Originally Posted by flocons

You know what? That's actually a really good question, and I'll try and explain my reasoning as best I can. At the end of it, please feel free to disagree, as everyone has different priorities when choosing a car, and this is just my thought process and justification.

I originally had CLA45 on order before Merc decided they couldn't meet demands and first pushed my order from MY22 to MY23 before ultimately canceling it. I still think the CLA45 would've been the one for me. Its personality and driving dynamic was more of what I was looking for. . After it was cancelled, I obviously had the choice to get my deposit back or choose something else, and it just so happened that the new C43 was announced that week. So, instead of taking back the deposit, I decided to transfer it to a new order. In hindsight, it was probably not the most prudent thing to do; putting money down for a car that I wouldn't even lay my hands on for an entire calendar year, but it had the same engine and the c-class seemed to be decent, so why not? But as time went on, and as I watched/read more reviews that compared the pros/cons, as well as following the discussions from various sources including this thread, it became clear that I was just waiting for this car because of convenience and the fact that I had already put a sum of money into it.

Sidenote: I'm actually typing that last sentence above, and it's seems to be resembling a loveless marriage or an explanation of how guys date; "just keep her around and drop her until something younger and prettier comes around" . Now I feel like an ***

In all honesty, from the sounds of it, if I had kept the car it would have been fine. The performance is there, I like the looks, and the interior looks great albeit really creaky (at least the C300s I've had experience with are). I would have been fine with it, and if it hadn't been for the lease rate, I probably would have kept the car and lived happily ever (until the end of the lease or every time a C63 pulls up next to me at a corner). I think the 4-wheel steering was something that I'll miss out on, as it sound like it's going to be pretty amazing, as well as that lag free (almost) turbo experience. At the end of the day, couldn't get past the fact that I would've been paying $2000 for a C-Class. Here's what I had to go on:

Option 1: C43 AMG
- Sale Price (As Configured): $94,490.13
- Lease Rate: 8.04%
- Monthly Payment (taxes in): $2,039.65
- Residual: $46,466.70

Option 2: Giulia QV
- Sale Price (Loaded except for Carbon seats): $94,945.00
- Lease Rate: 5.99%
- Monthly Payment: $1,691.85
- Residual: $60,141.65

So given the information above and given the specs of both cars: Even if I was into the bells and whistles of the C43, even if I didn't mind (because nobody LOVES) capacitive touch controls for pretty much everything, and even if I really like the idea of the cabin feeling like a night club; even after all that, anyone who is a 'car person' would have to think twice about that, right? I mean, part of the divisiveness of this generation's C43, even in this very thread, has been that e-turbo four-cylinder that seems to fly in the face of AMG purists. On paper it seems great. In real world figures, it seems to lag behind the other Germans if only slightly. For $300 less a month, I'm getting 505HP from a V6, but not just any V6 - All indications point to the very high probability that this V6 will most likely earn legendary status amongst enthusiasts when all the ICE plants go the way of the dinosaur. For $300 less a month, all those questions about "can that e-turbo 4 banger keep up?", or "is it slower than the outgoing V6?" or "Why is this car slower than the CLA45 when it has the same engine?"; all of that goes away. For $300 LESS a month.

As a fan of driving, as an enthusiast, or even as someone who just REALLY like the color red, the Giulia QV was an exceptional proposition compared to the C43 at these prices, and one I absolutely could not say no to. It has to make you at the very least think twice, right? Can someone here convince me otherwise? Oh, and if a C63 pulls up beside me at a corner...

Cheers,

L.

Originally Posted by eatmydust

That residual is wild. Canada is a crazy place haha.
The c43 residual here in the states is over 60% last I confirmed.

Originally Posted by flocons

Agreed. Completely out of hand, but it is what it is. I'm not crazy for going the way I did right? LOL

Originally Posted by eatmydust

That residual is wild. Canada is a crazy place haha.

The c43 residual here in the states is over 60% last I confirmed.

Originally Posted by ylli101

not everywhere, some dealers playing games. I had one tell me 42% residual! Insanity.

Originally Posted by flocons

You know what? That's actually a really good question, and I'll try and explain my reasoning as best I can. At the end of it, please feel free to disagree, as everyone has different priorities when choosing a car, and this is just my thought process and justification.

I originally had CLA45 on order before Merc decided they couldn't meet demands and first pushed my order from MY22 to MY23 before ultimately canceling it. I still think the CLA45 would've been the one for me. Its personality and driving dynamic was more of what I was looking for. . After it was cancelled, I obviously had the choice to get my deposit back or choose something else, and it just so happened that the new C43 was announced that week. So, instead of taking back the deposit, I decided to transfer it to a new order. In hindsight, it was probably not the most prudent thing to do; putting money down for a car that I wouldn't even lay my hands on for an entire calendar year, but it had the same engine and the c-class seemed to be decent, so why not? But as time went on, and as I watched/read more reviews that compared the pros/cons, as well as following the discussions from various sources including this thread, it became clear that I was just waiting for this car because of convenience and the fact that I had already put a sum of money into it.

Sidenote: I'm actually typing that last sentence above, and it's seems to be resembling a loveless marriage or an explanation of how guys date; "just keep her around and drop her until something younger and prettier comes around" . Now I feel like an ***

In all honesty, from the sounds of it, if I had kept the car it would have been fine. The performance is there, I like the looks, and the interior looks great albeit really creaky (at least the C300s I've had experience with are). I would have been fine with it, and if it hadn't been for the lease rate, I probably would have kept the car and lived happily ever (until the end of the lease or EVERY SINGLE TIME a C63 pulls up next to me at a corner). I think the 4-wheel steering is something that I'll probably miss out on, as it sounds like it's going to be pretty amazing, as well as that lag free (almost) turbo experience. At the end of the day though, I just couldn't get past the fact that I would be paying $2000 for a C-Class with some extra HP. It came down to numbers. And with that in mind, here are some of the numbers I had to go on. I'm happy to pass around the contracts if anyone is interested in having a closer look.

Option 1: C43 AMG
- Sale Price (As Configured and after $2,000 discount): $94,490.13
- Lease Rate: 8.04%
- Monthly Payment (taxes in): $2,039.65
- Residual: $46,466.70

Option 2: Giulia QV
- Sale Price (Loaded except for Carbon seats; no discount): $94,945.00
- Lease Rate: 5.99%
- Monthly Payment: $1,691.85
- Residual: $60,141.65

So given the information above and given the specs of both cars: Even if I was into the bells and whistles of the C43, even if I didn't mind (because nobody LOVES) having capacitive touch controls for pretty much everything, and even if I really liked the idea of having the cabin feeling like a night club; even after all that, anyone who considers themselves a 'car person' would have to think twice about that, right? I mean, part of the divisiveness of this generation's C43, discussed even in this very thread, has been that e-turbo four-cylinder that seems to fly in the face of AMG purists. On paper it seems great. In real world application, it lags behind the other Germans if only slightly. Then there's the transmission issues that have been reported. For $300 less a month, I'm getting 505HP from a V6 and the ZF auto, but not just any V6 - All indications point to the very high probability that this V6 will most likely earn legendary status amongst enthusiasts when all the ICE plants go the way of the dinosaur. For $300 less a month, all those questions about "can that e-turbo 4 banger keep up?", or "is it slower than the outgoing V6?" or "Why is this car slower than the CLA45 when it has the same engine?"; all of that goes away. For $300 LESS a month.

As a fan of driving, as an enthusiast, or even as someone who just REALLY likes the color red, the Giulia QV was an exceptional proposition compared to the C43 at these prices, and one I absolutely could not say no to. It has to make you (brand-biased or not) at the very, very least - think twice, right? Can someone here convince me otherwise? Oh, and if a C63 pulls up beside me at a corner...

Cheers,

L.

Originally Posted by eatmydust

That residual is wild. Canada is a crazy place haha.

The c43 residual here in the states is over 60% last I confirmed.

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

As for deposit, I thought deposits to a certain extent is refundable, I understand Ontario has the all sales final thing but under some circumstances, deposits can be refundable, no? Which dealership is this? If you want you could let us know here or PM me.

Originally Posted by flocons

Here's the link to the contracts - The Alfa one is not updated. The dealer will be removing some of the fees, including the luxury tax. Final price looks like it'll be coming in cheaper than the C43

Contracts here: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AgKoF7Tp5r2adsTk...ojOcQ?e=zDYDrE

Why the F**K is freight and PDI $3,000!?!?!?!

I am a friend of the salesperson who works at the dealership, so I fully trust that he would have tried to get me at least some of that deposit back if the dealership allowed it. Although it would've been great to shift those funds over to subsidize the amount that will be due on delivery for the QV, it's not an earth-shattering amount, and I did go into the agreement understanding that the deposit would be non-refundable. Ultimately, I'm willing to concede that it is the dealer's discretion on whether they are willing to refund the money, much like it was my discretion on willing to blindly give a car dealership that amount money in the first place.

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

Another thing is (just curious in general), if I remembered correctly you said this is your first MB or did I mix it up with someone else, if it was you, how is that the salesperson is your friend (like I said just curious) or is that the salesperson came from another brand that you used to purchase from?

Originally Posted by flocons

Yep - My first MB. He's worked at MB for as long as I've known him. However, I've been a VAG fanboy for as long as he's known me

It's sorta like if you have a friend who you know is a drug dealer, but you never bought drugs from him... hahaha

Originally Posted by flocons

It was a series of unfortunate happenings! I always leased, as I own my own business; went from GTI to Golf R and a Sportwagen, as my cousin was a salesperson there. I LOVED the Golf R, but decided not to get the new Mk8 version, as I just loathed the touch controls in that car, and the quality of the interior took a huge nosedive. I also wanted something with a bit more "oompf" so to speak. Luckily, the new RS3 was on the way, so that was actually the beginning of my 'next car' journey. As you probably know, the RS3 never made it to Canada so it was the CLA45....The rest is rather well-documented history, I would say!

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

Another curious question, do you have a second vehicle because I forgot the Alfa is RWD and our winters are brutal...

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

I see, to be fair it was always wise to lease if you own a business, it is the best way to do it! Yes unfortunate the RS3 never made it to our shores but even in the USA I heard the waiting list is like a year or two which is ridiculous even if it was available in Canada, our wait might be many years as USA is a more important market for automakers from experience.

Either way, I am glad it worked out for you through the Alfa though, it is definitely a neat car, enjoy it in good health and of course looking forward to pictures when you take delivery and the beauty of the fact that you can take delivery way earlier than the C 43 is icing on the cake (alongside the lower monthly, the higher horsepower, the lower interest rate like you mentioned already). Depending on OP, you can either post the pictures here or if OP doesn't want it here you may always start a new thread on the Alfa : )

Originally Posted by flocons

Yep! I have a VW Taos for hauling my questionable life decisions (the lovely family) around. I used to drive RWD bimmers around in the winter with not too much difficulty. I am more worried about the lower clearance on the Alfa. Although being in Toronto, were the roads are quickly plowed and frequently salted during the winter months, I would think that the days where I absolutely cannot drive on the streets are only limited to a handful year. Beyond that, even with 3 Wheel Dr. it’s really a boat a nice set of snow tires, and knowing the limits of the driver and the car.

Originally Posted by flocons

oh, I probably won’t bombard this thread or any other thread in this forum with non-AMG pictures, so I may drop a link or two to the Giulia forums once my car gets to me.

Originally Posted by ylli101

not everywhere, some dealers playing games. I had one tell me 42% residual! Insanity.

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

That and on top of base price increase a lot more than the previous generation. Anyways, I will need to reserve judgement till I get to drive one myself.

Originally Posted by eatmydust

in Canada? in the states the base price isnt a big increase at all, only 2k.