BMW215

As they say over on the BMW forums.....I have defected to the "Dark Side".
I do this willingly and of sound mind. Tomorrow, I will take delivery of my new C300 Luxury, 4-matic. It is a beautifully crafted well built, and safe machine. After owning 2 BMW's, which were terrific, I needed a change. I am 58 and will soon retire. Luxury, comfort and the understated elegance of the C Class will suit me better than the performance oriented 3 Series. Both BMW and MB build magnificent automobiles and between them, one cannot go wrong choosing what vehicle suits our needs. We are all, very, very fortunate to be able to posess these remarkable machines. Glad to be here!!!!!

BenTrovato

Glad to hear you're looking forward to the new vehicle and welcome to the dark side

C300Sport

Ah crap...why do I always end up on the Dark Side...

Glad to have you aboard and hope your new Luxury ride coddles you in saftey and comfort for years to come!

Sportstick

Welcome! It's great to have another member trained in writing in full sentences, with whole words! Keep your "Texting"-to-English dictionary handy! You're just 2 years ahead of me, but I pulled the retirement lever a year ago. I agree with your even-handed analysis of two great brands...we had several Bimmers many years ago, before I got involved in the domestic business. They are clearly different, but both excellent. Enjoy owning, driving, and, if the mood strikes, modifying your new car

Azn_C300

welcome to MBW. You'll find several ex-BMW, current-BMW, and future-BMW owners here as well. We're typically a little less harsh than several of those (especially e46fanatics, e90post, etc) forums, but not afraid to call you out as well

AMGTTV8

+1

Welcome!

Would love to hear your opinion on the differences between your previous 3 series experience and your new C once you have time to put some miles on her...

Enjoy her in good health - you'll be making mods soon!

Chris

E92-Lighting

congrats and welcome aboard

Pete7874

Congrats!

My fiancee has a C300 Sport 4Matic auto while I have an '02 530i manual. The 530i feels a bit more sporty due to the manual trans and just a nicer engine tone, and it also feels more luxurious/classy and is of course larger inside, but both are very nice cars. If the C300 had a manual trans, I think I wouldn't mind having one as a daily driver.

So far I think the biggest gripe for me are the cheap door locking pins that keep breaking off, yet they're the only way to unlock the doors from the rear. But that's a relatively small gripe, and the BMW has its quirks, too.

Sportstick

It does.......and you could!

C300Sport

Problem solved...
1) locate and purchase a manual C300
2) log onto to ebay, drop 30 bucks on a set of flush door pins
3) enjoy the ride...

Pete7874

Yeah, I know. I guess I worded it poorly. I meant that if my fiancee's car wasn't an auto, I wouldn't mind driving it to work now and then.

Pete7874

If they're flush, then how do you pull on them to unlock the rear doors?

C300Sport

I am glad you asked...
The fronts open when you pull the handle whether locked or unlocked. I had always assumed the rears did the same...until I just checked. Is there a child lock on the rear doors? I just looked at mine and don't see anything. There is a little rectangular opening where one would assume a child lock control would be but nothing. Maybe MB assumes a child couldn't pull up the pin without lots of trouble and that is there form of child lock??

Pete7874

Yeah, MB apparently wants you to break off the flimsy things so that nobody (child or adult) can get out.

C300Sport

Once I got mine replaced with the improved version, I haven't had any problems with them coming off. Has hers popped off after being replaced?

Pete7874

There is an improved version? If I ask the dealer, will they give me these updated pins?

snarlingchicken

Welcome to the forums Post pics of your 530xi! We'd love to see them.

C300Kid

who pulls up the door pins to unlock a door? that's so 1970. wait till the driver unlocks the doors or get it set so they automatically unlock when you shift into park.

Sportstick

"Park"? What's "Park"?

Pete7874

How? I see an option to automatically lock when you start driving, but nothing about automatic unlocking...

aekara27

I have also taken a step to the "dark side" (see thread Ex-328i owner, maybe the mods can merge). Mine was a pure financial decision as I found a pristine fully loaded 09 C350 with a ridiculous lease payment to assume. I have been driving the car now for 3 weeks and going from the C350 to my wife's 4.8i X5 is like night and day when it comes to driver dynamics. It’s the same as I remember my 328i. Personally I think MB must do something with their steering "feel". I thought with the AMG 18 inch wheels I would also be getting better road feel but nope. The 328i was better. I will probably change the rubber on it come this summer with a more performace oriented tire.

Also not having a 6-speed for the C350 is stupid IMO because if you are designing a car to compete with BMW and Audi for car nuts like myself a 6-speed is mandatory. The seven speed auto is fine once you get moving but really as I drove a friend’s C300 2 days ago I don’t see any reason why anyone would pay the extra money for the C350, especially when you can get the C300 in a 6-speed. Unless you are passing on the highway the engines feel kind of the same, with the manual C300 being more fun to drive, especially off the line. Also I don’t like the seats, compared to the sport seats of the BMW they are inferior in both comfort and do an average job of supporting you when you get a little aggressive with cornering.

Ok enough complaining. The ride is better than my sports packaged equipped 328i even with the AMG wheel/tire combo. It also has a much more cutting edge look to it. No question about it it’s a great looking car, nothing like it on the road, while the 3-series bimmer was never my cup of tea in the looks department. Still getting used to the NAV as I was/is very comfortable with the Idrive.

Personally I found the Idrive easier to get used to than the NAV in this car. I love the panoramic sunroof. The car feels roomier than the Bimmer, probably because of this feature.

I love the logic 7 system, heck BMW can’t compare to the sound system in this car, but then again I didn’t have the upgraded system in the 328i. I have it in the X5 but you can’t compare it really as there is a lot more space in the SUV for sound quality to be enhanced.

For now that is it, looking forward to exploring more of the features in this car. One thing that evident to me my 328i was a very solid build car, with very few problems (actually none really), while my X5 has been a bit of a lemon. I am very interested to hear/see for my self how the C-series will fair in the reliability department.

Spec_Davis

Welcome to the family! =)

Stucazzo

i was an ex-BMW owner (07 328xi) that just got his c300 last week. went from black to white (guess i came over to the lighter side). so far, cant complain, love the new benzo. I too needed a change, didnt want to get the same car again. loved the BMW, no problems....so far cant complain except i couldnt find a manual tranny, iphone cant send contacts to bluetooth and couldnt find a p2 package with folding seats and xenon headlights. besides all those, love the new car and cant wait to tint the windows and do a couple of other things. good luck with your MB, coming from BMW your gonna love it

Stucazzo

+1 on everything you said

S204HONGKONG

I also came from driving an E46 330i, now also enjoying my C280 (C300) but the steering feel is still not as direct as the BMW and the power delivery not as "vigorous" even in "S" mode. Having said that, the C-class looks miles better than the E90, which looks like a bar of soap