Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.
I wouldn’t worry so much about longevity. Even in rust prone environments you’ll still see old mb190’s kicking around. Even the “cheapest” benz is still a benz. You DO get what you pay for in the benz… the quality and longevity of components are designed well beyond “normal” standards.
I know this because I am an Engineer for a major company that supplies components to the automotive industry. Without getting too specific, Chrysler and Daimler may have common ownership, but the difference in quality and integrity is worlds apart.
You should expect a C car (coupe, sedan) to last a good ten years and a quarter million miles. Yes, there is always the concern about a newish engine (1.8) and a four cylinder lasting all that time/miles. But with my knowledge, I am very optimistic about passing my 2003 coupe off to my son when he turns 16 in 8 years.
The popularity of the C class has been phenomenal. In Canada (just for example), something like a quarter of all MB sales were C class last year…. which is why mb has greatly expanded the C class product line, including a V6 coupe and the 1.8 komp sedan. I bet a dollar to a donut that they’ll some day bring out the AMG coupe here too. The odds of the coupe getting pulled are very remote. It would be bad business for MB.
Given the high popularity and sales of the C class, resale value is a concern. It boils down to supply and demand. Over the next two to three years MB will sell a ton more C class cars. Added to the already stellar deliveries that have happened in 2001-2002-2003 that means in three to five years there will be a lot of them coming on to the resale market… creating a glut. Plus, by that time a whole new C class will have arrived, still aggressively priced, further devaluing the “old” designs.
But that’s the cycle of automotive marketing. Obsolescence is a design feature.
The best plan to extract the best value from any car is to buy it and keep it for a good eight to ten years. But who of us isn’t going to yearn for a 2006 C, CLK, E or SLK (if you get divorced)?
All I can tell you is that I’ve owned 10 cars and been deeply involved in the design of dozens of automotive builds and by me, the little C coupe I’ve got is the best all-round car I’ve ever owned, and certainly one of the best quality wise I’ve ever seen in this price bracket.
I wouldn’t worry so much about longevity. Even in rust prone environments you’ll still see old mb190’s kicking around. Even the “cheapest” benz is still a benz. You DO get what you pay for in the benz… the quality and longevity of components are designed well beyond “normal” standards.
I know this because I am an Engineer for a major company that supplies components to the automotive industry. Without getting too specific, Chrysler and Daimler may have common ownership, but the difference in quality and integrity is worlds apart.
You should expect a C car (coupe, sedan) to last a good ten years and a quarter million miles. Yes, there is always the concern about a newish engine (1.8) and a four cylinder lasting all that time/miles. But with my knowledge, I am very optimistic about passing my 2003 coupe off to my son when he turns 16 in 8 years.
The popularity of the C class has been phenomenal. In Canada (just for example), something like a quarter of all MB sales were C class last year…. which is why mb has greatly expanded the C class product line, including a V6 coupe and the 1.8 komp sedan. I bet a dollar to a donut that they’ll some day bring out the AMG coupe here too. The odds of the coupe getting pulled are very remote. It would be bad business for MB.
Given the high popularity and sales of the C class, resale value is a concern. It boils down to supply and demand. Over the next two to three years MB will sell a ton more C class cars. Added to the already stellar deliveries that have happened in 2001-2002-2003 that means in three to five years there will be a lot of them coming on to the resale market… creating a glut. Plus, by that time a whole new C class will have arrived, still aggressively priced, further devaluing the “old” designs.
But that’s the cycle of automotive marketing. Obsolescence is a design feature.
The best plan to extract the best value from any car is to buy it and keep it for a good eight to ten years. But who of us isn’t going to yearn for a 2006 C, CLK, E or SLK (if you get divorced)?
All I can tell you is that I’ve owned 10 cars and been deeply involved in the design of dozens of automotive builds and by me, the little C coupe I’ve got is the best all-round car I’ve ever owned, and certainly one of the best quality wise I’ve ever seen in this price bracket.
