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

[Petrocelli]

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.

 

[smicker]

Here's 157,000 Mercedes problems. You must be new to forums.

MBWorld.org Forums

 

[TANGO SUKKA]

sorry for your loss

 

[cbaaz]

I think the shock & competition from Tesla is/will be having a BIG impact on established manufacturers for a while. The car landscape will change a lot in the next few years.

Good luck with the new Benz !

 

[Skione65]

What are your annual fuel costs? Enjoy pumping! Premium at that. CYA!!!! I’m going for a silent, smog free, good for the environment, quiet high performance ride through the twisties right outside my front door! Ahhhh.....Serenity.

Ski

 

[Petrocelli]

Here's 157,000 Mercedes problems. You must be new to forums.

MBWorld.org Forums

Every thread I randomly clicked related to a problem with an older Mercedes. Let's be clear on this: I am talking about new car problems.

 

[Nels]

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your Mercedes!!

 

[Petrocelli]

What are your annual fuel costs? Enjoy pumping! Premium at that. CYA!!!! I’m going for a silent, smog free, good for the environment, quiet high performance ride through the twisties right outside my front door! Ahhhh.....Serenity.

This is a legitimate point. The Tesla is better for the environment. It also gets better mileage. I calculate the Mercedes will have about $110 a month higher fuel cost.

Like I said, I think my next car will be a Tesla, or some other electric vehicle.

 

[Octo]

I just rented a C300 on vacation for a week. Let’s just say Boeing apparently made the 777 a time machine.

 

[Petrocelli]

I just rented a C300 on vacation for a week. Let’s just say Boeing apparently made the 777 a time machine.

I don't understand. Can you please elaborate?

 

[ChadS]

I hope you are happy with your new car. Chances are pretty good that you will be. But by posting here I assume you were looking for feedback.

I have 216k Tesla miles over the last decade, I have never had the myriad problems listed on these forums either. The cars have all been just wonderful. I just scheduled an annual service; it took all of a week to get in. As smicker noted, I think you are placing too much weight on how things sound on the forums. Try talking to some owners IRL (I have spoken to hundreds, including some frequently for years because they include friends and family) and you will get a very different perspective.

You could also have looked at customer satisfaction ratings. Statistically speaking, you would have been happier buying a Tesla than the Mercedes. Those numbers factor in all issues raised on the forums, so it places them in context.

But don't worry. Most buyers of most new cars of any brand are happy and don't have problems. You will be OK. Just not as happy as you could have been.

 

[smicker]

Every thread I randomly clicked related to a problem with an older Mercedes. Let's be clear on this: I am talking about new car problems.

Here's 1500 results for 2019 C300 problems. Door and air pressure, wiper blades, remote start failure, even inoperative brakes. Sounds like a disaster of a car.

MBWorld.org Forums

 

[Petrocelli]

Here's 1500 results for 2019 C300 problems. Door and air pressure, wiper blades, remote start failure, even inoperative brakes. Sounds like a disaster of a car.

MBWorld.org Forums

This is interesting. I will read through some of these posts. Thank you.

 

[Octo]

I don't understand. Can you please elaborate?

Driving the C300 felt like stepping back in time to another era compared to my Tesla P3. It was growling like an angry dragon when I stepped on the “gas” and it had to meditate what felt like an eternity before it actually started moving.

It also had more buttons than a Blackberry from 2007.

It was a weird experience.

 

[john85775]

The C class is the most likely to be dumped in the first year of ownership:

Earning the top spot is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class compact executive car, with 12.4 percent of its new cars resold on the used car market within the first year, which is 3.7 times the average for all vehicles.

Used Cars for Sale: Search 2 Million Listings & 403,646 Deals - iSeeCars.com

 

[cbaaz]

Here's 1500 results for 2019 C300 problems. Door and air pressure, wiper blades, remote start failure, even inoperative brakes. Sounds like a disaster of a car.

MBWorld.org Forums

Man, that mbworld site is borderline unusable with all those freaking advertisements in the right border and pop ups

 

[Petrocelli]

I hope you are happy with your new car. Chances are pretty good that you will be. But by posting here I assume you were looking for feedback.

I have 216k Tesla miles over the last decade, I have never had the myriad problems listed on these forums either. The cars have all been just wonderful. I just scheduled an annual service; it took all of a week to get in. As smicker noted, I think you are placing too much weight on how things sound on the forums. Try talking to some owners IRL and you will get a very different perspective.

You could also have looked at customer satisfaction ratings. Statistically speaking, you would have been happier buying a Tesla than the Mercedes. Those numbers factor in all issues raised on the forums, so it places them in context.

But don't worry. Most buyers of most new cars of any brand are happy and don't have problems. You will be OK. Just not as happy as you could have been.

Great response. However, do you think there is a problem with the Model 3 due to ramped up production? That's kind of what I am thinking.

Also, to be fair, I know three people in my office who have Teslas. They all LOVE them

 

[cbaaz]

.......

It also had more buttons than a Blackberry from 2007......

Wow - Blackberry - that’s a blast from the past ! That company and its downfall was a perfect study in corporate arrogance.

 

[cbaaz]

Great response. However, do you think there is a problem with the Model 3 due to ramped up production? That's kind of what I am thinking.

Also, to be fair, I know three people in my office who have Teslas. They all LOVE them

Before you pull the trigger on the Benz, do yourself a favor and rent a Model 3 for 2-3 days. Regardless of what you end up doing, it will be a cheap and fun experience.

 

[Petrocelli]

The C class is the most likely to be dumped in the first year of ownership:



View attachment 442937

Used Cars for Sale: Search 2 Million Listings & 403,646 Deals - iSeeCars.com

I found this:

Six of the 10 are German luxury cars and this could be, in part, the result of these automakers’ sales and brand loyalty strategies. They “offer their dealers incentives to buy new cars to use as loaner vehicles, which are then sold as used when they are still under a year old,” said Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars.com, in a statement. “It puts brand-new models in the hands of current owners when they bring their cars in for service, increasing the likelihood that they will buy another car from the brand.”