MasterMoparSB

I brought my Merc W211 in for service today and received a 08' C300 4matic with 6200 miles. I gotta say after a day with it so far I'm pretty impressed. I can see what clarifies the lower price compared to an E, some of the materials are cheaper, like hard plastic instead of soft leather-like vinyl the w211s center console is. This one doesn't have navigation, only a memory drivers seat, no xenons or headlight washers but it is a sport, so it looks great. It's black on black. I really like the car, it's still a Merc but the only thing is I think it's a little over priced. ($37k new?) This car would sell better is it was mid 30s as is, $34k would make a better deal.

The steering is more responsive, the 7 speed is better than the 5 speed in my E, and the brake pedal is very hard compared to the E but I got used to it and I like it.

Not a bad car, I think it makes the perfect younger family type car.

LILBENZ230

I like the W204, too, but I think for a family you'd do better with a fully loaded Camry or Accord. Cheaper, too.

MasterMoparSB

I would rather have a C-Class 1000x over those ugly, ****ty ***, and boring, Jap cars.

C300Kid

Well the Accord is quite a bit bigger..prob better for a family..I'd still take the Merc.

I think the C-Class is the perfect car for a young, single student/professional..works for me.

JFOUR

The W204 was a no brainer for me because I wanted a manual transmission and I wanted something different. In my town if you pull into the parking lot of the local shopping plaza you will see all the E Class, Lexus RX, BMW, AKA: Me Too cars with mindless women climbing out with their Blackberrys plastered to their skull or old men. You don’t see too many C300 sports around and when you do – you look and admire and often notice the other driver doing the same. You’re right they are both overpriced. The C should be in the mid to upper 30s and the E should be in the mid to upper 40s. I don’t really think the quality or looks of the E are that much better considering the price difference and only being two letters up in the alphabet. The C-Class is aimed at a younger crowd and the interior design I think makes it more appealing to its target market. I was a little unsure about the interior when I first got the car but it has grown on me quite a bit. I did notice that the interior of the C-Class is SO much nicer in European specification. You get a more robust 3 zone HVAC with REST, a nice looking cover that rolls out over the cup holders, etc. These may be small items but they make a big difference inside.

coolvi

C is the perfect transition from aggressive/active to a sophisticated and more mature stage, but not yet luxurious/classic. The majority of the audience is not or no longer looking for carbon fibre parts, racing stickers, and/or GT-wings and certainly not the leather/orange-ish wood trim and/or the conservative appearance. IMHO, the C and Ikea in the furniture world share the same target audience, for the lack of better analogy.

Sportstick

Great analogy.......though my C300 came fully assembled!

Peabody

Really? I love my C class and hate IKEA. Here's my "new" desk for my office I'm restoring.. It's about 30 hours of work in so far, and I'm about to start applying tung oil to the legs and body, then polishing the surface (yes that's still unpolished!) It's a Dark Walnut worktable for 2 (36" x 72") manufactured by Drexel approximately 1940. I'm just excited to be in the home stretch on it and it's not totally off topic since you brought up furniture!!

Glyn M Ruck

You bought a 204 for the MT. Probably the weakest part on the car. - Sucks!

Agree on Euro trim/spec.

C300Sport

Aww come on Glyn....we didn't buy them for the transmission itself...obviously...
We bought them because the total package of which the manual transmission is an important part of....God it would be nice to have my gearbox click into the gears as smooth and clean as a Miata.
Who knows, maybe after I get my snychros sorted out, I will be happy as she is.

Sportstick

I have to agree....an MT was the basic requirement for me and....

- new Audi A4 was in launch phase with 100% AT build
- 3 Series forced run flats, easily replaceable, but the dunderheads in Bavaria did away with the spare tire package, which meant using the trunk for a more-than-50-mile spare.
- Haven't yet found a Japanese car I liked and that did not feel "cheap" and "tinny" (see thread on C300 interior) compared to the feel of Europeans, yes, even Lexi.

So, off to the MB showroom, where the MT is the weak link, but this is the art of compromise....the least worst alternative! The rest of the C300 is great, although that BMW steering....oh, well!

LILBENZ230

Boring, I'll give you. Ugly, well that is subjective. Crappy? Let's not be ignorant. I love Mercedes too, but I'm not a fanboi, and I give respect where respect is due and Honda/Toyota have the family car formula perfect. Safe, reliable, high quality, and under the radar.

thompsonrobertw

can't have it all, but i wish the steering wasn't so light

MB300AMG

+1

Absolutely agreed. They make some decent vehicles even if they aren't sporty.

By the way I like your signature lol!

Derspeed

I like the manual. The throws are a bit long, but the gearing is great. I rarely have to shift on the highway and in town and on the curves it's good fun. My brother has a W211 (E500). I don't like the interior as well as the W204's.

C300Kid

+1

this comes close to ruining the car for me..but thankfully other areas make up for it.

i still dont understand why mercedes put numb steering and a sloppy manual gearbox in a SPORT model. The 3 series crushes the C300 in that area. Lucky for mb the C looks way better.

huy801

There's nothing wrong with having a W204 and a family. I have a 2008 C300 4matic, and an 8 month old. I was looking at other vehicles, but decided on the W204 because it is much safer than any Japanese vehicle, the car feels much more solid, it has AWD, and it looks great inside and out. Plus the got a great deal on the vehicle. The rear seats are tight with the Child-seat Recaro, but its one of the safest child seats, and it looks cool.

MBnewby

How was the fit with a rear facing infant carrier when your kid was younger? We have a two year old and a new baby and man is it tight in that backseat for a rear-facing infant seat! I can't even fit it in there behind my seat so I'm going to have to put it behind the passenger seat and move my oldest son's seat behind mine. Then only a 5' person may be able to ride in the front passenger seat with the infant seat behind them. I traded from a crossover so I was shocked at the lack of room back there. I'll make it work...I have to but wondered what your experience was?

huy801

We never had to use a rear-facing seat in my vehicle, I just bought the vehicle two months ago and decided to place the Recaro in the front facing configuration, which my son loves.

The Recaro we have allows both configurations, but the seat allows adjustment of the recline angle while in the rear-facing configuration. It shouldn't be too bad, I'm lucky, my wife barely makes the 5' mark. In the rear-facing configuration it takes up tons more space. We are planning on having another child in a couple years and I will be in the same scenario as you, it will be tight but manageable. My wife's car is larger (not by much) and we could take hers if it is too uncomfortable.

jstaneff

Not having children in the house anymore made my decisions easier. My main objective was to be able to slide my briefcase behind the driver's seat for ease of access in my commute. The floor is also a convenient storage spot for a cheap rain jacket.

I discovered that while I'm of average height, sliding the seat to a more comfortable position meant that it was too tight for the briefcase. Arrgh. So, I moved the steering wheel in toward the dash, then reset everything. Fit is much better.

We tend to forget that the wheel is telescoping. That means that you can position it further away and still be comfortable, giving more rear seat room.

What's strange about this is that the C isn't just a small sedan, it meets the European size standard for a small family sedan. Being of European stock myself, I find that MB's design engineers seem to have allowed function to follow form in this case. Sure the car looks great, but when I need to haul people, I'll take my Volvo.

Carsy

There is plenty of room in the C Class for labradors & pool salt in the back seat & groceries, cases of wine & drums of fuel in the boot. Speaking of wine ,did you know the engineer who designed the boot/trunk was a wine connoisseur ?. Exactly 8 cases of wine fit very neatly in the boot with finger access all round!!

dadangman

sporrtyy meeet classy! love the sound it makes when u gas it =)

OJwerks

im not a fan of the steering feel of the W204, same as many other "new" cars as i thnk you feel disconnected from the car ... other than that, its an awesome car.

NickCats

MBnewby,

I actually bought my car with the primary purpose of being a baby hauler. I have had a rear-facing baby carrier in the car since the day I bought it, and I have more than enough room. Ours has a base system ( which remains in the car ) and then the carrier that goes along with the child. I have it positioned in the middle of the rear seat, and I do not even have to change my seat position when the carrier is in the car ( and I sit with the seat pretty far back ). I have had my wife and her parents all in the car with the baby and everyone was comfortable ( a little cramped in the back but not too bad ). Much more room than my wife’s A4.

Hope that helps…

Nick

MBnewby

Not trying to take over this thread but thanks for the input. I have a 2 year old son and a newborn so I'm not able to put an infant carrier in the middle of the back seat. I doubt it would fit with my 2 yr old's front facing seat already back there. I'm going to put my oldest son's seat behind my seat and the baby behind the passenger seat. I suspect that I will have to get used to riding closer to the dash...didn't realize how little room is back there or how much room the child seats take up. Luckily we do have my wife's CR-V for family outings. Really glad that I didn't go with the 335i which has even less room.