auto or manual

[dirkstar9]

thinkin of buying a c220 sport diesel 08 ,wonderin which would be better auto or manual?

 

[Michael G 2]

thinkin of buying a c220 sport diesel 08 ,wonderin which would be better auto or manual?

Hello great choice, a lot of the members here will suggest an automatic which suits a Merc best. Looking at residuals on Autotrader autos command a higher price. Get the auto its silky smooth and doesn't sap power like autos of old. Other members will be here with there opinions soon.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

No contest, join the other 95% of MB owners who wouldn't drive anything other than an auto. A lot more manuals about nowadays due to the A class etc, but the auto is so refined don't consider anything else from c class up.

Might even spoil the residuals and the gearchange on manuals is not good.

Hope this helps!

 

[Danny&Andrea]

No contest. Auto or nothing

 

[turbopete]

No contest, join the other 95% of MB owners who wouldn't drive anything other than an auto. A lot more manuals about nowadays due to the A class etc, but the auto is so refined don't consider anything else from c class up.

Might even spoil the residuals and the gearchange on manuals is not good.

Hope this helps!

have you ever driven a manual one for long enough to learn where the gates are in the box? id say probably ot. ive had 2 manuals and an auto. a manual suits my style of driving better than an auto, and ive found the change faultless, as long as you dont try to rush the change, like can be done with, say, a ford.
yes autos are worth a bit more used, but remember on the car youre looking at it was an option costing around £2kextra on the new car!. for me, its a manual every time. im even considering converting my car to manual. at the end of the day, its personal preference. if you prefer to drive a manual, buy a manual, if you prefer to buy an auto, buy an auto

 

[littlebrooklyn]

I think auto is better and wouldn't consider ever buying a manual

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Buy a tiptronic and you get the best of both worlds. The tip function is very useful if you're running anything less than a 3 litre motor for selecting a quick downshift.

 

[roofless]

auto makes life easy in heavy traffic & town driving manual less room for your feet

 

[Michael G 2]

have you ever driven a manual one for long enough to learn where the gates are in the box? id say probably ot. ive had 2 manuals and an auto. a manual suits my style of driving better than an auto, and ive found the change faultless, as long as you dont try to rush the change, like can be done with, say, a ford.
yes autos are worth a bit more used, but remember on the car youre looking at it was an option costing around £2kextra on the new car!. for me, its a manual every time. im even considering converting my car to manual. at the end of the day, its personal preference. if you prefer to drive a manual, buy a manual, if you prefer to buy an auto, buy an auto

I see where you coming from, a lot of people just shift the car in gear without learning where the gate is. Most people aren't going to do that, so thats why its seen as notchy and uninvolving. Merc should fix them though making them smooth but with 95% of Merc drivers buy autos, so it won't be sorted. The 2K is too much but the money will be recooped with high residuals.

 

[turbopete]

I think auto is better and wouldn't consider ever buying a manual

like i said, personal preference

Buy a tiptronic and you get the best of both worlds. The tip function is very useful if you're running anything less than a 3 litre motor for selecting a quick downshift.

tiptronic may be a reasonable compromise, but still too slow for me. i tried one in a bmw, and you had to 'tip' a good second or so before it would change, and it would only let you downshift within what was basically programme into the auto mode of the box, so if you were braking hard, for example and wanted to downshift say3 gears, then hard back on the power, the box wouldnt let you do it. a manual box would have. hence, unless the MB tiptronic is much better than the bmw 1, it will be manual all the way for me in future. the other thing that gets me is all the unnecessary revving an auto does. why cant it select a gear and the engine revs rise with the cars speed, instead of the revs rising and the car catching up? no wonder they waste so much fuel!!!!

auto makes life easy in heavy traffic & town driving manual less room for your feet

true, but carlisle isnt that big, and im about 5 mins from open roads/motorway so traffic isnt an issue for me. and with size7 feet, neither is foot room either!

 

[turbopete]

I see where you coming from, a lot of people just shift the car in gear without learning where the gate is. Most people aren't going to do that, so thats why its seen as notchy and uninvolving. Merc should fix them though making them smooth but with 95% of Merc drivers buy autos, so it won't be sorted. The 2K is too much but the money will be recooped with high residuals.

at 3 years old, you only get back half of the extra £2k you pay for the auto. by 7 or 8 years old its only worth £3-500 more. after that, you get little if anything back, so my advise would always be, 'unless you have a reason for an auto (cant drive manuals or live in london) save yourself £2k when buying new and buy a manual!'
besides, the only reason MB dont develop their boxes more is coz very few uk buyers buy them. far more buy them abroad though. total autos accounted for 80% of W203 sales in 2004, according to some paperwork sent to dad from MB at the time. the other20% were split between tiptronic and manual

 

[*Thumper]

Choose wisely Grasshopper ........... if you've never had Auto, before.. you're in for a complete change of driving style ............ 1st, it is nice not to have to change gear ........... but you can't drive the car as hard as a manual, unless you use the tiptronic box... which only lets you change up or down, if your within the rev range set for it..... so not total control ............. if you like to drive, buy a manual........... if you want 3 years or so off driving, and bcome completly relaxed, by an auto .

You aint choosing a gearbox ...... your choosing a driving style, and a new way of life !!

Me ! .......... 25 years Manual ........... 9 months Auto .......... and I like ... for now !

Resales on a C class, is a load of old tosh .............. a lot of folk buying an older car, want a good car 1st ............ and many wont touch an auto ............ the overstating of auto values, is a myth !!

 

[turbopete]

Choose wisely Grasshopper ........... if you've never had Auto, before.. you're in for a complete change of driving style ............ 1st, it is nice not to have to change gear ........... but you can't drive the car as hard as a manual, unless you use the tiptronic box... which only lets you change up or down, if your within the rev range set for it..... so not total control ............. if you like to drive, buy a manual........... if you want 3 years or so off driving, and bcome completly relaxed, by an auto .

You aint choosing a gearbox ...... your choosing a driving style, and a new way of life !!

Me ! .......... 25 years Manual ........... 9 months Auto .......... and I like ... for now !

Resales on a C class, is a load of old tosh .............. a lot of folk buying an older car, want a good car 1st ............ and many wont touch an auto ............ the overstating of auto values, is a myth !!

at last, someone who understands my way of thinking (kind of) ive had manuals for 16 years, an auto for almost 18 months, and i hoped id get to like it. everyone told me 'once youve had 1 you never want to go back'. WRONG. whilst i love the car, the auto box is driving me INSANE! not sure i can find the parts or the funding to convert it, but if i can/do, it will be happening!

 

[pma]

I have a manual E220 CDI ( from new 2 years old now ) crap car but manual is fine just need 3 feet thought due to foot parking brake Iv,e had some MB autos but a 2 grand option & great MPG from a manual but it,s personal choice

 

[turbopete]

I have a manual E220 CDI ( from new 2 years old now ) crap car but manual is fine just need 3 feet thought due to foot parking brake Iv,e had some MB autos but a 2 grand option & great MPG from a manual but it,s personal choice

i never found the parking brake a problem. i just did what they tell you not to do on your driving test. brake to a stop, then neutral, then parking brake on, instead of brake to a stop, handbrake on, then neutral. not hard once you get used to it!

 

[JBunney17]

If you buy a Mercedes then have it with an auto.. Thats what they're for..
So theyre relaxing and effortless to drive.
If in another car I would choose a manual every time, but you can still override the auto box in manual mode for over-taking and downshifting anyway

 

[whitenemesis]

In an auto equipped car the engine will never have been over-revved or worse, laboured. By using the Tiptronic one can pre-select the correct gear for rapid exiting from corners and by holding the Tip get the most effective gear for max acceleration on overtaking.
By leaving the 'box to sort itself you will be wafted along, with imperceptible gear changes, achieving mpg not significantly worse than a manual.

But it is personal preference and the vast majority of MB owners prefer automatics

 

[turbopete]

If you buy a Mercedes then have it with an auto.. Thats what they're for..
So theyre relaxing and effortless to drive.
If in another car I would choose a manual every time, but you can still override the auto box in manual mode for over-taking and downshifting anyway

you can, but as has been pointed out, you can only override things to an extent. you are never in total control, unless its a manual. tiptronics are pre programmed in much the same way ordinary auto's are.

 

[whitenemesis]

you can, but as has been pointed out, you can only override things to an extent. you are never in total control, unless its a manual. tiptronics are pre programmed in much the same way ordinary auto's are.

Programmed to utilise the engine's power in the most efficient manner. Why would you want to change down/up when outside the safe rev range for the next gear?

 

[JBunney17]

Yeah...Tip-tronics only let you shift down when your in a certain rev range which can get really annoying. :roll: