Wondering any opinions on the following: I am moving from overseas and need to decide if I invest (approx $3-4K) in shipping my 2010 Mercedes Benz C300 with 22,300 miles or sell if (likely all I’ll get is Black Book value) and buy a new Mazda CX-5. I am moving to a state that gets snow, so thinking an SUV may be more practical. But not sure about the trade off between the Benz and the Mazda … will have to shell out cash either way. Any thoughts?
I’m going to give you my professional opinion, and you may not like it
I was a Benz master technician for several years, up until 2009, so I’m familiar with your car
Get rid of it
W204 chassis . . . junk, not as bad as the predecessor, but not Benz’s best effort
272 engine . . . junk, mechanical problems up the wazoo
722.9 automatic transmission . . . junk, mechanical and electrical problems
The longer you hang onto this car, the more likelihood it’ll turn into a money pit
db4690 It sounds like you know how to make a small fortune. Start with a large fortune then buy a used Mercedes!
Sell it. And get the Mazda.
MariaJL Does the Benz meet U.S. safety and emission requirements? If not any money spent on shipping would be wasted.
If it was not built to meet US standards, it is too expensive to modify. If you like the car and your current employer will pay to bring the car to the US, bring it home and drive it for a while. You might get more for it here. At 5 years old an only 22,300 miles, you will likely get a lot for it. Trade-in value near DC is $20,330 for a C300 Sport with RWD (not 4-matic) and auto transmission but no navigation or sunroof.The Luxury model is $19.630. If you sell it yourself, you could get $1500 more than trade-in value.
@sgtrock21
I’ve heard that the formula works even better with british cars . . .
“It sounds like you know how to make a small fortune. Start with a large fortune then buy a used Mercedes!”
I love it.
Trust me–this very apt saying will be repeated…
I hope our friend H.D. in Germany isn’t cringing too much now. ;-]
As Tom & Ray have said many times about all Euro cars, “Pay more get less.” How BMW (break my wallet) & Mercedes have remained status symbols despite being overpriced & unreliable is beyond me. Euro cars are for people with more money than brains. Let the flames begin.
Our friend H.D. is too busy cam or head shopping to be cringing . . .
“BMW (break my wallet)”
Back in the '80s, NYers learned that BMW stood for Break My Window, after their extremely expensive sound systems were looted from the cars while they were parked. However, Break My Wallet does sound appropriate also.
db4690 “I’ve heard that the formula works even better with british cars . . .”
That is normally quite true. I have owned 5 British cars and 1 motorcycle. For some reason (Guardian Angel?) they very rarely needed a repair. I didn’t even suffer a visit from Sir Joseph Lucas “Prince of Darkness”! The only traditional problem was “if it’s not leaking something it’s out of it”. The guy I bought my first one from warned me that they are very maintenance intensive but if properly attended to they tend to be reliable. Of course that applies to almost everything.
@sgtrock21–I would like to have a Mazda Miata, but Mrs. Triedaq says that the Miata is a car for wimps because it is too reliable. She claims that an MG from the early 1960s would be a the car to have. She says that real men aren’t afraid to get out of the car in heavy traffic and push it off the road. She also says that real men spent Saturday mornings working on these MGs so that it runs well enough to drive around the block Saturday afternoon.
Get the Mazda. More useful, economical, reliable, attractive, and suited for the climate. All the Mercedes has is prestige, and a C-Class doesn’t offer much of that to people who know their German cars. The Mazda SkyActiv engines are an admirable demonstration of how a small company can be as innovative as any larger one. Not that Mazda has ever had a stuffy engine department unwilling to take risks. I love Mazda. They make more attractive cars than any other Asian company with tiny resources. With any luck they’ll be rewarded with soaring sales figures like Kia has been (another maker with style).
I agree about the mazda, but emissions aren t necessarily a deal breaker. it depends on your state laws and sometimes even your county and city. in my part of Delaware, if you fail emissions, you can get a waiver if you spend a certain amount on emission repairs or parts. it was 75 bucks about 7 yrs ago. you can get a tune up or buy plugs wires and such, take in the receipts and get a waiver. I think you can only get one waiver per car, but it will get you tags for two years in a pinch
Not a city/state issue, it’s whether it meets EPA and DOT specs. Not worth finding out to me, I’d sell it.
Aside from the car not meeting US standards, this is a complete no-brainer.
A Mazda CX5 is light years more reliable and cheaper to keep running than the Merc.
Triedaq I love Mrs. Triedaq’s sense of humor or since we’re discussing British cars Humour. Would you be interested in selling her? I leased a 1996 Miata. I could not pass up a penny down and $199 per Month. I expected a refrigerator white car that would never sell. I ended up with a Montego blue which was the color shifting paint. Green in sunlight, blue if cloudy, and black at night! I really loved that Miata. I guess I should list my British vehicles in order of purchase. 1955 Jaguar MK VII Saloon. This one doesn’t really count as I bought it then sold it 2 days later. 1960 Austin Healy Sprite MK1. 1960 MGA 1600 roadster. 1966 Triumph 650 Bonneville motorcycle. 1962 MGA 1600 MK2 coupe. 1966 MGB roadster. I wish I still had all of them.
@sgtrock21-- My doctor wrote a prescription for me on his pad read “for Triedaq’s mental health, he should have a Mazda Miata”. I took it home to Mrs. Triedaq and she said she would take the prescription and have it filled. Unfortunately, the doctor checked the box that said the prescription could be filled generically. Mrs. Triedaq took that to mean that it meant any vehicle, and she filled it with a minivan.