Checked out a C300 4matic...
 

Uncle had one as a rental. I have to say I wasn't really impressed. Seemed like a cheaper little car, no wood inside really put me off. It was certianly pretty well put together, but the whole feel of the car was kind of low rent. It drove quite well with plenty of power, typical MB brakes, etc.

The little Mercedes have never really done anything for me, from 190E to I guess the current C.

I wouldn't spend $40k on one, I'd buy a used E or S class. IMHO if your going to buy a Mercedes get a proper one, not the entry level model.

BTW I thought it was quite a good looking little car.

It is an entry level car, I would consider a used 4matic c-class as a first car for my daughter (in about a year :eek:).

It would be a good car for her. It was a good driving car and I'm sure the 4matic is a beast in the snow.


It did drive like a Mercedes.

I definitely want a 4matic, and I think a e-class would just be too big for a new driver. There seems to be a decent selection of used c-class cars out there for a reasonable price.

Why the hate?;)

Hate is such a strong word, I just don't love a 190E.:D

But a tricked out sporty 190E is quite nice.;)

My 'tricked' out 190 and I are not amused.

4matic is ok but it's no substitute for a good set of snow tires.

Aside from being quite small inside, the 190's are awesome little cars. The one we acquired for my sister reaffirmed that for me. Solid closing doors, tight ride, awesome handling, and pretty darn fast (with the 2.3 gasser). Its no 300E or 300SD....but it is a nice car for sure. I am 6' tall though, so its just a bit cramped in there....pretty much my only complaint about the car.

Exactly, I installed a brand new set of Yokohama IceGuard IG20's on my spare set of Bundt's for this winter, my car is unstoppable! I even did some daring stuff like driving through drifts as deep as the hood a couple times, never had any issues....they just grip and dig right through anything! And we've had quite a LOT of snow this winter!

Very few, if any rental cars, even in Hertz's "Prestige Collection" are the full plush models, so it's not surprising that the level of trim was probably the lowest. The W204 is available in Sport and Luxury models as well. Then of course, there's the C63.

what's a snow tire? :D

Uh...

http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/res...es_c63_amg.jpg

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/atta...red-c36-01.jpg

http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/...ale_Rear_1.jpg

Psh, that one doesnt even have an 8 speed transmission does it? PASS!

Honestly whats the deal with some of these cars with 300+ horsepower and 8 gears? How annoying to shift through all those gears. The tricked out Lexus IS with V8 comes to mind, as does the newer BMWs.

It maximizes the MPG's at 120 mph cruising speed.;)