madsedan

I am learning myself up on the MB world, would appreciate any advice or input as I'm about 95% deadest on buying a 2015+ C300.

-Not particular on colors but I really don't want the headache of keeping a black car clean. Anything special or rare colors I should pick up if I find?
-I love, love, love the cranberry/black interior. I have a dealer with once coming in with that interior but its a black car. Any colors more rare or better to buy in these cars?
-Only real "must have" option is the AMG sport/appearance package. I want the flat bottom wheel, different wheels, but are there any other sport options I should try to find when I'm looking? Does the sport package come with the wheels, steering wheel, and different seats?
-I am looking at cars around $30k and I have a wealth of CPO and used but still under warranty cars with anywhere from 18k-36k miles. How much of a premium would you give to a certified car?
-The only other thing I'd like to stick with is the open grain matte wood trim on the console and doors, much friendlier to finger prints and really is a neat looking feature, especially paired with the silver burmeister speaker grills.
-Anyway to retrofit Apple CarPlay to a 15 or 16 model?

mike7ee

A lot of people who are interested in the sport package prefer the Night package, which blacks out several chrome accents & trim with a gloss black, including the wheels.

Night package is a variant of the sport package.

removedCFGaccount

Noooo! Don't buy that asthmatic, wheezing 4 cyclinder turd!

ManiacGT

OP, what do you want from the Merc that BMW don't offer? Consider carefully what you like about BMW and check the Merc has this before you jump in. They're very different cars and brands.

fabbrisd1

1. Any Cranberry Red Leather interior in the C - whether C300 or C300W4 4matic - they way those C's get configured with other options for production - would have had a original MSRP$49K-$55K range - and MSRP average about $53K-$54K.

2. C300's/C300W4's without those upgrades can have lower MSRP's like $43K-$46K.

3. You are "shopping" color-feature combo's like building a new car - which is fine - but don't be surprised if you have a long search - or if you will have to compromise on one thing or another

4. If you drive 15k+ mpre a year - then Mercedes Unlimited Mileage Certified Warranty is a big plus for you

5. If you're shopping $30K range - frankly I would ONLY buy Certified - but that's me !

6. If you drive like 10K miles per year - then consider leasing a 2017 or former Service Loaner/demo.

7. No CarPlay retrofit available

Keep the beat !

removedCFGaccount

The four is a wheezing, asthmatic turd.

ManiacGT

With all due respect, we are aware of your opinion, repeatedly aware, several times in each post where a 4cyl is mentioned. Frankly it's getting quite boring.

removedCFGaccount

It is a statement of fact. Last week a U.S. Court took judicial notice of this notorious fact.

Your litany of complaints is subjective. This is an objective fact.

fabbrisd1

I admire the fact that a US Court took notice of the fact your you verbally scorn Turbo-4's - did they give you a fine or are you on probation ?

removedCFGaccount

Ha, ha! I was not a party. . Nor was my scorn a fact of consequence to the determination of any fact in issue.

The issue was whether it is a wheezing turd, NOT my state of mind.

As an officer of the court, I merely supplied the predicate facts as I was ethically required to do.

Wheeze, cough, fart....

Crankster

Be aware that if the car has the AMG sport pack but with the optioned heated wheel you will get a round wheel. Not a show stopper for me. That heated wheel heats up pretty fast in the winter.

Crankster

Not that guy again I don't see his posts anymore directly.

removedCFGaccount

Heres the deal, op, if you buy the four you will regret it for years.

CSVT

Hey Madsedean,

I have a 16' C300 with the Sport Package, and also the Night package. I think the sport package is a must from an appearance standpoint, though you do sacrifice a bit of that buttery smooth ride the non sport package cars have.

I also think the night package adds quite a bit from an appearance standpoint, especially in the lighter colors.


Go CPO if you can. Great warranty attached to those. I've not had any issues with my 16', but I've heard there are a lot of build quality issues associated with the 15's, which I guess is not totally surprising given that was the first production year.

I think the turbo 4 is perfectly fine. If you're accustomed to a turbo 6, you'll be left wanting for more, I'm sure. If you're accustomed to turbo 4's, it'll feel a lot like any other turbo 4. Other guy in this thread is dramatic.

Good luck!

removedCFGaccount

Ha, ha! Dramatically right. The four is a snore.

richysh

I've had my C400 for about 5 months now and i don't regret it a bit. I was keep going back and forth between a fully loaded RWD c300 with a decently optioned (missing ventilated seats, red seats, the distronic plus, and ILH) C400 4matic and i ended up going with a C400 because one, I was coming from having v6s in the past (genesis coupe, G37S coupe, 535i) so i knew i was gona want more power as i own it and two, the engine note. Even then, i was keep second guessing myself because i didn't test drive either of them. At the end of the day, i chose the C400 i have now, which i love, and when i dropped it off for the first time at mercedes for some warranty work, i was given a 4matic C300 loaner. It actually did have decent amount of power at the low end when you're just driving normally. It actually felt more peppy when i just drove it typically. As soon as i got it on the highway and did a full throttle, thats where all the power was missing. Is it fast enough? yes. But it wasn't just what i was looking for. And even the transmission in the C300 was more jerkier than my C400. In my C400, the only time the transmission is jerky is when i'm slowing down and when the gear changes from 3rd to 2nd. In the C300, everytime it went into 2nd gear from the 1st, it was always jerky. So in my opinion, if you can find a C400 in your budget, i would probably go for that one. But if you don't need all that power and rather have better fuel economy, i'd go for a C300 but you'll see what i mean about the transmission jerkyness when you test drive one, especially when you compare it to a bmw. Those ZF transmissions in bmws is buttery smooth and super quick whereas the 7 speed auto in these w205s, some of them are jerky and not as quick as a ZF. Good luck on your search!

Mr. J

I was gonna poo-poo you for this comment but I've been driving a C300 while my C450 is in the shop and to some extent you are right.

So Wifey and I share a C450 and a GLC43. The C450 went in for service because the the adjustable suspension has been stuck in S+ mode which is pretty brutal on Portland streets.

I have been driving a base C300 loaner for the last 48 hrs. I did not notice how hard I had been mashing the pedal until I got home and swapped with the GLC43 to run an errand. I took off in the '43 and got a mild case of whiplash as my head flew back into the headrest.

Basically, I'm used to the power in my other vehicles. So in the C300 I was running the car in S/S+ the whole time and unconsciously mashing the throttle to compensate for the reduced power.

Don't get me wrong, the C300 is not sluggish. But if you're coming from a sportier car it may feel that way. However, my biggest beef with the C300 is that is sounds like ****. There is no pleasant exhaust rumble at all. CFG is right, it sounds wheezy. When I drive it I just crank up the stereo because the car offers no audio stimulation for me whatsoever. If exhaust tone is important to you this should be a consideration. I think the problem is solvable on the aftermarket, but there are no stock C300s with good exhaust notes in the current generation.

C_Class_Dad

BMW versus Mercedes

Are you aware that Mercs have turn signals that are used prior to change lanes versus BMWs that don't seem to have functioning signals.

Also, Mercs require alternate merge in heavy traffic versus riding down the shoulder and forcing your way into a lane at the last possible moment.

removedCFGaccount

I used one as a loaner for a few days, too: hell, even I had asthma when I turned it in.

Edit: did I fail to mention how rough and lumpy it is at any speed?

Puissant or pissant? You decide. (The boys is Svalbard and Churchill salivate when somebody shows up in one.)

removedCFGaccount

Those are the special New Jersey BMW's, certified by the Fat Man.

Rude, arrogant and grotesquely obese, yet smug.

CSVT

Yeah, i'll just reiterate - if your frame of reference is turbo 6's, then yes - ANY turbo 4 is going to sound tinny and feel dull by comparison.

If you're making a lateral transfer from another turbo 4 offering, the power in the C300 is going to be on par with what you're used to from the BMW's turbo 4 offering.

I'm saying that again because CFG paints a picture like the C300 is a sub standard turbo 4 offering, when realistically they're all pretty similar. He's comparing the output to a completely different engine.

removedCFGaccount

Stop imputing views to me I don't hold. It is below the industry standard. Keep blowing smoke up your own **** all you want, but don't put me in a false light.

The boys in Svalbard and Churchill agree, compared to others fours, it is a lumpy, wheezing turd.

The BMW four is quite smooth and doesn't sound like an old man with emphysema trying to crap a peach seed.

Plainly put, I'm comparing the wheeler in isolation, with regard to the industry standard for four cylinders, and nothing else.

removedCFGaccount

I refuse to believe Mercedes can't top this, yet it continues to push that aging geezer on unsophisticated buyers.

Mr. J

Personally, I only notice how bad it sounds when I wring it out. For slow cruising, the engine is pretty quiet. If MB put a decent exhaust system on the C300 trims with the sport package it would be a dramatic improvement. It would only require a little bit of rumble to mask the wheezing. I think a sport exhaust would be a popular option on these vehicles. I'm surprised that MB doesn't offer this as an add-on similar to BMW and their M Performance add ons for the 3 and 4 series.

I think the actual power delivery was fine at the low end. It does struggle a bit at higher RPMs.

If I were cross shopping a c300 with a 328i or 330i, I'd budget an extra $1200 against the C300 for an AWE Touring exhaust upgrade.

removedCFGaccount

I agree, but it is truly asthmatic at higher rpm's. I say why guild a turd.