Anti-Benz Club

[The Pirate]

I love the E class as well, and I like MB coupes a lot too.


But the C-class is like the illegitimate, no social skills, smelly cousin who always shows up at the family reunion. 

[cawimmer430]

But the C-class is like the illegitimate, no social skills, smelly cousin who always shows up at the family reunion. 

...but who learned some social skills, learned to use perfume and found out that she isn't illegitimate at all. 

[The Pirate]

...but who learned some social skills, learned to use perfume and found out that she isn't illegitimate at all.

[ChrisV]

I still really like this CLK over the same era 3 series, other than the M3, and even then, for a road car, it's a close call.





Just a beautifully proportioned smallish coupe.

[TBR]

The CLK is gorgeous.

[850CSi]

The CLK has always been a beautiful car. The W210 is also a beauty, one of my [also spoiled] friends just got a black/black one, saw it today for the first time... Sweet ride.

I don't know why everyone's hating so much on the C-Klasse, even I considered it before we bought the 3-Series. It's a great-looking car, almost a mini W220, it's very capable dynamically and while I wasn't the biggest fan of the interior design, it's certainly HQ. I don't think it's as competitive in its class as the E and S, but it's also a much older car than those two.

[Raza]

You can say definitively which is a better car from any viewpoint.  But you can't predict or dictate people's values. 

[TheIntrepid]

The CLK is gorgeous... I admit

[850CSi]

You can say definitively which is a better car from any viewpoint.? But you can't predict or dictate people's values.?

That's a good point.

[ifcar]

Somebody who likes how it looks. No car is the best option for everybody and the C-class is good option.The E-class offers a more rounded combination of sport and luxury than any of the listed cars, except maybe the A6. It is also the best looking car in the class and the only one available with a diesel. Its price is steep, but it is a great car.The RX is boring and slow, the FX is small, and the X5 isn't luxurious enough.Definitely a better car than the 650ci and XLR, and a plain different kind of car from the 911.The S-class is pretty much best in class right now.

The C-Class is cramped and overpriced, nothing special in its class. But there are no bad cars in that price range, so even if you only care about style, you'll end up in something good. But there's good and there's excellent, and the C-Class is not excellent.

E-Class, I agree: it's expensive but it's a terrific car. The S-Class, even more so. SL, I agree. And the SLK isn't overpriced, and it's a solid vehicle.

M-Class, not so much. It's expensive and offers no stand-out aspect. And RX may be boring, but it's not slow.

R-Class and GL450 are very nice, but expensive. If you won't have a minivan, they're probably worth it over the competition.

[Submariner]

Ok...generally I'm very polite and never yell at people, but for this I make an exception...

...What the bloody fucking hell is wrong with you?  Honestly, you make a decent case for the C-class, but that's where it ends.  The New E-class is a wonderful automobile.  They have done wonders with both the luxury and sport models, and have turned it into a first class Midsize luxury sedan (and the preface lift wasn't a bad car either!)  A drive in a sport model will leave you wondering if you got a lazy 5er with a nicer interior.  Drive one for gods sake then pass judgment!

S-class - Although some may dislike the way it looks (It looks sinister In AMG form though)  It is constantly praised for Excellent build quality, luxurious ride, super high quality materials, and yes, even "amazing handling"  Once again, a car you need to drive before you bash.

SL-class - You're saying the XLR is a better car?  Are you out of your fucking mind?  Comparison after Comparison have ranked the SL as the best car in class.  The Jaguar is wonderful, as is the 911, but the 650i doesn't have much on the SL, and the XLR is a joke.  Please, once again, drive the SL before you bash it.

CL - not much to compare it to, save for maybe the Bentley GT.  Still, I've seen very little bad press on the car.  Mostly praises for the 216.

I would go on, but I'm starting to fume from the ears.  This thread was conceived with the least possible intelligence I can imagine.  Really...stupid...shit.  I'm sorry to be like this, and I understand you are entitled to your opinion, but drive the cars you bash!  For gods sake drive them!

XLR better than the SL...what have you been sniffing?

[ro51092]

I agree with Sub.

[troll]Oh, and most BMW's are best in class[/troll]

[TheIntrepid]

um... the XLR part WAS a joke.

[The Pirate]

My dislike of the C-class is mostly irrational.  It's probably a good car, I just  don't like it.

[Raza]

My dislike of the C-class is mostly irrational.  It's probably a good car, I just  don't like it.

I'm eventually going to buy a C43 AMG and transplant a manual transmission into it.  I've always loved the C class.  I also want to turn a C32 into a six speed track monster.  The current C class isn't as solid as the one that came before it, but dynamically, it's certainly superior. 

I've pushed C classes to levels that I probably shouldn't admit to.  Its earned my respect, and I'm still trying to find a good reason other than the rear diff to not buy a C350 six speed.

[ifcar]

The price and MB's lousy manuals isn't enough for you?

[Raza]

The price and MB's lousy manuals isn't enough for you?

The new manual isn't really lousy (listen to what reviewers say about the SLK), and I just built one for 45K, and I can guarentee that I wouldn't pay near that.

[ifcar]

You could do much better for far less.

[Raza]

You could do much better for far less.

The 335i is only a few hundred dollars cheaper, similarly equipped.

[ifcar]

I didn't necessarily mean its direct competition.

[Submariner]

I didn't necessarily mean its direct competition.

As a person who has never liked the Current generation C-class, I must say a C-350 Sport is a damn fine car.

But I'd say that Raza should get that C43.  I considered buying one a long time ago.  Damn fine car, but I wanted something bigger.

[Raza]

I didn't necessarily mean its direct competition.

What cars do you mean?  I mean, what's out there with ~270bhp and RWD for less than 40 grand?

[Submariner]

Hell, I'm looking up 06 C-55's with no miles on them for the low 40's 

[The Pirate]

What cars do you mean?  I mean, what's out there with ~270bhp and RWD for less than 40 grand?

GTO

[SaltyDog]

The E class is a gem if you ask me.  I haven't been big on Mercedes in the past few years, but they are putting some nice products out again.  Except for the R class.

[ifcar]

What cars do you mean?  I mean, what's out there with ~270bhp and RWD for less than 40 grand?

You're just shopping by specs here, somewhat unlike you. Consider the driving enjoyment from a C-Class against something designed with sport in mind rather than a stiffened comfort-car. Would you really rather have a C-Class than an RX-8, or a Sky RedLine, or a Z4, or a WRX, or an MX-5, or a GTI/GLI, or an S2000, no matter what the price?

If you just want horsepower, get a Camry.

[SVT_Power]

The way I've seen all Mercedes is that it's a more luxury oriented car than its competitors. Obviously you're paying for the badge, but you're paying for the badge with any of its competitors anyway. Hard to justify the price difference in some cases, but...just look at the sales.

[VetteZ06]

Just a beautifully proportioned smallish coupe.

I still love the design of the old CLK. Every time I see one on the road (not too terribly often), the word "muscular" comes to mind immediately. Something about it just strikes me as very aggressive-looking.

[SVT_Power]

I still love the design of the old CLK. Every time I see one on the road (not too terribly often), the word "muscular" comes to mind immediately. Something about it just strikes me as very aggressive-looking.

The replacement was so much...softer?

[Raza]

GTO

Yeah.  That's very, very, very, very true.