That's priceless!

 

I'm glad you liked it!!

 

Went into the dealership to buy a C450 that just hit the lot. Left with a C400 CPO because the options were way better. C450 had too much of a premium on it for what was listed.

The goal is this car to be the gateway for the C63 down the road.

Love it so far.

 

C400 model is now discontinued so there is minimal resale value, as such it would be expected that the price gap would be pretty large between it and the C450 (upgrade in many ways, new model, etc.)

Congrats on the new ride! The C450 is also going to be my stepping stone to a C63, hopefully within 3-5 years they have a 4MATIC version in production for the Ohio winters.

 

Discontinued is such a funny term when it comes to cars. Platform is still going to be taken care of for years to come. C450 is almost identical to the C400 and hence not worth the price premium for me. C400 is the same exact W205 styling and options.

Price gap was because of options and not because of model depreciation. If you pull C400 on any car sales website the price is holding strong. In fact I found a few that were almost identical to C450 in price.

I talked with the reps at Mercedes and they said every single lease return c400 they have had has sold in 48hrs or less. Nobody is dumb enough to not realize that the C400 is basically a C450.

 

Gratz Jester!

Agreed... I would have jumped on a C63 4MATIC. I even considered an E63 because of the 4MATIC, but besides the price, I didn't feel like waiting for them to update the interior to be at least in the same ballpark as the current C-CLass' interior.

 

Be careful on "almost identical to C450 in price"... some of the C450s are being wrongfully identified as C400s in dealer inventory. Mine is listed as a $70K+ C400.

 

I called on 4 of them in my region before I pulled the trigger at SLC mercedes. I will keep this car for 2-3yrs max and then get the wife into a C63. The new body style is such a big difference that getting a 2014 C63 was out of the question.

I wanted a c450 really bad, but paying that price premium for AMG tune on the same engine and AMG suspension seemed too steep for me. C450 on SLC lot is 61K MSRP

C400 fit the bill as the perfect DD for the wife.

 

Why do I have a feeling you got hosed by a slick salesman? If you think the C450 is basically a C400, then my brother, I can't help you, and I can assure you, I am not the "dumb" one here

 

for the price I paid.. salesman wasn't slick.

If you actual read what I post instead of arguing and calling me dumb.

Glad you have your C450 on order. Enjoy that first year of depreciation.

 

If you are just looking for a comfortable daily driver for the wife, and the C400 is heavily discounted, then by all means, it make sense, but don't try to justify your purchase by saying it is basically the same as the C450, because it is not

 

I looked thru your last posts and it seems like you are more trying to justify your C450 purchase when anyone with a C400 talks.

The C400 is very close in price and options of the C450. like I said mutiple times before if you would actually read. The c450 wasnt worth the price premium to ME..

Enjoy your car when you get it. My wife is very happy in her DD with the same engine soon a renntech tune.

Because you struggle so bad with reading. Red over and over and over. This debate is OVER..

 

Congratulations on the new car. Hopefully you love it for a long time to come! Looking forward to pictures.


I find this statement odd. It's been 13 months or so since the first C400 hit the streets. They sold in small numbers (compared to the C300). How many lease returns could there be when there is only one month or so of sales that are over a year old?

 

The one I bought was built in March 2015. SLC Mercedes had about 10-12 on lot this summer. Original MSRP was 58K The C450 on their lot right now is 61K.

I am not here to have a C400 vs c450 debate because this has happend all over this forum. I did some reading before the purchase. Being able to buy a new car under CPO because it was a demo car was also a great deal. 2yr unlimited warranty 2yr maintenance included for FREE. C450 all I got was normal manufacture warranty.

 

lol exactly what I thought too, but wasn't gonna call him on it. If he's happy, hes happy.

 

wife is happy. that is all that matters. I do find it comical there is such thing as C450 arrogance.

 

The good news is the phone number is correct and Marc Rose is at the extension. I received his voice mail so I will call back later and see if I can get a live voice.

 

Dang, that was quick. Congrats and send lots of photos.

 

I test drove the C450 last Saturday when a local dealer hosted an open house. Beautiful and fun to drive wit the exception of off the liner performance. Hitting the gas from a dead stop was uninspiring, once the turbo's are spooled it takes off well but the first .5-1 second or so is blah. Have any of you experienced that?

 

Turbo lag is inevitable. That is why it was hard to see natural aspirated engines become obsolete.

 

It certainly is. This is a lot in my opinion for this car. I have driven a number of turbocharged cars as I am sure most of you have

 

Thx man... yeah, it kind of snuck up on me too... I think that VPC fiasco threw everyone off. I think they actually hit my 9/24 date, right on the nose. I just figured it would get hung up at the VPC like yours did.

It looks like tomorrow is the day. Still trying to coordinate the drive (since I am not trading anything in).

rbrylaw talked me in to taking the big-boy camera...so I should get some decent pics.

(Outfitting the GoPro helmet cam as I type this )

 

I'm glad I did and I for one am looking forward to the big-boy camera pics! Yes I am

 

Congrats to the new owners. Also, thank you to Vipershade. I appreciate the responses and your command of the car's specs.

I finally was able to test drive a C450 earlier in the week. Overall, the car felt tight and nimble for its size. My other impressions are:

* Acceleration from a standstill was good, but not really noteworthy. The C63, M3 and Macan Turbo feel more powerful off the line. Once moving, though it was fine. The car sounds great upon start-up, offering sounds beyond a luxury car, but far from boy racer.
* I prefer sport mode. The steering feels better and the car seems more coordinated than in comfort. The car moves well in Sport +, but I know I won't use it often.
* Steering feel was very good, offering more feedback than BMW. It was the major reason I crossed off the 4 series Gran Coupe from the list.
* Ride - firm and a bit unsettled. I think the unsettled may be from the runflats themselves or possibly being overinflated. I didn't notice a big difference between comfort and the other settings. I was expecting a firm ride, so it didn't really matter. Has anyone else noticed that?
* Handling was good. I really appreciate the feel of the car. I think the Gran Touring Runflats are the weak link, though. I can see having fun with this car with better tires. Not having high performance (summer or all seasons) is a let down.
* Noise level - more prominent than a C300, BMW 4 series or Macan Turbo, but more quiet and refined than an M3.

Overall, I really liked the car. I wish it had better tires and wider rims. I also wished you can have Sport or Custom as a default setting. Even though the C450 is not perfect for me, I ultimately decided it offered the best combination of the items I wanted. The other selection was a Macan Turbo. The Macan is also super nice. It handles exceptionally well for a small SUV. It is also so polished and the engine & transmission seem well sorted. In the end, though, I think the C450 will be more fun. It feels nimble, while the Macan doesn't.

I have a December build. The November slots wouldn't permit surround view or the performance seats. My build options are:

Iridium Silver
Black & Red int with Performance Seats
Carbon Fiber
Pano Roof
Hands Free
Multi Media
P2 & Parktronic
18" Wheels

I was going back and forth between the 18s and 19" 5 spoke wheels. I really want to change out the wheels (wider wheels) with better tires, and definitely not runflats. Not sure what my options are, or what will fit the car at this point.

Thanks for reading.

 

It seemed like production in Tuscaloosa was ahead of schedule. My sales rep was probably accurate indicating that a new engine type, even in an existing model takes time. How frustrating. I am glad your vehicle passed through the "Baltimore Triangle" quickly.

I cannot wait to see your interior. It should be sweet!!