Okay, so my Dad is firmly convinced that the C-class is Mercedes-Benz POS car. Is that really true?? He wont buy one, much less the C63 AMG, for a whopping $80,000. Anybody have anything good to say about the C-class, or am I on my own here??

I can't comment for recent models (I.e. current gen) but the previous ones (w203 I think?) were horrid. Since the lte 90s they have been forgettable and boring IMO. BMW makes a much better car in the 3 series.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

I plan on buying a c63 within the next year or two. Optioned out they run close to 80k. With decent options, more like 65-70k.

In my opinion, its an entry level super car. The only thing I could compare it to was the ferrari f430 I drove a year or so ago. The ferrari was much faster obviously, but they where in the same ballpark together .

Im sure it will cost more to maintain than my fiesta, but thats just the nature of the beast.

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Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

Clarkson tests the C63 AMG Black and M3 GTS - BBC Top Gear

Related link

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

My brother bought a C63 when they came out. He has something like 40k miles. No problems. Time will tell. 469hp isn't exactly crazy HP numbers anymore considering the competition.

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

In reference to the thread title, Does a Bear Chit in the Woods.

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Hahaha! My little brother hates MB because I love them. He says he C class stands for crap, and the S class stands for, uh, the other word for excrement that starts with S. He himself is a little.......

In your case and location, Does a Polar Bear chit in the Snow?

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
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Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

True that, with 30K mustangs having 420 hp now. I wonder how long this horsepower nirvana will last.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Cars are built with specific customers in mind. What do you wish the C class to do for you?

If you're looking for a good handling small car with the three pointed star on the hood, for not too much money, I'm sure it will do fine. If you make sure that you're driving it within the warranty, I'm also sure you'll be quite satisfied with it, like most new cars.

If you expect to keep it for 10 years and maintain it yourself outside of the warranty, you might want to think again. But, this applies to any other new vehicle as well.

The criterion for purchase of a new car is completely different today. It's more about what your friends think of the car............and you are precisely in this category because you come on here and want advice from others............than whether the car is built for durability and/or low cost of ownership.

I'm sure all your friends would be pleased with a C300.

Personally, I'm quite pleased with a 28 year old SD. But, I have no friends to impress and I really don't care that others think it's an old POS.

Both the SD and the C300 go the same speed..........about 65 mph around these parts. Although the C350 has nearly 2.5X horsepower as compared to the SD, they both get to the destination at the same time.

My 300CE took 2 lenghty naps at a dealer last summer.

The first loaner I had for about a week was a blue 2011 C350 Sport. Pretty nice car. Felt cramped compared to the 124 but had plenty of zip and new fangled gagetry.
The second loaner was an '11 E350. Big step up in amenities, back up cam, etc.. Bigger cabin. Nicer car all around, but I didn't care much for the new styling profile I had that one for about two weeks. I thought long and hard about buying an off lease '08, when the '12s came out, but in the end I leased a '12 CTS. (and I used to think my gf's grey Accord was "everycar".)

..and my 124 and CTS both get me there at the same time.... and, fortunately for me, they both turn heads.

Having owned a few...
The w202 especially the sixes are brilliant cars.
The w203 from 2001 until the facelift isn't a very spectacular car. Lots of hard cheap plastic and the interior isn't exactly up to Mercedes build quality in my opinion.
The w203 from '06 until the end is a BRILLIANT car! I may be a bit biased because my c280 Otto saved my life though. The sot facelift cars have smashing modern engines backed by the solid five speed auto. The facelift took care of the quality issues and the interior became a much nicer place to be.

My most recent experience owning a C class has been a very pleasant '10 C300 which my mum bought new and ran up to 30k miles. It was a good performer (same 3.0 6 as my 280) and the 4matic (lifesaving component on Otto the 203) was a very nice feature. Despite all this the interior felt smaller, but I'm rather tall. Her car was from the South Africa plant, and I was curious how it would hols up as all my other mercs are German manufacture. I personally believe that the bottom of the market Benzes are falling prey to Planned Obsolescence. Mercedes from the 1980's and back were cars built to last many human generations with proper care. I do not find this to be the case with the modern incarnations in the lower price bracket of Mercede's product range.

Point in case, search for news on the new C class and you'll find that MB plans to build US models in it's Alabama plant with Nissan engines from a Tennessee plant. Mercedes prevailed into the 80s as leader of the pack because it was a Swabian (local German) company doing business on a global scale. Now, it seems in order to stay alive Mercedes is diversifying to provide cars for lower income individuals who are desperate for the perceived Mercedes style and their heritage of quality. This is why the C class exists, to fill a profitable market demand so that Mercedes may continue to build it's more uncompromising models, such as the E, S, and SL models.

Long story short, with Mercedes being what it is today if you want one of their real cars you have to pay E class money and up.

Since the OP was talking about the tarted up C63 I offer the following; if you're laying out eighty thousand dollars why not think about the '12 E550 cabriolet? With the new twin turbo engine it's bloody fast (4.9 0/62kph 13.3 quarter mile!) When mum went to replace her C class Heidi with something infinitely nicer she went with an E550 cabriolet and it's one of the nicest cars we've ever had! With the E compared to the C63 you get essentially the same performance, a couple **** hairs on the zero to sixty. And if you're buying it for the track there's always going to be someone faster than you, so why not enjoy the ninety six million miles of headroom offered by the cabrio, instead of the marginally better performance of the cheap class?

2014 W205 will be built in Vance, AL.

I wonder what Deutschland über alles would sound like when played by banjos? I'm a firm believer that the only Benz trucks are built in Austria, think Alabama Garbage Can.

If the banjo is echoing a guitar, don't stick around too long.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags