So I've been involved in quite a heated conversation in the mbworld.org board where they completely bash the TL, be it 04 or 05 Navi or Non-Navi, it doesn;t matter. I've also been in this conversation at work where I used to drive an E320 to work but now I drive the TL now....

What do you guys think about this?

 

Something to raise a German's eyebrow;

Maybe you should obtain the Consumer Review 2005 issue on car reliability and show it to them as MB has 3 or 4 of their cars classified as BAD

Here is an copy of the results



Brand - Problems per 100 vehicles
Subaru 8
Honda 9
Acura 10
Toyota 10
Hyundai 11
Infiniti 11
Lexus 11
Audi 12
Mini 13
Ford 15
Pontiac 15
Cadillac 16
Chevrolet 16
Chrysler 16
GMC 16
Jeep 16
Mazda 16
Saab 16
Dodge 17
Mercury 17
Volvo 17
Buick 18
Nissan 19
Saturn 19
BMW 21
Volkswagen 23
Mercedes-Benz 25
Lincoln 26


According to Consumer Report, Mercedes is at the bottom of the barrel as far as reliabilty, some of their cars are assembled in Mexico.

You better make copies to show them as they will probably want to destroy the evidence.

Best regards from Montreal, Canada

frenchnew

They are lucky (MB) that Lada has stopped being sold as they would have probably faired better that Mercedes!

 

.

 

:whocares: each owner is going to be loyal to their car...the only cheese dick bitches I hear about the TL is the front wheel drive and the classic "its just an overpriced Accord..."

really who cares, there will always be someone with a better car or better house, etc.

 

Well - aside from the fact that I think the TL is better than the C-class (reliability).... Ron A - why do a lot of your posts have a "." instead of words?

 

its true. as much as i like a lot of other cars i will stand behind my decision to purchase the TL...so will the vast majority of people here on the TL boards - the same as people on MBworld or any BMW or lexus site.

 

First thing you should bring up is the size of the vehicles. The interior space of the TL is comprable to the E-series, not the C-class so ask them why they are comparing dis-similar cars to each other? If they respond as most do... (That they picked cars that had similar prices), then they've already lost the battle but probably don't want to be forced to recognize the facts. To emphasis the point, you might want to point out that a 4x4 Explorer probably cost the same amount and why don't they just add that to the mix if they plan on comapring different vehicles to each other. Doesn't make much sense now does it?

 

I belong to both sites as my Mom is trying to decide between a TL and C230 Sport Sedan. I'm trying to give her some helpful feedback, but I'm on the fence between the two also. Having owned a 1990 Legend Sedan w/ 5 speed manual (best vehicle I've ever owned) and my wife and I currently each drive a Lexus SUV, I can attest to the Japanese quality.

I have always known that MB and BMW have their own problems, but some of the things I've read about the TL's scares me too.....rattles, vibrations, rear seat belts soaking up salt water from the road, to name a few. Bottom line, any car manufacturer has it's lemons.

Value??.....TL is the winner. A C230 sport loaded with all of the features that a TL has standard (memory seats, upgraded stereo, xenon's, sunroof, automatic, Navi, heated seats) will push the C230 to a sticker of $39,000 (it'll cost you $36,000, so about $3k more than a TL). A C320 sport is about $45K sticker.

I drove a C230 sport sedan for a week down in Florida. I was impressed with the standard AMG bodywork and the sporty ride. The supercharged engine, while no match for the TL, was pretty nice. The fuel economy is amazing. The TL has a nicer dash, but the C has better seats. I also think Acura needs to take some paint lessons from MB, because the silver on the C class still looks like it's wet.

Bottom line....they're both great cars and I don't think anyone can go wrong with either one of them. If someone were to build the perfect car, all they would need to do is take all of the best features from both of these cars.

No TL or C class bashing for me. If I had the bucks, I'd have one of each in my garage.

 

wow... C-classers dissing the TL?
What are they saying specifically? just curious

 

One thing MB C Class owners might want to remember...

"The 'C' stands for 'Cheap.' "

 

Thats Hilarious...the only way I would buy a MB is if it started with a 5 or 6. Much better options available elsewhere than the 2 series or 2 + 1 series .

 

come join me..here's a quote for starters...

From a Member with a 2003 C230 Kompressor Sports Sedan -->"Oh come off it....what planet are you from? I drove that junkey, rattley, POS TL......The one with the tin foil doors, the excessive roadnoise, the lack of airbags.

I wouldn't let my kids ride in that junk.

Did you know they stuffed styrofoam in the front fenders to try to meet the crash standards. That's the reason why they shapped the fenders that way. (Now when they service your car, you are going to get it back with screwed up fenders)

There is just far to many stupid issues with the TL, It is definately not up to any Merc. standards.

Doesn't it piss you off that they forgot to put a trunk latch on it....can't open the trunk from the outside without the keyfob. The Gas door lid opener is the same lever as on my wife's Sunfire!!! What kind of basic screw you sh*t is that? How can you, or anyone that knows better, put up with the cheapy crappiness of the TL?

ACURA have saved on everything they could with the TL, and in place of a good solid car, given you junk with a bigger engine!!.

IMHO"

I'm just ignorin the entire thread now...

 

Just to vent. those fuckin C-coupes...oh my god are they fcukin ugly! Thank god they are no longer on the website

 

You are correct. My wife is great friends with a girl who owns MB dealership in SC. She told my family to completely stay away from the C class cars. She said they're having all kinds of issues and are constantly in for warranty work. She also said the quality of the MB is going down because of the purchase of Chrysler.

 

ACtually .. the C350 w/ the 6-spd MT is gunna haul ass... it'll have the 268hp/258lb-ft engine that they're also dropping in the new E350 and that is already in the SLK350 ..

That powerplant will fly .. and quite frankly, the newly updated C-Class, though still small, isn't that bad looking .. I think it's pretty hot and sporty.

People who bash other cars have a problem w/ self-esteem in general.. it usually has nothing to do w/ their loyalty to their rides. It's a character flaw, and it probably manifests itself in real life in their jobs and among people they interact with.

 

What is the C350 going to be priced at?

 

I think it'll be in the 38,000 - 42,000 range .. base that is. Nicely equipped .. i'm sure you'll be in the $44k range. That's the problem w/ the Benz's and Bimmers... gotta pay tons extra to get all the toys.

 

MB is MB, no one could beat their reputation and prestige...


So, it's hard to beat them in this type of conversations... IMHO... although their MBs only come with 4 tires without any features, they still strongly BELIEVE their MBs are the best of the best.

 

I would agree that it's hard to beat MB when it comes to their reputation and presige. However, I think that only applies to its Flagship S-Class Sedan & Coupe. As for the C-Class no way, just a classy version of the Ford Contour...similiar to the Jaguar X-Type. For a C-Class to get my attention, It has to be the V8 model with AMG Package. Just my

 

Haha, , it's very true... but E class looks good to me...

 

Yeah the E-Class does look very good. Especially the E500, that's an awesome vehicle.

 

I like the c class, looks nice in black. I drove a new loaner, for my bro's clk500 service. car handles nicely and very solid in turns, but thats because of the size, kinda like the tsk. new interior looks nice, i like the radio. I might have bought the car if i was 4" shorter, being 6'4 the car just don't fit me. and those 330ci's are nice but it needs bluetooth! and bigger cabin space.

 

The clk is a different car compared to the C240 etc. I would say that the reliability aspects of any car cannot just be judged by some magazine. Considering the issues people have had here, the TL is average in quality at best.

but the people here also suffer from what everyone else does when they buy a new car. They want to think the car they have is the bomb plain and simple. My neighbor buys a new 5 series bmw every 50k miles. He swears by them but then he has not owned one outside of the free maintenance. Most of the TL owners are in the same situation. When the 3 G starts hitting 40K miles and beyond you will see how well the car stands up.

 

MB acquired Chrysler and now Chrysler does MB's quality control(?)
It is called "decontenting."
How to make your car cheaper but still charge a premium for the name. Sort of like what Toyota does with the basic Camry (i.e. Lexus, Avalon, RX330, etc.).

 

368 Hp

edit: wait maybe thats the AMG version

 

1. We're not talking about people who have E500's, we're talking about people who have $30k el-cheapo Mercedes...who cares what they think?

2. From a technical standpoint, the C-class and the TL are not comparable unless you spend over $40k for the C, which makes the comparison moot as only an idiot would pay $10k more for the same thing...who cares what they think?

3. While I have only been visiting this site for a few months now, I can't think of too many threads I've seen where we're bashing other cars and their drivers. Yes, we do discuss other cars from time to time, but as for threads dedicated to slamming them, I don't recall them. If that's how some people want to spend their time and energy, that's great...who cares what they think?

4. Oh yeah, one last thing...who cares what they think?

 

Dr Obvious says:

people only bash on others if they are unhappy with what they have

 

Just thought I would throw my .02 cents into the conversation.

I consulted at MBUSA Corporate HQ - they are well aware of their reliability issues. They were most concerned with Lexus in their market space. As you would think, the C-class is their highest revenue model that sells.

Granted this was coming from an IT person, but just gives you an idea. Otherwise MB employees get awesome deals on MB's, really sick discounts.

 

TSX>C-class

 

Yes, Doctor. It's amazing what poeple with low self esteem will do to feel more adequate. But can you really blame them for spending more to get less in the name of prestige? That's OK. I'm laughing all the way to the bank and am earning intrest on the money I saved for other toys I might want.

dsc888

 

Blah, Blah, Blah.....! I tested a compressor C230 and if you want to talk about noise, that thing sounded worse than my dad's 85 Olds (which had a whole in the muffler and only 6 of the 8 cylinders were running). The C320 is another story. More refined than the 230. That thing is a piece of Sh*t!!! C230's are for those whom can't afford an E, Clk or better. It makes them feel good because they bought a "Mercedes." I bet if Mercedes threw their logo on a Kia spectra, you'd buy it and say it's better than the TL or any other car for that matter. The C230 is a poor man's E!

 

These guys are wannabe "snobs." They work their a** off to be able to afford a downgrade version/ cheapest version of an MB so that they can say that they own a MB. Sad thing is, they probably put their life's earning into the car to gain recognition. I bet you most of these people only own 1 outfit in their closets and live on bread and water. The true snobs know they're better so they don't spend their time bashing other people's cars or what not on a website. They're too busy hanging out on their Malibu beach house.

 

So very true....

 

Go tl's. For the most par we are pretty fair and talk about the bad things of the tl not that other cars suck. WE ROCK

 

I just got out of a C230 Coupe, the one with the huge glass roof and ugly ass end? I didn't have ONE problem with that car, besides the sensor on the side of the tranny started to leak, and caused it to loose a little oil, which was common for that car for some reason, shitty design. I liked the car a lot, but it was small, and the sedan which I almost got rode like shit, and was SMALL. I wanted something with room, and the TL flat hauls ass for what it is, unlike a 189 HP S/C 4 banger...

The MB guys are just biased, I have had both, and prefer the TL even though it is FWD which I don't care for.

 

MB and BMW are good cars if you get the higher models. This is where their reputation is. When buying a C-class or a 3 series, you are just paying for the name, not the quality of their higher models.

 

and you got to figure since many people on here bash every other car then you are going to get tl bashing!!!

 

True, but the 3 series BMW is their bread and butter, that is what they stake their rep on, like the M3 and 330i

 

If they say TL is an overpriced accord I would say the C230 is an Kia with a Benz Emblem and really I mean it...did a test drive when I was shopping and seriously it is a JOKE...the base model comes with cloth interior...who in their right minds would want to buy a Benz with cloth interion ??????

 

I need one of those!