noriphung

+1 That's what many ppl think too

BavariaMotorist

Man I have driven c280s and c350s as loaner cars for my parents Mercedes', and they SUCK. The steering is loose and fluffy..acceleration is pretty good (not on a 230 lol) and the interior is nice, but it overall is not a fun experience.

When you have a car for the sake of impressing, you find that you yourself are not happy, because you're the one stck driving it.

Get the car that makes you happy. Girls are stupid and worthless.

LIdrew

" Pretty confident you will be able to make the payments"?

Here we go again with another 18 year old who "NEEDS" a $25k car. Being able to make the payments doesn't mean it's affordable or a good financial decision. I could "afford" a $1,200 car payment, meaning I would have the money to make the payment and not have the car repo'ed, but that doesn't mean it's a smart financial decision.
Any 18 yr old kid who feels they need to have a Mercedes is just begging for attention. Especially a crappy C230.
If you want to set yourself up for a rewarding, financially set future, do yourself a favor and go buy a nice used Civic for $10K and save your money. GO TO COLLEGE!!
I am not being a hater, just someone who has in the past been emotional and impulsive about these types of purchases and went on to regret it. Even now @ 32 years old getting sick of the Z payment every month. It's a great car but it's just a car.
Your insurance is going to be high. Gas payments will be high. Tires are expensive. With the money you are putting down, I expect your cost of ownership to be $800 per month. I will also assume that working full time @ Best Buy would net you about $1200 per month after taxes. To be spending 66% of your total net income on a car is a BAD IDEA.I don't see how working at Best Buy could possibly allow you to comfortably own a $25k car.

350Z>C230

SaigonaZn69

yeh your right ... i might go with a 95' lexus sc300

NJDAN

iTrader: (17)

I find it funny how people say the C230 is the poor man's Mercedes. I had an 04 Z which was a sweet car, but I sold it to get an 06 C230 Sport which like someone already said comes with all the bells and whistles plus it comes with a BBK in front and Drilled Rotors. It has 201 HP and handles very well. I will tell you this there is no comparison with the C230 Sport and the Z at 100+ MPH, the Benz is built for higher speeds. If you want speed Get a C55 or C32 both of which will beat a Z in 1/4 mile times.

NJDAN

iTrader: (17)

Here are some of the 1/4mile times,
C32 AMG 349hp,332tq, 3540lbs, 1/4 in 13.8 @105mph. for some reason the C55 is a bit slower.
C55 362hp, 376tq and 13.95 1/4.
The C32 is a Supercharged 6cyl, and the C55 is N/A V8

MERK350Z

the c230 is not a bad car but to be honest you are comparing apples and oranges the c230 is an ok car but it is not a BENZ i am sorry. my family has close to 9 benz and all e500 or ml 500 or s500 and even a few sl 55's. i would take the Z any time over the C230 the car rides better then the C class and faster and sexy as hell and i promise its not a want to be car if my uncle who has a SL55 likes my car then that means something he was suprised with the rid and the way it drove wvereytime he sees me he wants to drive it so that tells you somthing

Alang35

iTrader: (1)

i think the next generation C class looks pretty good. but its still a C...

Moze

Regardless, Nissan is an affordable make of vehicles which produces satisfactory cars w/ mostly plastic interiors and cuts corners to make it affordable.

MB has earned its name throughout the years and represents prestige, accomplishment, comfort, performance and quality.

Mod the hell out of your car and in the end it will still be a Nissan.

My two cents.

stnwag0n

iTrader: (1)

I hope that's a typo on the 1/4 mile time because every source I've seen in regards to the C-AMG cars are 13.5 or better. I mean an M3 is a 13.3 second car and the C55 will walk it so you tell me if your numbers are correct.

SaigonaZn69

what do you guys think of the sc300? its really affordable for me like LIdrew said... I don't want to be paying my *** off for a long time I wanna finish school as well...maybe i can buy an sc300 fix it up and buy an expensive *** paint job to make it look expensive?? haha jk!

NJDAN

iTrader: (17)

Maybe they are off, that was one site I found that listed 1/4 times, it's like the Z some people say it runs 15's and some say they can get high 13's stock.

BavariaMotorist

If you're 18 and don't have money...you definitely need a used car.

Tell me what your budget is and I will tell you some great cars you can get, yes, even sports cars.

rgrmatt69

He's 18 and some of you people are telling him to get an AMG? Are you kidding me? lol. Anyways, stay away from mercedes. They've been having so many problems with their cars for the last 4 or 5 years, but I think most of them have been corrected for the '06s. But at 18, you don't need a new Mercedes Benz or any sports car. Until you turn 21, your insurance for any nice car is going to be insane until you prove to the insurance companies that your a decent driver and won't get into any accidents or do anything stupid.

My opinion? Get a decent SUV or if you hate those, just get a cheap japanese sedan with low miles, work your *** off until your 21 and then get a sports car.

LIdrew

SC300 would be a decent car. So would, Civic, accord, VW GTI, Jetta, WRX, Integra, Celica, Audi A4, BMW 3 series, I30, Q45, Diamante, Maxima, Sentra, etc

I just did a search on cars.com and found countless nice cars between 9K-12K. You can get a really nice used car in that price range.

kpiskin

iTrader: (5)

I recently purchased a second car so I don't put as many miles on the Z or drive it during crappy weather. I looked at the C230, the A4 and a few 3 Series. I ended up buying a Volvo S40 T5. 218HP, and pretty good pep. I feel comfortable in it, and it is reliable and safe. I think they are very comparable to the other cars I mentioned but come out on top due to lower price. I would recommend looking at one of those. You can pick up an S40 2.4i cheap,but they aren't as quick.

SaigonaZn69

well preferably less then 13k

SaigonaZn69

i think im gonna go with a 2000 328ci.... weeee

jondimellow

iTrader: (3)

the z insurance isn't that bad. its about a little less than a 100 for me and i have full coverage and im 24.

itsmeek

ha..don't forget the c32 that will destroy your stock z's and most of your FI z's as well. and the c230's can be modded cheaply to keep up w/the 350's. the entire c class line can in fact. c230 is the baby of the family.