"Tesla": The word that will get you a better Mercedes lease.

[Gordon87]

Petrocelli - A new complication. The next MB C class is far along, with a more high-tech interior. It may not matter to you with a relatively short-term lease.

Next-gen Mercedes C-Class spied with interior completely uncovered

BTW, my take: I traded a 2000 MB CLK Cabriolet for a Model 3 earlier this year and don’t regret it at all. I loved my MB, but the Tesla is a phenomenal drive.

 

[Petrocelli]

What most of us who have done this analysis have learned is you are choosing between an amazing car or amazing service. At the moment you really can’t have both.

Your statement presumes that a $51,000 Mercedes C 300 Coupe is not an amazing car. I don't agree with you. I think they are both amazing cars, but for different reasons and in different ways.

 

[OCR1]

Your statement presumes that a $51,000 Mercedes C 300 Coupe is not an amazing car. I don't agree with you. I think they are both amazing cars, but for different reasons and in different ways.

I don’t presume to know what other people think. But to me, there is nothing special about a Mercedes. It’s just another boring ICE car that looks and feels like all of the other ICE cars on the road to me. It’s a safe choice, but a boring one.

 

[Petrocelli]

First off, I gotta say I love the grace with which you've handled the trolls in this thread. You're a class act, my friend.

Thanks a lot. That means a lot to me.

Actually, this board has been perfect as a starting place for leaning about Tesla, its cars, it's company, etc.I truly appreciate the people who take minutes out of their lives to chime in. I even learned a new word... "FUDster".

[Edit: Off-topic. But if anyone hasn't noticed, Elon Musk is batsh*t crazy. Kind of like a modern day Howard Hughes. Very cool.]

 

[Petrocelli]

I don’t presume to know what other people think. But to me, there is nothing special about a Mercedes. It’s just another boring ICE car that looks and feels like all of the other ICE cars on the road to me. It’s a safe choice, but a boring one.

I realized I am being trolled, but allow me to retort.

I live in West Los Angeles. I just drove to the bank and came back. The bank is about 1.5 away. In that drive, I saw 3 Model 3s. At work, the Ms are hogging every charging station. Everybody got them out of nowhere. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with really quiet cars.

Now, don't get me wrong. The M3 a pretty car, but it is "boring" in the sense that it's on its way to being the next Prius.

And just so we are clear, is every ICE car included from Gremlins to Posches?

 

[VT_EE]

I realized I am being trolled, but allow me to retort.

I live in West Los Angeles. I just drove to the bank and came back. The bank is about 1.5 away. In that drive, I saw 3 Model 3s. At work, the Ms are hogging every charging station. Everybody got them out of nowhere. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with really quiet cars.

Now, don't get me wrong. The M3 a pretty car, but it is "boring" in the sense that it's on its way to being the next Prius.

And just so we are clear, is every ICE car included from Gremlins to Posches?

It's a really fun Prius, though!

 

[Petrocelli]

It's a really fun Prius, though!

Indeed. But it is the most popular car in WLA now. And they run forever, so they will propagate like the evil spawn of Elon Musk and rule the Earth.

Like I said, the next Prius (in the sense that it is a very common car.)

 

[OCR1]

I realized I am being trolled, but allow me to retort.

I live in West Los Angeles. I just drove to the bank and came back. The bank is about 1.5 away. In that drive, I saw 3 Model 3s. At work, the Ms are hogging every charging station. Everybody got them out of nowhere. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with really quiet cars.

Now, don't get me wrong. The M3 a pretty car, but it is "boring" in the sense that it's on its way to being the next Prius.

And just so we are clear, is every ICE car included from Gremlins to Posches?

I’ve never paid attention to what other people drive or what houses they live in or what clothes they wear. So to me personally I could care less whether I’m the only Model 3 owner on the planet or whether I own the same car as every neighbor on the block. But I have owned Mercedes, Lexus and BMW vehicles and while they were all very nice to drive they can not match the experience of driving a Tesla. But I have no interest in convincing other people what to drive. I share my thoughts and people buy what is best for them. And as I said before, I don’t presume to know what other people think or what is best for them. So I can’t really offer anything beyond what I’ve said to help you with your purchase decision. I’m sure you will end up with what is right for you as you’ve obviously put a lot of thought into this decision.

 

[SMAlset]

I realized I am being trolled, but allow me to retort.

I live in West Los Angeles. I just drove to the bank and came back. The bank is about 1.5 away. In that drive, I saw 3 Model 3s. At work, the Ms are hogging every charging station. Everybody got them out of nowhere. It's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with really quiet cars.

Now, don't get me wrong. The M3 a pretty car, but it is "boring" in the sense that it's on its way to being the next Prius.

And just so we are clear, is every ICE car included from Gremlins to Posches?

Prius don't drive like this so the Model 3 can never be called a boring car to drive . And people like to dress them up and make them theirs.

BTW surprised you haven't been hit with M3 verbage yet by some people on the forum. That term is brought up as being reserved for a BMW M3. You'll notice here Model 3 spelled out a lot. No confusion with the MS or MX though.

BTW are you going to be surveying owners here until November? I've noticed multiple threads in multiple areas and even a poll I think.

 

[gilscales]

Indeed. But it is the most popular car in WLA now. And they run forever, so they will propagate like the evil spawn of Elon Musk and rule the Earth.

Like I said, the next Prius (in the sense that it is a very common car.)

Muhahahahaha! Elon's evil plan is working! most of us are unaware participants in his evil plan to clean up our air quality because we bought the car for how awesome it drives and how economical it is and how safe it is all without caring how common we look to the "Vanity" drivers, Muhahahaha!

 

[Petrocelli]

BTW are you going to be surveying owners here until November? I've noticed multiple threads in multiple areas and even a poll I think.

No. I made an early decision today. (See profile pic.) I'm done. Thanks to everyone for their help..

 

[SMAlset]

No. I made an early decision today. (See profile pic.) I'm done. Thanks to everyone for their help..

Could have won a bet if I put money down. Not surprised.

 

[PrGrPa]

I have been driving a C Class Mercedes since 1997. I get a new one about every three years. I have leased 6 Mercedes C class sedans in a row. Collectively, I have driven these cars about 270,000 miles. I pay about $600 a month, including 10% California sales tax. I put no money down (other than first lease payment and license.) The payment includes all regular maintenance.

My lease is coming up to its end, and I was considering a Model 3. So I started monitoring this forum. About a week ago, I was about 75% certain my next car would be a Tesla.

However, the stories I read in this forum about all sorts of problems really cause me concern. Since 1997, not one Mercedes has ever broken down. In the 270,000 miles, I have never paid for maintenance or a single repair. Only one time did the dealer need more than a day to conduct a repair. (I left the car overnight, and was given a free Mercedes loaner.)

I have never had any problem even remotely close to the horror stories I have read here. If you scroll through this forum, about every 10th post is a complaint about some issue with the car, and or customer service. They include windshields cracking, paint issues, rattles, dings, vomit smells, etc.

Now, I do confess, no car is perfect. Mercedes can be problematic when you reach high miles. But I am talking about new car problems. The Model 3 appears to have a major quality control issue. The Mercedes does not.

There are also a lot of complaints in this forum about service. This is in contrast to my experience with Mercedes. Here's an anecdote: a few weeks ago, my sunroof shade wouldn't close. I brought the car to the dealer on my wedding anniversary, and told the service rep I needed it back by 2:00 (if possible) because I had a date with my wife. The service rep called me at noon to say the car was ready. (Also, I have had the same service rep for about 10 years, which helps.)

The good news: my salesman called after that service, because he saw the car was at 42,000 miles and asked when I was coming in for my next car. I told him I was growing bored with my C Class sedan, and was considering switching to a Tesla. Long story short: He offered me a C300 coupe for about the same price. (I must pay $1,000 cap reduction though.)

So, I am going to pass on purchasing a Tesla. Maybe in three years the company will get its act together. However, I do thank Tesla for getting me a bad ass C300 Coupe.

enjoy your discounted dinosaur-burner. I’d had MB since 2002. I tried a Tesla in 2017 and got one not long after. I’m not going back to ICE and I’m never going back to MB. So many reasons. Very nice that you haven’t had the low-mileage, high-price experience I’ve had with MB.

As several posters have described, forums tend to have a bias towards ‘I had this problem...’ threads.

As a new company in the car world, Tesla has a number of things to improve. However, even at this stage nearly every part of my Tesla experience has been better than my MB experience.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[richyrich]

No. I made an early decision today. (See profile pic.) I'm done. Thanks to everyone for their help..

Good stuff, enjoy your new ride. I'm not sure a Model 3 was ever right for you versus a very traditional, gas-burning, 2-door coupe from a company you clearly love. Also I think you would have found the move from so many dials and switches (and is that a mouse in the middle?) a bit traumatic.

 

[GOOCHY]

I wish Tesla offered seats in that quality.

 

[Kappelan]

No. I made an early decision today. (See profile pic.) I'm done. Thanks to everyone for their help..

Congrats and enjoy your drive )

 

[VT_EE]

I wish Tesla offered seats in that quality.

Yes, I wish Tesla offered real leather with cooling. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything with the Model 3 interior.

 

[Kappelan]

Yes, I wish Tesla offered real leather with cooling. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything with the Model 3 interior.

I was thinking about cooling seats, but since I got my M3 I almost always use precondition before entering the car and cooling doesn't seem much needed now )

 

[Petrocelli]

FYI, I don't have a lot of options on the car I got, so I don't have ventilated seats.

 

[Matt L]

I

I was rereading this thread and saw this post. Your daughter (who I assume is 15) turned up her nose at a Mercedes C300 Coupe? Are you making this up? I got my daughter a used Jetta for her first car, and she was thrilled to get it.

I agree with your point but I also think for a large part of the next generation of drivers, they are going to turn their nose up at driving ICE cars....yucky!