WhoIsThat

We have been looking at possible cars (currently have a bimmer) as we were in an accident because someone hit us from behind. Sigh...

As a result, I have been reading this forum to learn more.
------
I notice something interesting and it's kind of a lengthy point to make. Let's use the following 3 examples.

- Everyone on this site says to get Command if you get the C300.

- Almost everyone (except a few) on this site says to get LED headlights.

- Those who have Driver Assistant Package says it is a must-have and they won't get a car without in the future.

The point I am trying to bring up is not really about the examples I gave (so if we can stay on topic, let's avoid the discussing the necessity of each that as I am just using them as examples).

------
If you look at the cars sold/available on the actual dealer lots:

- Most cars do have the multimedia package, and therefore has Command (The ones that don't have it seem to get sold out quickly as they are generally priced really low.)

- Generally speaking, after speaking with 3 dealers, they all agree that only about 30% or less of buyers get the LED headlights. Both their actual sales and inventory reflect that. You can usually only find C300s with LED headlights at $50,000 or above in almost any dealer's inventory. By the time a vehicle has LED headlights, it's already overall optioned to around MSRP $50,000 or above. They are exceptions, but generally that's the cutoff.

- Driver Assistant Package is even more rare than LED Headlights. The dealers I spoke to all say they only have about 15% to 20% of vehicles with such a package (cut-off MSRP is even higher than $50,000 for cars that come with it).

------
In other words, there are a couple of possibilities for such discrepancies:

#1 People here are not representative of the general population by a long shot (i.e. only less than 30% C300 buyers get either LED or Driver Assistant, even fewer get both).

#2 Psychologically, people have the tendency to want to re-affirm that what they have are "must haves," which is understandable. In other words, if they don't have it on their car, they say, "it's nice to have but not a must." However, if they DO have it, they like to say "It is a must, and I won't get a car without it next time."

#3 The typical MBWorld forum member with C300 tends to option-up and spend much more than your typical C300 general buyer. I notice when people talk about what options they get for their C300s and other models on this forum, the options often easily make the car about $15000 or more over base MSRP.

I am not a car enthusiast (despite been driving a BMW for more than a decade). I find the forum extremely informative (from reading only as this is my first post), but also finding that if I take everyone advice, I am going to end up getting every option possible and spending heck of a lot more money! )

Just wondering if people would agree to #1, #2, and #3, so I can stay informed and adjust my reading accordingly, and just for a bit of perspective on normalcy.

DapperStyle

1. Many luxury cars are leases and therefore are lightly optioned to get them to move off the lots. Many dealers spec out the cars that will sell the most so that mainly means a lot of Black and White non metallic colors, with light options priced to move aggressively. A lot of people here are people who ordered their cars specced how they wanted, not everyone but many.

2. I guess you can say that. They also want to provide people with their opinions and insights to prospective buyers. Sometimes you don't know how much you enjoy a particular feature until you actually have it. Those with driver assistance packages may have never had a car with radar cruise that can slow to a stop then start moving again all on it's own without modulating acceleration, once you have that it's easy to say my next car will have to have this. Sort of like if you live in a winter climate and got heated seats after never having them in your life you'll likely love it and never get a car without heated seats again.

3. People who are here are enthusiasts as you said. There is something great about having a car loaded with all the options you want. Many average car buyers/lessees are not enthusiasts at all, don't go on forums, could care less about having [insert option here]. And simply want a transportation appliance to get them from point A to point B. Being here also let's you see what kind of deals you can get on a car with the options you want. People here regularly get off $5-$8k off the MSRP. You can always buy the most base model with no sport package, no multimedia, no LED headlights and no panoramic roof nobody will force you to do otherwise but they will convince you that your money is likely better spent elsewhere if you want the most absolute base model with no options.

rbrylaw

There is no normal and even less so on a forum. But your post was interesting to read and I pretty much agree with your suppositions.

Pam C

My very first car had absolutely no bells and whistles, it barely had power steering, but it was new, and all mine. I told everybody I didn't need to waste my money on power this or that or even A/C for that matter (some younger people just gasped).

The simple fact is that the base model is all I could afford and I wasn't use to a car all optioned out, hell , I wasn't even use to a new car.

Fast forward several cars later and I can't get along with anything but the latest technology in my cars. Now even if I buy an older car I get aftermarket add ons to bring it up to date .

Why? 1. Because I can 2. I like it 3. Now I am used to it.

Are we represtative of the MB market? I think we are if the market is older and a little spoiled.

topsider

when people here say get LED's they mean the intelligent lighting system. Otherwise, you can get static LED's as part of one of the premium packages. I have they and they are still great. I only see base models and loaner cars with the halogens in my neck of the woods

WhoIsThat

I get that they are great. My father's 2002 (or 2003?) E-class had the the active curve thing already.

I also get that LED (even static) is a must for many here, but I find it interesting that comparing to the general population (and sale figures), it's very different on this forum.

Looking at inventory available 3 dealers and talking to them, easily 60%+ of people get the standard headlights on the C300. You can usually only find C300s with LED headlights (even only static LED) at $50,000 or above in most dealers' inventory. By the time a vehicle has static LED headlights or above, it's already overall optioned to around MSRP $50,000 or above. That's the general cutoff I find. I can spec out a custom order for lower than that, of course, but it is the observation I am referring to, which is very different from the forum where almost all C300 owners have at least static LED. (say, 95% on this forum vs 30% to 40% at most general population according to the overall sales figures all 3 dealers told me when I was looking around a couple of weeks ago)

Even if I am slightly off, the difference is stats is quite drastic (forum members vs general population) and seemingly applies to other options too, hence the comment about keeping things in perspective...

topsider

you're definitely right, people on this forum are enthusiasts for the most part, besides others just looking for information

MASSC450

I'm a "Car Guy", I ordered & bought my 2015 C300 Sport 4Matic, and feel every option I picked in my signature was absolutely necessary. I paid just below the $50,000 mark (not counting pre-paid maintenance, wheel/tire insurance, and clear bra paint protectant).

Mike5215

I think every option available is a true net add and worth the money but subjectively will always have a personal hierarchy of importance. If you can stomach the roughly $65k to load it up, I doubt there'd be any regret over any option.

If you're trying to stay under a figure, I'd get on the configurator, select your Must Haves and see what the money you have left will buy you.

I think the P1 is a must have. Everything else is negotiable (for me). Multimedia is nice for the bigger screen. There are a few other ways to get Navi, including the $600 Garmin chip, or thru Apple Car Play which may be coming in the 2016/2017s. The other features are nice but not deal breakers.

The Drivers Assist is very cool and no doubt can be a huge benefit if you do a lot of congested city driving and/or highway driving. If you're normally puttering around in a small town with no real rush hour, it might be more of an expensive party trick (like NightVision on an S Class).

LED lights affect the aesthetics of the front end so there's a big cosmetic consideration in addition to the other interior goodies in the package.

No wrong answers. Just your wants vs your budget.

Leslielp

You are spot on in observing this rather unique group of W205 drivers.

If you look through most of the posts on this forum it's mostly complaints that range the gamut from safety concerns to are you serious?
If you are in the market for a W205 my advice is test drive and make absolutely sure the one you end up with never makes you say ..." I should have gotten. ........ option"
If you can wait a few months check out the new E-Class.
Good luck 😊

mb_newbie_15

Agreed with your assumptions. I think that's the case with most car forums.

About LEDs, I think the number of C's with LEDs would have gone down for the 2016 models, in US atleast. For 2015, it was part of the P1 package (which you need for keyless go), but not so for 2016.


2016 C300 4MATIC - Lunar Blue Metallic, Silk Beige/Burl Walnut Wood trim, Panoramic sunroof, Premium 1 package, Heated Front Seats, Rear View Camera, Garmin Navigation

mvw

Well I have the active LED thing and still have no real idea what it is. I understand it has something to do with the brights, but I live in the city and our highways have lots of cars and lights, so I'm pretty sure other than by accident I've never turned on any of the brights on any of the cars I've ever owned. But came with the car being delivered to the lot and I really wanted it.

They do make the front profile of the car look a lot cooler, though, because there is more symmetry in the bulbs under the big DRL "eyebrow"

The automatic trunk opener/closer option is key, IMO. And I don't know if this is an issue in the states, but I didn't know I was getting the blind spot assist and it was bundled in the Canadian premium package and I'm super happy with it. The sight lines out the side and with the mirrors is more restrictive than my last 328 (I think because the B pillar is thicker or maybe just where I have my seat) and the blind spot thing on the side mirrors are really, really helpful.

gfmohn

Like your first car, my first MB (see my Signature below) had no options except the memory power driver's seat and the split folding rear seat. (AC had been standard on all makes for quite some time, even then!) After 11 years of a manual-shift Mazda Protege, I shopped BMW and Lexus, as well as MB. I had learned to drive on a friend's BMW 1800TI, so I was actually inclined in favor of BMW. (The 1800TI was a 4dr sedan that BMW sold in the U.S. before they brought over the 1600. It was the 2dr 1600 that made BMW synonymous with the concept of the sport sedan.) But automatic transmission was standard on the 4Matic C280. This and taking European Delivery put the MB under $35,000 (about $2000 cheaper than the BMW and Lexus models).

"Older and a little spoiled" describes how I was feeling when I special-ordered my 2015 C300. Yes, I have the active LED headlights and the Driver Assist Package. In fact, it was when I found out that the 2015 C300 would have the Distronic Plus active cruise control that I decided to buy the new model. My wife is a very nervous passenger, even though I have never given her any reason to be afraid. So having that radar up front as a back-up to me (or me as a back-up to the radar) has greatly increased her comfort in traveling in the C300. (She doesn't drive herself anymore.) I also got all the other non-performance-related options, except the sunroof and Park Assist. Yes, as others have written, all this raised the MSRP to just under $55,000 (with the first two services "free"). Indeed, the options were about $14,000 (lees the value of the services).

LOGOSDJ

You're right, in that the Driver Assistance Package is a pretty rare feature in terms of in-stock vehicles at dealers, especially for a C-Class. It's more commonly found in vehicles that were ordered and built to the customer's specifications, aside from S-Class vehicles which nearly always include that package.

And in all honesty, I definitely don't think the DA Package is a necessity or even worth the extra money for most people. Believe it or not, the most popular and useful feature within the DA Package is Active Blind Spot Assist, for which a similar version of that feature is found in nearly every C-Class vehicle as a stand-alone option that costs next to nothing.

Other than that, the other safety and Intelligent Drive features found in the DA Package are definitely awesome and useful, but not necessary for most drivers -- especially now that Attention Assist and now Collision Prevention Assist PLUS (along with Lane Keeping Assist) have become standard features in nmearly every model. The drivers that would benefit the most from the DA Package are those who regularly drive their cars for very long periods of time at all of hour day and night, or those who love usuing cruise control regularly and would therefore benefit from the key DISTRONIC feature.

More than anything, though, it boils down to 2 things: the driver's budget and also their personal preference/mindset. Some people will consider one package a "must have", some will consider the same package a "nice to have", and others will deem that package to be pointless for them and therefore a waste of money. I know plenty of people who could easily afford to load their car to the gills with every possible optional feature know to man, but still choose to pass up on most of them and would refuse to get a car that was equipped with a few packages/options they deemed to be unnecessary.

RTX

COMAND is actually spelled with one M

BenzC400

Cockpit Management and Data system - COMAND for short

ManiacGT

IMHO people on forums are enthusiasts and therefore not representative of the whole buying market.

flycaster

Simply and accurately stated as the correct answer.

After retirement, I became a BMW fan. Didn't get the car because it was badged as a BMW, but because I wanted a car that represented a great driving experience and one that I could afford. As you can guess, the BMW net forms are almost pure enthusiasts. When it came time to trade my 2002 325i (after 11 years of fun) --BTW, I did keep my 2005 Z4-- I didn't want another 325 (which became the 328,) although I did want a similar drive experience, for two reasons: 1. Everyone in my neighborhood had one (mostly because of the badge and not for the drive) and I didn't want to be part of that crowd, And 2. The car's drive characteristics changed after 2006. So, what did I get for the trade? A 2013 ATS, as all reviews of this new type Cadillac (didn't care at all about the badging) had it equal, if not better, than the 328 in terms of road handling. Believe me, everything that they said about this car was found to be true...great driving car even though the 328 had the better engine and tranny.

So now I found myself on the ATS net forums. And, you know what, the guys on the forums were not your regular Caddy guys (whatever that stereotype brings to your mind,) they were enthusiast just like you guys. One of the things I do note on this forum that put you guys into the enthusiasts grouping is that many have come from or still own BMWs -- assuming the BMWs were not bought for the badge. I guess what I'm trying to say is that although the overall image of a product line may project a certain image (ie, Caddy=old fart's car,) within that line up there usually are car(s) that get the enthusiasts' following while the other cars are bought for all kinds of other reasons. BTW, I am looking to trade in my Z4 for either a 2017 C-300 coupe or a BMW 228/428 coupe, and I'm torn between a sporty lux car (BMW) and a lux sporty car (MB.) I'll just have to wait until I get a chance to drive the C-300 this spring when it becomes available.