Well, I certainly enjoy my car ( see sign. ).
Yes, it get's 30 mpg quite easily on a highway run ( cruising at 70 - 75 mpg ).
Short trips normally average about 25 mpg.
You gotta love that C 230 K, power on demand & great mileage.
From what I have seen here, the transmission glitches were sorted out by 1999, or 2000.
Backseat space is acceptable.
Trunk space could be a little more.
Build quality is fantastic in my humble opinion.
Replacement parts cost, brakes, windshield wipers, oilfilters, etc. average about 30 % LESS than what I used to pay for my Volkswagen Jetta.
Go figure.
In short, I would highly recommend this car to anybody.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Michael:

I recently bought a 97 C230 and have been quite happy with it...
gas milage is great.. at first I could not believe the milage I was getting [30 mpg is not unrealistic]... performance is not blinding > but what do you expect from a four banger??... form-fit-function is real nice > very well laid out engine compartment...

I have had no bad experiences with my automatic tranny... shifts correctly .. smooth..

I hope to keep my C230 for a long time

The C class W202 is a great little car. The back seat makes good use of the available space but is definitely not huge. It will fit two 6-4 people, but there won't be anything left over. Fitting even a small third person in the middle would be a real squeeze. Fitting normal infant and child seats into the 202's back seat is a real pain.

The transmission is the Achilles heal of this car. What would you do if it completely crapped out? Unless I were able to buy one that came with a Starmark warranty, I would seriously hesitate before spending significantly on a vehicle that may end up needing a new transmission.

Yes, the M111 gets phenomenal gas mileage. You'll see it most on the highway, if conservatively driven on the highway for long periods, you'll see in the high thirties. Normal day to day is more like high twenties. Compared to an inline six, the M111 is downright rough, though.

Have you thought about a later model with the M112 engine? Pretty good mileage. Very smooth performance. Changes the character of the car.

The W202 was sold through 2000. What's your strategy here? Are you looking only at older models? Do you have a set amount to spend? The 722.6 is really sweet, but have you thought about older than 1997, say a 1996 C220 with the older four speed 722.5 transmission (if you did have to replace the tranny, it would cost MUCH less).

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

As far as the 722.6, remember that the new-for-'97 5th gear contributes to the great highway mileage you can get in these cars. My trans seems to have sorted itself out (in part thanks to Starmark electronic fixes and a fluid change) and the 722.6 is a solid and smooth transmission, unless you do get a defective one. Another aspect of the 4cyl to consider is that it is the easiest on the trans, the 722.6 having been designed for and installed in much more torquey V12 models. So, as long as you have records and change the fluid by 60k if it hasn't been done, you should be ok. A record of electronic fixes or total replacement is a bonus too

I saw some research (on line) once that said the reliability of the C classes started to drop in the mid 90's. Now this doesn't mean they are not reliable, just not as reliable as the ones before. They are still more reliable than american cars , but not japanese.

Definitely stay away from the new body versions (2000+) of the c class-lots of problems. Pre 1996 C classes seem to hold good reliability. Consumer reports also has shown a decline in reliability in the c-class starting in the mid 1990's, and it bottoms out in the years 2001-2002. although it is hard to tell yet, the 2003 and 2004 models are improving.

As far as the engine - go for the 280 6 cylinder -nice power, fuel usage is between 25 and 30 mpg depending. This is what I measured on my car, so it is not a guess.

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1977 280 E
1994 C280
1992 190E (sold)

"Jump in the hatch and turn on the key, pop in the clutch and let the wheels roll free"

. . . back in July, a '97 C230 (the "plain" 4-cylinder). There is nothing rough about it unless you drive it that way. I rev it up when entering the interstate via one of the rare uphill ramps here, and the engine is barely audible even when I have the windows down.

Over Christmas week I drove it to Bay St. Louis, about a 90-minute drive from New Orleans. This was my first road trip in the car (until now, I've been too busy and the weather has been too hot for me to drive it more than 1/2 hour at open-road speeds). It performed like the little thoroughbred it is, utterly smooth and solid. I didn't fill back up to check the highway mileage, so I can't tell you about that, but it looks good.

It takes premium gas, of course. Some posts here suggest you *might* be able to get by with mid-grade, with a corresponding loss of power. With the mileage the little 4-cylinder gets, it's not a real worry.

Oil is easy to change, filter about $9.00 at the dealer and cheaper online. It doesn't require synthetic oil like later models. Air filter and cabin filter are easy as well. There are fewer gadgets to go wrong than in the E- and S-classes (wonderful as those cars are, I understand, to drive).

About the only niggling complaints I have is that the trunk release button, at night, is easy to confuse with the rear window switch, and . . .

. . . actually, that's about my only complaint.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

I purchased a ’98 C230 in December ’00 with 39,000 and now have 138,000 miles on her. Most reliable car I have ever owned. Aside from maintenance and wearable items, I have only had to put $400.00 into her. The transmission is “sealed” but I have the tranny fluid & filter changed every 50K and change the oil every 6K with synthetic.

MPG: 22 City and 27 Highway.

Often wish I’d spent a little more and gotten the six cylinder.

Not crazy about the automatic HVAC. Look for one with manual dials.

Overall, great, solid, little car.

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Anders

1995 E300
2015 VW TDI Sportwagen 15K
1977 240D (197K)
2002 Subaru Legacy L Wagon (115k) (Wife's)
Gone but not forgotten:
2005 Buick LeSabre
1998 C230
1984 300D
1983 240D
1981 300SD
1974 240D
1974 Fiat 124 Spider
1968 Triumph TR250