Hi guys,
so I have drove each car at least twice, and am completely undecided between the two.

The BMW, obviously, is a very well made car, with great driving characteristics. However, I find it a tad boring inside.

The Benz on the other hand has a bit smoother ride than the BMW, but the interior does feel a little bit cheaper, although I do like the looks.

Now, I suppose I do like the Benz more when it comes down to it, but I am very wary of the Mercedes reliability issues, and lack of a warranty on brake pads, belts, etc. after one year. Can anyone shed some light on the issue of reliability of the new C230 and that new V-6? I would like to drive the car for at least 10 years, and so I would really like to make a good decision.

Thanks for the help.

 

i would say go with C230....
personally, i do not like the new 325i design...

 

Well, exterior and interior looks aside, because we all have different tastes anyways.

 

Also, what does anyone think of the weak control arms in the rear of the C230 vs the 325i? Any problems? Certainly a cost-savings effort by Benz, but how does that translate into the real world?

 

The Bmw and the Mercedes are aimed at two different markets the 325 is the pure sport sedan, handling, power all designed for the purist driver, as you said the interior is a tad boring, as sport sedan drivers "aren't into fancy interior". the Mercedes is a cross betrween the two, it it luxury sport sedan, good handling and power but the luxury touches Mercedes is known for. If you a purist the BMW if you want luxury and handling the Mercedes. Also if the BMW 3 series now has I Drive? God Bless you. Presonally being a bit older, (59) but still want a good handling car with power, and a bit of luruxy, I'd go Mercedes. The 3 series as someone mentioned is now becoming Bangleized, but on the hand Mercedes has moved closer to JDM look

 

Great points. I drove both again today, this time the BMW did not have the sports suspension. The ride was smoother than with the sports suspension.

Now again today, i noticed a few things:

BMW: has a higher quality interior it may seem, while not as 'cool' it did have nice features, and seemed to be very well made, and not as plasticky as the benz.

Benz: For some reason it felt quicker! I know, weird, huh? On paper it certainly is not, I guess it is cause the seats are lower, but I liked it. I do have to say I like driving the Benz more than the BMW. But yet again there are the issues of the interior quality and the fact reliability and lack of a warranty as good as BMW's.

So, can anyone shed any light on the warranty of either, maybe fine print, or how much the extended warranty cost them for the mercedes? Also, in your experience, has the Benz's been as bad as the public thinks for reliability? Should I even really worry about the warranty problems?

 

I've read Mercedes lost a bunch of $$ when they had the free oil changes, brake pads ect warranty and dropped it and went back to the normal warranty.

 

I have owned 2-BMW 325. I think it is a great car. I now have a 2006 C230. I love it too. I had problems with my 2nd BMW that the dealership was never able to find the problem. I also had alot of other problems with the dealership. Even though my C230 was brand new I also had a problem with the transmission which the dealership fixed promptly. Also, if you do decide on the BMW don't give negative survey's about service. They will deny you service for your car. This did not happen to me but to a friend. We also asked the dealer about this and they confirmed.

 

Interesting, I own a 96 3 Series and the dealership BMW of West Springfield, Ma, was one of the best I have dealt with. Ditto for New Country Motors, Hartford, Ct my Mercedes dealer, But not Lewbar Motors, West Springfield, Ma. They do good work but their service writers need to go back to school to learn manners, No offence meant to any women on the board. But there is a women service advisor who works there that does not like men. Also, they charge $5.00 more for service per hour then New Country. $5.00 might not seem like a lot, but at $90 verse $95 it can add up.

Lewbar and New Country both have outstanding parts departments. Because I am a member of the MBCA I get a 20% discount for most parts. There service people also know there stuff. One short story, there was a young gentlemen at New Country a few months back ,when I was having my car service. He was at the parts department buying a $200 can of wax for his SLK. Am I crazy or is that a bit of overkill. $200 Zymol wax??

 

Personnally, I think that both MB and BMW have gone completely insane with their new styling... I tend to dislike them both now, but I've ehard such HORROR stories about the new (2001 and up) C-class, that, the Bimmer is probably the one to go... Not to mention that 3-series will outperform any C-class any day, just from handling and acceleration stand point. I really love the 1994 - 2000 C-class, but then again, they do tend to cost less then a 3-seires of the same age and mileage, and are VERY reliable. Can't say that for the new ones, though. So maybe the new Bimmer will also yield a better value, both in bang-for-the-buck and in depreciation.