My folks are looking at Mercedes, and the only thing they can afford to buy (not lease) is the C-class. After explaining superchargers to them, they liked the 230 Kompressor, but it has a "sport-tuned suspension."


They're used to driving a Toyota Avalon which has absolutely zero feeling of the road. Are they going to hate this?


-Matt

i used to have the c230k coupe (2.3L). It had pretty good road feel and was "sporty." If your parents are coming from an avalon they may like the car. Best advice is to go test drive. One more thing mercs reliability is down the hole these days. To many gadgets in the cars that all fail.

They might, althought I didn't find the C230 coupe very rough at all but I never drove an avalon before. Get them to test drive!

But I'd have to question that decision, if they like a BIG plush auto the C class is not it! Just because it's a merc means nothing, IMO it's a piece of marketting garbage, a wanna be Merc really.

They would probably rather another avalon or an acura TL or something larger!

This is true, but my mom seems to really want a Mercedes so I'm doing my best to help them out. They could easily lease a well-equppied E-class, but they've always bought their cars and don't do well with change. Still, it's primarily my mom's car and she only uses the car to drive to work and back M-F, roughly 10 miles, so they could easily manage the mileage limit.


They do just need to go test drive the cars, but can't seem to fit it in their schedule. The dealer isn't open on weekends.. that surprised me.

-Matt

The ride's really not bad at all. My sister just picked hers up 2 weeks ago, and I took it for a spin. It actually soaks up the bumps very nicely. In fact, it has much less impact harshness than my '03 Accord EX V6 (but the ride on the Accord is much too brittle for what the car is, IMO). So, I doubt it will be a problem, especially if the roads are smooth where your mom lives.

I do have an off-topic question, though. Does anyone know if they changed the wheels and brakes on the C230 sport for '04? I thought they had changed the wheels from a multi-spoke design to a 5-spoke design and changed the brakes from normal to cross-drilled with nice, mono-block-look calipers. The reason I ask is that I think the dealer sold my sister an '03 as an '04. Hers has the multi-spoke wheels and plain brakes. I will have to check out her VIN #, but I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts. Thanks.

They did change them, but they made it a MY04.5. The MY04 has the old brakes/wheels, and that's probably what your sister has.


-Matt

The avalon has a huge backseat I love em. As for the C230... S/Ced, eh I would go for it.

C230K is a sweet car, and seems to be a great value now with the Sport option. The 5-spokes, exhaust tip, and brakes look great on the car.

I had a 99 C230K, and while the motor is different (I had the older 2.3, M111 motor while the new ones are 1.8), from personal experience the stock motor offers decent, spirited performance, and a pulley upgrade will make a night and day difference in the way it pulls.

On the suspension side, I was able to test-drive a 2004.5 sport model and it felt a lot better than a stock C320 I had once as a loaner. And it seems like they lessened the wheel gap significantly on the sport models, so appearance is many times better.

I have test driven all of the C classes and the suspension is not stiff. It is firm, yet spongy to bumps. But still holds while cornering. All in all, very comfortable but not high performance.

I would buy the C320 Coupe - more expensive but way better drivetrain.