mihaelb

Space issues in the rear aside...

just like some of you guys on here don't understand why people would ever want a sunroof, I don't understand how someone would not (well, aside from the really hot climates where it's a struggle to stay cool regularly)!

I (personal opinion, this is not an attack) always hated black interiors, and even dark brown ones are a stretch for me (although the cranberry one available on the w205 I do like). I would never buy a car with a black interior, and in the w205, will probably end up with the beige one.
As for sunroof, ditto: after not having it in two cars, and finally getting it in my last, I would NEVER buy a car without a sunroof. Infact, would probably avoid cars with a standard-sized sunroof (the one that's just above the front seats), in favor of the big panoramic kind.
More light=aerier feeling, less seasonal depression, better mood in general. And opening it when the weather is just right feels great-relaxing and liberating. Driving through wine country with just the sunroof open (if at speed, or on a windy day), or slowly with all the windows AND sunroof open is a great feeling too.

I really am baffled at NOT wanting a sunroof (again, rear space and extreme heat considerations aside)!

mihaelb

hmm...wouldn't those cars then also need to be separately rated by the European and North American collision rating bodies?

Sportstick

No more so than vehicles with different size engine options have to test each configuration for frontal impact to demonstrate meeting regulatory requirements. Manufacturers self-certify regulatory compliance. Upon doing so for relevant variations, the overall model is certified.

Capt Slo

That's a great point that nobody has mentioned. The lack of a sunroof in a luxury car could certainly have a negative impact on resale.

c4004matic

Absolutely right, In many other cars it does, particularly if its not the classic sunroof "thing" like T tops or complete panorama roofs (pseudo convertibles) like in the fiat 500 and others. However if it looks like a regular, run of the mill sunroof or the split in the middle "panorama" its the same structure. As you might expect making different structures costs money, thus they are usually a completely separate version or sub model of the car.

whkento

...wish I could have a convertible. Next best thing is a big sunroof!

(My first car was a convertible. Sooo much fun.)

c4004matic

[/QUOTE=whkento;6243354]...wish I could have a convertible. Next best thing is a big sunroof!

(My first car was a convertible. Sooo much fun.)[/QUOTE]


Ive already set up in my will to be buried in my s2000

whkento

Ive already set up in my will to be buried in my s2000[/QUOTE]

Nice!

Reminds me of "Willie the Wimp" (as sung by Stevie Ray Vaughan).

K-A

It's interesting when people assume resale based on options as if the car is exactly the same price when new, regardless.

Fact is, the option, even a sunroof, is a depreciating asset in itself. You won't get your entire money back for the option, so a sunroof car vs a non sunroof car will still depreciate more off of its original MSRP (assuming the non sunroof car has a lower price because it doesn't have the sunroof) even if the sunroof has a better value retention than, say an option like radar cruise or some tech feature that has very little resale value.

The best resale version of any car will always be the one with absolutely no options, because it has less options to depreciate, and will be cheaper when new.

StanNH

My BMW 528i was ordered without the sunroof. When I went to trade it in, every dealer offered me less because it lacked that option. I wound up selling it privately, and got high book for it because the buyer didn't really care about the sunroof. I guess it depends on whom the car is sold to.

K-A

Exactly. First rule is not selling a non cookie cutter optioned car to a dealer. Lots of buyers won't care or even notice a sunroof.

Let's say a sunroof is a $1,000 option. If you get $500 less for your car at resale, then you come out ahead without sunroof. If you get high book, then you basically saved double its cost in value as you saved up front yet still sold the car for what sunroof equipped models go for.

MB-JIM

The steel sunroofs, that were standard for many years, were fine. I seldom slid mine open but popped open the back simply to get some ventilation.
Now, with the glass panoramic roof, I simply don't want it even if it was at no charge.
In the Arizona sunshine, with a non-insulated glass roof, it can't help but bring in unwanted heat. The cloth cover is of little value.
On my GLK, I paid a 'special order' charge to leave the pano roof out of P-1.

Eilers

I do motorsports in free time, and met many car fans.

No offence to anyone here, but I have experience that there is a link to how much hair you have (left) on your head, and if you like Sunroof/Cabriolet or not.

mihaelb

yeah, one of my friends last year told me I'm blinding him with my bald spot when I said I like the feeling of wind through my hair with the sunroof open

dnice-1

Have a bald head, live in FL wouldn't get a car without a sunroof! It's one of the reasons why I like and bought a SLK too. Only hard top convertible with a glass roof that I know of (did have it equipped with Magic Sky though -but that could have just been for the coolness factor)
On the "c" just like my previous car I used and expect to use the sunroof daily all year round either open cracked or just the shade rolled back. I like the openness it brings to the cabin Yes even during July and August although I know my gas mileage may be less cause best believe that AC is getting a workout!

Formac

I wasn't fussy about getting the pana' roof, but didn't have a choice.
In the UK, adding anything vaguely useful to my spec (keyless Go, mem seats etc. automatically lumps in one of the mandatory packages which included the panoramic sunroof. So, it was difficult to NOT end up with one.

K-A

Lmao. So true about the correlation of hair on head and enjoyment of convertibles or open roofs. I have a lot of hair, and hate convertibles, wouldn't ever want one, and don't care so much for sunroofs. Go figure.

MBNUT1

He got lucky. Customers of these cars expect certain basics and the vast majority will eliminate cars which don't have the basic expected "options". The reduced pool of buyers will reduce the resale far more than the price of the option. Try selling a W212 without P1. They exist. The W203's came without sunroof's standard. The ones without them were a hard sell. Ask me how I know. I had a manual transmission 190E 2.6. Very little demand for the car until the price was dropped to next to nothing.

Not saying somebody shouldn't order one but they need to understand what the resale market will be. To me it's a little less clear in the case of the W205 because Mercedes is forcing you to buy the pano roof.

PeteInGilroy

I don't buy cars for resale value or as an investment. Typically I keep my cars 2-4 yrs and I want my car configured the way I want it, so I can enjoy it, not configured for the pleasure of the next buyer.

gfmohn

When I ordered my W203 (2006 C2804matic) in Feb. 2006, it wasn't easy to obtain a C-Class without the sunroof package. I had to go to Germany to avoid it. My dealer told me that the sunroof package was technically an option, but every C-Class imported into the U.S had it. That package was $1800 plus (with sales tax), and I did not want to pay for it. (The package also included rain-sensing wipers and an auto-dimming mirror.) My wife and I were planning to visit Stuttgart anyway. It was not a hardship to order the car I wanted for delivery at the factory in Sindelfingen. You can see that car in my Signature, without a sunroof. So I never found out whether, at that time (02/06), a W205 C-Class without a sunroof could be ordered from Germany for delivery in the U.S.

floridadriver

I've had cars with and without, panoramic and regular, and personally would pay extra NOT to have sunroof especially in Florida or any warm states. My dealer said I'm not alone, only 1 of 10 of their built to order vehicles opt for sunroof, unless forced to by package. Cars on the lot without them are hard to find...it's an easy up-sell for carmakers...very cheap for them to make compared to profit...and a potential to make money on repairs and parts.

Cars aren't an investment by any stretch of the imagination though, and would encourage anyone to get what they personally like without speculating future resale.

K-A

Very much agreed. I think that spending money on any option solely for resale purposes would be a mistake and put you behind.

I also see so many posts by people who don't want sunroofs that I'd imagine that although the buyers base does indeed shrink, if you find those who will find it a perk to have no sunroof, they'll find it a plus point.

My issue with sunroofs is that they're still a ways from being properly functionally implemented into cars. It'd be amazing if you can get them without having 100 or so extra lbs right at the worst area of the car, and such massively decreased headroom. Pano roofs have even worse headroom than regular sunroof cars, so it's almost like it functionally regresses rather than the opposite. Porsche does it the most smartly on their 991, as it takes up very little headroom (still a little bit, but much less than your average sunroof), but the catch is that it opens upwards (like I think M-B pano roofs still do) which looks terrible when open and buffets badly as well.

Glyn M Ruck

Absolutely correct. My bald patch can't take too much of SA's lovely sun. The last thing I want is a sun roof. I have also had crap with every sun roof I have ever had.

Leslielp

I have always wanted sunroofs on my cars and have had one ever since my second ride. The panorama roof offers the closest to the convertible view that I have been able to ride in to this point.
The additional daylight just adds an air of warmth and expanse that cannot be achieved by any other solution. The nighttime view is also excellent and fills the cabin with a dynamic atmosphere when you see the outside lights filter in on the interior during night time driving.


There is no quicker way to let excessive heat out of your ride than opening up a sun roof while driving. Not to mention the odd offensive odor.


Besides when I finally encounter those ubiquitous alien powered aircraft (UFOs), I want them to look down and marvel at the overall engineering and think, wow that roof has a reflective coefficient that allows light to enter but gives the interior a level of privacy at the same time.
Hey we are not all Neanderthals down here you know