Peabody

BMW offered me $6,000 on my trade in... They said they didn't have the capital for trading in cars at the moment. Mercedes offered me $20,000, so it was a no brainer for me. Also the BMW was more expensive and Mercedes Command package blows the BMW away.

EASYDOES1T

Um... I don't think the 3 series looks flashy at all. Just my opinion. I guess I'm a little biased as well lol.

Peabody

My only complaint about BMWs in general is that they look a bit feminine.


Looks way too much like this:

samthong

That is very very funny.

lithium332

Another discrepancy?

"if you are deciding on the basis of power and will brook no argument on that, then the Mercedes delivers marginally more than the BMW, 230hp to 228hp."

on the bottom it says:

BMW 3 series
Engines:230-hp 3.0-liter dohc 24-valve inline-6

Mercedes-Benz c class
Engines:228-hp 2.8-liter V6

Dr.Brian

The deal breakers for me with the BMW were the lower headroom, especially the rear headroom, and the trunk access. The extra inch or so makes a big difference when you're tall. It also seemed to be easier to get the kids buckled in the back of the Benz. That's probably a combination of rear seat/seatbelt position and roofline/height. The decision between a pretty basic 5 and a loaded C was a bit more difficult.
When I looked at the BMWs, the salesman basically asked, "what can I do to get you into a BMW today?" To which I replied that I was ready to buy, but I wanted the best value for my money. He looked at me like I had 2 heads and he had never heard that before. This was when the economy was still really in the tank in Nov/Dec. Nobody was buying anything. He gave me some BS about being a high volume dealer, don't need to discount, etc etc. I told him that his competition was much more open to negotiating on price, and that was something I was interested in. He wrinkled his nose and asked what other cars I was considering. Ahhh? Audi, Mercedes, Lexus? As he went into his ultimate driving machine talking points, I surveyed his large lot, absolutely overflowing with cars on top of cars parked everywhere, on the grass, drive paths, etc, literally occupying every available inch of space and said call me when you are interested in making a deal and moving one of your sedans. I gave him my card. No call. I drove up in a Range Rover, so it's not like I can't afford a 40-50k car. I think they got used to the things selling themselves. Turns out I could get a killer deal on a C, so that sealed the deal for Benz.

haykf1

I am a BMW guy, I have 04 M3 Coupe and 98 323ti. I was never thought I will get C350 Sport as a family car. I love BMW, they are for fun and they drive much sportier than any MB. I test drove bunch of 328, 335, but they were a bit too stiff with runflats for a family. Then I test drove C300, it was too soft for me and down on power. C350 is best when it comes to ride comfort, looks and interior. I love the look of C350 Sport it looks 100 better than 328i. I am comparing just 4door cars. It will be my daily driver, but I keep M3 for fun and weekend racing. MB lacks BMW responsiveness, but it adds some more luxury, better look and very nice ride.

Carsy

I found the ride to harsh on the run flats.

There was no spare which leaves one totally at risk especially when running intercity.

The interior seemed "busy' & cluttered compared to the C Class.

The dealer was a "dick head"

BlackjackM

That article is rife with typos. It also said that the C300 has a 2.8 liter engine. Hard to believe that they could actually get that wrong.

boylston

The article also states that C300 has 17 cubic feet of cargo space--

Wrong! My old S has only 16 ft.

E92-Lighting

BMW's are more flashy i believe