highrise

In my quest to narrow down the color and options choices, I have been monitoring the dealer inventory of most of the dealerships in my area so I can go see things in person before making a final decision. As such, I have noticed that it seems like very few C300s have been removed from the dealership inventory lists (The C400 is still extraordinarily rare).

In one example, I test drove a C300 with the sport package and a good amount of options (~$52,000). Two days later it was removed from the inventory list of that dealer and when I asked about it the salesman told me that it had been placed into the service loaner program. It wasn't sold.

Anecdotally, I have yet to see one on the road. But I've seen 5 or 6 of the Lincoln MKC, which went on sale only about a week or two before the new C-Class did. I'm just starting to get a little bit frustrated that now that I am fairly certain about which color combination and options I want, I am most likely going to have to place an order, yet unsold C300s appear to pile up locally. It seems that dealerships forgot about the CLA price range when they placed their initial C-Class orders.

alsyli

I've seen one new C-class so far (and I live and work in affluent areas).

I've seen NO MKCs, though.

NYC-Style

I've yet to see one here in Vegas...as of last week my salesman said none have been sold. However none of the 5 special orders have been received either. They also only had one C400 in stock. The C300's they did have though were lightly optioned...as someone else stated that may have been done to prevent sticker shock. My sales guy says there is a six month wait on the CLA. I'm still expecting a November delivery...but the fact that sales are somewhat slow may be to our advantage when negotiating...

Leslielp

I have not seen one on the road myself. When I test drove both models I did feel the eyes of the world on me, and they did give me lots of space (secretly scoping me out . I think its distinctive enough to spot on the road.
When I went through the inventory with my salesman it did look like there were a few builds in the system but not a lot. There were two on the sales floor and 300 and 400 for test drives.
Since its not "Officially" Launched here in Canada that may change.

amp512

You guys have to realize we are talking about 45-55k car not mainstream 20-25k. How many people can afford 50k cars realistically? Even if it is leased.

joshg1001

^^ depends where you live. Those like myself who live in larger cities like SF, LA, NY see luxury cars everywhere.

"We're not in Kansas anymore!"

I have yet to see one either, but the new S class is starting to pop up.

djejglk

I think the c class will make a gentle appearance. Those who have money to burn will go s class, and everyone else and their dog is trying to get a cla.

The new c class seems to be a very nice, mid sized luxury sporty car that the price has increased somewhat significantly on. Many people bought the w204, but I see more people buying a cla now, given the price. Of course it's not as nice, but the c class pretty much moved up a class on it's own, as did the price.

It's not "obtainable" as easily as it once was, and harder to justify spending 45k and up on a car these days (myself included. i bought my c250 new for about 37k, there was no way i was even considering spending above 40k, which is where the new one starts).

Unless you really just want the c class instead of an e or s (money not being a factor), then the whole 'cheapest mercedes' bandwagon may continue with a little more force on the cla. I'm not sure if that made sense, lol..sorry.

I guess I'm trying to say that a good number of people go to a mercedes dealership with a budget in mind. They start looking at the cars they can afford. My guess is that will be the cla/gla for the masses. That's exactly why there are so many w204's on the road - it was the smallest and most affordable for quite some time. Push the price up $5000 and quickly beyond, that charming little c class starts to look a little more stuck up. I LOVE the w205 btw, and would consider getting a CPO c300, but that pushes things back a year or two.

There's a good chance that a lot of people are thinking this way, IMO. It would be a smart way to get in one, and let the kinks settle (if there are any).

All of this adds up to a slowly infused w205 population on the road. I don't think they're selling like hotcakes. The cla is though. BUT, this is actually a good thing overall, if my logic is correct, because dealers would be more willing to make deals, and not charge MSRP or have bad lease deals (once again, cla, are your ears ringing yet?)

Germancar1

OMG lol, the car has been on sale for a week and we're already speculating about how poorly it is selling. This board is something else. No one here knows anything about how it is selling. What you see on the road means absolutely nothing. You'll have to wait to see what the Sept and Oct sales numbers say or even later since the W204s are still being sold off now.

M

spyked

Just wait....MB isn't about to let BMW win the sales crown without a fight. There will be lease specials on the C300 very soon.

NYC-Style

You're correct in that it's only been since Aug 25th...but based on what the sales folk are saying...they don't see these moving as quickly as hoped (at least initially). The lack of the RWD till 1st quarter 2015 appears to be one of the biggest gripes. I would expect that once the RWD become available sales will increase...but as with anything else only time will tell. But as you mentioned dealerships still have an inventory of W204's to move and I'm sure they'll be offering incentives. I'll keep my eyes peeled in search of the 1st one I'll see here in Vegas...

djejglk

You're right. I hope my 2013 c250 value doesn't take a dump, as I'd gladly take a w205 any day.

Germancar1

Oh I'm sure there is some price shock and I wouldn't want AWD either, but in certain markets like Chicago/NYC/Boston/Minneapolis 4Matic is a must and I'd bet they're moving in those markets. What they really need is a RWD C400 to bring that price down. It won't be until all the W204s are cleared out before we can get a real clear picture of how the W205 is selling. Here in Dallas at Park Place they have a lot of orders on the books.

M

pamiboy

You said it.... You'd gladly take a 205 any day.... That's precisely why the value of 2013 c will take a hit.

highrise

I seem to have expressed myself badly. The new C-Class is worth the money they are charging, but it has now moved into the segment where buyers expect to get exactly what they want. In previous generations, there were buyers (not ALL buyers of course) that decided they wanted a Mercedes and as long as the car had some minimal key options packages, they would buy it. The CLA takes that section of the buyer pool now, so the C-Class can be sold like the E and S are now. My local dealer has, in stock, nearly every color that the E and S are offered in, and all interior color that are available. This is what the E and S buyer expects. What are they doing for the new C? Almost every single one of the 20-something 2015 C-Classes that they have in stock sports black MB-Tex and is silver, white or black.

If that is what people actually wanted to buy, I would think that they would be buying them. But they don't seem to be. It's not that I think the car is bad or too expensive or anything like that. I think that dealerships have completely botched their initial orders. I'm ready to buy but I can't.

NYC-Style

You hit the nail on the head...I would buy now as well if they had something that was optioned at least close to what I want. My sales guy says the initial shipments they're receiving are determined by MB and not necessarily the dealership...in either case it seems there are more folks waiting for a delivery than those actually buying off the lot.

Glyn M Ruck

W205 sales are excellent internationally. All plants are being placed under pressure.

frank69m

Here in Southern California, the head of the world for every BMW and Mercedes model you can think of, I've NOT seen one C on the road and I travel a lot.

SofFMike

Here in France they are selling very well. I see others all the time including rentals from the big companies. I had a six week wait in June for mine.

highrise

That sounds about right. In Europe, where it is more common for a buyer to place an order with the dealer and then wait for the car to arrive, everyone can get what they want. In North America it is more common for the buyer to purchase an existing car from the dealer's inventory, we are at the mercy of what has been ordered by the dealer. Placing a specific order like is done in Europe can take even longer because the factory is building a lot of cars for dealer inventory.

However, I think I may have found the colors and options I am looking for at a dealer about 12 hours from me, and I can get a direct flight straight to that city. If I can find the time, I might be able to go get it.

joshg1001

Saw my first one today on the road...lol

Germancar1

What does that mean though? LOL, it has been out for one week.

M

aznmode

My dealer in San Jose only had 1 and it was silver luxury 4matic with panoramic. I first saw it on the road and saw it pull in to the dealer. I think it was being test ridden. Stopped in later and saw the car out in the lot.

highrise

I test drove one 3 weeks ago. If you look at the online inventory of dealerships, you'll see the Mercedes dealer in Van Nuys has 144 C300s. I'm guessing that not all of them are actually on the dealer lot, but it is clear that cars are available to purchase, and have been available for some time now.

Germancar1

You think they have 144 W205 C300s or is that a mix of W204s and W205s?

M

alsyli

In looking at the website, it says that they're all 2015 models. However, many of them don't have an odometer reading (so I assume they're not actually on the lot) and, perhaps even more strangely, they're all "Luxury" models. I'm not sure I believe their on-line listing of stock b/c I really doubt that any US dealer is going be carrying that many Luxury models.


The Beverly Hills dealership (which generally carries a huge stock of cars) only has a little under 60 W205s, so, again, I'm not sure if one should trust the reporting of the Van Nuys dealership....