Formerly a 202 owner, greatest ownership experience ever (thanks Starmark for the free $6k in repairs). Owned from 61k to 169k, 97 C230 with AMG splitspokes and Bilstein HDs. Great car in the twisties. White on tan which I swore I'd never own, but I got a helluva deal on it.
Fast forward to the 3 weeks I spent without a Benz, when I missed it too much. Decided not to spring for a new one (though the 204, to me, is a lot more Benz-like than the 203), for $40k. Had my eye on a very un-eye-catching white on tan (again!) 2006 C350 at the local dealer. Looked like a gimpy C240 to the untrained eye, but a 350? Car had potential I thought. So, I expressed interest, and they called me the next day and took $3k off without negotiation
I had a feeling it was an aged unit
so I got them down another few hundred. $26k out the door with 22k on the odo.
So, 2006 C350 Lux, everything except Nav and phone, mis-matched (and wearing) OEM Contis, but my god, this thing is a ROCKET. I cannot believe how ridiculously fast it is (of course, I am coming from an M111 202 car)
I would love to do AMG 17s and some Bilstein coil-overs, but I just cannot justify $3k in upgrades right after I buy a car. I'm thinking some Pilot Exalto A/S on the OEM 16s, which should take the mush out of the steering. In the meantime, I will keep my eye on future good deals on some shocks and wheels.
So, I'm rambling. C350s are pretty rare, right? I'm thinking 1 in 20 of the 06-07 cars, fewer when you break it down between lux and sport.
Wolf in sheep's clothing
Linear Mode
