300CE vs 230CE

[benzburner]

hello all
i'm seriously considering a CE class. i'm trying to find the best one for my money but there are 300's which are bad and there are 230s shich look great. The only question is whether i'll regret not going the extra mile for a 300 if i can only find a decent 230. i'm also worried that if i ended up with 230, it will draw comments like "oh... it's not a 300". any thoughts??


being from the emerald isle, one of the concerns which every "fred in a shed" will warn you about with UK cars is rust resulting from salted roads, is this going to be a major concern to the CE class. would an AA report cover the underside of the car with regard to rust? i ask this because there is one on autotrader (http://www.dialmotorco.co.uk/GetDealer.do?did=4349&pageid=1) but it's in Newcastle, which would suit me because a close friend lives there but i would imagine road saltings would be fairly regular in Newcastle


(maybe someone out there where i might get a good one)

 

[robparker]

hi, i have a 230ce (though its de-badged) and its a wonderful car,, its no sports car by any means but you can comfortably cruise well above 100mph, the fuel consumption is up to about 26mpg on a run. and noone who has approached me about my car has cared what the engine is, they just admire its beauty!!!

 

[benzburner]

hi, i have a 230ce (though its de-badged) and its a wonderful car,, its no sports car by any means but you can comfortably cruise well above 100mph, the fuel consumption is up to about 26mpg on a run. and noone who has approached me about my car has cared what the engine is, they just admire its beauty!!!

they certainly are beautiful. are you secretly holding out for a 300 or would you consider yourself at a disadvantage over 300 owners in any way??
i would consider myself more motivated by their looks than performance as well but if i would be considered a cheapskate for driving a 230, i would resign myself to waiting for the right 300. it's kind of an etiquette question really.......