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-   -   Getting my three pointed star | My Pre-Loved Mercedes C300 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/267867-getting-my-three-pointed-star-my-pre-loved-mercedes-c300.html)

As a kid, I grew up looking at German cars (my hometown had its fair share). Everywhere you looked - on the TV, in the movies, on the street - a German was a statement that the owner was "someone". Like any other kid, I too aspired to be that "someone".

My father is an Insurance surveyor and I used to accompany him any time I was free. One fine day we were in a FNG workshop to inspect a car under repairs and the owner was working on a RHD to LHD conversion. The inquisitive child in me asked the owner why was a Mercedes so sought after compared to other cars even when it cost a lot more. After all wasn't it smart to conserve money (in my defense I was 7/8). The owner smiled and pulled out two radiator fans. One was OEM the other was sourced locally. He asked me to spin the local one. It completed a few revolutions and stopped. Then he asked me to repeat the same exercise with the OEM fan. It kept spinning for a while. I was amazed at the difference between the two otherwise quite similar fans. The owner smiled and said - "This is German Engineering". I walked out from his workshop promising myself my first car would be a Mercedes (again in my defense I was 7/8).

Fast forward 20 years and I was driving ..... drumroll please ...... a Maruti 800. Upon getting married, the ride was upgraded to a Dzire. I had become the stereotypical IT worker. My aspirations too had changed. By then I had come to terms with the realities of life like education loans, home loans, child expenses and the German dream had been all but forgotten. My roadmap at the time was to upgrade from an apartment to a house within a year and then buy a Ciaz. But fate had other plans.

A flaming row with a superior prompted me to explore my options and I ended up with a PR visa to Canada. Fast forward two years and I was happily settled having checked all the boxes (good job, own home, decent car).

My first car in Canada was again a conservative choice. Not knowing anyone in the auto scene, I opted for the safest bet - A new Honda Accord LX.


This car served me well. In 6 years of ownership where I drove it in every weather condition and every type of surface and never had a single issue. Due to the pandemic the usage was a bit lower than what it could have been (it ran a grand total of 3000 KM in 2020). By the end of 2022, the odo on my Accord showed 51000 KM. The car had completed 6 years and the new car itch had begun.

My wife made her aversion to sedans quite clear and dropped hints about wanting a Highlander. The 7 seater from Honda - Odyssey (which I personally favor as a great ride for road trips) was rejected instantly with my wife dubbing it the "Loser Cruiser".

Meanwhile, Canada experienced a major interest rate hike in 2023 as Bank of Canada went all out to rein in the rampant inflation. I quickly realized that a 70K car was out of the question. Real life responsibilities like children's education funds, retirement planning again took priority. With a heavy heart, the German dream again faded out.

As luck would have it, a friend asked for my help in finding a used BMW. He wanted a 3 series but was worried about expensive repairs. The child in me jumped at the chance of shopping for a Big German and I quickly found a 2018 330i Xdrive with just 25000 KM. It was BMW certified and had a bit of the original warranty left. My friend was not impressed. He wanted the 2019 or later models (3 series had a facelift in 2019). I told him if he was not going for it I would but he did not budge. So I called the dealership and scheduled a test drive the coming Saturday.

On Friday, we had the biggest storm of the season and I woke up with 30 CM of snow on my driveway. But the pull of the German was so strong I cleared my entire driveway in a little under 3 hours. At exactly 11:00 AM I was at the dealership reception. The car was in really good condition. I was worried about its age not matching the KM reading but the Carfax report suggested everything was in order. BMW was giving 100,000 KM/4 yr warranty on certified cars for engine and transmission and I could buy the extended warranty which would basically cover everything else.

We went for a test drive and I was a bit underwhelmed. The cabin felt a little cramped compared the Accord. The single display did not have Apple Carplay. It felt like a slight downgrade as my 2017 Accord had 2 displays, supported Apple Carplay and just felt roomier especially in the back. I could update the system in theory and get carplay support but the SA was quick to tell me doing so would void the unit warranty.

I wanted to see the numbers before I made the final decision and I thought I had a decent deal. I did a quick check and realized I could get this car for a bargain bin price, keep it for 4 years and then change it before any real issues showed up.

The bill of sale was signed and stamped and I opted for extended warranty, prepaid services for 4 years and an additional package which could cover interior repair/cleaning, paint less dent removal, windshield repair/replacement, lost key replacement and tire/rim replacement in case of a burst/flat (because runflats :unhappy)

I asked the SA to send me a few pics as the car was out on a test drive while I was hammering the numbers and he promised to do so the minute the car got back.







Apologies for the messy car. The conditions were really messy post the storm.

Upon reaching home I proudly broke the news to my wife and kids who did not understand why I was all smiles about getting a 5 year old car. Not letting them dampen my spirits I checked my email as I needed to send over a few documents. To my surprise and horror, the dealership had added a new charge AFTER the bill of sale was signed. Apparently the SA had overlooked some detail and thus the extra charge. We had a mildly unpleasant discussion and since the SA was new (it was his first sale), I decided not to create a stink.

My wife told me to just pay the charge if I felt the deal was good as she felt I would keep whining otherwise. I on the other hand refused to be played and asked for my deposit back. The SA promptly refunded my money back and the deal was off. Once again the German dream went in smoke.

Life went on and I reluctantly specced and priced a Highlander. The dealership told me due the global supply chain disruptions, I was looking at a minimum waiting period of 6 months with absolutely NO discounts. The waiting period killed any interest my wife had and she told me to just buy what I liked.

I kept on casually browsing the German inventory available for ready purchase in the local dealerships but was hesitant to commit a large amount. Looking at German cars ready for sale reduced to my lunch time activity.

One fine day, I stumbled upon a 2020 Selenite Grey C300. It was mildly interesting. It was coming with the Premium and Sports Package. (MB really needs to stop this con of pricing the base car really low but hiding all the fun stuff in addons). What made it really eye catching was the odo reading which stood at an eye popping 5900 KM!

The price was just about what a new A220 would cost me with the packages I wanted. I quickly called the dealership and was told the car had just been acquired from an auction and would not be ready for viewing for another week. I asked to see the car on the following weekend. On the appointed day, I walked in and saw the car in person. It was in really good condition. The first thing I checked was the cabin space in the back and once that concern was satisfied I took a test drive. The car drove really well and I did not notice any issues.





I came back and worked the numbers. This deal was almost twice of what the BMW was going to cost me but I had my heart set and for the second time in 3 months, I signed the bill of sale.

The sale experience at Mercedes was a few notches up from my BMW experience. The Accord's trade price was acceptable, the SA threw in a $1000 discount on the C300 and also agreed to throw in new all season runflats as the car was on winter tires (which I also got to keep). New winter tires would be at least $2000 so this sweetened the deal quite a bit.

MB was offering 4 yr/100000 KM warranty on all Certified cars on Engine and Transmission. In addition I opted for 4 years prepaid service and the all in package that included Key replacement, paint less dent removal, windshield repair/replacement and tire/rim cover (again because runflats :crying)

The SA asked for a few days to deliver the car as he needed to order the new tires and we agreed on me taking delivery on the coming Thursday.

On the appointed day, I walked in to see the car all set and ready. The dream I saw as a young boy had finally come true.





A few papers were signed and initialed. We were given a quick demo and surprise, one of the keys was scuffed. I pointed it out to the SA who sheepishly told me they needed to deliver the car to me for the package to get activated. Now with the car delivered they could put in a claim and get me a new key. I was ok with it and he promised to have my new key delivered on Saturday when I was supposed to come in to pick the winter tires. With that we brought our three pointed star home.

Getting on to things I like, things I dislike and things I wish this car included.

Likes

• Keyless Entry
• Memory seats
• Rain sensing wipers
• Paddle Shifters
• Sunroof - a real hit with my kids
• Collision warning Radar (its a real life saver)
• AMG suspension (makes driving fun)
• The 18inch alloys (I got lucky and the car had the ones I wanted)
• Wireless charging for when you have a group and not everyone has a cable
• Remote scan capability. MB can remotely scan your car without needing to bring it in

Dislikes

• Wireless Carplay is missing.
• MB's policy of a very low base price but putting EVERY feature as an addon
• Ridiculous pricing for OEM addons. A dash cam is an eye watering 1500 CAD!
• MB's paywall on the car app. I cant remotely lock the car, open windows or remote start without taking the full subscription. Previously it was ala carte.

Features I would have added if I was buying this car new

• HUD - its a neat feature to have
• Ventilated seats
• 360 degree parking view

I have completed 3000 KMs on this car and here is my initial review:

Like most drivers, I experimented with the modes before ultimately settling on Comfort. The FE in this mode comes out to be around 15 KM/L on the highway and 9 KM/L in city traffic. The numbers go up in economy but the response from the car gets muted. I have only used 91 octane fuel for this car.

The suspension is pretty decent but the Runflats do not like any deep potholes and I need to watch out for them. The car does not have a spare and quite a few German cars have been stranded upon hitting a nasty pothole that cut the tire.

MB uses a faux leather they call Artico leather and while its very comfortable, the seats definitely need ventilation especially if the car has been out in the sun on a hot day. The air con can cool the car but till it does its not pleasant.

The Command interface has been totally supplanted by Android Auto / Carplay. Even in the latest S class (I drove the EQS recently) the interface and features feels lacking compared to what you'd get if you just hook your phone up.

The sound system from Burmester is adequate for my needs but a true audiophile will find it a tad bit underpowered.

The boot space is ok, nothing special. The rear seats can be folded to increase the available space significantly. I recently transported a 55 inch tv in its packaging that way with no issues.

And finally the driving experience. The ride can be described as "Stately". Its the car for someone who wants to take his time and enjoy the ride. The car does have power and I have used that power quite regularly when executing sharp lane changes or when overtaking someone but lets be honest a tuned Japanese car can beat it in a straight drag race. For those people who need a peppy ride, you might want to consider an AMG or a different brand. But for those who want want a very comfortable ride in style this is a car worth considering.

Congratulations on your new Mercedes Benz!, it's certainly a wonderful car and I hope you have many great journies and memories with it

Congratulations on your childhood dream coming true. A Mercedes Benz, in fact, any German cars are made to last. Enjoy each and every moment with the MB and keep on munching miles. All the best.

Congratulations on your new ride! Love the interior colour combination. Haven't seen this combo in any other C class in India. Also, did you just say deep potholes? Didn't expect someone from Canada to be complaining of the same :P

Congratulations, this is a great looking car and the interior seems notches above what BMW/Audi has. Stay on top of maintanance and it should reward you just like the Accord.

Also quite a few products are available now which can convert wired carplay to wireless, we have it in our Hyundai and overall it works alright in my experience. Not that expensive as well.

This is not just MB, most German brands do this - the BMW you saw infact suffered from the same fate. Smallers wheels, basic steering and entertainment and even the instrument cluster will be smaller as well unless you configure it like that. Only some big cars get standard kits.

Finding the kit you want in a used car is like finding a needle in haystack. I went through the same and got lucky as the first owner was a BMW employee who opted for everything he could. I did have to compromise on my color though.

Congratulations on achieving your childhood dream. The car looks fantastic, especially the showroom new interiors. Wish you many happy miles with this gorgeous machine! Cheers!

Yes this comes as a surprise. While the road quality even in backwater areas is first rate, the weather conditions trump everything else. Here is a graphic the city sends sometimes when the complaints shoot up and they are scrambling to send crews everywhere.




True, but MB by far is the leader of the pack in this practice though improved in the 23 lineup with MB finally offering Carplay/Android Auto without a package and 18" wheels becoming standard on the C-Class.

Congratulations on your new acquisition! The grey color is subtle yet classy.

Congratulations.
I think this is the first C300 I have seen with this interior color (Good Choice).

How do you like the stock (base) sound system? Have they added a subwoofer in 2022? I have driven several long trips (Toronto - Florida, etc.) in crossover equivalent of C300 (2018 GLC300 and 2020 GLC300) and the only thing I hated was the lackluster sound system (base sound system in BMW/Audi sounded much better).

The sound system on this car is pretty basic. The notes are crisp and clear but the power is lacking.

YouTube music is enough for my needs but any serious audiophile will need to look at an aftermarket upgrade.

Which driving mode did you use on the long drive. My longest drives have been on comfort as I wanted to check FE.

Mostly Sport mode on 2018 GLC and mostly comfort mode on 2020 GLC (2020's power delivery and transmission behaved better than that of 2018).

My experience so far with the protection plan

So far I have made two claims in my protection plan.

1. The scuffed key. At the time of delivery, I saw one of the keys was scratched. I pointed it out to the SA and he promised to get me a new within 2 days. The promise was kept and I picked up the key when I went to collect my winter tires.

2. Windshield repair. I noticed a scratch on the windshield on my way to pick up the tires. It was only visible from an angle under certain lighting conditions. But once seen it was something I couldnt unsee. The service team acknowledged the crack and scheduled a repair. My plan has a $5000 limit for repairs/replacements. The service advisor in this case did me a solid and marked it as a pre delivery damage. Which meant the repair was paid for from the sales team budget and did not use my plan limit.

So far my experience has been pretty good with the protection plan. Hoping it stays this way.

Congratulations Jaspritsingh. She is beautiful.

I’m in the same boots as of you. I’ve just moved last month to Toronto on a PR and even without seeking a job yet, I’m already on car classifieds checking out deals for the Germans. :coldsweat

If you don’t mind, can you DM me your connect at MB who fixed you this deal as the service you have witnessed is fantastic.

Safe driving to you and hope to sure catch up if we ever have a meet up in Toronto.

We have a breakfast meet in Mississauga this Saturday (5 Aug 2023). If you guys are available, please consider joining. Details posted here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post5598474