Well...After 5 BMWs I'm trying a Mercedes.

[MrLabGuy]

The X5 saved my life after I hit a cement barrier on the freeway at around 70mph and was totaled. After years of BMW I'm going to give a Mercedes a try for a couple of years. My job changed and I'm going to be commuting more so gas mileage and comfort became more important than sporty, style and fun. The main reason I moved in to a Mercedes and not an economical 3 series was the fact that my Brother in-law is the service manager at our local Mercedes dealer and I can get parts at cost and most service for free. That adds up to some serious savings and I'm going to be driving a lot in a 4 hour commute for the next 6 months. I purchased a C230 with a V6 that gets 30mpg on the freeway and still feels solid and roomy. No guts and kind of soft as I would expect coming from a BMW but the Sport package tightens up things just enough to be decent. The car has massive slotted rotors up front as well which really brings to car to a stop in a hurry so 60-0 will need to replace 0-60 for a thrill.

[ravenheart]

Congrats Hard to go wrong with a C class.

[AUU 555]

congarts !! any pics ?!

[rayxi]

Let us know how the C230 works out for you.

[Dannyell]

Congrats and good luck with your new ride

[Stevev]

I was considering purchase a C-class to replace our 2003 MDX. But my wife was saying that the interior is too small. Ended up, we purchased a 2009 LEXUS ES 350 instead.

Congrat on your new MB. That is a great looking car!!!

[MrLabGuy]

Originally Posted by Stevev

I was considering purchase a C-class to replace our 2003 MDX. But my wife was saying that the interior is too small. Ended up, we purchased a 2009 LEXUS ES 350 instead.

Congrat on your new MB. That is a great looking car!!!

You're wife is right when it comes to the back seat. My son's car-seat takes up the whole rear seating area and his feet practically reach the front seating area. The front is very comfortable and roomy enough though I'm only 5'10" It would be tight for someone 6' + but then again most compacts are.

Some peeves with the MB

Why do these cars come with the Car-Phone controls on the head unit and steering wheel when nobody uses a dedicated car phone anymore?

Bluetooth should be standard along with an Aux input. Also...The cup-holder is pretty strange but then again the German cars these tend to be an afterthought. I understand American's demand cup-holders and Domestic Vehicles tend to have two for every person but there should be a happy medium with at least one functional cup-holder for each front occupant.

[blondboinsd]

Originally Posted by MrLabGuy

You're wife is right when it comes to the back seat. My son's car-seat takes up the whole rear seating area and his feet practically reach the front seating area. The front is very comfortable and roomy enough though I'm only 5'10" It would be tight for someone 6' + but then again most compacts are.

Some peeves with the MB

Why do these cars come with the Car-Phone controls on the head unit and steering wheel when nobody uses a dedicated car phone anymore?

Bluetooth should be standard along with an Aux input. Also...The cup-holder is pretty strange but then again the German cars these tend to be an afterthought. I understand American's demand cup-holders and Domestic Vehicles tend to have two for every person but there should be a happy medium with at least one functional cup-holder for each front occupant.

What year C230 did you get? I loved the look of them after their 2005 refresh. I always found the interior to be high quality and while the back seat is tight the front seats are the same size as my 2003 325i's were. I also enjoyed the fantastic paint colors they offered, I was a huge fan of the Mars Red option with a nice black leather interior

[MrLabGuy]

Originally Posted by blondboinsd

What year C230 did you get? I loved the look of them after their 2005 refresh. I always found the interior to be high quality and while the back seat is tight the front seats are the same size as my 2003 325i's were. I also enjoyed the fantastic paint colors they offered, I was a huge fan of the Mars Red option with a nice black leather interior

I picked up a 2007 with low miles (14,000) because I'm going to drive the heck out of this car and did not want to take a big depreciation hit. I'll only have this a year or so to get me by because I like a car with a bit more power. I still have a Chrysler 300 SRT8 with 425hp so I can get my 0-60 thrills with that when I need. It only gets about 11 MPG so I was spending about $50 a day in gas and I don't want to stack on the expensive miles on that car.

The car is White with Black interior and has the Sport package as well as most the options that came with that year. I miss the memory seats and electronic steering tilt as well as the electric forward and back for the seats. White cars show less dirt and clean up nice and most important tend to be stealthy. I'll be driving 3 days a week down Hwy 101 and on to HWY 280 into San Jose and that section of freeway is the Bay Area Autobahn. Most of the time cars are passing you if you are going 75 and 85 moves with most traffic. It also happens to be one of the most patrolled sections of freeway I've ever seen. My V1 keeps me ticket free and not being flashy helps as well. I like the clean lines of the car but I almost picked up a Loaded 07 330. The car sold the day before I decided to buy the car and parked in its place was this C230. The deal on parts and labor helped me decide on the MB so it was fate the 330 sold. It was a good move.

[statdoc]

I hope your BIL can ensure good service for you. The service dept at my local MB dealer has declined over the past 5 years worse than the quality of the MB vehicles themselve. To the point I won't buy another. I owned several MB's over the years, and loved them all before now. We are looking to replace my wife's E320 soon, and she is less than thrilled with the BMW 5 series at the moment (not sporty-looking enough). So, we are looking at a variety of vehicles for her.