Hi Acurazine,

I have been on the forum for sometime and have owned many Acuras, and its time for some change.
I had a 2001 TL which I drove till 190k miles, in 2011 this TL became my second car when I bought a V6 TSX. I wasnt happy with the handling of the TSX and traded that in for a AWD TL.
Year later I traded in the 2001 TL for my wife 2014 base MDX lease, which we upgraded later to a 2016 Loaded MDX.

So I have been looking at daily drivers, I was 100% ready to get a 340i until I drove the C43......I dont need a big sedan since we have the MDX.

Both great cars, I will be buying the car and not leasing. Plan is to keep the car for 6 to 8 years.

I am in no rush, just emailing a few dealers and I can get a on the lot 340i for about 12% and C43 for 10% off.

Thoughts on either car?

 

Is the interior of the C43 better than the old C-class? If it is, then my vote goes to the C43, that new rear end and the interior look fricken amazing and so aggressive. Have you driven either and determined which you like best?

 

Given how much both models depreciate out the gate, any thought to going CPO?

 

I wouldn't get either if you're not planning on leasing.

 

Personally, I'd take the C43...

 

I did a quick search and while these are estate versions, it's the only thing I could find. Based on this comparo, I'd take the C43.

Mercedes-AMG C43 Estate v BMW 340i Touring | Evo

 

We had a member just go through this decision recently (can't remember who...) & he ended up in a 340.
Being an MB-fanboi & having not driven either. I'd be on board with the C.

Edit: I think his was between the 340 & the C450, not the new C43 (though they may be the same car )

 

This.

I'm a huge Mercedes fan, but definitely go CPO. We got our E63 CPO and saved about 30% on what was nearly a new car. Wait a bit and pick up a pre-owned C43.

 

I built one of each trying to mirror optional equipment




$7K premium for the AMG

 

^ Bonus on the 340i: Manual transmission, add the automatic & it probably shrinks the price gap.

 

no difference in cost, you don't get an advantage ordering the manual, it's a no-cost option.

 

Found it:
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-tal...helmed-947833/

 

Wasn't sure if they upcharged for the auto.

 

These days, I'm surprised they don't up charge for the manual.

 

You mean you didn't remember it was YOU that posted that originally?

 

LiQiCE's thread? Not mine.

 

AMG cause benz... but i wouldn't buy either without a warranty...

 

I have driven both, and loved the interior of the c43. Great power and also the drive was great. BUT... Something about the 340i just keeps bringing me back in

Yes I have, I was looking at BMW Elite and Merc CPO. The thing is I can get the Merc at about 12% off price of new and the 340i at 15% off. This is on the lot cars, if I order differ story.

Yea I agree but the C43 does have alot of standard stuff that is a option on the 340i. The way I had both prices on .com came out to be $3k differ in price.

After factory warranty, what is usually the cost of a extended warranty?

 

I find it interesting that you seem to really like the C43 but for some reason really can't give up on the BMW. I am trying to be partial because I have officially sworn off of BMW's for life. Is there anything specifically that you like about the BMW that you do not in the Merc?

 

I'd take the BMW with the M Performance Package bumping HP up to 355 as I'm just not a MBZ guy at all. There's too many C fanbois running around my area and I couldn't stand to add to the numbers.

 

You already saw my thread - I wanted to love the C450 (and I probably would have ordered a C43 AMG if I decided I loved the C450) - only difference between the two really is the badge and the 7-speed versus new 9-speed transmission in the C43. I had my heart set on the C43 -- I had convinced myself from reading reviews and watching youtube videos that it was the car to get.

I agree with you though - while I loved the interior of the C450 and the look of the car - something about the way it drove just made it not feel like a sports sedan. Steering was my biggest issue with it. I test drove both and felt the 340i xDrive felt better to drive and thats what I ended up with!

 

Honestly... my real suggestion would be to wait a year and pick up a real CPO AMG... the new C63 AMG

 

I would rather have the 2012-2014 C63 if autotragic is a must.

 

^ I can't disagree with that. The 6.3L V8 is a monster...

 

I thought similarly equipped C43 is significantly more than 340i?

IMO C43's interior is >>>340i
However, i do not like the exterior of any current C class. It just looks meh... the design works on S class since it is a bigger car. But the rear makes the C class look tiny.

Performance i think both are similar in the real world regardless the power difference on paper. If the G30 540 is any indication of what the B58 engine can do, then the 2017 340i will be flying.

 

Find a 1-2 year old F80 M3 with less than 15k miles on it that still has its warranty and don't look back.

That option aside, as a longtime BMW fan, I don't love what they've done with the steering at all. The interior isn't as "pretty" as the mercs but the new tech works flawlessly. I think the Merc is better at being a super comfortable cruiser than the F30 is at being a sports sedan, but I haven't driven the refresh yet. With an MDX in your garage, it's not cruising and comfort that you're missing though. Considering your other cars, i'd go with a 340 m-sport, but if you don't need awd, you should really consider going full M.

I get that people say don't own one out of warranty, but I don't think it's thaaat bad. In the 2000s, my mom had an E39 530 that she drove every day for 10 years. Outside of the water pump shitting itself randomly one day, the car never really had any problems. My 335 to this day hasn't left me stranded due to a fuel pump or a water pump or anything else that the "i bought a japanese car because I like my cars to be worry free" brigade tells you is inevitable on BMWs. Yes, if own one out of warranty, you should be proactive in replacing things that are known to go bad, but there are plenty of indy shops, plenty of places to get genuine parts cheaper than the dealer, and I've actually found it's a lot easier to work on than my more recent acura experiences (i.e. they use bolts and screws instead of breakable clips and glue). I will hit the 10 year mark on my 335 in about 40 days and I have absolutely zero regrets. It's been as reliable as you could expect any 500whp car to be. One brake lamp malfunction and one leaky ac condenser hose are the only random issues.

I think you're in a win-win situation, but you should really, reallllllly consider going with a gently used M and just walking away at 50k if you're nervous. Especially considering you already have a MDX. I know you said 6-8 years was your goal, but at least test drive one.

 

This. Neither car is anything special in terms of performance or exclusivity. Neither is fast per se' and both will be a dime-a-dozen in about a year's time. If you're serious about going German, look up the F80 with a 6MT. Especially if you plan on buying.

*Edit - I should say that neither car is uber impressive when you can buy an M3 for roughly the same/less money.

 

Buy used or you'll be throwing good money away. Aftermarket warranty is a must, Fidelity has paid over 60K in repairs on my 760. I'd lean more towards a used 335i, 340 or a C63 AMG, or perhaps and E63 AMG.

 

I am sorry, come again. They paid HOW MUCH under that warranty!?

Now I know why I swore off of BMW's.

 

it's a 760...

 

Still, you can buy MANY awesome cars for $60k that require zero repairs and come with a factory warranty and probably don't depreciate like crazy.

 

Just don't buy a 760. They're notorious for high repair bills. Same with the S-Class. Buy a "regular" german car and you won't have to deal with that.

Over the last 10-11 years we've owned 2 Audis and 2 Mercedes and the only repair we ever had to do was on one of the Audis (airbag sensor was bad)... and it was under warranty. We owned each of them out of warranty for some period and never had an issue. Only time they have been to the dealership outside of that one repair was/is for scheduled maintenance.

 

To be fair, the older W220 S class is actually quite reliable. Once you get past ~2005 it all goes downhill for the S. For the 7 series, it goes downhill starting with the fugly Bangle model. Before those, there just wasn't that many electronic gadgets and crap to go wrong.

 

These are true statements

 

Yup the more tech you have, the more chance you will have problems. The 320 base w/no option is probably the most reliable car there is

 

Holy thread derail, but which 7 series are you talking about?

 

^Bangle model... around 2002 i think....

 

Which one is fugly? This one (02-08):


This, on the other hand, looks freaking awesome:

 

I've always liked both

 

Exactly! What he said!

I have heard this quite a bit actually and I agree because I see a lot of middle-lower income families driving around in some more common audi's and mercs and having zero issues. It goes without saying that the more fancy parts you have, the more likely you will have issues.

Haha I did too...from a strictly non-ownership point of view