Buying a C Class- advice please

[01steven]

Hi
New to this forum- just popped on to get some general advice from the 'experts' as it were!

Have been driving a Renault Laguna for the past 5 or 6 years which I've had since nearly new.
Been a nice car to own, mechanically been sound, but the electrics have been a nightmare. Have had a series of faults (lights, windows, problems with the ECU/fuel injection- you name it).
Anyhow I've come to the end of my tether now and I'm getting rid of it.

So to cut to the chase- not too flush right now, and will be wanting to spend approx. £3,000-£3,500 on a new car. Have been looking at all sorts- Ford Mondeos, Citroen C5s, Nissan Primera etc. Was searching on Autotrader and eBay motors, and realised I could pick up a C Class say 7 years old or so with 70,000 miles on the clock for about £3,500.
Hadn't ever considered this as an option previously- but I'm really keen to get something well made and reliable, and I'm sure a vehicle like this, although older than I'd like to buy would still be a good solid workhorse. My late father drove Mercedes S classes for years so I know how safe, solid and well-built they are.

So I'm after some general advice - do you think this would be a good purchase? What should I be looking out for? Any models/engines to choose or avoid? Where would I get the best deal (I live in Manchester)? What should I be looking out for when buying? Am I likely to get a couple of years trouble-free motoring? Can I even get an E Class for this money?

All thoughts/comments greatly appreciated...

Regards

 

[verytalldave]

Welcome to the forum.................

Before you let yourself runaway with the thought of being a Merc owner.............let me run this scenario past you first........
Say you buy your chosen MB for £3500 or whatever. Everything is fine for a few months and then something unpleasant happens that will cost £1000 to get fixed.
What would that do to your finances?
Bearing in mind £1000 in the world of Mercedes doesnt get you and awful lot.
If you really are on a tight budget (which I get the feeling) then I would think twice.
Not wishing to put you off, just posing a question.

BTW...........dont fall into the trap of thinking a 7/8 year old C Class will be like an S Class. It wont and it isnt.
Pre 2004 C Classes can be problematical. If you really want an early C Class, stick with an estate version - they were all made in Germany and have better build quality than the South African assembled saloons.

 

[01steven]

Hey listen, that's exactly the reason why I posted on here.
How likely is it that things would go wrong? (difficult to answer that obviously!) Are parts so much more expensive than other makes?

 

[verytalldave]

How likely is it that things will go wrong?

HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?

Mercedes do have a reputation of good reliability its true. BUT when things go wrong - and as with ALL cars, they sometimes do, Mercedes ARE more expensive to fix than most "normal" names like Ford and Nissan. Its the price you pay for driving a more upmarket brand.
For example, ONE replacement headlamp unit for a post 2004 C Class is about £400. And if its a Xenon type thats nearly £900. EACH. Use that as a rough guide to calculate all other parts prices relative to "other" makes.
However, you COULD run one for years and get no failures except the normal things like tyres and exhausts. If we all had hindsight we would all be richer and able to not buy donkeys. But we dont. And the occassional donkey does turn up. It would be a brave man who could tell you to go ahead and buy one as it will never go wrong because its a Merc. The fact is early - very early C Classes - the ones you will be looking at do have their problems and are best avoided if at all possible. Reliability, rust, overall build quality and a few design glitches - that were corrected on later cars are all areas for concern. If you can get some kind of guarantee on the major items like engine and gearbox, then that at least goes someway in addressing potential big bills.
If however, you seek reliable, economy motoring then I would suggest with the greatest respect that MB ownership of the type you envisage may not be the road to take.

 

[Myros]

why not buy a run-out w202

I have had little trouble with my early 202, and the later ones should be better still, according to production line logic.

 

[verytalldave]

I have had little trouble with my early 202, and the later ones should be better still, according to production line logic.

Very good suggestion. A very late W202 should be a better overall proposition than a very early W203. For many reasons. Cheaper as well.

 

[philharve]

Late model W202

Hi 01steven

I bought a C230K almost 3 years ago, aged 4 1/2 years, and apart from two issues it has proven to be utterly reliable (so far). It has needed all the usual consummable items replaced during its life and they do indeed cost more, but not horrendously so. Nothing major has gone wrong and (fingers crossed) probably never will if the car is serviced properly.

My previous car was a Toyota which needed servicing every 6,000 miles. My C-class can manage almost 18,000 miles between services. MB bills are bigger but hopefully there will be fewer of them. Fuel, oil, tyre bills are about the same. Insurance actually works out cheaper in my case.

The two issues that do give me nightmares is rust and the single wiper system.

Between 98 and 04 (say) MB build quality took a severe knock and rust on the C and E classes between these years can be a big problem. Getting the rust fixed under warranty can be an even bigger problem. If the mechanicals and electrics are OK, don't assume the chassis is OK too. It demands very close scrutiny. You might be better advised to look at an earlier C class [pre-98] because rust doesn't seem to be a problem.

My second beef is with the single wiper system which if not regularly maintained can lead to really big bills. This system has a known weakness and a dollup of grease can save you GBP1,000. My C230K suffered a wiper failure but an MB-trained mechanic came to my rescue and saved me hundreds of pounds. An MB dealership is unlikely to be so considerate .

Find yourself an indie (or indy), a Mercedes specialist, who will maintain your pride and joy without you having to pay MB dealership labour rates which can, in some parts of the UK, particularly in London, be well over GBP100 per hour.

Maintaining and running a Mercedes on a very low budget is not possible (IMO), but with care and a little forethough it be managed on a lowish budget. Skimp and it will likely prove to be a costly mistake. Treat it with respect and it could provide mega-miles of trouble-free motoring.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[bigasotonuk]

Hi,
My C230K is a pre 98 and in the last 2 years rust has appeared on both front and rear arches where the bumper joins the body and on the sill front and rear and now the boot lid.
But i stand by this as being the most reliable car i have ever owned and i love it to death you will not regret buying one if you decide on a W202.

 

[philharve]

Hi,
My C230K is a pre 98 and in the last 2 years rust has appeared on both front and rear arches where the bumper joins the body and on the sill front and rear and now the boot lid.
But i stand by this as being the most reliable car i have ever owned and i love it to death you will not regret buying one if you decide on a W202.

Hi Andy

What will you do with your C230K ... have it repaired? I suppose a warranty claim is now out of the question? Or is it?

REGARDS

Phil

 

[Ron Palfrey]

I bought my W202 C280 nearly 3 years ago and other than fuel, road tax, insurance and MOT tests it has cost me £320 for 4 Michelin tyres and about £200 for 3 services (I do all my own servicing so that is for parts and fluids). At the slightest hint of anything amiss I deal with it. The accelerator can get "notchy", but a lube of the cable every year sorts that. Keep the big single wiper mechanism greased too, and don't use it to clear a fall of snow off the windscreen (use a scraper before you get in the car). It cost me £2500 3 years ago and I'd still easily get £1500 for it if I sold it now. Depreciation £300 p.a. isn't bad is it? Insurance £167 p.a. fully comp. with Nationwide B.S. (one of the benefits of getting older).
I'm pleased I bought mine, but then again, I don't have to pay a garage to maintain it for me.
Ron

 

[01steven]

Thanks for all your advice/thoughts.
Just thought I'd bring you up to date.
I've decided that buying a Mercedes is not a realistic option for me at all.
I need cheap, reliable motoring right now, and whilst there's a chance I can get this with an old C class, I doubt very much it will happen.
I was probably getting a bit carried away with the idea of owning a Mercedes!

Instead I'm going to look at something a bit more down to earth and practical- looks like I've narrowed it down to a Ford Mondeo or Nissan Primera. I admit neither of these are going to set my pulse racing, but they are very good value on the second hand market, are known to be pretty reliable, and if things do go wrong shouldn't be too expensive to fix.

So hopefully they'll get me to work each day without giving me any trouble. While I'm there I'll try and earn a few extra bob to perhaps one day be able to afford a Mercedes!

Thanks once again for your friendly support.

Kind Regards
Steven

 

[joem]

I'm not so sure you should give up the idea of a C class. I love mine. I bought it when I was a bit short of funds and it has done me proud. I have taken it from 80,000 miles to just under 120,000 since Dec 2005 - so coming up two years.

Apart from servicing and tyres it has cost me nothing apart from £6 for a valve in the windscreen washer system. Although it is thoroughly serviced but you would want that for any car you were hoping to be reliable.

Yes the wiper mech is a worry but a good garage will grease it as part of the service and then it won't go wrong.

Just find a good one at a good price. I would have no hesitation in buying another.