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Guys- I'm about to pull the trigger on a new C300. Any advice?
It looks like I'll be taking possession later this week, if all goes according to plan. I'm curious what, if anything, I should be asking for/requesting prior to closing the deal. Here are the specs:
The car is a loaner and has about 6K miles. The GM is a close childhood friend and was my Best Man at my wedding. Practically like a brother. I know he's hooking me up well. He's personally checked the car from top to bottom and assures me that I'm good with this one. Sticker is $51K and my price is $40K plus taxes, etc. I had requested swapping out the wheels for the 18" split 5-spoke, so it will look like the picture below. Also, the first A service will be on the house.
Can you guys advise me if there's anything else I should be considering? The only thing I can think of is adding wheel locks
Last edited by skhan007; Nov 27, 2016 at 12:47 PM.
Congrats! I am picking my new C300 up tomorrow. The only thing I would say is have you driven a C-class with those wheels? I love the looks but drove one and it rode like I was in a go-cart. I think the run flats make it ride hard so if you want a smoother ride you'll need to get a smoother riding tire that's not a run flat. I personally don't like the looks of the 17" wheel. I ended up getting the sports package and the 18inch AMG wheels and for some reason that car drove smoother even in the Sport+ mode than the C-Class I drove with the 18 split spoke wheels. Overall, I think it's a good deal.
Regardless of your friendship I'd approach the deal like I'd approach any other deal. Being lulled into a false sense of complacency can be an expensive lesson.
I'd run the car thru KBB and NADA to get a handle on the value. Depending on the options, I get numbers in the mid 30k range. The C Class has especially steep depreciation, even for a Mercedes, a brand notorious for steep depreciation. My loaded 2016 C300 Sport with an MSRP of $60,000 and 8k miles has a resale value of $40,000 today.
I've purchased cars in "friendly" environments where I've had a personal relationship with a sales guy or GM. It doesn't alter my approach. Your buddy won't be writing you a check when you discover you're $5,000 upside down out of the gate.
Visit this site and download the car purchase spreadsheet so you can work up your own numbers. I just used it this weekend to buy my kid a new Mazda. Works like a charm.
Bottom line, buying a new car is emotionally charged to begin with. Your rational mind is numbed. Complicating it by factoring in a friendship requires even more diligence. Stay smart and get the car you want with no regrets.
If it were $40,000 OTD, I'd say you were probably getting a decent deal. But $40,000 + TTL? You could probably beat that.
Personally for buying used my recommendation is Carvana. Have purchased 3 from them and the experience was great (as were the cars). Picked my 2014 C350 up from them for $5500 less than Carmax was asking for essentially the same car.
Thanks for the guidance. I've never heard of NADA, so I checked it out. I plugged in all the features and it came back with new pricing of MSRP $51,540 (basically what the sticker is on this particular car) and invoice price of $47,999.
When I look at used with 6K miles, the pricing comes back at about the same as the price I was quoted. There are other options on the car that I didn't list in the original post, such as spoiler, illuminated star, heated steering wheel, backup camera. I didn't think these things were worth mentioning in my original post, but I can see how they add up.
Technically, per the state law, this car is still "new" because it's never been titled to anyone. After 7.5K miles, the state law says it would not be sold as new. I'm not sure if I'd be upside down out of the gate. I'll have to learn more and explore the numbers further. I do appreciate your input, as you clearly know this stuff and I'm here to learn!
Regarding the 17" vs. 18" wheels- Good point. I need to determine if ride comfort will be effected. I chose to not do the sport package because I didn't like the feel of the sport suspension, despite absolutely loving the look of the package. That was tough, as the body styling and 5-spoke AMG wheels are my favorite look. Just didn't like the ride/feel. I do like the split 5-spoke 18" pictured in my original post, but I need to determine if the ride comfort is compromised at all.
I had the same dilemma. Loved the Sport look inside and out, loved the ride of the base car on 17". The solution was to order a Sport on AirMatic. That allowed me to run 18" wheels but keep the compliant ride of the base on 17".
Swapping the run flats for Michelin Pilot Supersports also buys some extra buffer.
If it were $40,000 OTD, I'd say you were probably getting a decent deal. But $40,000 + TTL? You could probably beat that.
Personally for buying used my recommendation is Carvana. Have purchased 3 from them and the experience was great (as were the cars). Picked my 2014 C350 up from them for $5500 less than Carmax was asking for essentially the same car.
Thanks- yeah, he said that $40k + taxes, etc. was the best he could do. He's helping me out with other things, such as doing the first A service on the house, plus likely giving me a break on future services. I know if I looked for a used car (I know many argue that a loaner is used), there might be a few bucks to save, but I've had a hard time finding one with low miles, plus all the options & aesthetics that are important to me.
Originally Posted by Mike5215
I had the same dilemma. Loved the Sport look inside and out, loved the ride of the base car on 17". The solution was to order a Sport on AirMatic. That allowed me to run 18" wheels but keep the compliant ride of the base on 17".
Swapping the run flats for Michelin Pilot Supersports also buys some extra buffer.
Brilliant- never thought of a sport package plus the AirMatic. I guess mentally, I saw those as mutually exclusive options that would not go together, but that makes sense. If I did that, I'd likely have to order it new and it would be out of my reach, financially.
Thanks for the tip on swapping out the run flats for Michelins. I'm going to need to do more searches on things like replacement tire costs, what it costs for brake pads, and other typical repairs.
Can I tell you guys how excited I am about this purchase? I've never had an MB or anything in this caliber of car. My current ride is 12 years old with a stock cassette deck. I feel like I'm taking a quantum leap forward with safety, technology, comfort, looks, all of it. I'm actually losing sleep over the excitement.
I'd keep the 17" wheels on the car. It's easy to find inexpensive 18" wheels for the 205 aftermarket if you want to experiment later but in the meantime you'll have the ride characteristics that sold you on the car in the first place. Or take a car with those 18's out for a test drive. Obviously I'd ask for the cost of the 18's to be backed out of the deal.
I just picked up a set of these on EBay for $650 shipped:
Unfortunately I haven't seen them on the car yet as it's been in the shop for two months after being rear ended. Maybe by Friday I'll have some post repair pics.
Last edited by Mike5215; Nov 27, 2016 at 11:56 AM.
Yeah, those 5-spoke rims are nice!! I saw your other thread about getting rear-ended and my heart sank. Just glad nobody was hurt.
Regarding the 18" swap for the stock 17", this is a no-cost courtesy that is being offered to me. Yes, I should definitely go test drive a car with the 18" rims to see if I can tell a difference. I'm guessing I might not, but who knows.
I think you can get much better deals for sure. I got my C300 4MATIC w/ premium 2 and most of the features your listed, but not the MM package for 34K + TTL. It was around 37K OTD. It had 4,500 miles on it and was in a very clean condition.
The MM package alone adds $2800. Plus the 18" wheel swap. He's at 10k off MSRP and it sounds like he's done his research. I'd say it's a done deal at this point.
i got a 2017 C300 sedan with the premium package 3 and sports package. i switched from a 2015 RC350 Fsport. I never considered getting a mercedes, but when i drove the C300 I really liked it. I think its quicker and a lot more fun to drive than my RC350 which was slow and heavy. congrats on your purchase, you will like the car.
I'm really surprised that being a childhood friend with the GM only got you that far. It seems like these sale guys will try to make a profit out of anyone, including friends. My wife's car has all that plus sport package and I was able to get it for $42K brand new. With 6K miles, it should be a lot less since it's considered used, and that's not counting the "friend" discount. With the Winter sale event, you should get a really good deal if you're willing to spend time to negotiate.
You can do much better but you are already sucked into buying this from your friend. You already sold it to yourself. I do not think you'll be disappointed with purchasing this automobile, but you will become aware of the or so great deal in the future. Friend or not you'll probably distrust him in the future.
Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. I'm trying to learn here, so some of you that have commented on your deals- I'd like to know more. Just for the sake of clarity, we need to stick with my state's definition of "new" which is a car that has never be titled to anyone. The fact that this one has miles on it actually doesn't change the definition of "new" in my state. I know some of you may have bought used or CPO, so I think pricing will be clearly different in those scenarios. Let's talk apples-to-apples.
Regarding the car I'm looking at now- If MSRP is about $51,500 and I'm being offered $40K, I think some of you are saying that you've done better than $11K off MSRP on a new (i.e. never titled) vehicle? Many have stated I could do better? I checked out NADA and KBB and the "fair price" seems to be around $46K on a new 2016 (i.e. never titled) vehicle and thus, the vehicle in question is discounted further due to having miles on it.
Out of curiosity, I'm interested to know more info on the deals that some of you closed. Clearly, you guys did well! I'm curious to know more on how you swung these great deals on new (i.e. never titled) cars? If it's no trouble, feel free to PM me a VIN number and I'll have my buddy look it up to ensure we're on the same page. I'm really hoping to learn from you guys and I really appreciate the input and guidance!
Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate it. I'm trying to learn here, so some of you that have commented on your deals- I'd like to know more. Just for the sake of clarity, we need to stick with my state's definition of "new" which is a car that has never be titled to anyone. The fact that this one has miles on it actually doesn't change the definition of "new" in my state. I know some of you may have bought used or CPO, so I think pricing will be clearly different in those scenarios. Let's talk apples-to-apples.
Regarding the car I'm looking at now- If MSRP is about $51,500 and I'm being offered $40K, I think some of you are saying that you've done better than $11K off MSRP on a new (i.e. never titled) vehicle? Many have stated I could do better? I checked out NADA and KBB and the "fair price" seems to be around $46K on a new 2016 (i.e. never titled) vehicle and thus, the vehicle in question is discounted further due to having miles on it.
Out of curiosity, I'm interested to know more info on the deals that some of you closed. Clearly, you guys did well! I'm curious to know more on how you swung these great deals on new (i.e. never titled) cars? If it's no trouble, feel free to PM me a VIN number and I'll have my buddy look it up to ensure we're on the same page. I'm really hoping to learn from you guys and I really appreciate the input and guidance!
The definitely of "new" shouldn't matter. In your case, the car has been driven 6K miles. It's a loaner. People beat the **** out of loaners. So, I'd expect a significant discount for it. In fact, there's a used 2016 car that's being advertised for sale here on this board for around $36K. So I don't know why you have to stick to that particular car.
As for how to get a good deal, it's fairly easy, and fun (for me). Contact multiple dealers and ask for their quotes. Then, use their quotes against each other. "Oh, dealer A is offering me such and such. What are you (dealer B) offering me?" Then turn around and use that quote on dealer C. then go back to A. Do that till you can't go down anymore. Dealers don't like to lose clients to other dealers, so when you hear a dealer tell you "it's a good deal, you should take it", you'd know you're getting a good deal. I got mine for 19% off MSRP. If you're working for a big company, it helps with fleet discount. And right now, the winter event sale is on your side. Come on. It's your money. Don't let people steal it.
I agree with others here. It doesn't matter if they say the car is new because it is untitled, it is a retired loaner with 6,000 miles of use. Do you know how many people had to drive it to get to 6,000 miles? Regardless of definition, it's used. If it had 6 miles, your deal would be great. But it sounds like your friend would have to believe there's no difference as long as it wasn't titled.
2017 C43 Sedan and 2018 E300 Sedan. 2015 S550 gone.
Originally Posted by huyuci
I'm really surprised that being a childhood friend with the GM only got you that far. It seems like these sale guys will try to make a profit out of anyone, including friends. My wife's car has all that plus sport package and I was able to get it for $42K brand new. With 6K miles, it should be a lot less since it's considered used, and that's not counting the "friend" discount. With the Winter sale event, you should get a really good deal if you're willing to spend time to negotiate.
This above exactly.
You came to this forum to get advice and counsel on this major purchase which is why this is such a valuable forum. Nearly every person has told you that you can do better and yet, your 'friendship' with a car dealer is overriding plain common sense. A car with 6,000 miles is NOT NEW. It is a car with 6000 miles on it. And 6,000 LOANER miles at that. You are paying $3-$5K more than you should. If you want a used car, buy one--for less. This car has tires, oil, belts, wipers etc. that are all 6000 miles old-not new. What's more, an 'A' service on a C Class (which he is giving you free) is a $229.00 retail bonus. Not much is it? So, don't seriously factor this into a $40K deal.
You seem like a good, loyal guy. But this is a big business deal and it should be viewed as nothing less. Have you thought about leasing a new C for around $400 a month? Or just buying a new one with better interest rates if you can't lease? Just trying to help save your deal and your 'friendship.'
Guys, I do appreciate it. This is exactly why I joined the forum. To learn something. If you guys are saying that I need to look further, do my homework, and check out other options, than that's what I'll do. I get what you all are saying about 6K miles. Totally makes sense. It's just such a sinking feeling to be pumped up about a car and then have that wake-up call about it possibly being a wrong move. I'm going to keep looking. I'll post what I find.
Quick question- in my area (Washington DC), I'm curious if prices are higher or if some of you guys in non-metro areas are getting better deals from dealers away from big city pricing? Not sure if geography has an impact?
Guys, I do appreciate it. This is exactly why I joined the forum. To learn something. If you guys are saying that I need to look further, do my homework, and check out other options, than that's what I'll do. I get what you all are saying about 6K miles. Totally makes sense. It's just such a sinking feeling to be pumped up about a car and then have that wake-up call about it possibly being a wrong move. I'm going to keep looking. I'll post what I find.
Quick question- in my area (Washington DC), I'm curious if prices are higher or if some of you guys in non-metro areas are getting better deals from dealers away from big city pricing? Not sure if geography has an impact?
I know that feeling man. I got pumped up about a couple of lightly used C300s and between pricing and overall condition, I was let down about 3 or 4 times until I found my car. I think geography plays a role, but I think in the DC area prices should be on the lower spectrum due to their a lot of dealerships etc... I am in Kentucky and we only have 3 dealerships in the whole state, so that's another story. I would say find the options you would like and look for something similar on carguru in a radius of like 100-150 miles. You're going to find good prices and you can either check those cars out in person or visit dealerships and try to get them to get close to the price you see on carguru. That is what I did in my case at least.
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