Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class For Sale

This is my second 2015 C300. Why did I own two? Because the first one, an early 8/14 build, had so many issues that I worked out a deal with MB-USA and my dealer to trade it in and order a new car. I lost some money, but did wind up with a very fair deal and a much better car. I have owned my new C300 Sport since April, now have over 15, 000 miles on it, and it has been truly exceptional. What's good? Well, the front seating is very adjustable and easy to find a sweet spot in. Headroom and legroom are excellent, the huge display screen is always visible and free from glare, the controls ... once you get used to them ... are very usable. The Burmester sound system is much better than average, but can be a bit heavy on bass response. The touchpad is unique, and not always the easiest way to navigate the interface. Luckily, a more conventional control wheel is right under the pad and works well. The quality of the interior is truly impressive, with nice touches and decent storage, especially under the large console storage compartment. That console is large because there's no shift lever there. Mercedes opts to place the shifter on the steering column. This is strange but, after you get used to it, very simple to use. The glove box is large, but very awkward to access due to the design of its door. I need AWD where I live, and the 4Matic system works seamlessly. Fuel mileage with the turbo 4 easily tops 30 mpg on most roads. Even local driving nets me high 20's .. and the car's computer readout is actually accurate. The little 4 is quick as well, turning 0-60 times in the low 6 second range. Quite impressive. The trunk is reasonably large, but not best in class. There is no spare tire or jack in there, since the car uses run flat tires. The rear seats can be folded flat, and break into three sections. Visibility is fairly good all around. I have the blind spot assist, and it works very well on this car. It will beep if you put on your turn signal while a car is in its range, and always gives a visible alert when it detects a car to the side. The rear view camera is effective with the usual array of guidance lines. It does not however, provide any audible warning if you're too close to an object. As far as warnings, this car has no open door or open trunk warning light display. It will give a confusing alert about putting the car in Park when you start driving, but nothing else. I find this very odd. Another odd feature is the lack of an odometer readout on the digital speedometer screen. If you want to see the odometer, you have to scroll to another screen. I've never had a car that didn't display the odometer by default. Headlights are very good. I have the LED lights, but I've been told the adaptive lighting is even better. Windshield wipers are effective, and the washers use a three nozzle system which is much better than most other cars. Ride comfort is not one of this car's strong points. Whether you have the base or sport suspension package, the ride is stiff and can feel harsh over rough surfaces. It takes pavement breaks or potholes to unsettle the car, but there isn't much suspension compliance when the road gets coarse. The run flat tires are at least partially responsible for this, and I have been told that switching to standard tires makes a big difference. Handling is very good, with minimal body roll through tight turns. The steering is fairly quick and light, with some feedback through the wheel. Agility control can be used to alter the car's responses; by changing throttle mapping, transmission shift points, and steering feel. With the Airmatic suspension option, it will also alter the feel of the suspension ... but this doesn't work with the standard steel suspension. I have the Keyless Go key fob system. Touch the inside of any door handle and the car unlocks, touch the outside and the car locks. Touch the ignition button, and the car starts or turns off. With a Mercedes smartphone app, you can also lock or unlock remotely, and even send navigation points to the car from your phone or computer. (This requires MBrace, which cost extra after a 6 month trial period.) I had some problems with intermittent operation of Keyless Go, and on both cars I owned. Sometimes the fob just would not be recognized, leaving me standing beside the car unable to get in. After a minute or so, the system would reset itself and work normally again. Finally, after many complaints, Mercedes came up with a software upgrade which I had my dealer install in July. Since then, I have had no further issues with Keyless Go. With all these advanced electronics, Mercedes still will not link the key fob to the memory, so opening the car with the fob will not trigger the seat or radio memory functions. Overall, this is an attractive and excellent performing car. It has its quirks, but it is a heck of a car.

I really like just about everything about the car. I have the 4-cylinder Sport model, and despite having a seemingly modest 241 HP, that figure may be a conservative estimate by MB, and with all 273 lb/ft of torque available from 1,500 RPM on up, this car accelerates very well. Shifting can be a little rough at times, although it has seemed to be improving somewhat over time. The driving mode selector lets you get even a bit more response if you want it, but the standard "comfort" setting is more than adequate for everyday driving. The interior is considered best-in-class, and possibly among the best period, for good reason. Being a larger driver, I'm always concerned about interior room when looking at cars considered to be in the compact class, but that's not really an issue with the C300. There's plenty of headroom for taller drivers if you forego the optional sunroof. The power driver's seat will adjust as far back as you want it to go, and I really like the flat-bottomed steering wheel that comes with the Sport package. The car looks really sharp inside and out. I have the 19" AMG wheels, upgraded lighting package, and rear spoiler. Combined with the aforementioned premium interior, it looks like a much more expensive car than it is. The one problem I have with the vehicle - and it's a serious one - is that most examples of this car, including mine, have a terrible wind noise issue that is bad to start, and only gets worse over time. The sound with the window completely shut is basically the same as having your window cracked open half-an-inch in other cars, and at this point in mine is about equally loud. It has gotten to the point where it is so loud that it will overcome the sound system at moderate volumes on the freeway, forcing me to set the volume louder than I would otherwise be comfortable with. If MB acknowledged the problem and at least claimed they were working on a fix, it would make me feel better about it and possibly just consider it a maintenance item, but at least to this point, they have not, instead claiming it is just a characteristic of the vehicle. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend buying this car unless/until MB provides a fix. It's shame, because it's a great car otherwise. I haven't had it long enough yet to comment on reliability, maintenance, or resale value. Update - 07/16 - I brought my vehicle in for its first regularly scheduled maintenance and mentioned the wind noise issue. Without any further trouble or negotiation, my dealer acknowledged the issue and upgraded my front windows to the dual-pane version that does not exhibit the wind noise issue. It took a week in the shop, but the issue is fixed. So I'm a happy camper in that regard. If you have a C300 with the wind noise issue, definitely push it with your dealer. By this point, they've probably seen enough cases of it to accept your claim without much issue, but if they do push back, there are plenty of other examples you can use to support your case. My observed MPG is based on using "Sport" mode almost all of the time, and driving with a lead foot. The car is very quick, and it's hard to resist accelerating when the opportunity presents itself. So I can see how you could easily average over 30, but I'm happy with upper-20s while driving relatively aggressively.

I've had my 2015 for a full year. This car is loaded, only a couple of options not purchased. I've really put this car through its long distance paces. Mountain driving, desert driving. Trips as long as 15 hours in a single day. The car is stunning inside and out. Seats are very comfortable. Never got a sore back, even on those super long trips. Handling is excellent, as is the fuel mileage. The haptic touch pad is a pain in the you know where. I just ignore it. Big problems with repairs, including a rear master seal leak on the transmission, a defective home link system (mirror assembly replaced), a plastic part breaking inside the front passenger door causing the door handle to come off, and several other problems. Fortunately all warranty. Consumer Reports rightly gives it a solid black circle, its lowest reliability rating. Has some crazy quirks with navigation software. For example, if I want turn by turn directions, the nav screen does not show the upcoming turn, but the second and third turns. That makes it confusing and useless. MB corporate knows about this and they agree that is how it functions. I've been waiting for a map update to fix this and other nav problems. Still waiting. July 2016 UPDATE: I have the base car, not the 4matic. OEM Pirelli run flats. Just over 18,000 miles on the car. Front tires have 70% tread left. The rear tires, for this rear wheel drive car, have have only about 8,000 miles left. I will have to replace the rear tires after about 25,000 miles. Cost out the door at Costco will be over $500 for the two tires. The tires are regularly rotated and properly inflated. The tires are wearing evenly. There is no misalignment issues. December 2016 UPDATE: The car is still a joy to drive. This year since my last update, I drove the car in one day over 500 miles from my home to high altitude in the Sierra Mountains and back. Superb gas mileage--34 mpg overall. Coming home (where I had the downhill, I got 37 mpg). Wonderfully comfortable seats. No back pain. The car remains stunning inside and out. Nothing in its class compares, especially the inside. The new Audi A-4 lags. Next year, BMW will release its redesigned 3 series. Time will tell. Downside: Ongoing mechanical problems, mostly small, but still . . . Yep, I had to replace two tires after 24,000. Almost $500 out the door, a little cheaper than I thought in my last update. In my original review I wrote about poor navigation software performance, which corporate confirmed. Although with my lease I got free navigation updates, there have been no updates in the two years I've had the car. The software problems persist. The climate controls are a bit anemic. There is a 10-20 second lag from the time I set the fan (heat or a/c) until the fan fully kicks in. The a/c in hot climates (I live in an area where this past summer there were several 100 degree days) is OK and kept me reasonably comfortable, but the a/c is not as powerful as Lexus or Infiniti (I've had both makes). I have one year left on the lease, then I will need to make a decision whether to turn in the keys or buy the car. The upside is the car's design and luxury, best in class by far, handling, comfort and gas mileage. The big downside is the mechanical problems. While the car is in warranty not a cost issue, but Benz repairs are very expensive once the car is out of warranty. This is huge. Then there are those awful run flat tires, which make for a less comfortable ride and very short tread life. Sadly, they are becoming common in luxury cars, although the new Audi A-4 has a compact spare. Right now, if I had to make a decision, I'd turn in the keys. If the car was as reliable as any of the several Lexus I've had, I'd get it and live with those awful run flats, but the continuing mechanical issues probably not. Fortunately, I have a year to make my final decision.