Hi guys been browsing the forums for a few weeks while I'm looking to buy my first Mercedes CPO, hoping you guys can help.

I'm looking to buy a 2012 C250 sedan 4-matic.

After researching I've decided to go with CPO over used even though there's a difference of almost 10k... is it really worth it?

I'm looking for suggestions on the pricing and options.

2 options I have...

$25,000 for a 2012 cpo c250 4 matic with about 50k -no sunroof. With this option i can keep my paymens under $350/ month

Or

$30,000 for the same car except it has the premium & amg package with sunroof. Payments around $390 /month.

Do you think 30k is priced high for a 2012 c250 4matic with almost 60k? Really i do want the sunroof but I feel like the price is high... you can get a c300 for that price.

My max budget is 28k taxes in... should I stretch my budget? Negotiate lower? Or cry about not getting a sunroof but with a lower payment?

 

Looking at your profile I am guessing you are in Canada? If so, are you talking Canadian dollars or US dollars? And are you talking miles or kilometers?

If it is US and miles, those prices really seem very high.

Was the C250 offered with 4matic in 2012? Can't seem to find any for sale at any price here in the US on either Autotrader or cars.com.

 

Yes i am in Canada, $cdn and KM

You can find a used fully loaded 2012 c250 in the auto trader for about $21,000

The CPO from the dealer in Canada is priced at $29,000 ... compared to same car with no sunroof at $25,000.

I believe all 2012 c250s in Canada are 4matic.

 

So, the difference between a CPO car and a non-CPO car is $8K Canadian/$6K US. Man, that seems like a huge difference provided the one for $21K has had regular maintenance and is otherwise in great condition. Essentially you are betting that you would spend $8K in repairs over the next few years on the non-CPO car. Although anything can happen, I highly doubt you would come anywhere close to that short of a catastrophic failure. The mileage you are looking at is pretty low and the car is not that old. It all depends on how much you value the peace of mind. That is something only you can answer. If it was me, I would look for a non-CPO car, save the money and take my chances. Let us know how you end up.

 

Thanks for your advice, another thing i'm considering is the financing rate at Mercedes is 1.9% compared to about 5.99% at the used dealer... so when its all done using the same down payment ill have close to the same monthly payment at those rates.

And after days of research a lot of people recommend CPO.

 

Seems extremely overpriced. I bought a 2012 C300 with many options 1 year ago with 45k miles for 24k USD

 

You can get a CPO 2013 C300 for ~ C$30k.

 

Im considering getting the 300 now since its the same price and has all the options i want...

The dealer told me gas mileage is better on the c300 since the 250 is 4matic and will burn more gas.. do you think thats true?

 

are you getting a 4matic c300 or rwd? where do you live? factor in if you need the 4matic you can get a 2012 c300 4matic with 50000-60000km for less than 30k in canada . shop around find one with maintenance records and no accidents save your self the head aches in advanced.

the gas milage on my c300 4 matic is 11/100 km city 9-10/100km highway don't quote that but its damn close ill have to check my dash.

 

The c300 is 4-matic aswell..

I'm wondering if I'll save much on gas mileage going with the 250 4-matic?

 

if your that worried about milage don't buy a C Class. smart cars go 4L/100km LOL joking.... but seriously these cars are recommend 91 octane and thats over a dollar! regular is like .85 if you don't care about the car put in regular. but the milage is roughly the same and it all depends on how you drive the car if you drive slow I'm sure youll get good milage but if you hammer it down good luck. I'm pretty sure i average 11L/100km. but I live in the country and in canada usually snow is crazy I need the 4matic to plow over the uncleaned country roads.

2013+ models have ECO mode which lots of people absolutely hate! it basically turns your car off at stops and turns it on again when u hit the gas super annoying but it in theory saves you gas but god knows what wear and tear it puts on other parts of the car. you can turn it off but it comes on every time u start the car.

where in Canada are you looking for a car if you don't mind me asking.

 

Thanks for the reply, Im looking in the Toronto area.. there's 2 fully loaded 2012 c250s listed at $29,000 with about 50k.. if I drop the sunroof it's $24,000 but I don't think I'm willing to do that.

On the other side there's a few 2012 c300s with the same options for $28,000 and 40k.

I can get 1 of those 250s for 30,000ish tax in or a 300 for the same or hopefully lower.

I'm trying to keep my max at $28k tax in.

I can't find much advice on 4matic 250 vs. 300. Which 1 is the better choice overall??

 

I bought my 2013 c350 38K miles well optioned for about $24.5K from a used car dealership near my house about 7 months ago. I trusted this car because:
1. it was still under warranty
2. carfax was clean / 1 owner / all maintenance up to date with the major service done at 38K. bought the car with literally less than 100 miles after it was serviced. lucky me

im am now at 45K miles with no problems whatsoever. haven't done anything to the car other than exhaust mods/carbon fiber ad ons etc. engine hasn't been touched since i bought the car. i brought it in the mercedes dealership last month to swap out a dash trim piece under warranty for premature wear and tear. they did a complementary multi-point inspection and EVERYTHING was perfect other than needing new tires. Im about to do oil change with it. My point it, doesn't matter where you buy the car or if it's CPO as long as everything is up to date with some sort of proof or request a PPI to negotiate a lower price if they find anything.

 

theres tons of dealer ships in that area I suggest to go to many one Saturday and see what they have. When i did that I found I was getting different a vast variety of prices some super high some low. 28k is a good number and you should have no issue to find a 2012 c300 4matic or 250 4matic. HONESTLY its all preference I personally didn't like the 250 it was quick in first second then died out the 300 has more power in the long run but the lag is annoying in all the cars some time u step on it it goes like a wild man some time it take a could seconds for the power to kick in.

theres lots of people who love the 250 over the 300 and vice versa to be honest id go with a c63 amg if I could go back lol (fell in love with it on a test drive )BUTTTT wasn't realistic in the long run in the future I'm 110% buying one.

anyways i love my c300 4matic I've had it for a year now in a few weeks I got it from MB Mississauga on mavis for a steal of a price for 2012 CPO 50,000km all maintenance records and no accidents

it took me 3 months to find the car I liked so don't rush the process test drive many models and again its all personal opinion you'll never get a straight answer to which is better it will just cause arguments lol

 

Mstaff,

For a few thousand more buy the C300. Just to let you know the +2012 C250s are turbo 4 not V6 (except some left over 2.5 liter V6s from the previous year), don't have HID lights (not even a option I think for this model). Just the engine and headlamps makes the C300 in Canada more bung for buck than the C250 period. Also fuel consumption will be almost the same specially while city driving. I would not consider a 10-15k mileage difference as a big deal as you are just looking at 1 year or less of driving to get that if that is your ticket in getting a C300. As long as it is still under the 4 years warranty and you have the option of getting the ELW go for it. On my experience my C300 started breaking down after the 4 years and I accumulated of more that $10k worth of repairs which made the $2k cost of the ELW worth it.

One more thing. Since you are in Toronto I strongly recommend getting the 4matic. It is rare anyway to find a c-class in Canada not in 4matic even on a C350. C-class are not great in gas. You will get 11-12L/100km and during heavy traffic and snow season you will even get 14-16L/100km.

 

The c300 is actually the same price as the loaded c250.

I think Mercedes bumped up the prices this month for there 3 month payment waiver special going on.

 

I have a 2012 C300 4matic that I like a lot. It is a CPO car and I would not own a car like this that was not under warrantee. Be aware routine maintenance costs are VERY high.

 

Your options seem overpriced. I purchased a clean 2009 c300 4matic fully loaded (all packages including panorama roof) with 49k miles for $20,000 cash 3 years ago. It was from Mercedes Benz NYC but not CPO. You may want to do the conversions and see how this compares to your options. Is the CPO warranty actually worth it to you? I would think of it this way: if the CPO car currently meets Mercedes Benz standards, it means the car is fully functional. If the car has been okay for this long, what are the chances a manufactured defect covered under CPO will suddenly occur if it has not by now? You are going to need the money for routine maintenance/service, which you will done by a trusted professional if you are owning the car long-term.

Check the service records to see if the transmission flush was performed, otherwise your 4matic will need it in a couple hundred miles. The tranny is an expensive maintenance that should be done by around the milage you are listed. The transmission in the 4matics has been known to fail above normal rates in the past. However if the transmission service was performed and the CPO status granted it means the car was most likely Okayed.

Also you may want to look into Canadian used car law, for instance in New York 90 days of warranty is included on pre-owned car purchases by law.

Also this is a personal choice, with your situation I would lease a CLA 4matic or C300 4matic. Use low-tier gas and be cheap regarding maintenance. The 2012 you are looking at is aging, like my car, and the maintenance costs of older age is going to add up fast e.g. tranny service is $800+, certain materials under the hood could start to deteriorate. The depreciation you will face from owning and driving the car could offset additional costs associated with a lease. Sure a couple years from now you may own the 2012, but how many miles will it have by then, how old will it be, and in what condition will it be in after seeing more Canadian winters? As an owner, I do not recommend buying a used c300. Good luck!