Merc C-Class thoughts?

Andr3w

Andr3w

Andr3w

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My situation has changed and I'm finding myself sat on the motorway for 90% of my driving, doing long(ish) journeys.

I'm looking at swapping my car for something more motorway/commuter friendly.

I keep finding myself drawn towards the C220. What are your thoughts on this car?

This morning I went to the local BMW, Audi and Mercedes garages. I'm a big fan of the A4 - and the new A3 saloon. I know the 3 Series is a great car but it doesn't seem to excited me as much as the mercedes .

Thoughts? Budget would be around £17-19K
 
Friend has one as a co car, perfectly nice place to be, its fairly well specced despite being a no option car( I assume), all the multimedia stuff is simple to use and works well, it has a traditional auto which suits the car and again works well. It doesn't have much in the way of go (tolerable) but none of the similarly powered competitors do either - you are looking at paying an awful lot of money for a car that was released quite some time ago though. They must have been released circa 2007 and have just been replaced

The a3 saloon is a handsome little thing but it won't be as refined as the merc despite being newer.

I assume your budget doesn't buy the latest 3? If it does then I'd reconsider/ take a drive as its a fantastic car
 
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It's a very dated car which shows it's age on the inside. Both the 3 Series and the A3 saloons are a generation newer.

If you want a C, buy a 10k one. It's the same car.
 
I am looking for a c250 coupe at the minute. I prefer them to the saloon etc and much more interesting than Audi A5s etc

Just cant find one with the right spec... leather/pan sunroof/black etc
 
This is the sort of stuff I wanted to hear, it would be silly to buy one as it is an 'older' car.

What 3 series should I expect for my budget? My only must haves are sat nav/cruise/climate cobteol , I just worry that a few BMWs are poorly specd?
 
You should be able to get a current model 320d Sport or Modern for that money with those options. Note I said Sport not M Sport.
 
I didnt see your budget. You can get pretty good C class 12-13 plate for around that. A little bit more trade.

You can get a decent BMW for that too. I would look at something like the 325d or 330d M sport. The interior isnt as nice a place to be as the Mercedes and looks pretty boring but I think the top diesel engines are better.
 
danny86 said:
I didnt see your budget. You can get pretty good C class 12-13 plate for around that. A little bit more trade.

You can get a decent BMW for that too. I would look at something like the 325d or 330d M sport. The interior isnt as nice a place to be as the Mercedes and looks pretty boring but I think the top diesel engines are better.
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No, I really wouldn't do that, a 330d M Sport in his budget will be the old model. Don't go spending this sort of money on the old 3 Series.
 
I would avoid the C-Class at almost all costs. My mate has the outgoing model, which is where your budget would have you, and it isn't nice (although it is a circa £12k car now being an early model, so as fox says, if you must go C-class, get an early one). He is about to pick up the new model, and again, I don't think it is nice either. But then I don't like that massive lump of cheap plastic in the middle.

The Audi A4 is a nice looking car though. And feels nice inside. At your budget, you would likely manage a B8.5, which is nice, but it's still a B8, so will be begining to show it's age, although not so much. The menu system on the screen isn't very hi res. Even the Hi Res ones, so looks dated there. They are a nice car though, although both my diesel B8 A4's (2.0 TDI's) were terrible on fuel, so cannot recommend one to you if fuel economy is a priority.

So that leaves the BMW. You can get a very well optioned example of a current model, for close to your budget, or in budget if you push hard enough : http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/3-Series/...92573-604601925-3497280.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_

That would probably be my choice. Or something very much like it.

As Fox said above, you need to go to the older model to get a 330d in budget, in which case, your as well going for a 335d. I used to have one, and they are excellent. But it's older model.

If it's not to big though, you might find a 530d close to budget, with a halfway decent spec. http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/5-Series/...11962-604554725-3497051.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_
 
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I'd be more than happy with a 320D. You guys seem to be pushing me towards the 3 series so I'm thinking I might as well have a test drive eh? ;)!

Is the M sport pack worth it or should I stay with sport/executive models?
 
[TW]Fox;26883399 said:
No, I really wouldn't do that, a 330d M Sport in his budget will be the old model. Don't go spending this sort of money on the old 3 Series.
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I would much prefer a top spec older model 335d than something like the newer shape in the post above with its basic alloys etc. Just looks like the entry level boring 3 series.

Also if you go for the C class coupe it is still the latest shape as the new one wont be out until next year.
 
I'd be more tempted to look at the newer model than the older model, but I did really like my e91 (older model estate) 335d. At least you should manage to get an LCI, which makes a surprising amount of difference.

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/3-Series/...02575-604566450-3497080.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_

I would probably still go for the newer shape 320d, or 530d though. Wheels can be changed easily. I'd be more into the spec than the looks.
 
danny86 said:
I would much prefer a top spec older model 335d than something like the newer shape in the post above with its basic alloys etc. Just looks like the entry level boring 3 series.

Also if you go for the C class coupe it is still the latest shape as the new one wont be out until next year.
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If you want an old model 3 series spend 10k not 20k.
 
Going to throw a curveball. What about the new Mazda 3? You'll pick up the top spec 2.2D for just shy of 20k. Available on 0% hire purchase with a 50% deposit if required. Test drove one and was mightily impressed.
 
Not going to be on the list of maybes for someone looking at the C class, 3 series etc.

R.e the comment about the c class above - quite surprised anyone finds the facelifted interior horrible, its perfectly nice - in fact nicer than the e9x by a stretch imo, horrible inside it absolutely isn't. Definitely not a car to spend your money on though as I/others have pointed out
 
Well, I sat in one when my mate was away ordering it, and I can see why some would like it. But a big swathe of cheap looking, shiny plastic is not what I would want in my £30+k motor.

I'll be able to give a more informed desicion soon enough though, as he will no doubt be picking his up next week, so I'll spend some actual time in the car. All I know is I wouldn't have swapped my B8.5 or my E91 for one. And certainly not my F11.

http://media.emercedesbenz.com.s3.a...ads/Mercedes-Benz-C-Class-2014-13C1152_52.jpg

** No Hotlinking - Please read the Rules on posting images before replacing image tags***


And then there is the "stuck-on iPad" and previous generation clocks. Probably previous generation sat nav too, which looks very dated compared to the BMW offerings...
 
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Changed from a 2011 C220 AMG Sport to a 2014 BMW 320d M Sport in March this year and my opinion is opposite to most, much preferred Mercedes over BMW.

Merc looked classier inside and out - interior of BM uses cheaper plastics and is full of rattles, handling not much between them, engine more torque midrange than BMW ( I wouldn't even attempt overtakes in BM which would be no prob in Merc) though rougher in noise and feel. Only area where BM is ahead is 8 speed auto being a big improvement over Merc 7 speed auto, it is much smoother and alway seems to be in the right gear whereas the Merc auto box seems to become confused very easily.

Just my opinion .... and no I'm not drawing my pension yet :-)
 
xs2man said:
Well, I sat in one when my mate was away ordering it, and I can see why some would like it. But a big swathe of cheap looking, shiny plastic is not what I would want in my £30+k motor.

I'll be able to give a more informed desicion soon enough though, as he will no doubt be picking his up next week, so I'll spend some actual time in the car. All I know is I wouldn't have swapped my B8.5 or my E91 for one. And certainly not my F11.



And then there is the "stuck-on iPad" and previous generation clocks. Probably previous generation sat nav too, which looks very dated compared to the BMW offerings...
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We are talking different generations, facelifted previous model was what I was referring too hence comparison with the e90.

Even the latest one you must admit looks much better in person than in that photo though (only had a poke round one never driven)? I also hate the stuck on iPad look which seems to be the in thing at the moment. That single piece of interior design will date most of these cases incredibly quickly inside
 
Ahhhh, the previous generation interior. Well, I have sat in that extensively, and I found it incredibly boring. The plastics were still quite cheap and shiny (my mates did have the black inserts).

I will admit, when I first got in the car, I was relatively impressed. It seemed nicely laid out, and clean enough. But after driving it a few times I realised how basic it felt. I got my a4 B8.5 at the same time as he got that car (which I only had for around 3-4 months), and then got my 335d. My personal opinion was that the e9x interior, while also quite a bland interior, did feel much better quality. And was laid out better. The controls for the iDrive were vastly superior to that in the Mercedes offering.

That said, obviously everyone is different. My mate has sat a LOT in my Audi's and BMW's, yet even after that, he still chose to by another C-class filled with cheap plastics.

I do agree, that iPad thing will date the interior horribly in years to come. They need to either make it removeable, and a real ipad, or they need to get it integrated again. Either pop-up, or just integrated back into the dash. I love that my F11 is still integrated. One (but not the only) reason why I just refused to look at the F31.
 
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