zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn
This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:43

Image for article titled This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn

I see you there with your # t-shirt and your #SaveTheManuals bumper sticker on your and I appreciate you. But if you want a real manual unicorn? Then look no further than this 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 sedan.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this thing pop up on (). A W204-chassis C-Class with a six-speed manual? I don’t think I’ve ever come across one of those before.

The seller, to their credit, posted a very straightforward ad about it:

Up for sale is a 2008 Mercedes Benz C300 Sedan with the hard to find 6 speed manual transmission. Rear wheel drive. One of the last manual transmission Mercedes cars. Car is in excellent shape. Clean title and clean carfax. 197k miles. 2 owner car. Has the optional panoramic roof. Nothing wrong with the car. Has a rip in the driver’s seat.

The price at the time of this writing is $5,200. Also note the lack of screams of “.”

Image for article titled This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn

And it made me wonder: When was the last time a C-Class had a manual? Or any Mercedes, for that matter?

Well, according to an emailed response from a Mercedes rep, technically the last manual in the U.S. could be found in the 2016 before they all went electric. But the last Mercedes C-Class to offer a manual was the 2011 C300 Sport, as evidenced by the dealer ordering guide that listed the seven-speed auto as a $1,490 option.

And the last manual in the U.S. on any Mercedes-Benz car was the 2015 SLK250—before all . Of course, Mercedes still makes and sells manual transmission cars for other markets, but not anymore for ours because we’re terrible.

Image for article titled This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn

Anyway, the manual C300 in the ad seems like it’s in pretty good shape, although the photos are a little low-resolution. But still! This is quite a rare car indeed.

We’ve reached out to the seller for some additional information about the car and will update if we hear back.

The seller gave a little more information about the car:

I am the second owner. I purchased it CPO [and] I was specifically looking for a manual transmission for this car. Maintenance has been great. It’s only been the scheduled oil changes and a few replacement parts here and there, such as a headlight that went out and brakes. The thing is still on its original clutch at 197k miles. There [are] no signs of slipping at all. Transmission shifts are smooth.

I always thought BMWs were one of the smoothest shifting cars, but I’d have to give the nod to this one. I’ve gone through 78 cars now and my favorite manual transmission car was my 1995 E36 M3. Having driven this one, I’d say this car has a the smoothest shifting experience. Every gear clicks into place. The only gripe I have with it is that it has a foot brake for the e-brake. I’m always catching myself looking for a handbrake when parking a manual transmission car.

Image for article titled This 2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 Is a Six-Speed Manual Unicorn

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
2010 Suzuki Kizashi: First Drive
2010 Suzuki Kizashi: First Drive
Mid-size sedans are the toasters of the automotive world — appliances automakers make for cow-like consumers to buy. The 2010 is the newest toaster on the market, trying to be both better and cheaper than the rest. Suzuki wanted me to drive the Kizashi so badly they flew me to...
Feb 12, 2026
Driving The Suzuki Kizashi V6 Test Mule
Driving The Suzuki Kizashi V6 Test Mule
Alongside the 2010 we tested at Virginia International Raceway was a V6-powered "chassis verification prototype" test mule, providing more power and an aggressive body-kit. Is this the car Suzuki should have built instead? The vehicle is equipped with the GM-designed 3.6-liter V6 straight out of the unpopular XL-7, putting out...
Feb 12, 2026
Civic Where The Sun Don’t Shine for $2,500!
Civic Where The Sun Don’t Shine for $2,500!
When Honda introduced the CRX, they got an A for effort, but a D- for wind in your hair. Today, is giving a make-up exam, and thinks this time Honda might get a passing grade. Called the definitive entry-level sports car by Car and Driver in 1984, the recalled such...
Feb 12, 2026
1964 Ford Capri for a Life-Changing $10,000!
1964 Ford Capri for a Life-Changing $10,000!
In The Lotus Eater by Somerset Maugham, a banker chooses bohemian existence on the Isle of Capri over his job. Today, has a Capri that may bewitch you too — if you’ve got the bank. Yesterday, the PDQ TVR got an OMG from 75% of you. That was one of...
Feb 12, 2026
2002 Dinan M5 for Camry Coin!
2002 Dinan M5 for Camry Coin!
The city of angels has suffered from earthquakes, fires, riots and mudslides. But when you can pick up a 470-bhp there for under twenty grand, says viva la ciudad de Los Angeles! Yesterday's candidate showed that Gibraltar wasn't the only interest Great Britain had in the Mediterranean. That garnered a...
Feb 12, 2026
What the Truck? for $5,500!
What the Truck? for $5,500!
likes planes, trains and automobiles, and today has a pickup truck candidate that proves two out of three ain't bad. Or is it? Yesterday we had a Civics lesson demonstrating that even Honda could go Crack Pipe when the price isn't right, and enough of the car has been misplaced....
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved