pros & cons of C230?

[62iia]

I am looking at a 98 C230 to buy for my wife. 98k very clean, drives straight, shifts slow when cold, drivers side rear window not working. Had been hit in the right rear and has a rebuild title, excellant repair work. Cd changer was distroyed. All else seems good.

I had an 83 300D that was a great Benz. Don't know much about the newer ones. Can anyone give info on what to are the troubles and the positives.

I have read some of auto reviews and posts on the site. Most say expensive to maintain ( all ready know that), not good in snow (live in Michigan). Have seen things about wiring harness - does this apply to this model. Others state very good and are very happy.

Thanks in advance for any input you may provide.

[suginami]

The general consensus is that the normally aspirated W202 C230 is the most reliable, trouble free, economical MB ever produced.

They don't have a/c problems, head gasket problems, or wiring harness problems.

The only potential issue is that 1998 was the first year of the 722.6 transmission, and it went through a lot of updates the next two years.

[62iia]

suginami,

Would the tranny issues be related to the cold shifting issues i have read about and felt on test drive? Do the 98 722.6 trannys last or is there a issue that would cause it to rebuilt or replaced?

[suginami]

Having a delayed 2 -3 shift is normal when cold. MB does this to help heat up the cat converter quicker to reduce emissions.

I'm not an expert on the 722.6 transmission, but I believe the main updates were to the valve body.

However, the 722.6 has proven to be an extraordinarily good transmission.

It can handle enormous amounts of horsepower. It is used, without modification, in all the AMG models, in addition to the SLR McLaren Mercedes supercar.

It is also used in the Chrysler 300C and Jeep Commander cars with the Hemi.

[mpolli]

It is a good car, but that doesn't mean the one you are looking at is a good car or a good deal. I would not want a salvage title car unless it was very cheap. How much do they want for that one? The window will need a new regulator or motor. There are quite of few of these cars around so you don't have to jump on the first one you find.

[62iia]

suginami - thanks for the info on the tranny, I know there is know way of knowing if one will last or not.

mpolli - Michigan has 3 types of titles - clean, rebuilt and salvage. To get the rebuilt you have to have it inspected and certified after a salvage. I know the repair on this was $400 in parts and $2100 in labor. the only area fixed was the rear quarter, from the gas cover back, the bumper and the trunk lid.

He's asking 6K will take 5.5, it's been sitting for 2 weeks since I talked to him so I'm thinking maybe I can get it for 5K.

I know the window should be easy. I've done a few in the past. On my 300D I took 2 apart, cleaned put back back in and they worked fine.

[mpolli]

Originally Posted by 62iia

I am looking at a 98 C230 to buy for my wife. 98k very clean, drives straight, shifts slow when cold, drivers side rear window not working. Had been hit in the right rear and has a rebuild title, excellant repair work. Cd changer was distroyed. All else seems good.

I had an 83 300D that was a great Benz. Don't know much about the newer ones. Can anyone give info on what to are the troubles and the positives.

I have read some of auto reviews and posts on the site. Most say expensive to maintain ( all ready know that), not good in snow (live in Michigan). Have seen things about wiring harness - does this apply to this model. Others state very good and are very happy.

Thanks in advance for any input you may provide.

I don't recall any posts saying the 98 C230 is expensive to maintain. The harness issues do not affect this car. I think that was 94 and 95. It does have traction control (what they call ASR I think) and it works pretty well but needs some traction to work with so Blizzaks would probably work pretty well. I am a little confused when you say a $2500 dent caused the car to be salvaged? Can you get any dent without getting a rebuilt title in MI? I would say that car here with a clean title would be about 5500 to 6K so I don't know the market effect of a rebuilt title in your state but I assume there is some price adjustment to be made. The power seats will likely stop working and you will need a 35.00 relay that goes in the trunk area. I have replaced some front steering components.

[xvvvz]

One thing to keep in mind is that these cars are so expensive to repair and that they have low resale value. Therefore, a car can get "totaled" very easily with relatively minor damage because the insurance company will only pay up to a portion of the market value for repairs before "totaling" it. That means there can be some very decent totaled/rebuilder cars out there.

With that said, it is over-priced. That price is pretty high for a lower mileage example that has not been salvaged. I would not pay more than $4-4.5k. There are too many other good examples around that have not been wrecked.

Transmissions on these cars can be problematic. From what I have read, this transmission series had known weaknesses that were not worked out until late 99 or 00 when they got the needle bearing issue sorted out. If the fluid has never been changed, I would do that right away. MB is backing away from their "sealed for life" claim. The harsh shifting during the warmup cycle from 1-2, and even 2-3 at times, is normal. If it does it after the car is warmed up, walk away.

Your really need to have the car inspected by an MB expert. You can easily exceed the purchase price of the car if you get a lemon and run into problems.

[Hal Steiner]

Any adjusters out there that can enlightening us on just how an
Insurance company figures out what Percentage of damage constitutes a
vehicle being "Totaled"
year, mileage, condition, type of damage, what all is considered?

When a vehicle is given to a junk yard to get rid of and it states "just came in under "insurance contract" what does that mean?

[62iia]

the salvage title in MI is set by the ins. co. completely their call. I could see a $2500 repair on a 6000 vehicle very easy.

About market value, looking on line, the least expensive I have seen is about $6200 for a vehicle with 140K and they go up from there. 300-500 mile radius if I recall.

What other MB would be a good buy for about the same amount $5-6K???

[xvvvz]

This is a general evaluation from Edmunds.com. I have found them to be much more accurate than the Kelly Blue Book website which caters to dealers and thus has an incentive to give higher values.

Dealer Trade-In $3,699
Private Party $4,581
Dealer Retail $5,690

Go here and create a custom one for your area and options:

http://www.edmunds.com/used/1998/mercedesbenz/cclass/9032/prices.html

Given these prices and the fact that car is a rebuilder, it looks like my guesstimate may be too high. A lot is going to depend on options and condition.

If you are going to buy this car, you need to get printouts from Edmunds, KBB (if the estimate helps you), MSN Cars (may use Edumnds' prices) and make your case to the guy.

The problem with buying a Mercedes from a previous owner is that they often don't have realistic valuation expectations. You have to go with third party ammunition to get them to wake up and smell the cat food...

[tonkovich]

seems like too much money. here in l.a., i see a lot of 95's and 96's selling for 3k. your car not that much newer, and has "issues". dont pay more than 4k. good luck

[mpolli]

There is a big difference between a 98 and a 95 or 96. The price is good except they have not adjusted for the rebuilt title. I would recommend this very car for the price range you stated, just maybe a different one, or this one but just for less money. I have found private parties to fall into 2 groups:

A. "I spent umpteen zillion dollars on this thing so I want my money back."

B. "The dealer offered me a tuna sandwich as trade in so I will take any reasonable offer"

I got mine from a "B". He even ranted his insulting tale of how he was "treated" by the dealer. I low-balled him (I thought) and he jumped on it like a starving animal.

I can honestly say it has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. However you can see what I owned before so you can make your own opinion. It has never failed to start and run perfectly and I have never done anything to the engine or trans yet, other than oil changes, a belt and a thermostat. I have made some other repairs as previously mentioned. Also I must add that parts for this car are readily available in the aftermarket and most of the prices are pretty reasonable IMHO. So if you are a DIY'er then it is a good car. Any car will be expensive if you have others do everything on it.

[62iia]

xvvvz - Thanks for the edmunds link - I ran the car and with my zip, it came in lower than yours $3600/4300/5200 KBB was $5300 for dealer.

I than looked for 98 C230 w/in 500 miles on auto trader 29 hits - High $11900 avg $7300 low $4900. anything up to $6000 had 150K+ / $7-9000 had miles from 75K to 100K.

This day and age you would think that people would be putting fair market value on the vehicle. especially in Michigan where we lead the nation in unemployment and nothing else.

Any input as to how to rate a rebuild title on Edmunds / KBB ... or do you just reduce the value by X% - 10/20/30...