KenMDTO

Hi to everyone,

I have a 2012 CLS63 AMG as my daily driver, and it had a tough winter in TO last year: stuck twice in the snow (with winter tires), 2 bent rims and 3 tire replacements (due to potholes) and I never really used its power in TO traffic. I already have a fast track day car (Ferrari 458), so I was looking to trade in for the new face lifted CLS550 4MATIC, until I saw the new C400...

Good looking car, nice interior, AWD, fine for my daily 20 min. commute, but what really clinched the deal for me was the lease rates, 67% residual on 3 years! I have leased cars since the 90's, and I have never seen a residual this high in the frozen north. So I am saving almost a $ 1000 a month on a lease if a go from the CLS550 to the C400. That will pay for a nice vacation or two.

I could not spec the car myself, I have to take what the dealer had on order for me to go from one lease to the other,

So, the car will be a C400 4MATIC Iridium Silver/Black with Premium package and Sports package. I wanted one with every option (HUD, climate comfort seats, driver's assistance package) but they didn't have one on order, so I will have to make do.

Some will say why not the S-Class? My argument is I already have a family vehicle to commute the kids and an SUV for the wife, and my sports car, so I just need a car to get to work and not have my employees look at me with too much envy. The new C fit the bill perfectly.

I now realize AMG cars make no sense in Ontario with our stupid "racing" laws and horrible roads, I guess I'm just getting old. I will miss those burnouts, though.

I'm really looking forward to the new car.

Tjdehya

Congrats. I have never leased a car so I don't know all the details and have never thought about educating myself about leases.
I pretty much just focus on one number and that the monthly payment. Do you mind sharing your lease details? PM me or post them.

I will be trading my E for the W205 C63 but that might be a year away. I have been contemplating trading in my E for a C400 until the C63 production begins.

abstractls

Yeah I'm actually considering the lease. In Maryland the pain is you have to pay the full taxes on the car up front though. If you decide to buy it out you don't have to pay any taxes though. I'm considering it to keep payments lower initally and in case there are bugs to work out on the car. Plus my salary has over doubled in the llast 3 years so who knows 3 years fro now I may want an E AMG or something.

rage2

The CLS550 4Matic is a beast in the winter (Calgary here). I got a smoking deal on my CLS550 2 years ago, the monthly payment difference between the C400 and the CLS550 is only $300/month for me.

Also note that the C400 payment calculator on the MB Canada site is wrong (at least it was last week), it doesn't add in interest or PDI fees. A loaded C400 4Matic spec'd out at $67k works out to $1000/month payments.

blue00r6

$1000 a month?? Holy cow -

rage2

Yea, I'm trying to figure out why there's such a huge discrepancy between the web quote vs the actual quote. Something is wrong somewhere...

mac911

The $1000 was the savings compared to his CLS 63.

Thanks for sharing your story Ken. The CLS 63 must be a sweet vehicle! I wonder if you could have went to a smaller wheel to deal with the bent rims?

In my climate, I would take a CLS 63 over a C400. Nevertheless, in your climate it sounds like you will appreciate the 4Matic, plus the brand new design and features of the W205.

If you do go this route, enjoy your C400! More AMGs will be coming 4Matic over time, so later on you may be able to get your wish of 4Matic and AMG in more models.

rage2

Pretty sure it was CLS550 compared to C400.

KenMDTO

Correct, from my CLS63 to the C400 it would be a savings of $ 1500 per month under the same terms, granted the CLS63 was fully optioned. However, it's hard to justify the extra coin for a 20 min. commute a day. The only thing I will need to get used to is that the C does feel downmarket compared to the CLS, but the extra $18,000 a year I save can buy some nice suits and vacations. And I always have my Ferrari as my weekend/party toy.

rage2

I don't know how you can feel downmarket in the new C, aside from the letters of the model on the trunk. I've spent time with the w205 C since the unveil in Detroit, driven it quite a bit last week, and it feels in every way better than the CLS. The interior is nicer than the CLS, which is ridiculous for the price point.

aowhaus

You will like the C400 4matic.
Having a smaller, more nimble car in TO makes sense, as traffic here is really bad with endless construction and seems like it's getting worse every year.
Luckily I live and work downtown so I only drive on the weekends.
My W204 with 4matic has performed very well even on the worst winter conditions and on the roughest roads which there are a lot of.

A little while ago I saw the new C in the dealership when I took my car into service. It is very stunning in person and at first I thought it was the new S-class when I saw it across the showroom. The interior is much nicer than more upmarket models from BMW and Audi (such as the 5-series and A6), and the amount of features is impressive.

It's too bad I don't drive much and my car is still in like-new condition because this is the car I want to get. It's far more interesting than the E-class and doesn't compare to anything in its class.

Enjoy your new C!