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16-E350Wagon*sold 17-GLC43*sold 2018 GLC43 Current
GLC43 ? C43 ?
*disclaimer - Yes, I know I'm an idiot...carry on* Lend me your ears and eyes for a moment friends. My wife and I are the proud owners of a new to us CPO GLC43. We've owned it for just about 30 days now. When we purchased it, it was to be a replacement for my wife's Mommy mobile and primary doggie shuttle. Our 100lb Golden goes for daily walks with her (they drive to the dog park) and with the new COVID induced work from home, it would sit in the garage primarily. So far so good, right? Well, as soon as we got home she decided she didn't want to put the dog in it. "It's too nice to have the dogs in there". Ok, no argument there. So she promptly decided she was commandeering my F150. Plenty of room for doggo adventures and again, it'll sit most of the time since neither of us have a commute to speak of anymore. Now here's the rub; I LOVE, love, love every single thing there is to love about the drivetrain of the GLC. But now that the GLC43 is "mine" - I realized I don't really need the SUV utility. Honestly, I would kill for C43 estate as I'm an avid cyclist and the wagon boot is just too practical. Alas, as a lowly Yank we're stuck with what we got. So I've called my dealer and they are giving me fair trade back for the GLC. I basically took a bath on the deposit we put down (hey, lesson learned, shame on me) but I can get out of the GLC and into a 1 year newer CPO C43 with 20k less miles for 5$ more a month (better interest rate offers on C43's through MBF apparently). So - here's my question to the C43 crew - do you ever wish you had gotten the utility of the GLC? Any regrets? Again, I have ZERO issues with the quirkiness of the transmission (I learned her quirks early and adapted quickly - love it) or any of the other things people seem to gripe about. However, I spend enough time on this forum vs. the GLC43 (so many similarities between the two platforms and this forum is a lot more active) to know some of the things to be aware of - build issues are high on the list. My GLC was built in Stuttgart and the C43 I'm eyeing is an 18 built in Bama I believe. Anything else I should be aware of that might be sedan/coupe specific? I'm on the fence. All the mods I planned for the GLC43 apply to the C43 - one BIG difference is the options that open up for wheel/tire combos on the sedan vs. the SUV. I have spent hours upon hours searching for a good combo for the GLC only to throw my hands up in frustration. Anyway, any insight, hate, love, etc. you can throw my way? TALK ME OUT OF THIS Pics of Pup and GLC
My take, I have the sedan and the trunk/ useable space is small. It’s ok for my golf clubs but without folding the seats down not a lot of space and certainly not as functional as the SUV. I’m not a cyclist and am certain there are roof carriers for cycles, so it may not be that big a deal. I don’t know how much of a loss you are taking on the down payment , or your financial position , but if you’re going with the C43 make sure it has the performance exhaust.
Apologies, I didn’t read your entire post, but I saw you have a 100lb lab. Relevant as I have a similar sized dog and was considering the same - though a 2019 GLC63. I ultimately went with a C43 wagon (yes, I know the wagon version isn’t available in the US) the main reason being the truck room in the GLC is not big. It’s tall, but not deep. The C43 wagon is close to twice the depth. I’d suspect your lab would be very uncomfortable in the truck of the GLC.
I personally can't get on board with this whole SUV thing. They are minivans/wagons with an unnecessary high center of gravity. The only things they do better than a normal wagon is offroad and deep snow, but most SUVs sold don't even have locking differentials so they are effectively useless for proper offroad use, and how often are you really driving in deep snow? I'm an avid cycler as well and I had a GLB and GLC loaner recently. I had to laugh when I still had to take off the front wheel to get my bike in the back. They were both non-AMG models, so I'm not gonna comment on the driving too much, other than it was garbage. That whole high center of gravity thing is idiotic.
I drive a C63S coupe and that's plenty practical. Ok, I don't have a dog or kids and rarely have more than two people in the car, but it offers plenty of space for luggage etc. for a trip out of town. I travelled across Europe for 2 months with a large and a medium Samsonite plus backpack and other random bags. It all fit in the trunk, so out of sight. One issue I have with SUVs is that you can't really hide/secure what you have in it. They are some of the most broken in vehicles around here. I just don't see the point of these vehicles. To carry my bike I use a Sea Sucker roof rack. Frankly, I much prefer lifting my bicycle up on the roof, than trying to get it in the trunk and getting everything dirty, including my pants from leaning against the rear bumper. It's one of the most awkward things to shove a bike in there if you can only hold/lift it at the far end.
Last edited by superswiss; 02-11-2021 at 06:01 PM.
16-E350Wagon*sold 17-GLC43*sold 2018 GLC43 Current
Originally Posted by GWSHARK
My take, I have the sedan and the trunk/ useable space is small. It’s ok for my golf clubs but without folding the seats down not a lot of space and certainly not as functional as the SUV. I’m not a cyclist and am certain there are roof carriers for cycles, so it may not be that big a deal. I don’t know how much of a loss you are taking on the down payment , or your financial position , but if you’re going with the C43 make sure it has the performance exhaust.
Ah, the money isn't really an issue. Any problem that can be solved with money isn't really a problem in my book so I'm chalking it up as a tough lesson learned is all. The space I'm not super stressed about since I still have the F150 when I need it. Mountain biking requires the truck, my road cycling requires the car but the seasucker mount is quite appealing. And YES - the CPO I'm eyeing has the PE! I do NOT have it in my GLC and very much wish I did.
Originally Posted by toosteeley
Apologies, I didn’t read your entire post, but I saw you have a 100lb lab. Relevant as I have a similar sized dog and was considering the same - though a 2019 GLC63. I ultimately went with a C43 wagon (yes, I know the wagon version isn’t available in the US) the main reason being the truck room in the GLC is not big. It’s tall, but not deep. The C43 wagon is close to twice the depth. I’d suspect your lab would be very uncomfortable in the truck of the GLC.
I envy you and the wagon ever so much! And the 63 was/is still one of my wish list cars but not until I get the kids through college lol. As for the pup, he'll never see the inside of this thing now. Momma carts him around in all his glory in cavernous back seat of the truck. I can actually fit both my wife and I, both teenage kids and the dog comfortably in truck. That thing is huge.
Originally Posted by superswiss
I personally can't get on board with this whole SUV thing. They are minivans/wagons with an unnecessary high center of gravity. The only things they do better than a normal wagon is offroad and deep snow, but most SUVs sold don't even have locking differentials so they are effectively useless for proper offroad use, and how often are you really driving in deep snow? I'm an avid cycler as well and I had a GLB and GLC loaner recently. I had to laugh when I still had to take off the front wheel to get my bike in the back. They were both non-AMG models, so I'm not gonna comment on the driving too much, other than it was garbage. That whole high center of gravity thing is idiotic.
I drive a C63S coupe and that's plenty practical. Ok, I don't have a dog or kids and rarely have more than two people in the car, but it offers plenty of space for luggage etc. for a trip out of town. I travelled across Europe for 2 months with a large and a medium Samsonite plus backpack and other random bags. It all fit in the trunk, so out of sight. One issue I have with SUVs is that you can't really hide/secure what you have in it. They are some of the most broken in vehicles around here. I just don't see the point of these vehicles. To carry my bike I use a Sea Sucker roof rack. Frankly, I much prefer lifting my bicycle up on the roof, than trying to get it in the trunk and getting everything dirty, including my pants from leaning against the rear bumper. It's one of the most awkward things to shove a bike in there if you can only hold/lift it at the far end.
Thank you for this! Exactly the kind of feedback and experience I was looking for. Since the C43 will basically be my car I don't need a ton of room for anything other than to throw a gear bag in the trunk when I travel to ride. I would be considering a coupe actually but still have the rare occasion when I will need to tote the teens around so having the extra doors is really just a matter of convenience. As for the bike stuff, I totally forgot about the seasucker mounts until you posted yours (thank you!) - I was already looking at roof rack options. Only trick seems to be that you can't tilt the sunroof when it's on, no? I know you can't open the sunroof with even the factory roof bars but you can still tilt it open I believe? For my MTB adventures I still have my beloved do-it-all truck!
Thank you for this! Exactly the kind of feedback and experience I was looking for. Since the C43 will basically be my car I don't need a ton of room for anything other than to throw a gear bag in the trunk when I travel to ride. I would be considering a coupe actually but still have the rare occasion when I will need to tote the teens around so having the extra doors is really just a matter of convenience. As for the bike stuff, I totally forgot about the seasucker mounts until you posted yours (thank you!) - I was already looking at roof rack options. Only trick seems to be that you can't tilt the sunroof when it's on, no? I know you can't open the sunroof with even the factory roof bars but you can still tilt it open I believe? For my MTB adventures I still have my beloved do-it-all truck!
I have never tried to tilt the sunroof, but purely mechanically it should work, because the fork mount swivels so if you tilt the roof it should be fine. The guy in the video below specifically comments that because of that he can still open the trunk on his Jaguar with the bike on the roof.
I would get the c43 2 door coupe or convertible since your mind is already made up that you don't need trendy soccer mom suv. Unless you want to drive up to Canada to buy your c43 wagon, choice left are sedan, coupe and convertible. You already have a moving truck, drop off the kids/dog off somewhere and go out with the top down.
C43 Sedan owner here. I test drove both the C43 and a GLC43 Coupe (leftover model year so would've been a great deal), but ended up with the sedan. Overall just liked the looks better and really couldn't justify the 'need' for the SUV with no kids or dogs. If I were you, I'd ask your dealer for a long term test drive over a few days with a C class and see how you like sitting down low. It personally doesn't bother me but a lot of people get in the C43 and comment on how low to the ground it is. I just had a GLC300 loaner when the C43 was in for some regular maintenance and can really see how people like and get used to sitting up higher, even just in the day I had it going to work and running some errands.
I do sometimes wish that I had the ground clearance of the SUV especially now in the dead of winter as I drive a ton for work still even despite COVID. I've been fine for the most part but did get stuck one early morning in about 8-10" of wet heavy snow before they plowed where I lived. Other than the ground clearance, it's been an absolute beast in the winter with a set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros, have never felt safer in a car other than a 3-ton Expedition, Tahoe, etc. Then again, you do have the pickup truck if things were that bad.
Like superswiss, I also have a SeaSucker bike rack which works great! Just keep in mind that the only lock solution is to use a cable lock and SeaSucker's window lock system. Just not really a fan of the design and overall would feel better about just having my bike locked inside the back of an SUV instead of out in the open where someone could potentially mess with it if I need to stop anywhere with the bike and I'm not in eyesight of the vehicle. Just something to consider I didn't think of before I bought the rack.
16-E350Wagon*sold 17-GLC43*sold 2018 GLC43 Current
Dollars and a little more sense prevailed. Spent some time on the phone w/ the dealer and digging around for used values on the C43 and the math just doesn't work. Unbelievably the C43, even being a year newer and with 26k miles vs. our GLC43's 36k miles is worth about 1k less. Problem is the dealer wants 2k more for the C43 than we just paid for the GLC so I guess we're going to learn to love and live with this GLC for a while. Despite being willing to eat the down payment on the GLC we just laid out, I refuse to go into a MBF agreement upside down at signing on the C43. The best trade in value I could find for the C was 38k and the dealer straight away offered us 39 for the GLC. We're already right side up on the G. So for now, I play. I do enjoy hanging around in this forum though, you guys are a much more friendly and lively bunch than what I can tell from the GLC43/63 crowd. Time will tell. I appreciate the feedback and comments provided by all - I suppose I'll just keep squinting when I look at the GLC and pretend I'm actually looking at the wagon ;-) Cheers!
16-E350Wagon*sold 17-GLC43*sold 2018 GLC43 Current
Originally Posted by Brad Barcic
C43 Sedan owner here. I test drove both the C43 and a GLC43 Coupe (leftover model year so would've been a great deal), but ended up with the sedan. Overall just liked the looks better and really couldn't justify the 'need' for the SUV with no kids or dogs. If I were you, I'd ask your dealer for a long term test drive over a few days with a C class and see how you like sitting down low. It personally doesn't bother me but a lot of people get in the C43 and comment on how low to the ground it is. I just had a GLC300 loaner when the C43 was in for some regular maintenance and can really see how people like and get used to sitting up higher, even just in the day I had it going to work and running some errands.
I do sometimes wish that I had the ground clearance of the SUV especially now in the dead of winter as I drive a ton for work still even despite COVID. I've been fine for the most part but did get stuck one early morning in about 8-10" of wet heavy snow before they plowed where I lived. Other than the ground clearance, it's been an absolute beast in the winter with a set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros, have never felt safer in a car other than a 3-ton Expedition, Tahoe, etc. Then again, you do have the pickup truck if things were that bad.
Like superswiss, I also have a SeaSucker bike rack which works great! Just keep in mind that the only lock solution is to use a cable lock and SeaSucker's window lock system. Just not really a fan of the design and overall would feel better about just having my bike locked inside the back of an SUV instead of out in the open where someone could potentially mess with it if I need to stop anywhere with the bike and I'm not in eyesight of the vehicle. Just something to consider I didn't think of before I bought the rack.
See my post above, which I put up before I read yours. I think what I'm really going to shoot for is trading in for a MY20/21 around 22/23 time frame. Get the updated MBUX/AMG Drive toys and then contemplate the coupe/sedan conversation then. I had a long line of performance VW's in late 90's into the mid 00's so I actually can't wait to get back into a car and low seating position. For now though, I'll keep hanging around and soaking up intel
I own c43 sedan and GLC43 coupe. C43 is more sporty than GLC43 feels more refined probably due to air suspension and being 1 year younger. If you want a family car GLC is better
02-11-2021, 05:04 PM
