2015 C300 one year ownership review
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 34
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From: Maryland
2015 C300 4Matic, 2014 Porsche Cayman, 2017 Porsche Macan
2015 C300 one year ownership review
I bought this car one year ago and thought it may help a few members to detail my experiences/thoughts/opinions.
History
c300 4matic purchased with 14,000 miles. Cost - $27,000. Also purchased a MB extended warranty for five years/120K miles for $2,250.
Previous cars were 2008 BMW 128i 6MT, a 2017 Porsche Macan S, a 2008 Mercedes CLK350, a 2000 Volvo 940 wagon, a 1990 BMW 3 series 5MT, a 1989 Jaguar XJ, a Mercedes 190E.
For the same driving commute as the C300 — I drove the 128i to 196K miles, the MacanS to 83K miles.
Current garage is a 2017 Porsche Macan and a 2014 Porsche Cayman.
The C300 is my DD. The car is completely stock.
Use
I have driven the C300 36,000 miles in one year. My YTD odometer says I’m averaging 33.1 mpg and 48 mph (totaling 735 engine hours). I commute 150+ miles/day, 90% at highway (70+ mph) speed on the I-95 corridor. I’ve also taken the car a one week long vacation through New England.
why did I buy this car?
1) interior quality - I’m in the car 3 hours/day.
2) the MB dealer offered the most $ for my Macan S. Try trading a 2 1/2 year old Porsche with no maintenance records (I perform all of the maintenance, except transmission fluid changes). MOST IMPORTANT factor.
3) I wanted a DD and a weekender, so I split the cost of a Macan S ($70K) and bought the Cayman and the C300.
4) gas mileage. The Macan averaged 24 mpg, I save about $100/month with the C300.
5) Owned two MB’s previously and liked both.
6) Spouse does not like BMW interiors, and she loved her previous Mercedes.
driving impressions
I’ve previously owned a 2008 CLK class and 1989 C class. The quality of this car compared to those is lacking. I think MB focused their $ on the interior, not the mechanicals. But to be fair, BMW focuses on engine/suspension, not the interior. Audi probably shoots for the middle (I’ve never owned one, just test drives). Porsche focuses on the entire car.
The ride is smoother than my 128i (my new Continental DWS06s made a huge difference in ride quality). Not smoother than the Macan S. But the C300 NVH is higher than I expected. And I had to convince the dealer to replace the front glass due to noise problems, and still it’s noisier.
The engine is not the best. It’s very noisy at start up, etc. If I compare a Porsche flat six, Porsche V6, or BMW straight six to this car, the MB comes in fifth or sixth. Probably not fair to compare a four pot to those engines, but it is what it is. I guess you have to step up to an AMG engine, which I would think are pretty remarkable. Someday I hope to try one.
Likewise the transmission is leagues behind a PDK. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to wait for this transmission to find the right gear during a passing maneuver. And plastic floppy paddles? See quality.
Handling is better than I think most people know. Steering feel is distant, but not nearly as bad as my son’s Golf.
Brakes are adequate, not superior.
Another example of my perception of a lack of MB quality is the front windshield. I drove the 128i and Macan S a total of 250K miles, and did not need to replace a windshield. I had to replace the MB in30K miles due to chipping.
reliability
i have had no issues with the car, though with the change in weather I now have a slight groan from my left front - I suspect I’ll be changing out struts soon. Which if true is, for me, another sign of lesser quality in the car. My BMW front suspension was replaced at 110K miles, and I never touched the Porsche’s.
had to replace all OEM tires at 45K. My previous cars’ tires have consistently lasted 60+K.
I’m following the factory service schedule - oil changes every 10K. Normally I reduce these intervals by 25%, but since I have an extended warranty I don’t want to spend $ on a more aggressive service schedule.
operating cost
i track ALL costs (fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance, etc) and currently the car is costing 36 cents/mile. My BMW cost 31 cents/mile. My Macan S cost 59 cents/mile. The largest portion of these costs is depreciation. For example, having bought the Macan S new, I lost $30K in depreciation. So far I guess I’ve lost $7K on the C300. And the BMW’s depreciation was less per mile since I kept the car so long (Bought at $22K, sold at $5K).
Parts are reasonable $. I’ve used all OEM parts due to the extended warranty (don’t want to give MB an excuse not to honor it, if needed).
Final thoughts
Am I glad I bought the C300? Mixed. It does do what I wanted - cheaper to run, comfortable, etc. But I don’t love this car, and debate how long to keep it. I am not convinced of the inherent quality of this car. In some ways that doesn’t matter (see extended warranty) but I feel like it’s a more cheaply made car than it appears. And btw we looked at a new E Class before my wife bought her Macan, and both thought the same about the E class. The car was not worth the same $ compared to the Macan. This C300 “probably” was worth it at $27K. But I wouldn’t spend $40K+ on this car.
time for the loyalists to hate . . .
History
c300 4matic purchased with 14,000 miles. Cost - $27,000. Also purchased a MB extended warranty for five years/120K miles for $2,250.
Previous cars were 2008 BMW 128i 6MT, a 2017 Porsche Macan S, a 2008 Mercedes CLK350, a 2000 Volvo 940 wagon, a 1990 BMW 3 series 5MT, a 1989 Jaguar XJ, a Mercedes 190E.
For the same driving commute as the C300 — I drove the 128i to 196K miles, the MacanS to 83K miles.
Current garage is a 2017 Porsche Macan and a 2014 Porsche Cayman.
The C300 is my DD. The car is completely stock.
Use
I have driven the C300 36,000 miles in one year. My YTD odometer says I’m averaging 33.1 mpg and 48 mph (totaling 735 engine hours). I commute 150+ miles/day, 90% at highway (70+ mph) speed on the I-95 corridor. I’ve also taken the car a one week long vacation through New England.
why did I buy this car?
1) interior quality - I’m in the car 3 hours/day.
2) the MB dealer offered the most $ for my Macan S. Try trading a 2 1/2 year old Porsche with no maintenance records (I perform all of the maintenance, except transmission fluid changes). MOST IMPORTANT factor.
3) I wanted a DD and a weekender, so I split the cost of a Macan S ($70K) and bought the Cayman and the C300.
4) gas mileage. The Macan averaged 24 mpg, I save about $100/month with the C300.
5) Owned two MB’s previously and liked both.
6) Spouse does not like BMW interiors, and she loved her previous Mercedes.
driving impressions
I’ve previously owned a 2008 CLK class and 1989 C class. The quality of this car compared to those is lacking. I think MB focused their $ on the interior, not the mechanicals. But to be fair, BMW focuses on engine/suspension, not the interior. Audi probably shoots for the middle (I’ve never owned one, just test drives). Porsche focuses on the entire car.
The ride is smoother than my 128i (my new Continental DWS06s made a huge difference in ride quality). Not smoother than the Macan S. But the C300 NVH is higher than I expected. And I had to convince the dealer to replace the front glass due to noise problems, and still it’s noisier.
The engine is not the best. It’s very noisy at start up, etc. If I compare a Porsche flat six, Porsche V6, or BMW straight six to this car, the MB comes in fifth or sixth. Probably not fair to compare a four pot to those engines, but it is what it is. I guess you have to step up to an AMG engine, which I would think are pretty remarkable. Someday I hope to try one.
Likewise the transmission is leagues behind a PDK. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to wait for this transmission to find the right gear during a passing maneuver. And plastic floppy paddles? See quality.
Handling is better than I think most people know. Steering feel is distant, but not nearly as bad as my son’s Golf.
Brakes are adequate, not superior.
Another example of my perception of a lack of MB quality is the front windshield. I drove the 128i and Macan S a total of 250K miles, and did not need to replace a windshield. I had to replace the MB in30K miles due to chipping.
reliability
i have had no issues with the car, though with the change in weather I now have a slight groan from my left front - I suspect I’ll be changing out struts soon. Which if true is, for me, another sign of lesser quality in the car. My BMW front suspension was replaced at 110K miles, and I never touched the Porsche’s.
had to replace all OEM tires at 45K. My previous cars’ tires have consistently lasted 60+K.
I’m following the factory service schedule - oil changes every 10K. Normally I reduce these intervals by 25%, but since I have an extended warranty I don’t want to spend $ on a more aggressive service schedule.
operating cost
i track ALL costs (fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance, etc) and currently the car is costing 36 cents/mile. My BMW cost 31 cents/mile. My Macan S cost 59 cents/mile. The largest portion of these costs is depreciation. For example, having bought the Macan S new, I lost $30K in depreciation. So far I guess I’ve lost $7K on the C300. And the BMW’s depreciation was less per mile since I kept the car so long (Bought at $22K, sold at $5K).
Parts are reasonable $. I’ve used all OEM parts due to the extended warranty (don’t want to give MB an excuse not to honor it, if needed).
Final thoughts
Am I glad I bought the C300? Mixed. It does do what I wanted - cheaper to run, comfortable, etc. But I don’t love this car, and debate how long to keep it. I am not convinced of the inherent quality of this car. In some ways that doesn’t matter (see extended warranty) but I feel like it’s a more cheaply made car than it appears. And btw we looked at a new E Class before my wife bought her Macan, and both thought the same about the E class. The car was not worth the same $ compared to the Macan. This C300 “probably” was worth it at $27K. But I wouldn’t spend $40K+ on this car.
time for the loyalists to hate . . .
Last edited by pkaia524; Nov 24, 2019 at 02:50 PM.
