Q: Anybody who has leased this vehicle please respond with reviews, tips, suggestions or experiences should this vehicle be leased? how is it on gas? class? what vehicles compare to this one? suggestion on prices? thanks
A: Leases can be a trap financially. Run over the annual mileage limits and you'll be hit with heavy excess use charges. Get quotes from several sources and look for the lowest quoted "money factor" used in calculating the lease rate. Look for the highest end-of-lease valuation and never sign an open end lease where that's determined at lease end. That said, the C-Class Benzes are pretty sweet rides. Expect up to 7.5l/100km on the highway and around 11.8 around town. But they burn premium grade fuel only so that will offset much of your savings. Insurance can be spendy, and repairs and maintenance will take your breath away, especially if you have it serviced at a dealership. Many independents don't have the tools and special equipment needed to service them. Mercedes' factory-recommended procedure for changing the oil is to suck it out through the dipstick although you can drop the belly pan and drain it in the conventional manner on most models. They compare pretty favorably with BMW 3-series and the smaller Lexus, Infinity, and Accura sedans. Reliability has been an issue, however, so be careful. The engines and transmissions are bullet proof as long as you stick to the factor service intervals, but electrical systems and accessory systems have been very unreliable for a number of years.