I am thinking about buying a 2002 Mercedes C320 Sedan. Tomorrow should close the deal if I still want it. Car runs smooth and shifts great! Nothing appears to be wrong with the car. Clean car fax and all. My question is... Is this car known for its long life or is it just junk? The car now has 66k miles on it... What would you guys suggest? Is their any known problems for this car?

Not a BAD car. The body electrics on the 2001-02 cars were the only weak area.

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MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

I have a 2002 C240,

CONS; I find the seats uncomfortable on long 100+ miles runs - my 1998 C230 seats are more comfortable. a Smart Key sensor inside the car went bad $400) and the traction control wiring needed some upgrades, couple of brake light bulb failures - forgot how I fixed it, maybe a few creaks - but I'm very picky and try to hunt down any noises, just the other day I was getting a noise and it wasn't until I turned the ESP button off then back on that the noise went away.

PROS; Great looking and I really like the digital dash display, though gear selection lettering on dash is very small when using manual mode, very smooth and quiet - running new Michelin Primacy tires, I like to pull the steering wheel out fully and as far down horizontally as possible and sink the seat down as low as possible - and the feel of the steering and the power of the engine ! - fun car, air-conditioning is very strong - I used to get some windshield fogging but that seems to have disappeared.

I'm glad I purchased the C240, feels special every time I drive it, my biggest complaint is the seat comfort and some interior fixtures are amazing and others feel below what a Mercedes should use.

FWIW, my 05 seems to have similar body electric issues....

driver seat easy exit no longer works, sporadic check engine light, sunroof went on the fritz a while back. Luckily its still under warranty I just feel that I shouldn't have to take time to deal with the dealership for these matters. Less than 50K on the clock.

Great driving car though. No real complaints. I do like the sport trim better. I recommend checking out both trim lines.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

As the former owner of a 2001 C320 bought new and traded on an '08 C300 last October, I offer the following advice.

if this car is not covered by an extended warranty, do not even think of buying it.

The car is certainly not junk, but the W203 series up until about 2005 was plagued by repeated electronic failures (and plenty of others) that will continue forever. After seven years of ownership, shortly before trading it, my dealer was STILL replacing memory modules paid for by my extended warranty. Replacing these little items on your nickel will bring on the worst case of buyer's remorse you have ever seen.

May I add that the C320 was my seventh MB so I am no novice and know a failure when I see one.

You may ask, why buy another if you have had so much trouble? The answer is that I still prefer Mercedes over all others (well, not Porsche) and after determining that Daimler AG had learned it's lesson, I now am driving a new MB that has been absolutely trouble free for ten months and 6500 miles. And this is typical, not the exception.

A Mercedes miracle, nothing less.

You should forget the car you are looking at and find an '06 or '07 model which will be far more trouble free.

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Roger E.

Or find a nice 98 or 99.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Well, having owned a '95 C280 until 2001, if both models were trouble free (neither is) then the W203 is superior. Better crash safety, better heating and AC, slightly better fuel economy, no engine oil leaks (V-6) better option list, quieter, much better brake pad life, better exterior lighting, more carrying capacity if equipped with folding seats. And so on.

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Roger E.