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a C class benz is not a benz?!

13K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  cstorey 
#1 ·
Ok I'm getting pretty mad with some of my friends saying that a C class benz is not a benz...cause it doesn't cost as much as the other benz and it's the lowest class.bla bla blah. Anyway, I believe that the C class has everything that the other classes have, just more affordable for the people that doesn't want to dish out $80K+ to buy a benz that has the same features...what u guys think?
 
#2 ·
in my opinion, all benzes made today are nort"Benzes": as we knew them. I am talking of experience with Benzes from the sixties to date..as the owner of a new c class and privy to driving many new e classes and the ocasional s class.. i am shocked and dissapointed at the build quality that Mercedes tollerates in their cars of today..
 
#3 ·
First, the C Class is not the "lowest class". It is the lowest class currently sold in the U.S. But, as many folks know, there is the A class in Europe and even the Swatch car. MB will sell a version of the A class here in a few years. This is the nature of a modern automaker. A manufacturer must compete at more levels to survive. There are only so many Yuppies out there. As Burjor notes, this has affected build quality. Hopefully, recent indicators show that MB is finally addressing this issue.

The C Class may very well have an image problem among more traditional Benz owners. It would not surprise me if somebody spending 80+ K on a car doesn't consider the C Class a "real" benz. Well, that's fine for them. But, since I work for a living and, as a kid, never had rich parents who would buy a car for me, I consider 30 - 40 k to be a lot of money. It's all relative.

In the meantime, you own a modern, fairly luxurious, automobile with a lot of advanced safety features and an excellent warranty. If your dealer sees you as a future repeat customer, rather than a quick sale, than your buying experience should have been pleasant; and your treatment when you need service should be above average.
 
#6 ·
perhaps that famed star has lost a bit of its gloss today, but i do hope, for the sake of us mercedes lovers, that Daimler will restore the shine to its former glory. The problems with my c class still persist, and though i do think it is an excellent machine, the niggling problems inevitably beg the question " Was the long wait before i bought my mercedes , worth the ownership experience?". In my experience , the honest answer has to be in the negative. I bought the car for the pleasure of driving - not to make a statement. Perhaps i am one of the unlucky few who does not experience that pleasure in the full.
 
#7 ·
You don't buy a MB for it's *performance, advanced electronics, or comfortable ride. You never have, and I don't think you ever will. It used to be that you bought MB because they were built like tanks and would run for 20 years without problems. Not true anymore.

So why buy a MB? Because of the excellent customer care. That has replaced the longivety of the old cars.

The C class is every bit a MB, just in a smaller package. It looks like a MB, rides like one (although the C230 is less MB in a good sense) and you're treated like an MB owner by the service center, so then I guess it is a MB.

*Performance. You get more bang for your buck with BMW, or multiple domestic cars, or of course all the Japanese rice rockets.
Advanced electronics. Let's face it, MB doesn't even come with a CD player standard!
Comfortable ride. Well, I guess this is up for debate. Personally I don't think MB is the most comfortable ride out there. The seats are either too hard or too soft, the suspension is generally too soft, and I don't think the ergonomics are that great. Hey, it's good, just not the best out there. I think BMW has one up on MB, and Volvo is even more comfortable. Saab actually suits me the best (but then there's the issue of reliability...)
 
#9 ·
The only Chrysler/Benz cross platformning right now is the Chrysler Crossfire. It's based on the MB SLK platform and uses the same engine and transmission. I doubt there will be much Chrysler in any Benz for the forseeable future, but there will probably be more Benz in the upcoming Chryslers. I believe Chrysler is the only one that will benefit from the cooperation... javascript:emoticon(':lol:')
 
#10 ·
Well I was at the dealership with my car, and I was treated like I have a high class Benz, to me it doesn't matter what others say...it's just all about jealousy. Sure my friends say it's not a real benz, but can they afford what I got? No, one drives a Mirage and the other a VW GTI, the GTI is a good car, but reliability wise? It doesn't' come close to a Benz, dealership service? Well do u really need to ask who's better? It all comes down to us driving the car, not how ppl look at you...it's a feeling of driving a benz, and when I drive my C230, I have every little bit of that feeling in me...that I am a MB owner and no one can doubt that.
 
#11 ·
Well, we all feel good about our Benzes, don't we? I am in no way an authority figure when it comes to car ownership since most cars I've owned have been so old when I bought them I've never set foot in a dealership for service (read "do it yourself or find the cheapest mechanic to do it for you"). But my father has always had new cars so from him I do have some experience (and nowadays I have a C230 still under warranty so...)

As far as I can tell, and this of course changes from dealership to dealership, but in general MB has the best (or one of the best) customer care programs available. I've heard good things about Lexus as well, but mostly bad things about BMW and Infinity (I find that hard to believe, but that's what I've been told). The worst customer care seems to be VW, since everyone I know who own one have told me horror stories about every single different VW service rep they've encountered.

To me customer care is a large part of repeat business, and it seems odd that so many dealers don't realize this. Or maybe they do, but they've used some secret mathematical formula to figure out that they make more money pissing people off than actually helping them with their problems.javascript:emoticon('8O')

Just my opinion, and as we all know opinions are like butts - divided.
 
#12 ·
One last thing about the C class (or any MB for that matter). To me my "love story" with the C 230 was a slow one. I took a test drive and for the money spent thought this was the best deal out there. I didn't LOVE the car instantly, just thought it was a good solid car that might last me a while.

After a few weeks I started to appreciate the subtleties, such as the three blinker thing with the turn signal, the always-there power for overtaking, the incredibly tight turning radius, and so on. The interior wasn't as flashy, cool and filled with gadgets as other cars, but it was refined and solid. I started to appreciate the car's pros, and learn to live with the cons (smallish trunk, really hard seats, the stupid placement of the seat's reclining knob between the seat back and the consol, the absence of a CD player... Actually, that still buggs me.)

After a few weeks, the car had grown on me and with the customer care program I am never buying anything but a Benz.
 
#15 ·
peench said:
I knew I wanted a C32 the minute I took a hot lap in one at a C Spot party event. I had one a couple of months later. I hadn't found another car in that price range with that kinda HP!! :D
Not knocking your C32 (just being jealous), but...
BMW M3, Audi S4, and for $12k less the Volvo S60R?

There are quite a few cars with comparable power to the C32. However, out of these I would go with the Star...
javascript:emoticon(':D')
 
#16 ·
I haven't run into that problem. I don't believe Mercedes would risk their reputation by selling a lesser automobile. If you have owned any other car in your past, you have to know a Mercedes is a Mercedes. The only problem I have is why can't Mercedes make their cars as reliable as Toyota and Honda? Still...more than a year after buying my car I still agree with Mercedes new motto "Love what you drive". I love my CSC. 8)
 
#17 ·
LarsCA said:
peench said:
I knew I wanted a C32 the minute I took a hot lap in one at a C Spot party event. I had one a couple of months later. I hadn't found another car in that price range with that kinda HP!! :D
Not knocking your C32 (just being jealous), but...
BMW M3, Audi S4, and for $12k less the Volvo S60R?

There are quite a few cars with comparable power to the C32. However, out of these I would go with the Star...
javascript:emoticon(':D')
Its all good. The M3 only has 2 doors and I needed to sell it to the wife. I would never buy an overpriced Volkswago and a volvo...? no thanks. So this was the only valid choice for me. And I sold it as being a "family car with 4 doors!!" hehe... :lol:
 
#18 ·
I don't know. I'm partial to the Volvo (I'm Swedish) and besides, there's something really cool about a 300 hp station wagon (he he). The C32 people know is fast. The V70R people have no idea what hit them.

Paul Newman once said his dream car was a Volvo station wagon with a V8. The V70R is as close as you'll get to that (unless you build yourself).

Now let's talk Mercedes again... (he he)
 
#19 ·
PaulNewman...? you mean the guy that makes salad dressing?? hehe.. :lol:

I see why you are partial to Volvo's, but I had many bad experiences with them when I was young and friends had them (just a subjective dislike of them I guess). Add that with the fact that they used to be just boxes on wheels and I was really turned off.

Of course, the Volvo featured in the movie remake of The Saint (with Val Kilmer), was way cool.. and the new convertibles are very nice looking. All in all Volvo has done a good job of getting away from their boxy, stuffy prior image and are making some nice cars... I guess when I boil it down I'm just not a fan based on prior experience.

At the time of the C-Spot party I was considering Asian cars (Lexus GS430, among others). The Benz was an eye opener for me and after I saw what it could really do I was intrigued enough to buy one!
 
#22 ·
Only in America (where 'snob-appeal' is more important than substance) is MB marketed as a 'luxury' brand.

In Germany, the E-class is used for taxi service, S-class cars are available with roll-up windows and cloth interior, and A/C is almost unheard of.

The reputation that MB has in Europe is that of a solid, safe, dependable and durable car.

In the US, the reputation of MB is that of pimp/poseur/elitist automobile. MB markets this way because they can make more profit if they sell the cars fully-loaded (rather than stripped - as in Europe) . . . and because we Americans buy that crap that the marketers dish out.

If it says Mercedes on the car, it is a Mercedes. The stuck-up owners out there dissing the C-class are simply disappointed that others could buy the 'image' of an MB for less than they spent.
 
#23 ·
Only in America (where 'snob-appeal' is more important than substance) is MB marketed as a 'luxury' brand.
I would tend to disagree here. MB's are used as Taxi's all over mainland Europe (but not here in the UK) but that's because the Governments in Europe offer a huge tax benefit for taxi drivers when they buy a car, and then on top of that, MB offer generous discounts to taxi drivers as well. They basically end up buying a Merc for Ford money.

This is a conversation I had with many taxi drivers when I used to visit Europe on business.
 
#24 ·
I believe that the Mercedes brand reflects a "not settle for less" style. MB has been always known not only for quality and reliability, but also for innovation. That's why, even when in many european countries MBs are used as taxi cabs, MBs will always be looked at as a "more advanced automobile" independently of it being an A, C, E, S or any other class.

No one will argue on the quality problems that MBs have faced lately, but I'd like to think about it as an industry wide problem that will be resolved in the mean time.

Anyhow, as well as many people in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, and now US, I'm in love with my Mercedes!!!
 
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