coconutpolito

Hi Everyone,
This is my very first post, yeah!!!! Alright, I'm thinking of getting my first brand new car and I plan on buying either a BMW or Mercedes. I'm looking at the BMW 330i or the Mercedes E320. Can anyone tell me what made you decide to buy a mercedes. What dealer you went to (if you live in california), especially those that were professional and not pushy. Since this is my first car I'm doing research on the best way to buy a car. I ran into a company online called Autobytel. Anyone have an opinion on this company. I just graduated college, got a good job and now I want my reward. Thank you in advance for the advice.

FIXEDupW209

hey buddy, the reason i baught my car is mainly because of my mother. she has owned a mercedes and her father has owned a mercedes and i guess you can just say i am brand loyal. My father is the outcast and has a bmw 530i and i think its a great car(not the new ones, they look hideous) however i must say that your car choice are a bit different i would compare the c320 to the bmw as its more compareable in size. I would personaly get the E320. i got my car at downtown LA motors because i know the sales manager otherwise i would not recommend them. Try and locate the username marcusbenz he is a salesman at a dealership in southern california.

coconutpolito

Hey thanks for your info. I am definitely leaning towards the mercedes more than the BMW's and yes I agree the new beamers 500 serious are ugly. Also, I would like to know about maintenance. Around how expensive is it to maintain a car like this. To tell you the truth, this being my first major purchase I am extremely nervous. I will definitely try to contact that dealer you told me about. Thanks again.

FIXEDupW209

If you get an 04 maintenance is completely free talk to marcusbenz as he would know more then i would. I believe they are doing away with the freemaintenance do to the value of the dollar in comparison with the euro, its either that or they increase the price of the car. Other then the free maintenance i think the only thing they charge you are for brake pads jsut the normal wear and tear type thing. Not a big deal, and if you service your car from the dealership you baught it from they will prob be a bit more curteous to you and give you some benefits such as mercedes loaners instead of them damn dodge's

jprescott

I used autobytel when they 1st started up to lacate an SUV. Had a negative experience. Check out autospies.com. Great site and they offer a service to negotiate.

Big Terry

Get a Mb , there just so goood lookin

bmw2mb

i had a 3 series and traded it in for an e500. so i have driven both for more than 1 year. the 3 series sport is a GREAT driving car. the only complaint was that it was a little to small for a 4 door and the ride was stiff. the complaint with my e500 is that it doesn't track straight. the e500 is great but doesn't drive like a bmw and a bmw is not as elegant as a mercedes. they are 2 different markets. i say, if you're a "driver" person, get the bmw. if you want sport and lots of comfort, style, get a mb sport. i have found that any non-sport bmw drives like the comparable class mercedes 'sport' model. do lots of test drives.

Hussain

BMW are naturally sporty...the 3 series shape will change soon. The E-Class mercedes shape just came out last year and are naturally luxurious but u can make them sporty. Mercedes has better resale value on the E. I had both an E55 and a M5 at the same time and the M5 I miss more. Handling at BMW is amazing. I just dont like the styling from the current 7, new 6, and new 5. It doesnt look good.

BlueMonk

Here in North Dallas, BMW 3 series are so common it would be more original to get 'Average' tatooed on your forehead. But they are good little cars. I have owned one and have a friend with a M3. Just too small for me now and not as luxurious inside. Fun to drive though. E's have a whole different character.

Otto

coconutpolito,

it is not fair comparison between c330 and e320 (different level).

I owned both 5 (e39) and e. as you said, you are graduated from college, I think you should enjoy a good bimmer when you are still young because e only comes with automatic stick which is no fun to drive. if your budget permits, go for 6 (skip m5) otherwise go for m3. (your 6 or m3 can easily beat all e even amg because they can only be kicked down acclerator and praise while you get a full control of your bimmer and already run ahead of them. but 7 and 5 are banglized which is not my taste anymore.) but may be I am wrong because you might get into college late. if you are 35+ than you should consider to buy an e and enjoy the comfort. (who cares how fast your car is, beware a ticket -- this is my new attitude after I reached 40.)

if you plan to lease a car, there is no maintence issue because both cars provide you free 4 years/50000 miles but if you want to buy it and keep it beyond the original warranty then you should consider to buy the extended warranty as well because my average bimmer maintence expense is 2000+ without warranty.

Otto

abhansali

Send an email to MarcusBenz on this forum, he is with House of Imports (look up at the top of the page). I bought my car from him, he's great to work with and very professional and will give you the best deal...

psh1959

I tried to use Autobytel when I bought my 2004 E320 in November. It was a complete waste of time. Basically, all I got from Autobytel was a bunch of emails from the local dealers inviting me to come visit their showroom and talk to the salesman specializing in internet sales. The process still ended up being the same car salesman crap: haggle over price, salesman disappears for 10 minutes to talk to his sales manager, returns, etc. . . this process was repeated about 3 times before I felt like I wasn't being completed screwed and a deal was agreed to.

I sure wish I knew an easier way for next time. I would love a service that I could spec out a vehicle and get bids from local dealers - does any thing like this exist?

lig

Dunno about autobytel - I kind of like the old fashioned way to buy cars but if I were 20something and had ~50K to blow on a car - I wouldn't hesitate to get an M3.

moa4r

IMO get the benz, you won't regret it, just make sure you take your time to get the best deal on the car with the options you want...gl

codex57

I bought a BMW cuz I'm young (still single... sorta, with no kids) and wanted a coupe. My mom got an E class for the room and prestige. The ride is a little better on the E, but it's not nearly as much fun to drive. Really depends on what you're looking for. The E will look newer cuz it was just redesigned while the 3 is about to be changed (prolly for the worse).

We also got our car from House of Imports. Good people there. Good price with very little hassle. We bought ours from Jackie Chan tho. Nice guy. Marcus got House of Imports to sponsor this site tho so you could show appreciation and just go with Marcus. I recommend this dealership tho. I hate Fletcher Jones, the arrogant *******s.