Buying a C class ???
 

I am thinking of buying my wife a late model C Class sedan, any suggestions?

Dave 1986 560SL

How late, W202 (95-00) or W203 (01-_)?

Sixto

Buying a C Class ???
 

I am thinking 2003-2005.
Thanks
Dave

Try to find one with the Bose sound system....much better.

Don't buy one from a Lexus (or other competitor's) dealer used car lot. That indicates the previous owner was unhappy with the car and switched to a Lexus. Buy one from an MB dealer or private seller -- less chance you'll get a lemon. :)

Seem like good little cars. Amazing at how cheaply you can buy 03-04 C240's these days.

2005+ have the updated interior, which I like a lot more than the original interiors. The sport package, if you're so inclined, also comes with more stuff, primarily suspension and brake upgrades. My preference would be a 2005 C230 6-speed, but your wife might rather prefer the smoothness of the V6 in the C240 instead, at the cost of power and gas mileage. Or, get the C320, which is quite a bit faster than the first two.

C-Class buy
 

As an owner of an '01 C320 since 4/2001, I guess I am the most qualified at the moment to answer your questions.

I would advise the C320 because it has more standard equipment including a different AC system than the slowpoke C240. That's just one thing. The car also looks better in darker colors. White and silver are very common and ordinary, in my opinion. The Bose system was standard in '01 but may not be in '05. It is noticeably better. You need the powered front seats. You need the split folding rear seat since the trunk is so small. Even with the seats folded, the loading length is only five feet. Probably all of them have the glass sunroof which was a costly option. The rain sensor works well and I will buy it again. Forget the manual transmission. The five speed Tiptronic-style trans works very well.

My car has Tele-Aid, standard then and optional now. I won't buy it again at $830 and $275 annual fee. You would have to pry the Bi-Xenon headlights from my cold dead hands. My car has full leather and I don't know whether it's really worth the extra cost.

Crash safety? The W203 was the best MB ever until the W211 came along. At 3500 lbs it's no light weight. Expect about 19mpg around town and maybe 26mpg highway. Premium.

Resale? Not so hot when buying new. Too many cars sold and too many coming off lease. Mine is probably worth about half what I paid after five years+.

Repairs? Plenty of warranty repairs but fewer than my '78 300D (120K miles), the miserable '85 190E (50K miles), the slightly better '89 190E 2.6 (78K miles) and the best of the bunch before the present car, the '95 C280 (70K miles), all bought new. The previous cars bought used ('72 250, '73 450SE) were not exactly paragons of reliability, either. And the "lifetime fluid) in the trans now has a change interval of 39K miles. I just had mine done this week. Expensive.

If you buy one of these cars without some kind of warranty, you may regret it. An '05 will be covered by the original warranty until '09 or 50K and that's important.

This the last year for the W203, being replaced by the all-new W204 early next year. When I say all new, think of the new S-Class vs last year's. The new car looks like a 3/4 scale W221 and will offer the new V-6 diesel plus the new direct injection V-6 gasser. About 295HP with better fuel economy.

I'm ordering one when the dealer starts taking deposits.

And the all-new E-Class will arrive in 2009. Without Sensotronic brakes.

All depends what you want to spend. I'd recommend a 1999 or 2000 C280 Sport. Great cars, just make sure that the car has had a new Harmonic Balancer installed under warranty.

I really like how the 02-up Kompressors look and drive but there is nothing like my W126 =D. Just curious, why the C-class? You wife doesnt like the bigger MB cars?

I have an 05 C230k and so far love it. It is a bit small coming from me E420 but I like the pep and the gas mileage.

i currently own a 05 c230k its actually faster than the 06 model and fuel economy is good on a good day on the freeway cruise is on i can reach 33 to 35 mpg the inside is very slick on design you can find features that can hardly be seen in any other car plus its quick on take off the car never hesitate and also the sport and comfort mode if you have a heavy right foot then sport is what u use but gas wise use the comfort mode you can bearely hear the engine even at redline

not exactly and endorsement for mb or this ..jeez

Hmmm,

So does that mean my S class's previous owner hated my car and traded it in on a BMW? People change cars for various reasons. A friend of mine who is a doctor traded a BMW 330ci convertible in on an LS430. The 330 was flawless and dealer maintained from new. He was just getting older and was not comfortable in a bright red 330 with the sport package and manual transmission anymore. Its quite possible someone at the Lexus dealer wanted a bigger car for the same price. Even the ES is bigger than the C class.

I expect most used cars at any dealership are not direct trade-ins. A string of dealerships will balance used car inventory, and there's the popular dealer auctions.

I imagine a Lexus dealership would go through a used MB very thoroughly so as not to inherit an MB reliability problem. Much easier for an MB dealership to disclaim a Lexus reliability problem.

Sixto
93 300SD