Hi all,

I'm about to make a purchase - I'm thinking a new C200 (or 2nd hand with under 10,000kms if a lot cheaper) with Vision Pack (Panoramic sunroof, ILS lights) + AMG Line + COMAND Package (larger screen, Burmester sound system, voice activation etc). A couple of questions:

1) Is there any good argument for going to the C250 instead? Are there any external aesthetic differences at all between the C200 and C250? I don't care about the different leather inside. From looking at the brochure, the C250 has "Drive Assistance PLUS with Distronic PLUS inc. steering assist and Stop&Go Pilot, PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian recognition, PRE-SAFE® PLUS, BAS PLUS with cross-traffic assist, active blind spot assist and active lane keeping assist". I'm not sure what all this is but would you say it's essential?
2) Regarding colour, I want white. it looks as though there is Polar White Non-Metallic and "designo Diamond White BRIGHT Metallic" for an extra $3,000. What are the differences and is it worth the extra $3k for metallic??
3) I've been told not to accept Mercedes' offer for the paint protection and tinting. I've been told to get this done afterwards as it's 20% of the price. What are your thoughts on this? Also, I will definitely get the tinting done but is the paint protection essential?
4) Is there anything else I should be aware of? My finance company is going to be searching for the car for me so I won't be dealing directly (I hate dealing with car dealers, and I'll be overseas anyway).
5) Is there anything I should look to add to the car after I buy it?
6) Do you keep the badge on your car or take it off? Can you actually take it off or do you just tell the dealer you don't want it on there when they build the car?

Any help is much appreciated. I'm looking forward to becoming a proud Mercedes owner!!!

Cheers
PS: Located in Sydney, Australia - I figure the option packs etc might differ slightly between countries

 

I have the exact options as you.

You should test drive both before you purchase. TBH, I would have stuck with a C200 but I wanted the car within a fortnight rather than wait two months.

The Driver Assistance package is well worth it for the price difference. Histrionic is cruise control but Plus means the car will keep a set distance between the car in front of it and steering assist means you can take your hands off the wheel for about a minute and the car will drive and steer keeping lanes. The rest are self explanatory but it makes for very intelligent driving.

Colour is entirely your choice. You need to see both.

Don't bother with paint protection. with the AMG Line you get privacy glass from the B pillar back so I never bothered with tinting the front windows.

Why is your finance searching? You will get a better deal and be able to check delivery dates yourself with the dealer.

I kept the badge. I don't know why people take it off.

 

exactly! it' like people take off the Levi brand from jeans. why even bother to buy Levi, just get some jeans at walmart. people cant tell the difference without the badge. unless you ashame of what you driving, if you going to debadge to make it look cleaner, why not take off the Benz logo too.

 

...some people don't live their lives worrying about others "being able to tell the difference."

If you think it looks better/cleaner, have the dealer order it with a rear deck lid badge delete. Else, the dealership can easily take it off for you in a matter of seconds (easy process: dental floss to remove it, GooGone to remove any adhesive residue).

 

who are you kidding?? we all cares what others think.
if you dont live your lives worrying about what others think.
why not just buy everything at Walmart, you dont care what others think about you, right?

 

I wear Brooks Brothers everyday to work and out on the weekends. I own exactly zero shirts, sweater, sports costs with the BB logo on the pocket or anywhere other than the hidden tag. Why? Because I like good quality well made shirt and pants, but I don't want the logo posted on me. Unless someone for some odd/rude reason asks me what brand my clothing is, for all they know I am wearing clothing from WalMart.

I don't give two ****s what others think, I wear nice things because I like them...not because it will gain approval or admiration from others. If you're wearing certain brands and driving a Mercedes bc of what others think, that's ****ing sad. Sorry, just my $0.02.

 

what ****ing sad is you dont know how to save bunch of $$$$ by buying everything at Walmart. i'm sure it really smart throwing or burning money for no good reasons. haha

 

If wearing Walmart clothes from Walmart is your thing then go for it. Everybody spends their $$ as they wish to spend it. I personally enjoy none Walmart clothes

 

and why even comb your hairs, you dont give a F what people think about you, right?
yeah. i wish i dont have to comb my hairs, but i care what others think. haha

 

Consider shaving your head.

 

Thanks a lot for your response!

I'm not sure if I'm too fussed about the Distronic and active lane keeping assist - I think this would just make me a lazy driver and take my attention off the road, which isn't a good thing. It looks as though the C200 still has the automatic brake feature (if you're approaching a car too fast it brakes for you) which is what I think is important if I take my attention off the road for just a second. Has anyone ever seen this in action? Has it ever saved your but??

Thanks, I will go and look at the different colours.

Looking at the brochure, it says that the C250 has privacy glass but the C200 doesn't. And it isn't shown as an inclusion for the AMG Line. I'm guessing this means I should tint. I hate stepping into a hot car...

I work for a large company and we have a relationship with a finance company who buys something like 1,000 cars a month for various large companies so they have a huge buying power. They have people that do nothing but source cars. I'll see what price they can get, and then I'll call a dealer direct and see if they can beat it...

I've seen a few photos without the C200/C250 badge and it looks a bit cleaner. I don't want to be accused of trying to "hide" the fact I only have a C200 but I do like the cleaner look.

Thanks again for the advice. Any other advice would be appreciated!

 

What Hart is saying is that the label (or lack thereof) does not alter the quality of the product itself, so your personal enjoyment or satisfaction with a product is not diminished in the slightest by whether or not other people recognize that you own it.

That form of mental weakness, known as "approval seeking behavior"... trying desperately to gain the approval or recognition of total strangers by outward self promotion usually has precisely the opposite effect, because it demonstrates naked self doubt.

"Worrying" is also a form of mental weakness, wasting away your present moments focused on something that may or may not happen, and that you'd have no control over if it did.

Rather than constantly seeking approval from others, or worrying pointlessly that others may not approve, do whatever makes you happy. If that means not combing your hair or caring what brand of jeans you wear, go for it.

Otherwise your life boils down to constantly rehearsing for a show that nobody will ever see.

 

dont give me this bull**** about "quality of the product". people buy it for the brand name.
are you telling me a Rolex is telling the times more accurate than a 20$ watch?
or are you telling me the quality of a 700$ purse have better quality than a purse for 50$? it' all about the brand.

 

Good point. Why do you think a Rolex commands a price that's 10000% higher than a Timex if they both serve identical functions?

 

Wow, this thread has gone wayyyyyy off topic!

The feature you are referring to is to pre-safe. The car will brake if it detects a vehicle in front and come to a complete stop if necessary. It has taken over once since I got the car.

IN fact, a few years ago I did a Benz Driving Day at Eastern Creek, dealers will invite you as a sales tactic for free. The feature had just been introduced and they made all of us drive toward an object at 80Km/h and let pre-safe kick in. Your heart skips a beat and it's totally against your instincts but it is such an important feature.

 

Hello there,

I just got my c200 around a month ago, as to my knowledge I think the c250 and c200 are the same when it comes to features you. Since you're building all features that are available for the 250 are also available for the 200. Just the engine difference.

From experience I'd say the most important things to add are the active ILS(I have the static LEDs and it's nice but not as beautiful as the active LEDs), Burmester (Sadly couldn't order for the lack of $$$), Comand, Automatic seat adjustment with memory, Blindspot assistance. The auto brake is called the "collision prevention" and I have it and it's pretty awesome however I'm not sure if it's standard or comes with a certain package.

As for the colors I'd suggest you see them both and don't rely on pictures as they won't be accurate to how they look in real life. preferably see them at day and also at night.

I went for brilliant blue and I absolutely love it but it's hard to keep it clean.

I went for a tint and it looks pretty good IMO.

Good luck with whatever you go with, It's an absolute beauty you can't go wrong with anything

 

Haha yeah I was just thinking that!

Great, it looks like the C200 also has the Pre-Safe feature. Good to know that it works - in case I take my eye off the road for a second and someone in front of me suddenly stops!

I noticed with the C250 it has 'Privacy glass' from B-pillar to rear - which I assume just means it is dark tinted? I plan to do this to the C200 - not sure if I'll get the dealer to do it or get it done aftermarket - I'll compare prices.

Is there any reason they only tint the B-pillar and rear? It looks a bit weird having the two front side windows clear... And I assume tinting this would make a big difference to the inside temperature on a warm day - which would be good as I don't like to use air con too much.

Any downsides of tinting all windows (aside from the front )?

 

I tinted all of the windows including the pano roof and the windshield ( clear film but with high heat rejection. Definitely makes the cabin more comfortable and protects the interior from UV rays.

 

Nice one!! I'm going for a white car but I'm guessing it would still look great.

Also I didn't know you could do a clear film with high heat rejection - will definitely be looking into that!!

Cheers!

 

TBH, most tinting does little to reduce heat, it's just a way they sell it. I believe don't know why it's from the B pillar back but that's standard on Australian models.

If you get them to do it they will overcharge. Just take the car to Tint a Car after you buy it.

Again, go into a dealer and test drive both models. There is a difference and the AMG Line changes the suspension as well.

 

[QUOTE=netboy;6795689]and why even comb your hairs, you dont give a F what people think about you, right?
yeah. i wish i dont have to comb my hairs, but i care what others think. haha[/QUOTE

If you're going to troll here at least try to be creative about it.
Otherwise, GTFO.

 

and you not trolling??
why don't you STFU if you have nothing creative to say!

 

Thanks mate. I've driven standard and AMG Line in the C200 and I'm happy with the AMG Line so all good

Has anyone added a dual tip exhaust on their C200? I'm not sure if it's only the C63 which has the dual-tip as standard but I'm assuming it would be a nice touch on the C200...

 

There's a link in these forums for eBay and Ali Express wingtipd that are easy to replace but they aren't symmetrical so don't look like the OEM versions.

I got the Diamond grill installed, will get my brake callipers painted red but going to skip on the wingtips. The OEM parts are $2200 each...

 

A high quality ceramic tint will certainly reduce heat a great deal. Lower quality tints, as you said, won't do nearly as good of a job at reducing the heat.