I got the same feeling. Im a die-hard BMW fan, and I really wanted to like the 135i...was so excited about it, but I just didn't fall in love with it no matter how many times I drove it..

 

I know the feeling...I have loved the look of several BMWs through the years, but just never get the "gotta have" feeling when I test drive one...not even certain why??

 

You know what car I really loved is the '08+ Audi TT. If they had offered a 2.0T with a 6 speed manual I may have bought that.

 

The service figures mentioned above are a bit off for my area. I will assume each dealership can set their own pricing but mine are as follows. Service A $249 Service B $389 Service C $249..it basically flip flops as A and C are the same service. As you can see its not exactly cheap to own a Mercedes and keep in mind that after 4 years or 50k miles the original new car warranty expires and the price on repairs are crazy (this goes for all German cars though not just MB). Don't want to scare you off, just want you know what your getting into.

I have been with Mercedes now for about ten years and wouldn't go back to any other company. The cars and the service are unbeatable (at least at my dealership, not all dealerships are the same). I do however have some quibbles over my C class and would find it hard to recommend it to someone in search of a new car. Not because its a bad car, but that the price has now ballooned too high for what your getting. If you can get a great deal, say in the $5k off sticker price your alright, anything over that and I feel you can get a better deal on a different model. The typical C300 4matic with P1 is starting at $41k and a ML350 P1 can easily be had for $42k - $44k range with more options, more engine, and better resale. You can also now get a GLK350 P1 for nearly the same price as a C300 4matic P1, no discounts on those though so expect to pay full price for at least a model year. But I'm sure they are willing to deal on the C class as well in most cases and around $5k off is a good starting point.

As for the Sport model, I really wish I hadn't gone with it. I had a chance to drive a Luxo loaner around and felt the ride was much better than my Sport. There are also the nagging Sport problems such as broken fog lights, and the staggered width wheels that can't be rotated and seem to be wearing out much faster than they should. I love the Sport look, but if you slap a Sport grille into a Luxo its kinda hard to tell the two a part honestly (unless your a Benz freak like me lol).

The 4matic is a must for me, I wouldn't own a Mercedes with out it. Some people here are all macho and like to tell everyone how nice the rwd car drives in the winter, and I'm sure it does, but if you can have added safety and peace of mind for $1k more...why not? Only way I would not recommend it is if you were in a state that receives little or no snow/rain fall, in that sort of situation it doesn't make much sense.

 

^ Thanks a lot for that, it was really helpful.

Yeah I think I'll probably be sticking with the Merc. I just enjoyed driving it so much more than the other cars that I test drove.
Hopefully I'll close out the deal on the lease by the end of this month.

 

Hey Chilledbenz, I share alot of same sentiments about the c-class. I am first time mb owner however, coming off a bmw. I do feel the price/value ratio isn't quite there, especially when bmw had the 0.9% APR deals back in the winter. I wouldn't pay stickers for sure.

on other thoughts, how are you staggering your wheels when you have 4matic? maybe that would explain your quick tire wears?

 

Just curious to all the BMW owners

Did I miss anything by not owning a BMW first? I enjoy my MB too much that I don't think I'd switch over- just upgrade to next class or MB in my budget....

 

nah, depends on really what you want and how you drive really.... I know people who would swear by bmw's fun drive and would never switch but I'm at a point of my life where I want more refinement/comfort/practicality than just driving fun. The w204 is such a car, it doesn't excel in anything particular but its well balanced in every aspect.

 

Believe it or not..thats stock. All the info online and in the brochures say that the staggered width wheels aren't an option, but all 4matic Sports come with them anyways

If I had to do it over again I would have went with the Luxo and just put the Sport grille conversion kit in. I really needed a new car at the time and couldn't hold off a year until the GLK hit the showrooms. I've had some problems, but they all seemed to happen shortly after it was new and things have been calm as of late (crosses fingers). If the economy decides to pick up later this year I think I'll trade it in for a late build or left over GLK.