tripitz

Hi all. New to the forum! I stopped by my local dealer yesterday and test drove a 2016 C63S. As it is a leftover, the pricing is pretty aggressive on it. I liked the car a LOT more than I expected. The day before I ruled out the F80 M3 as I am not looking for a track oriented car. I really like the smoother/quieter ride of the C63S and the interior.

My only concern is... how reliable is this car going to be? Scanning the forums shows that the 2015 C class in general was terrible. Are the 2016s better? Earlier threads I scanned through did not have definitive answers as they were posted earlier in the year. This would be my first MB.

The car I was originally going to purchase is a 2017 Porsche Macan GTS. While it is a bit of a different category, my experience with Porsche has been phenomenal. With over 125k+ miles of driving I've had 4 minor repairs on my cars (2 of which were tracked quite a bit). I'm willing to throw some snow tires on the C63S so I can use it in the winter.

This is a big purchase. Plan is to keep the car for a good number of years. My wife is tired of car trading

msd3075

I have had my '15 C63S for over a year now and have had nothing go wrong with it other than one CEL. That was traced to running the car harder than normal with winter-blend fuel in 85+ degree weather (had a very warm Christmas last year here in Houston).

I would not be scared of a leftover '16 model at all.

The topics in these forums will freak anyone out because most of the time the only reason people come on here is to discuss issues with their car. There's no reason to start that thread everyday saying that my car has no issues.

omgwtfbbqc63s

I'd say most of the issues stem from MB moving production to America, ie rattles. If you consider the Coupe, it is built in Germany and will probably be a relatively reliable car although I doubt it'll match Porsche

bgm130

I believe there are already complaints about the coupe rattling so dont be so quick to hate on the American production. as well as parts of packages being left off.

As far as the original question seems like they are pretty reliable. i have had mine since Jan and have had no issues besides a piece by the passenger seat belt popping of which was taken care of. As he said a forum is only a small sample group and they only chime in when something is wrong. just look at some threads. 1200 views and 1 response.

tripitz

Thank you for the inputs. It's hard to tell with the internet; like you all said, complaints get exacerbated.

So.... I just came back from a test drive at a different dealer. The one I drove today definitely rattled. Unfortunately, the trunk would not open! DOH! Adding a bit of credibility to some of the complaints. Ugh... I really like this car.

RDOCA

This is probably a STUPID salesman that can't open trunk.


I would think someone moved the switch in the glove box to keep trunk from opening when you give it to a valet and keep the little key for the glove box.

tripitz

Not sure. The outside trunk button didn't work, nor did the button on the key or inside the car. Really odd!

No issues other than a dead battery with the car I looked at yesterday (which I am sure is common to cars sitting in the showroom for a while).

RDOCA

If you go to the glove box and switch it off and lock the glove box with the small mechanical key you cant open the trunk any way. this is so you can take the mechanical key with you and give the valet the regular one and leave stuff in the trunk and he can't get in.

tripitz

Haha.. that's pretty funny if he did not know that. That makes me feel a lot better. I walked away from there thinking that all of the rumors about trunk closers not working, etc. were true. Truth be told, the car did have some rattles that the other one did not. Oddly enough, I liked the black one a lot better too.

RDOCA

I have black so I like that.
One rattle is the seat belt against the hard side of the performance seats so when alone I always buckle the passenger belt.
Mines pretty good and I love it .
Hope you find what you like.

vaelin

Mine's a leftover '15 I purchased at the beginning of this year. There's a few slight rattles here and there.. but most have been resolved by the dealer.

It's been pretty darned reliable for me so far.

tripitz

Sounds solid. I test drove my #1 alternate choice and I really like the C63S. One quick question.. the first one I drove yesterday evening had the lag issue in comfort model on taking off from a standstill. The car I drove today did not. Is this a big deal?

How far do you all drive each year? This will be a daily driver with ~15-16k per year. I will also need to figure out the snow tire situation. I need to be able to navigate mild bad weather (e.g., wife takes Cayenne to work) so I can get my kid to school.

RDOCA

The trans will learn your style but I almost never put it in comfort as I like S+ but with it in I mode so I can have C for suspension.
It starts in 2nd in C and can be a time when you are slowing to stop, and the light changes and you accelerate but in It has the clutch open and it will jerk in this situation.
All in all it works well and shifts fast with power on.

tripitz

How much discount should I expect on a 16? The dealer is offering about 14% off right now with some aggressive financing. It is very attractive... I am seriously leaning towards this car after my final test drive in my previous first choice.

RDOCA

That's a fantastic price --grab it.

tripitz

Market is super soft... another dealer offered 79.5k on a 90.5k car. If it is that easy to get that price, I wonder how much is from "trunk" money or other parts that could further influence the deal.

tripitz

Also... only concern I have is that the car I am most likely buying has the stock exhaust. Am I going to miss it? The Porsche I was looking at has the sports exhaust and is a joy to drive. I find the basic exhaust in the C pretty relaxed unless driving full bore.

RDOCA

Dealer has 7% to start and some holdback I don't' know 1-3% and Private lounge has $500 now I think and fleet if you qualify. I don't know if MB is giving the dealers trunk money on last years cars or not???

msd3075

I went through the same thought process when I bought my car. It was a car another customer had ordered but couldn't take delivery because he was transferred out of the country before the car arrived. He did not spec it with the Performance Exhaust option.

It bugged me for a week or two after I bought mine, mainly because I kept wondering what I might have missed out on not having the Performance Exhaust. After that wore off, I realized I didn't care at all, especially after I downshifted it a couple times in S+ or Race mode and was then (after the break-in period) able to get on it at WOT. Trust me, you won't care either.

tripitz

Thanks for the input. The car sounds pretty good on its own to be honest. Not as good as the Porsche with the sports exhaust on. Still good though...

My dealer is REALLY trying to move the car this month. I wonder if I should push on them. I'm just not 100% sure I want to spend THIS much without looking at the C43 with 4matic.

Getting a quote from my tire shop for Nokians. Hopefully the car will be somewhat usable in the winter.

obbob

I've used my C63 sedan in the Canadian winter with some Blizzak LM-32 without any issue, including one night of black ice. Just don't do anything stupid like take a turn at full throttle or leave 2 inches of distance between you and the car ahead of you (common sense stuff).

I would say if you can afford the C63, then get it. I personally would not cross shop the C43 and the C63.

As for reliability, statistics for the W205 C Class in general isn't that great. My personal experience: my '16 car has been to the dealership for about 7 separate rattling problems.

BucksFootball

Unfortunately for me I may have to go the way of the lemon law for my 2016 C450. I am very sad about this but unless MB comes up with some kind of remedy, I'll be filing the first of the week.

My rear seatbelt doesn't work, as it is locked in place. The replacement has been on backorder for over two months. The dealer is clueless on how to solve so I contacted MB. They escalated it and even their "highest level of customer support" says it will be another month before I can have a seatbelt that works. It is red but that shouldn't be an excuse as to why MB can't put a safe seatbelt in a car for months at a time.

At this point the only good news is that I have been advised that in Georgia, it is "quite clear" that I qualify for the lemon law. Here, a car only has to have a significant safety issue for 30 days. I don't want to go this route but I can't continue to have a car that is illegal and unsafe to carry three kids in the back. I am very, very disappointed in MB that they are in production on the new C43 but they won't pull a seatbelt from their production schedule so my family can be safe. I have been more than patient for 2+ months.

Oh yeah, and there are rattles everywhere. Guess it is time to move on...

rihallix

Wow - 14% discount! If there's a dealer out there with a new 2016 C63 sedan (or less likely a C63 S) willing to part with it for that kind of discount who who can deliver to Northern California please private message me. Needs to be out of the door for around $62k (including tax and options).

Must have a sat nav. Must be a sedan. Willing to be flexible on other options so long as it comes in on price.

Is there a place where you can post this and MB dealers will see it and make offers? (I would be pleasantly surprised if dealers read this and suspect there may be a better place to post).

happytorito

I have to say that every car is different and everyone will have a different experience. From my side, I would say that my experience has been less than stellar in some ways but great in others. I had a 2016 C63S. Within a month it was already on a flatbed. The clamp that held the coolant hose was lose from factory and the pressure blew the hose out and I lost ALL my coolant in a parking lot. Then at 5800 miles...blown motor. They said it was hydrolock. When it happened it was dry. I never drove through water and it had lightly rained that morning but the car was at the parking lot at work all day and it happened after me driving the car to work, back home, then to my sister's house and the issue happened when I was almost back home.. They bought it back and I just got my 2017. Car reliability is hard to predict...many people could have great experiences but there will be others that will have bad ones. I think my issue was rare so I stuck with Mercedes. Obviously, it something else happened, I'd move on.

nobbyv

Mind sharing what dealer is giving 14% off MSRP? I promise not to swoop in and grab it; but I'd love to use that number as I negotiate on a leftover '16 with other dealers. PM me if you'd prefer. Thanks!