 bottles/quart) and bring it to my mechanic for the oil changes or change it myself if I have time. I haven't had it done yet, but it'll be time next month for the 3000 mile oil change.

Carsy

If I was 25 again!! & wanted a MB I would buy an older model that is well proven for reliablity & of low milage. The insurance would be much cheaper & you will build up a record with the insurance company so by the time you need to buy a new car the cost of insuring would be much more affordable. You would also gain the experience of maintaining an older car which would stand you in good stead & save you heaps for the rest of your life.

Father Carsey!!

Hazemonster

The oil in the C300 doesn't get changed every 3000 miles....more like 10,000 miles. I couldn't believe it myself, as I was also used to changing my oil every 3500 miles...but found out that this car can really go about 13,000 between oil changes if using synthetic. Every 3000 is truly overkill.

AMGfan

I guess old habits are hard to kick...I do that with every car I have especially with my 55.

Hazemonster

You may want to talk to your dealer or an authorized MB mechanic. It is my understanding that the car just doesn't need it changed that often. Today's synthetic oils are designed to work much longer than the oils of yesteryear. I was told that I would be wasting money doing it any sooner than 10,000 miles. Although you probably can't hurt it by doing it more often...I can tell you that even my MB dealer recommended that it not be changed that often.

It sounds like you take good care of your cars...so good luck with either decision you make.

atiqa

MB does try to screw you for scheduled maintenances. I have an A Service coming up and I figured I'd do some research before paying the dealership 285+tax. I came upon the following for A Service:

Flexible Service System - A-Service
What we do:
- Change your vehicle's engine oil and filter
- Replace the dust filter in all SLK, CLK, C-Class and E-Class models
- Ensure the warning and indicator lamps, horn, windshield/headlamp
wiper and washer systems, and seat belts are functioning correctly
- Inspect tires and check tire pressure (including spare)
- Inspect brake pad thickness and disc condition
- Check and correct all fluid levels
- Reset your vehicle's FSS counter

Well, since I can check if my horn and seat belts are functioning properly on my own , I decided to just schedule an oil change with the dealer, which costs $120 and covers the checking of fluid levels, resetting the computer and what not.

So much for an A-service.

CPanda

$6-7 k? You don't live in the US do you? I'm 21 and my rates vary from $800 - $2k a year depending on which policy and carrier.

Derspeed

You're gonna need 2 more quarts.

AMGfan

I stockpiled and have 24 qts sitting in my garage ! I checked with MB...they charge $8.56 per quart of Mobil 1. What a rip! If you ever need to top your oil...NEVER go to MB (unless you have a 2004 that has free maintenance and still in warranty).

Same goes for a battery...that is another rip-off.

chilledbenz

One word answers your question: EXPENSIVE!

That said the warranty is quite good, I never have any problems having my service department check out anything I think is wrong and if it is they don't give me the run around, they just fix it. As the other posters posted things such as tires, brakes, windshield wipers ect arent covered under the warranty, but you would be surprised what is, at least at my dealership they replace bulbs for free, which I would consider wear and tear but they replace them. The servicings (oil changes) are very expensive though. As far as the insurance part, one user said to get a used car to save money, but I found my insurance on my 08 C300 is only a few dollars more than my 04 BMW 328 was, due to the new advances in safety equipment. A thought...if your concerned about how much maintance is, you should probably look into a Acura or Lexus, put synthetic oil in those and run them for ever.

angeloxnet

my insurance is ONLY $10 more a month then my corolla.

They say it's safer, harder to steal, better resale value.

shyy

AMGFan my car auto insurance costs about 3000 per 6 months

Can you change car oil by yourself? Is it hard to do?

I would buy this car if it cost me 2000 annually for insurance in a heart beat

I'm thinking of putting my name on my dads insurance for 6 months so I can get a cheaper discount, but how cheap will I get?

norcal5

Good idea! Most of these inspections we can do ourselves.

narky

When I was researching for a new car, my choices truly ran the gamut. One of the choices was the new 08 Honda Civic Si Sedan (small, light, 200HP vTEC, cheap, practical, RELIABLE). I tried pulling insurance quotes from various providers on some of the cars, and I was really surprised to find that one company's rate for the C300 was significantly lower than that for the Civic Si. And the Civic, at 20k, costs roughly half-price! I guess that means the ins company trusts the C300 safeness/resistance to theft more. Good for us, I guess.

AMGfan

Well...car insurance really depends a couple of things:

Age
Marital Status
Demographic Area
Traffic Record (?)
Credit Rating(?)

You guys in the know chime in if their is anything else (I'm not sure on the last two)...I pay approx. $2000.00 annually on my E55, but I'm 42, married, live in an older demographic, no tickets, and good credit rating. I'm not sure what kind of discount you get if you go under your Dad's policy, but I think after a certain age (I'm guessing maybe 25) you can't be covered by your parent's policy.

I haven't changed the oil in the wifey's C300 yet, but I have in her long gone C230. It shouldn't be too difficult.

chilledbenz

Not exactly comparing apples to apples there either...run a Civic Ex instead of the Si and I'm sure it will come back more reasonable. The Si has always ran more expensive on insurance than the stock Civics due to insurance companies knowing whats under the hood and what you plan to do with your right foot while driving it. That said..Honda's do tend to be a little more expensive due to the fact they are always on the top ten most stolen car list every year.

RLE

<<I want to get a c class by summer, but my insurance is sky high, I'm 25 with no experience and its close to 6-7 grand annually. I was wondering since its a German car, how much does maintenance cost? Replace brakes, etc...
What does the warranty really cover? Is it worth it? How long and how many miles have you been driving and what kind of problem have you experienced?>>

There must be something you are not revealing to get an insurance quote like that.

The warranty covers most of the car but not normal wear items and scheduled maintenance. The warranty is included in the price of the car. Many dealers will provide alternate transportation when your car is in for warranty work.

One way to reduce maintenance costs on any car and particularly an MB (due to dealer labor rates) is to do it yourself. Even the most helpless and inept can learn to do things like oil changes and air filter changes, etc. Identical parts can be purchased in the aftermarket at considerable savings. Doing your own maintenance does not affect your warranty (federal law) but you should keep records of your work.

Some maintenance such as brake fluid changes are sometimes easier to pay someone else to do. As to pad changes, MB brake pad life gets longer all the time and it's likely not to be needed much before 40K miles.

shyy

RLE,

The only thing I have is one collection account which I'm still not paying for since it wasn't my fault.

Besides that, theres nothing else I can think of.

tanktube67

My Honda civic insurance is the most expensive of all my cars

pgk500

Hi guys,
I live in MA and I bought my insurance from liberty mutual and I pay 2040 for MB C300 2008 manual sports sedan for one year with full coverage and i am 24 years old.May be ur in the bad area or something but its just that I think I am lucky as my colleague bought a 2001 BMW 5 series and he got a quote of $3000.00.I love this car a true head turner and so much fun to drive its been a month since I bought it and I still look it up everyday on my computer.It has P2,multimedia and 18inch
AMG wheels a Benz is a benz.

shyy

I actually had a friend who would travel to Boston to get car insurance because its alot cheaper there.

altec9177

Join the military so you can qualify for USAA insurance. Definitely the cheapest available.

But then of course you couldn't afford the car!

imboom

If your insurance is that high, you might as well drive something cheap until your insurance goes down. If you buy a C300/C350 now with that ridiculous insurance rate, you wasted enough money to buy a C63 AMG in a few years. You're gonna kick yourself for making that dumb of a financial decision.

My C350 costs me $500/6months(1k/yr) for full coverage.

ColoradoDriver

Or the other option is to be old! I have switched from USAA to AARP through Hartford, because it is about 25% less than USAA (at least for me).