Reed Hunt

Hi all.

Few days away from taking the plunge on a GLC 43...opinions on must-haves beyond these on my list...(and likely going with 21s):

Parking Assist (most seem to have)
Multimedia (same)
Night Package
Bermester
Performance Exhaust
AMG Steering Wheel
Panorama Rroof
12.3" Digital Cluster

?

Thank you.

-Reed

kgariba

I recently received my custom ordered 2021 GLC 43 with all of the options you have listed except the 21'' wheels, which I think are a waste of an upgrade if you live in an urban area (like me) with bad winters and bad potholes. They make the ride harsher, are more expensive to maintain/repair in the long run and are not worth it (but this only one man's opinion who uses this vehicle as a daily driver).
Also, I - like you - was going to originally buy a used 2020 43 but had a lot of difficulty finding the right amenities for me, so I opted for a new one with the things I want and without the things I did not. In the end, the price was only a couple grand more than I would pay for a year-used car but at least I would have the car the way I wanted and it would be brand new. Also, the '21 come standard with the AMG steering wheel now (but not Nappa leather, which I didn't care for).

In addition to the options you chose, I also opted for a carbon fiber center console (more aesthetics obviously but adds a lot to the car with aluminum/saddle brown interior i opted for), surround camera system, spare tire, wheel locking bolts, dashcam, handsfree access (for the hatch)

I am very happy with the vehicle and it's been great so far. Good luck on the hunt!

Reed Hunt

All good, thank you.

And I go back and forth on the 21s. I do think the 21" wheel is a better looking fit with the car, but definitely more expensive and fewer tire choices.

Am just east of Seattle...roads ok, depending. CF is a nice interior, agreed. Bit pricey at $1k but still. And new remains an option, but I've also found a few cars with 4-5k miles, well equipped, for $64-$65k, which is at least $7-8k less than new.

They are out of area though, so will be another $800-$1,000 to ship...

lanoipat

Spare tire $200 and windsheld camera

Bmo Pete

Along with the other stuff already mentioned:
- Driver assist pkg w/ distronic - if you highway commute like I do - FYI, it's damn good on this car, even on back roads
- Cooled front seats - and yes w/ nappa.

- Have CF dash but not a must have
- Have running boards wish I didn't

Wanted but couldn't find in combination with the above (in a decent exterior color not black or white):
- 4 zone climate
- Heated rear seats
- Trailer hitch

Tim_P

Be warned - you will not find all-season tires for the 20" rims on the 2020 43 that aren't the Goodyear run-flats that come stock with the car. If you don't like the harsh ride of the run-flats, you will either have to buy a set of winter tires and a set of summer tires (for which there are only a couple options), or nothing. Trust me, I've been trying to find new tires to get rid of the run-flats since I bought my 43 last year. Seriously - zero all-season options in 255/40 and 285/45. Pisses me off.

kgariba

Just to give perspective, my MSRP was $69k with all the options I mentioned (happy to send my final price), so the difference wasn't really large at all when you take into account that I keep cars for a long time. The closest 2020 model that was similarly equipped (and had less options) was around 65k so for a car I was going to keep for 8+ years (and need warranty for), the price difference for having a brand new car with the options "I" wanted seemed like a no-brainer. Since you're saying the "new" option remains open, I would be happy to put you in touch with the guy I worked with out of Loeber Motors in Chicago -- extremely professional and transparent. Again, good luck in your search.

Reed Hunt

Thank you for your offer - went with a 2021 Graphite on Black leather.

No real "assist" options, but:

surround view
hands-free
21s
exhaust
dashcam
vented fronts
pano roof
heated steering
12.3" digital display
burmester
inductive charging
AMG projector
multimedia
night package

I wouldn't have chosen all of these if starting from scratch, but not a lot of inventory, especially in the Seattle area, and I had kind of reached a tipping point. FWIW, I did NOT purchase from either Bellevue or Seattle dealership, with Seattle telling me they were charging a premium to MSRP when I asked about negotiating. I went just north of Seattle and received $1K off MSRP...go figure.

Not a screaming deal, but the entire industry keeps complaining about lack of chips, etc., so I was happy to get a small discount at least!

Oh, and it has red seatbelts...hmmm. I actually asked about swapping these to black (and paying for it) and their service guys basically wanted no part of it! :-)

Oh well...

Pick it up Saturday, the 24th...can't wait!

-Reed

Bmo Pete

Congrats, sounds nice!

You'll get used to the seat belts in short time. I had orange seatbelts in my last Volvo wagon; ended up liking the contrast in the mostly black interior. I expected more people to comment on them (especially my more conservative friends and coworkers) but they rarely did.

Enjoy!

Reed Hunt

Thank you, and exactly - am NOT trying to look boy racer-ish...and hopefully my friends will give me a break! ;-)

Confu

generally curious - just picked up a 22 glc without these options. I have the 21" tires and was wondering could I add the spare even though I have the Contisport runflats? Also, can dealer enable the windshield camera? i dont have the option, but looks like a camera is there on front windshield.

Reed Hunt

Hmm, I'm actually not sure about either of your asks...

I looked at the spare tire area/well and it's not clear to me if the spare would properly fit. More to the point, there may be a different spare tire configuration for this area - one that better accommodates/secures the spare. As far as windshield camera, my "guess" is that even though the camera is "there", the necessary chip wasn't available to enable it, so it's likely a non-starter. Note that my wife ordered a 2022 GLE last December (April 2022 delivery) and while we ordered and hoped for this feature as well, the vehicle ultimately delivered without it due to lack of chips (yes, we were credited the difference in price). I remember asking my sales guy if we could later add this functionality, and he said no...so I'm assuming not.

BTW, it's interesting that 21" RFs are now an option - pretty sure the largest RF on pre-2022s was a 20" tire. Related - I had significant crabbing issues with my original 21" Conti Sport tires, such that I raised this with the owner of my dealership. To their credit, he subsequent picked up >50% of the cost to swap in Michelin Pilot Sport AS tires and these have been golden - completely resolved the crabbing issue...highly recommended!

goodmaj

+1 on the Pilot Sport AS....put those on my 63 w/ 21" wheels and no crabbing. Good luck finding them in stock though....

ChiCubs

bummer. I live in Chicago and bought my 18 GLC43 on 7/4 from MB Seattle. Got a far better deal there than I could find here. Plus an amazing 5 day road trip via
Glacier NP
TR NP
The road trip was so much fun.

Times are strange. 11% off sticker in those days.

Tim_P

Weird. I'm also in Seattle, and I wouldn't be caught dead in MB Seattle anymore. Their Sales dept AND Service dept have both ignored me and screwed me over too many times. Meanwhile MB Bellevue is rock solid, delivers on their promises, and does excellent work. That's where I bought my car, and that's where I'd buy my next Mercedes if I were in the market for one.

ChiCubs

I’ll certainly take a locals word for it. I bought about a year before it changed ownership groups. My sales guy I’ve kept in touch with (kinda). Stefan Petrut and I think he’s the GM of a Volvo dealership near Seattle although it’s probably been a year and I think those are pretty high turnover jobs.

I will say that for me, I’ll chase a deal and the farther, the better. I still like seeing ‘merica and doing it in a new AMG can’t be beat. Bring on the deal.

MaverickC43

Question
what is the top speed limit? 130
I thought the only way to get 155 was to get 21inch tires
tia

RMiles

Regarding your question about the windshield camera on a 53, the camera is there, but to store video you need to enable the function by buying the $200 Dashcam software update. To store video continuously you plug in a USB drive. I bought a and it sits and plugs in nicely in the console compartment. When it gets full (about 2 weeks of every day driving) it will erase oldest video and replace with new one. Works like a charm.