Maritime

Ignore that man behind the curtain....

stixpicks

Thanks Gaia. Frustrating, although makes sense...

gaia

I put down my deposit last June & am patiently waiting.

Another dealer told me that the OZ model C43 will have the 9 speed gearbox.

stixpicks

Nice! Let's hope we can get delivery this year!

mo11

I'm in souther california. I tried to place an order for a c450 over the weekend and was told that my order would be considered a MY 2017 c43. I've also noticed that the money factor on leases for the c450 has gone down. I have a few concerns about this...

1) Have they stopped taking orders for 2016 c450?
2) Is it possible that as early as February, that an order placed now which usually takes 3 months to build, would already be considered MY2017?
3) would that also mean that the money factor on a lease would go up again, since it'll be considered as a "newly" released model (c43)?

Any info/input would be appreciated, thanks!

nvestr

My build date (Canadian C450) was set to be Feb 10th - got a call from my dealer today, telling me that my vehicle is already located in Cincinnati (en route). Not sure what happens in Cincinnati as part of the process? He seemed to indicate that the next stop is Montreal, where the vehicle will be "Canadianized".

Anybody have any idea how far away from dealer delivery at this point?

Maritime

Well, there is a rabbinical school, there. Maybe the exhaust pipes are being cut and fitted....

lbowroom

Fletcher-Jones had 86 in stock when I bought mine last month. There are 63 in stock now. I guess you're not looking for a black or white one?

scottatah

Hi Everyone,

I've been researching the C450 for a short while now and yesterday I officially read all 131 pages of this post. Today, I had the chance to get down to a dealership in Alberta, Canada and see the car up close and take it for a drive. Overall, the car was very nice (tough not to be impressed). It was a tad smaller than I was expecting, but very nice none the less. The dealership was also a fairly different experience from what I'm used to. Regardless, I had a couple questions:

1. The one they had in stock had the red upgraded leather interior. While I did like the red, I'm not sure the leather is worthy of an extra $2000 (CDN). Do the seats themselves change from leather to the regular black w/red stitching? I enjoyed the side bolsters and would hope they stay regardless of material.
   
2. This one did not have the optional steering wheel. Exactly how is it different from the standard? Is it purely just the material, or the shape/girth as well?
   
3. Having never owned a MB, or necessarily a car I'd consider this class of luxury, what is the cost of ownership like compared to a lesser more economical brand (ford, chevy, etc)? I don't know many folks personally with MB's, so obtaining this info has been fairly tough thus far.
   
4. Lastly, and this may be a better question for the dealership, but how can their price on the car be ~$75 when the same car according to the website is built at ~$69k? Are the various admin fees, freight, pdi, etc really worth $6k??

Thanks in advance!

nvestr

The seats themselves are slightly different when you have the standard seats, but I think they do not have any less bolstering. Both configurations have nice, deep, sporty bolsters and thigh extenders. The leather appears to be cut and stitched differently. I personally chose the standard MB-Tex seats versus the leather as I did not feel overly impressed by the softness of the AMG leather. I would rather put the $$ elsewhere...

I can`t comment for sure on the steering wheel, but I do know that the performance wheel has Alcantara and the AMG logo on the bottom. I would assume it is beefier, but not 100% sure on that one.

Cost of ownership will be much higher than you`re used to. Not only are you comparing to a domestic brand, but to a non-luxury domestic brand. Both domestic brands and germans depreciate heavily so neither is ever a good financial investment. Dealer service is going to be WAY more for an MB - parts are expensive and so is labour. On a new car, on warranty, it should be less of an issue - but long term, the MB will cost you big. Performance consumables on cars such as a C450 are very expensive (runflat sticky tires, sport brake rotors and pads, etc.)...

mo11

Yeah, i did notice a lot of black and white. Unfortunately, aside from the color, i ordered a few options not available in any of the dealership inventories i've seen...

Mr. J

1. There is no difference in seat style between leather and synthetic material. There are two different seat types though. You can upgrade from the "sport seats" to the "AMG performance front seats". The latter cost another $2250USD. They envelop the driver a little more than the standard seats. They also are firmer and some find them uncomfortable. They also limit the legroom of the rear passengers more than the standard seats.

2. The "AMG Performance" steering wheel is a little fatter. Overall shape is the same.

3. I would expect dealership service and maintenance to be higher. Not that big a deal if you are doing you own oil changes and all the other easy stuff. Cost to operate will be higher since you will be running premium fuel.

4. The build price on the MB website is the MSRP including MB delivery charge. If you built it on MBUSA you need to convert the currency ratios to get CDN equivalent cost.

inhartwetrust

The more I think about it, despite the last 8 months of planning to order a C450/C43 this summer, I am now very heavily leaning towards picking up a CPO 2015 C63S instead for the same price (once the MY2017 C63's hit the lots). I just can't see why I shouldn't do this, given the fact I will need to buy dedicated winter wheels for either vehicle...so the AWD of the C450 doesn't really matter.

To the guys who already own a C450, why would you recommend against going this route? Curious to hear what you guys' thoughts are.

Maritime

I say do it. I'm feeling hosed over the whole c43 thing.

LogicDSS

Hosed? Why? Because you don't have the AMG badge on the back? Just go on ebay and buy your badge if it's that important to you enjoying the car...

autopal

If you live in an area where the winter is mild, and you don't mind the terrible fuel consumption (small price to pay for the C63, in my opinion), then go ahead and do that. I agree with dedicated winter tires for either, but the addition traction from the C450 is no small matter. My previous car was a RWD BMW, and even with the best winter tires, it's no match for the C450 when the road is icy.

nvestr

My brother in law has CLS63 AMG (2012) with performance package (556 hp~). He has dedicated winter tires and rims. It is an absolutely horrible car to drive in the winter. Even the slightest bit of throttle will make the rears spin and have the traction control intervene... It`s really not cool, even with good winters. I would never drive a RWD AMG in the winter as a daily driver - not where I live anyway...

LogicDSS

Just try to drive a C63 in the winter every day and you will know why most people do not want it. In the summer time it's tons of fun - in the winter time it's a nightmare even with the best winter tires...

Maritime

So, you have inside information?

inhartwetrust

Fuel quotes I've seen are on +3/+4 MPG for the C450, so that I'm not too worried about. Are these numbers pure BS or something? I've read 18/25 and 21/29.

Definitely agree that the C450 would be brilliant in the snow while the C63S will require judicious use of the throttle...but it's definitely do-able, IMO. Outside of a Grand Cherokee back in college, I've never used AWD/4WD vehicles. I live in Central Ohio, so we normally don't have Canada-like brutal winters, but we do get some big snow storms from time to time.

If a road is icy, truly icy, you're screwed either way. AWD helps to get the car started from a static position easier, past that (assuming smart use of the pedal) the tires are what keep you connected to the road.

Hmm...I've read TONS of other posts, etc saying it's not a problem at all with Blizzaks or studded tires.

LogicDSS

No, and neither do you That's why I asked you why you feel hosed. Until Mercedes releases the specs of the C43, there is nothing other than a badge that is confirmed.


My speculation is that the C43 will get the 9g transmission and nothing more than the C450.

Maritime

So, why advise me to waste money on a badge, hoser?

It was not by accident I used the subjective term, "feeling".

nvestr

I live in Atlantic Canada, where during Jan & Feb there is usually a thin coat of packed snow or ice on some parts of the street, etc. Any type of throttle while turning will have the back slide out until the ECU cuts the throttle for traction control. It is driveable on clean roads, but it gives you absolutely no confidence. You need to have a lot of room to cut into traffic as you can't accelerate very quickly if there is any type of snow (fresh or old) on the ground. I personally do not feel overly confident driving it - but my brother in law drives it daily year round. He has had some close calls and really needs to drive slowly when there's anything on the road.

inhartwetrust

I won't lie, that sounds equally miserable and adrenaline packed

This is going to be a brutal decision, it seems. Maybe the C43 will be announced to have a louder exhaust and a 9 speed transmission, then I could probably pick it without much second guessing...otherwise, it's either compromise for the C43 for the snow driving ability, or suck it up with a better C63S.

autopal

How about the C450/C43 along with the new power upgrade and valve control exhaust from Brabus?