1994 C280 Mercedes [I posted in wrong forum before sorry :( ]
 

Hi,

I know this maybe has been a topic for a while now on and off, but I'm in the market for a Used Mercedes Benz and I found a dealer willing to sell me his loaded 1994 Mercedes Benz C280 for a reasonable price. I was just wondering:

1) Is this car reliable after 130k miles?

2) What are the average repair costs for the 1994 C280 sedan overall?

3) Are there a lot of problems for this model and year?

I've done my research and such on this car and I've been hearing on and off problems with the transmission and other minor stuff as well and is this car worth it?

I've also done my carfax/autocheck on the Mercedes Benz C280 which I am looking at and it shows nothing but a clear report. I know carfax/autocheck does not get all the info for the car but gives you a good idea of what a cars been through.

The dealer is asking $6000 for the car.

Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

You have 2 replies on the other post already. It was OK to post it there in Tech Help. Open discussion is used for non-MB and non-automotive discussions, it was more appropriate at the other forum.

Gilly

$6k is so cheap for this car that it would be hard for me to find enough reasons not to buy it, with the exception of whether or not it had been in a wreck.

This car has minor maintenance issues, like egr valves / tubes, but nothing that should disuade you from buying the car. Every car needs to be maintained, and this car is no different than an American or Japanese car.

There are two things that have been mentioned in your other post that could be costly (a one-time cost) that should be looked at prior to purchasing the car:

1. The engine wiring harness. Many engines from 1993-1995 have problems with the wiring in the engine wiring harness degrading. The insulation falls of the wires, causing all sorts of problems. The new wiring harnesses are fine. The parts cost is about $500, and 2.5-3.0 hours to replace.

2. The original head gaskets leak oil at the right rear corner of the head (passenger side). A dealer will charge you around $2,000 to replace it, but an independent would charge about $1,400. It might have already been replaced. You just need to know what you're getting into.

I just can't seem to understand why a dealer would sell this for $6,000, though. It is just too cheap, even with the mileage on the car. The average retail should be more than double that amount...