just got back from checking out the '11 c300.
it's nice. not a ding or scrape on the thing from what i can see. it hasn't even been detailed yet. they just got it on the lot wedensday. It's still pretty clean, but you can tell it needs a detail. it drove straight, no brake pulling or anything.
has plenty of power. economy mode IS a dog forces shifting at like 5k. But you hit that sport button and shit gets real and pulls hard from 5500-6800k. lol Ok, it's not super fast, but it has plenty of nut to move itself. I had no problem getting it up to 80 on a quick scoot down a back road and then hammering the brakes pretty good down to 30. It's not sloppy at all and the steering is pretty good too. Results as desired. the automatic kick-downshifting is a little slow, but it does have the ability to manually knock it down a gear with the +/- slap.
The seats feel a little wide. It doesn't have the bolstering i'm used to in the genesis. But, there's also 15 different buttons to adjust the seat.... even the headrest is power. lol I'm pretty sure i can dial it in a little better.
Looking at the other c300 sports in the lot, it has less wheel gap. It looks hot. But that might just be different tires... ride felt 'factory'
Trade in val came in a bit under what i am looking for... but i guess i should expect that seeing as it was in an accident and has the clutch issues. We're a grand apart which isn't that bad. He's going to see what he can do. They just got the car in and it hasn't gone through their 'fake cpo' process yet. basically they do everything the merc dealer would to cpo would but it's not valid for any merc warranty and they don't jack the price 3 grand to compensate. it's only 1 year from merc anyway. odds are, it probably wouldn't get used. This place is only 15min from work so it is pretty convenient to drop off a car, and take a loaner for the day.
anyway, maybe there's some leeway to play here. not everything that doesn't meet cpo levels (ie, brake life renaming, etc) can be skipped so long as it's road worthy and they've priced the car with all of this in mind already. He's going to make some calls and see if there's demand for my car somewhere which will net them a few bucks more to play with on the whole sale. awaiting more info.
The tires all look good- sport conti's on it all around and from what i can see through the spokes in dress clothes, the pads have meat on them. the rotors do have some 'lines' on them, but what set doesn't? i noticed no shaking of any kind in any braking. i miss heated front seats. i will love that in the winter. the awd is nice too. i think my snows will work. i have 225/245's and this car has 225/255's stock. i can probably get away with it. if not, my fronts are a season out from being replaced, and i can go to a 215 to keep it in check... will consult with
TireRack.com vs the awd aspect ratio tolerance
plus, since i'm going to put it back to stock, i'll have the intake, catch cans, and flasher tool to sell which should get me 500 ish back which is basically the 'pawn stars' meet in the middle. i also have a boost gauge, a camber bolt kit, and braided fuel rail feed line kit all BNIB which can put me even closer to the number i had in mind. and, the snow wheels after i rape the tires off, or decide to just sell the whole set and get new snows.
back seat is a
little cramped, but bumping the front seats up a notch makes it usable. I can put the taller guy in the front and the normal people in the back no problem. its not a full size car so that's expected
so, i'm looking at 10k+tax/reg/title out of pocket. which is more than i wanted to spend. if i put all of it on a 3 year loan, its less than 325/ m i'm guessing.
but not having a car payment is real nice too.
An other option is to just fiance the whole thing and try to sell the genesis on my own. which may take time... and effort... or won't sell at all for a price higher than the dealer's offer. I really don't have time or desire to deal with it. that's worth a few bucks to just get rid of the hassle. And even once i do sell it, i have a lump sum i can put on the loan, but it won't lower my payment either- just will end it sooner. So monthly, it's still a higher out of pocket cost to me to do it hat way, even if it is for a shorter time period.
decisions...