Hi,

I"m looking a purchasing a 2005 wiht 3500 miles C230 Sedan AT. I posted in a different thread about seeing if there is someone that can look at a car on the dealership lot..

Anyhow, I called Mercedes and asked about Starmark warranty, but they said it is only available to the origional owner.

They said Fidelity is available, for $2800, 5 years, 60K miles, 0 deductible.
Is this a good deal? ( I doubt it)

Any suggestions where I can get a good price on the warranty.

Thanks,
-Paul

 

The "five years and 60K miles" INCLUDES the original factory warranty years and miles, right?
Gotta be careful with these warranties and see the fine print and read all of it.
Is the warranty valid at ANY dealership?
What DOESN'T it cover?

I had a 100K mile warranty on my '05 C230K but I was the original owner.
Thank god I had it.

The 05 C-class is a pretty good car, but when that supercharged 4 cyl. needs work, OUCH.

 

I talked to "Continetal" insurance and they said they can give me a "Certified" warranty for $2500 for .. I don't know, like 3 more years to 100K b/c of the low miles.

HOWEVER, they can only run the VIN once before the car gets "red flagged" even if I don't get the warranty. Whic is bs.

Someone else (local MB owner) I talked to said not to get an extended warranty untill like the last month of the warranty period, which is another 1.5 years.

This warranty BS is confusing and seems like many of them are scams.
MB won't give me Starmark b/c it's only to the first owner.

If my wife wasn't nagging me, I'd continue to own Honda's and Lexus' which parts are reasonable, engines generally don't blow up, and I can do the work myself without worrying about 'voiding warranty' bs.

Why do you guys own Mecrede's anyway?

 

I highly recommend you stick to your instincts and buy yourself a nice Accord.

-Eric

 

Thanks for the thoughtful, intelligent advice. Just because my experience and education is in one particular area, does not mean that I do not have the ability to get equal experience and education in another area. With all due respect, I am asking for assistance in education, not arrogance.

I know there are many individuals who have had great success with Mercedes' vehicles, despite reputation of otherwise, and I want to know what it takes to achieve that as well.

 

Ok, I will try again.

First off the typical failures on recent C Class Mercedes Benz's that have contributed to the poor reputation of the model are not of the "engine blow up" variety. They are of the electrical variety.

Speaking for myself, I drive this car because I am willing to pay a premium in the area of purchase price and ongoing maintenance for the higher level of Design, Elegance, Comfort, Materials, Engineering and Prestige of this car versus a Honda sedan.

I am no MBZ snob. My wife drives a (gasp!) 2003 Honda Pilot, and I split time between my '06 C230 Sport and a lowly 1997 Mazda Miata with 130k miles on it.

Prior to a string of German cars and Japanese SUV's we owned an Accord. Around maybe '95-'96. It did everything acceptably and little spectacular and elicited little joy was not eye catching did not encourage me to look over my shoulder when I walked away from it or to feel anxiety letting the Valet park it. It was similar to a Refrigerator - it was an automotive appliance.

My C230 Sport is much more enjoyable to own and drive. Am I worried about the cost of maintaining it in the long run? YES, I am. I leased it for 39 months. I considered it a 39 month Test Drive. If it passes I will then likely purchase it AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.

So far no worries and no issuesin just under two years and 11k miles. The only Service thus far has been the Service A at 12 months = $200.

I do think the '06 and '07 appear to not share some of the issues of the early 2000's C classes. They also have the six cylinder versus the Supercharged engine and the new 7 speed automatic.

The warranty issue I have not tackled myself so I cannot really comment on it. These warranty companies are selling Insurance and are in the business to make money and I do believe it is all highly negotiable.

So my advice is don't lose too much sleep over it. If your gut tells you that you are a Japanese car guy due to the reliability they offer - stick with it.

-Eric