Maritime

I agree , but the engine is a piece of crap. Then, there's the whole wrist pin disaster...google that one.

Putt around is very accurate...a piece of crap engine.

MASSC450

Ah...so you do have an elitist side after all...how's the sand at the bottom of the river? I'm not ashamed I bought my 2015 C300, it definitely was the better handler compared to the C400 at the time.

I've had no issues with my 2.0L C300 engine, way smoother and quieter than my wife's BMW 328i...and since my car was a late build (after Apr 2015), I hopefully won't have that engine wrist pin issue.

Maritime

The car is great, the engine is pure crap and the water is mighty cold.

Comparing a crap engine to a crap engine to feel better is Sophistry.

Again, the C300 is a fine chassis, with a crap engine.

Imputing beliefs to me I've never stated nor implied is just creating a purposefully inflammatory straw man....

MASSC450

OK...name a 2.0L engine that's not crap then.


Did you or did you not state "The c300 is for guys that think they have made it, and haven't"? You have to admit that's kind of a douche bag remark.

maxnb

lol, totally an a-hole remark...i guess cars define our social status.

I'm happy with my $311/month '15 c300...well, i gave it to my mom, so hopefully she's happy with it. For the time being, I'm happy with my '05 chevy avalanche.

inhartwetrust

A C63 is nothing, really. If your car isn't well over $100K, you can't even begin to claim you've "made" anything. Moreover, your car doesn't determine whether or not you've "made it" at all -- leave that to net worth.

My thoughts on the OPs question: C300 is an old persons car that's boring (which fits some peoples desires perfectly) to drive but looks nice enough on the outside and has a great feel of luxury on the inside (especially for it's price point). It's quiet, slow, and with the air package has a very smooth ride...but overall, it's lifeless. Some people don't want life in their car, they just want a comfortable ride with sophistication. The C450 isn't a race car but it has a pulse and is fun to drive. It's a perfect daily driver with a mix of some fun. It actually has some ***** on it, you can hear it's power, it handles more like a sports car than a C300 (which means you don't have a pillow soft, and boring IMO, ride) and it looks a bit nicer on the outside.

It really comes down to what you want. Do you want a boring ride (preferable to many people, Mike included) that is smooth and comfortable? Go for the C300. Do you want a good DD with a nice mix of fun, power and life? Go C450. Myself? I'd buy a C300 for my parents, my grandparents or my wife/girlfriend, but I would never even consider driving one myself -- far too boring for me.

Good luck with your decision, both are good cars it just comes down to what you want.

Maritime

Gee, what colorful language. The engine is crap and nothing changes that....

Maritime

I implied quite the opposite. I went in to buy a c400 for power, and was shown the 450 thinking it was the "new" 400. My wife pointed out the amg thing, which meant nothing to me...drive it, and you'll understand.

The four is crap, wrapped in beauty.

Sean76NYC

If I may chime in...

I've had a pretty interesting array of cars over the years, an E55, Audi A8L, Porsche Cayene S, a few ML's, a GLK, and an E350 right before my current machine...Which is a pretty loaded 2016 C450. Ok I'm going to be completely honest here, mainly because my partner has a 2016 C300, so I've had a bit of time with both.

They are 2 completely different animals, from top to bottom it feels like a very different car. She opted against the AMG sport package because of the ground clearance with the low bumpers and just went with some upgraded 18in rims. As fas as the drive, it's fairly nice for scooting around NYC, I'm not a fan of the raspy 4 cylinder, but than again that me.

However when you go from the 300 to the 450 it feels like someone took the chains off, because the car is just a friggin beast. I can't ever remember a car being so fun to drive, the ride is very sporty and firm, but that's kind of what I like. I opted for the 18 inch 5 star AMG rims because of these lovely NYC streets.

I'm a little bummed out about finding out about the C43 making its way towards the line up, however so many good things to like about the C450, that I really can't see this being a regretful buy.

inhartwetrust

Bro, he is the quintessential douche bag. Nothing to be surprised about there

Maritime

So, the best you can do is foul language? Infartutrust?

Maritime

Nailed it.

A raspy, nasty piece of crap....

I had a c class, went in to buy one and walked out with one.

MASSC450

Just calling a spade a spade I guess. Your elitist remark called for it.

Well the engine works quite well for my daily commuting needs...which involves heavy bumper to bumper traffic on rt. 93 every work day...27+ mpg in combined driving is a nice bonus as well.

BTW, you still haven't answered my question on who makes a good 2.0L engine...I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Maritime

I never stated or implied anyone does: it's a sliding scale of crap.

More or different Sophistry won't change it from crap to better than average crap.

Mike5215

Obviously if there was a vast disparity between the C300 and C450 nobody would have any trouble whatsoever choosing between them. There is no "wrong" choice. You don't find a bunch of posts or threads with C300 owners suffering buyer's remorse and wishing they'd ponied up for the C450. The two cars appeal to different market segments.

Once in awhile at my home dealership they'll take in a used S63 or S65 with seriously low miles and often in the current model year. You know the first owner got creamed on depreciation. I asked the sales manager how that happens. It's a buyer who thought if the S550 is good, then the much pricier S63 has to be that much "better". Then they realize they paid a lot extra for a lot of stuff that in a daily driver actually made the car less desirable for them. An AMG car is an AMG car for better or worse.


I don't find the C300 boring at all, because relative to a land barge like my 2010 S550, it's very sporty and fun to drive, to me, which of course is all that matters since I'm the one who had to write the check. If was coming from an Evo, or an M3, or a WRX, the 450 would feel absolutely luxurious and refined by comparison. Money was not a consideration for me...I wouldn't have taken the C450 for even money. (Actually the C300 I built was well within C450 dollars. I just flat out preferred the 300.)

I think you just have to drive a C450, and a C300, and see for yourself. Too many personal variables involved for strangers on an internet forum to be of much help. The C450 guys love their cars. They're not wrong. The C300 guys love their cars. They're not wrong.

MASSC450

Very good then...you answered my question.

Your thoughts on the Mercedes 2.0L engine are purely opinion based, nothing more...and a "raspy" sounding engine in your "opinion" means an engine is total "crap". That statement of yours sounds like a fallacious argument to me.

Maritime

Four cylinder engines are crap, and this one is among the worst.

I never stated or implied objective data could or do exist.

The last four cylinder car I had was a Lotus Elan in 1967: nice but no guts. I quickly sold it and got a 4.2 liter E type with triple carbs and went from there. Until I lost my medical, I loved high performance aircraft and whether a precision or non precision approach, I could fly an instrument approach like a spider on a web.

I am certain my subjective opinion is fact based.

This raspy little four is an absolute Or relative piece of crap. I drove and rejected it.

chango450

It's really not that bad. In comfort mode, it is smoother than my 2009 BMW 335xDrive M Sport- that was extremely harsh! Hurts just even thinking about it.

Mike5215

You have a PM.

Maritime

Well, it is "rough" in this sense, you can feel it's trying to emulate a street type car, and doesn't quite make it. I'd say it's more like the potential energy in a compressed spring: it really wants to let go....

You have a Bm.

MASSC450

Again, I have to disagree with you. I've driven way worst 4 bangers. I find the Mercedes (a.k.a. Nissan) 2.0L smooth, quiet (except when in S+ mode when the exhaust lets out a racer boy "burp" between gears), and adequate for my current commuting needs. My main beef with the C300 is with the slow shifting 7G transmission. Glad I didn't buy/lease a 2016 C450 since the 2017 C43 is rumored to have the 9G transmission. Talk about 1st year deprecation hit on a 2016 C450...ouch!


Correct...that's why I asked you the question. All you have supplied is an opinion on the matter.


I on the other hand have owned excellent performing 4 bangers...2007 2.5L WRX, 2008 2.0L EVO X, and a 2012 2.5L STI...so I still feel your opinion of 4 cylinder engines is just that...opinion.

inhartwetrust

I remember first grade

npa201

Due to circumstances I actually owned a C300 for a year and now have had a C450 for about 2 months. I also live in NJ where the roads are great and there is congestion (although I only occasionally drive into NYC for work; most times I take the bus). I will keep it simple.

-C300 is fine 70% of the time if you are just trying to get from point a to point b. Honestly, even in comfort mode (without air suspension) hitting a pothole can hurt just as much as in a C450 if you hit it too fast at the wrong angle.

-However, there are times the C300 actually bummed me out in traffic due to turbolag/transmission (whatever caused it) making overtaking a car more difficult. I wouldn't describe the C300 as a fun car to drive. It was a pleasant car to drive.

- The C450 is a great daily driver. To me it's actually fun to drive, and I look forward to getting in the car. Honestly, made me question my five year plan of getting a weekend sports car down the line. If I lived in the south, this would be a gateway drug to getting a C63. But where I live, the C450 is exactly what I need. In comfort mode, it's just as comfortable as the C300 in my view. I had 17" on the C300 and I have 18" on the C450. The 19" may be too harsh for you. Also, I tend to drive a fair bit in S+ mode now that I've broken it in. Perhaps someone can correct me, but I think the steering/suspension is different on the C450 than the C300 which is also a big benefit and the larger brakes have come in handy.

-The downside is gas mileage. If you're in traffic (which you will be on your commute which is similar to mine), don't even expect to get the low end on both the C300/C450. It doesn't really matter for me but for you it may be a consideration. I think I was averaging 21 mpg in the C300 and now average 18 mpg in the C450 (again most of the time its local driving and I commute to the bus which is 10 minutes away). On a drive into NYC (25 miles away) I can average about 24mpg but once I get near the Lincoln Tunnel traffic it probably drifts down to 20mpg.

-Also, the C450 can be frustrating as the acceleration is there which is great for overtaking a car but in traffic or at a light you have to be more smooth in your acceleration and just sit behind the guy in the old lincoln continental taking a year to get to 60mph.

-Here is what I will say on the options. In all cases, I would make sure I get the best interior you can afford. The base model really looks cheap on the inside to me. I actually had a base c300 with no options as a loaner for about two months and I really hated that car. I think having a leather dash completely changes the look of the car. I would advise not to get piano gloss black for the dash for scratch/smudge reasons. I did not really want the distronic plus but there are some blind spots in the car where this has really come in handy. I actually, have the red seat belts and red stitching (because that was all that was available on the lot when I had to do a trade-assist) and it looks especially douchey in my view. Unfortunately there was no designo brown leather. I do like that much of the chrome on the outside of my car is blacked out and my wheels are basically black.

I hope this helps. As for the being an elitist, at the end of the day we are talking about a C class. Where you live and where I live, these cars and bimmer 3 series are about as common as a camry. That's why I chose to upgrade to the more lively engine (for myself and nobody else). If I was doing it for status, I would have chosen a nicer car (but for me it basically sits in a parking lot exposed to the elements which is where some level of sensibility came in to play).

Mike5215

^This

Whatever you drive, if you look forward to getting into it, you've found the right car for you. End of story.

The C300 vs C450 argument is silly, because it presumes horsepower and firm handling are a universal priority for everyone. It's like you married a girl with huge **** so suddenly every guy who likes girls with normal **** is secretly jealous of your girl's giant milk bags, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Trust us. Not everyone likes big **** just because you do. Really. I dated the exact same chick with the huge **** you decided to marry. Not a fan, but I'm happy for you.

Maritime

It presumes nothing. The four cylinder is a crap engine.