voip1

Hi guys.

I currently am driving a BMW 328xi F30 and my lease will be up in August. BMW has been beating my door down to turn in my lease early (forgiving the remaining lease payments) for a newer vehicle. While I'm not seeing a value proposition in doing this (BMW has nothing particularly exciting for me at the moment) it has gotten me looking at other cars, in particular the C300.

I test drove a C300 and was pretty impressed with the car. I would say that the interior and exterior are a lot better than the BMW I am driving and the C300 is close to the 328xi in driving performance. While I think the BMW drives just a little bit better (and I definitely prefer the 328xi gearshift being located in the center console) I think that the C300 is close enough that I could make the switch. I also think that the C300 offers much more value $ for $ over the 3 series which honestly has gotten a bit ludicrous on pricing of options. I have a family now so outright sports performance is less of a concern than it would have been even 3 yrs ago.

So here are some outstanding questions I haven't been able to get answers on, maybe the wise ones here can help.

1. When do the 2016 cars start getting built? I understand that any MY changes will be tiny between 2015 and 2016 considering the new model just came out but I am concerned that Apple Carplay for example might only be offered on 2016 built vehicles without an expensive upgrade. I am also hoping that there is at least one more interior option color for MBTEX trim on the sport model cars. I don't need leather and not a big fan of all black interiors.

2. Is there any way to get a car that is built in Germany or are all the US models built here? I see some troubling maintenance issues being reported in forums that have me a bit concerned. While bugs on new build cars are to be expected I have not had a new model German car with any serious problems.

3. Is the pre-paid maintenance a good value? I assume I have to pay for that in full at time of lease inception or finance it (vs it being added to cap cost and me only paying the depreciation on it). How much through the dealer does it cost to do 3/36,000 of maintenance on a C-class?

4. If anyone is in Colorado and can recommend a specific sales person & dealership I am interested in negotiating the best lease deal possible on a new car. Initial quotes I've gotten from local dealers are disappointing to say the least.

Thanks!

Eilers

Will not try to talk you out of getting a C300, We are very happy with our Wagon, but I am reacting to your remark about BMW not having anything exiting. It made me wonder if you had a chance to look at the F36 Gran Coupé? It is a remarkably good car! If i had to choose between a W205 Sedan and the 4 series Grand Coupe, i honestly have to say that i would go for the BMW.

Mercedes just announced that they will also be making a C class "Grand Coupe" , so this might sway me back again. But until then, give the F36 a look over..

voip1

Well, I'm not really in the market for a 4-series BMW. The 4-series is essentially the same as the 3 series, just slightly larger.

I had a 535d loaner last weekend while my 328xi was being serviced and drove that to the Mercedes dealership where I test drove the C300. The interior and exterior of the $49,000 C300 was noticeably nicer than even the $60,000 5 series loaner I was driving.

Additionally optioning a 4 series with similar safety and technology equipment to the $50K C300 4Matic I am looking at would push the price into $53K territory which is just a bit more than I want to spend.

There's almost no chance that BMW will have Carplay for the 2015/2016 model year whereas I would say that it's a better than 50% chance that it will arrive on the 2016 MY C-Class and/or be back ported to the 2015 models.

Final point... BMW and Audi are doing much better in the Colorado market than Mercedes and it's difficult to negotiate a reasonable deal on a lease. I think Mercedes is more interested in getting my business and I expect to be able to get a much bigger discount from MSRP on the Merc.

miketc

Agreed on the bigger discount; When I was pricing out the BMW late last year, the MB discount is way deeper (5% for 3's vs 12.5% off for C300). You're not going to be able to get a Euro built W205 here in the US. I have an early 2015 delivered C300 4Matic with ~2K miles on the clock; so far no issues and I think the C's early build quality issues are behind them and only be better going forward. Good luck.

e92miami

VOIP1 I also moved from a 2 time 328i lease to now this C300, I mainly made the move because of the discounts the dealer gave me it was almost 2x more then what BMW was giving with the loyalty program. I nearly got 6k off of a base C300 4matic with 18" wheels and reverse cam. And it has way more standard options then the base 328i. I like the car, my only regret is not going with the sport suspension because this car sits very tall and your 1st aggressive move you feel the back end will lose it. Definitely not the great handling you are used to with BMW. That said you are right if you price out a well equipped 3 or 4 series to the same MB your saving 2-3k on retail and MB are now giving more discounts. I don't know if that's only to get these new models out on the roads faster and this is temporary but if I were to do it again today I would get another C300.

mmaldin

Hi Voip, I live in Boulder and had an outstanding purchasing experience at MB Westminster. I worked with Win Lewis, a very polished and experienced MB sales professional. I bought a loaded c300 at over 10% below sticker. And, my car is a delight, no issues worth returning to dealer for at this time. I too was planning on another BMW or an Audi. As you said, BMW and Audi dealers in CO had little room to negotiate. The c300 IMHO was a much nicer car, especially the interior, and was considerable less expensive than either the BMW or Audi. I had no intention of purchasing a MB but fell in love with this car and got a deal I couldn't pass on.

Sportstick

Hi VOIP,

In all sincerity, I think you're headed in the right direction. If chassis and powertrain performance don't trump other aspects such as interior, exterior design, value, there is little else to justify the aggressive BMW pricing. W205 is an excellent overall designed automobile and if you are looking more for a luxury sedan with more emphasis on your family, you really can't do better.

huyuci

I had a e90. Was going to get an F30, but the 328i interior kind of kills it for me. It's getting boring, so plain and simple. At some angles, the buttons on the dash look like a Honda. So, I checked out the C300. I saw these in Europe last year; it's weird that it only made it to the U.S this year. Converted to C300 and could never be happier. The drive is awesome. The look is exquisite, classy, and sophisticated, both inside and outside. I never looked back since. Every time I see an F30 on the streets, I feel happier that I made the right decision. The only BMW that looks good right now is the M4, but its price is out of reach.

c21bill

I have a little different perspective than the other posters here. Although I like my C300 I would not buy it again unless MB acknowledges a wind/road noise problem and indicates they are working on it. As things stand now, dealers will attempt to correct the wind noise then tell you it is normal. MBUSA simply tells you they haven't heard any complaints. Pretty poor response from a company that touts its S class cars as the quietest on the road.

Sportstick

A valid point. I would amend my earlier comments to include waiting for 2016 production when a myriad of engineering changes based on year-one learning are likely to be implemented.

Tjdehya

If you want a car to be as quiet as the S class maybe you should buy an S class instead of a vehicle that costs 1/3 the price.


Your post proves that all you guys complaining about "wind noise" are complaining about nothing! Are you traveling at 70mph and expecting dead silence? If that's what you want you should look at a car that costs $140k not $40k
The W205 has often been touted as the quietest car in its CLASS!

c21bill

Gee, who pulled your chain? It would be one thing if all W205's had the same level of wind noise but that is not the case. Some cars experience elevated levels of wind noise and some do not which indicates assembly issues with some cars. Read the posts TJ.

Eilers

While i agree with you a fair bit down the road, some of the wind noise reports i read from German owners are so specific and detailed, (and also reported in the usual German manner ie. very factual and removed from emotions) that it is hard to argue that at least some cars must have a genuine problem.

I am lucky, my own S205 is amazingly quiet. Even more so then a W221 which I did weekend road trip in a few weeks back. So no complaints from my end.

Tjdehya

I have read the posts, but after reading your post. It brought some severe doubt as to the validity of those who claimed to have excessive wind noise.
There is a noticeable difference between the S class and a C class.
Just because MB can make a excellent car like an S class does not mean that they can produce a vehicle of equal quality for 1/3 the price.
I do not get into an E class and expect it to be on par with an S class, and I wouldn't get into an C class and "expect" it to be on par with an E class and definitely not up to the S class level just because the same organization makes both vehicles.

I am not calling anyone a liar, I have driven a C class but obviously I have never driven your car.
Your post just brought some doubt as to what your were "expecting."

Eilers

Ok i understand.

To me though, the 4series Grand Coupe feels a lot more special then a 3 series.

It is larger, wider, lower, has frameless doors all round, and is a much prettier car.

Agree the interior is a 3 series all over, and the hard plastic in the rear cabin makes it a no contest to the C300 interior.

But with the right trim - in my case blue metallic luxury line outside, luxury line inside, with Saddelbrown leather on seats and dash, the sum of the parts adds up to a car that makes a lot of sense and feels special.

It also drives really really well. (i drove the 428i 8sp auto)

I was offered a decent sized discount right of the bat. More then double percentage wise of what they could offer on the 3 series.

c21bill

I am not calling anyone a liar, I have driven a C class but obviously I have never driven your car.
Your post just brought some doubt as to what your were "expecting." [/QUOTE]

What I was expecting is a car that is similar in demeanor to the one I test drove before I ordered mine. Instead what I got was a car that has much more cabin noise (both road noise and wind noise) than the the one I tested. Judging from many other posters on this forum, many such noisy W205's have been shipped.

voip1

I checked out the 4 series F36 today. The back seat is totally cramped and at only 5'10" I was bumping my head on the roof sitting back there. Total non starter for someone who just started a family. Yes it is a pretty car but I would take another F30 over it in a heartbeat.

voip1

My only issue is that the only MBTex interior for sport is black. I'm not a big fan of all black interiors. My 328xi has a gorgeous two tone gray/black interior. Maybe for 2016 builds we will get another interior color choice without having to spring for leather.