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