C Class - Shld I Take the Plunge?

[JonFB]

Hi folks,

Only found this site tonight and since been reading quite a few of your threads and now I'm kinda jittery :-(

Tomorrow I have the RAC going to inspect an 02 C200K estate, 79k auto with full leather interior (grey unfortunately and not sand but beggars etc...)

Anyway I thought I had done a good deal £9k and it has full MB service History.

BUT:

Now I've read shed loads about rust and quality issues.

So, what do you reckon - should I go for it or am I just an absolute idiot that is about to embark on a sad and expensive journey with a potential money pit?

Current car is a crappy ol Peugout diesel estate, so you can imagine I was quite looking forward to the move upmarket...sob :cry: :sad: :cry:
Really would appreciate your thoughts.

Cheers,


Jon
In Sleep Ol North Norfolk

 

[robbi-wan]

Hi John,
In short - Yes.
9k for an 02 with 79k on it sounds to me like a v.good deal (is it a classic/elegance or avantguard??)
From memory - i think the estates were built in germany & s.africa, whereas many of the quality issues seemed to come from those built elsewhere.

All cars have the potential to turn into a money pit - but with full MBSH and if the inspection goes well, you can be reasonably certain of being delighted by the upgrade, i know i was (from a rover 25 :Oops: )...

Is it from a Merc dealer/indie?? Either way you should be able to get them to give a warranty for 6mths, which should see you nicely settled in.

Fortune favours the brave......
rob

 

[JonFB]

Thanks Rob, It's an elegance but dealer is a small independent in Romford (Hence why I sent the RAC). They sound decent tho, they're letting me take my old log book away after I've traded my car in so I can get my private plate swapped - so that shows they must be kinda trustworthy!

I do trust the RAC, they looked at a car for me before which I was all set to buy but they came back and said it looked iffy. They OKed my current estate when I found it and it has only had one fault (with a switch which cost £18 quid) in three years and 40k miles of happy (if quite boring) motoring.

I just hope the Merc is vaguely as reliable (and cheap to fix). Ha - that prooves I'm living in la la land


Jon

 

[jberks]

They sound decent tho, they're letting me take my old log book away after I've traded my car in so I can get my private plate swapped - so that shows they must be kinda trustworthy!

WHOA!!!!
Apart from being illegal it's damned dangerous!
By law, when you pass a car on to another owner, you have to fill in the transfer on the log book at the same time and send it off. Once done, the rest of the log book is worthless. To not do so has recently become an offence. If the car was caught on a gatso and you can't show who was driving (which you can't), you get the 3 points. I imagine they are probably very genuine and reputable, but you're going the text book way to lose your number and would have no legal recourse if they simply sold your old car on, with your number. The could also request a new log book and prove by the invoice that they own the car. You wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Also, you need insurance for both cars, MOTs, plus both tax disks (or the payment) to transfer a number.

Basically, never legally sell a car until the number is off. I NEVER part with a car, whilst my number is on it. This meant last time that I had to wait nearly 3 weeks for my new E class. The car was ready, finance in place etc but the number was stuck on my old car whilst the faceless morons in the tax office got bored with surfing the internet and deemed to press the return key and approve the transfer. And that was with a main dealer. My dad has his old C class on the drive for similar reasons.

Instead, do what I did, agree the deal, give them all the paperwork, payments etc and ask them to arrange the transfer for you. They can even fit the new plates. Once done, you just call in the same day and swap over. They get their car that they can sell straight away and you get it all sorted.

Odd that in the old paper based days, you could transfer a number in 24 hours yet now, with computers it takes weeks!

 

[sankey]

every time i have had a plate transfered it has been a different set of rules each time,at on time you had to take the car to get it inspected..then they went through the phase of taking both tax discs,now you keep the tax discs till they send replacements....rules change all the time...rant over,,lol

 

[Ibby]

Jon i would say go for it.

Dont forget that there are millions of merc owners around the world and if they all had problems then im sure the servers of the sites would just explode!!

Forums are there for folks to vent their problems and for advice so you mainly ever see threads about bad issues - hardly any regarding good things about a car!

I have a 2003 C220 Cdi saloon which i purchased in july after years of BMW ownership and it is a great car with a very smooth ride and goes like &$£)"£$ when i put my food down.

One things for sure Jon dont expect any parts for a Mercedes to be cheap - you are buying into a prestige mark so be prepared to pay substantially more if you need anything compared with your old motor.

Most of all do what nearly all of us mercedes owners do - chill out and enjoy the car!

 

[JonFB]

Hey thanks guys for all your comments. It's very much appreciated.

RAC man says go for it too, apparently there are only a few chips to paint work and one imperfection in dash, everything else he says is A-OK.

So tomorrow I go and see the thing and exchange it for my sad ol Peugout, (almost missing it already). Will let you know how it goes. It's about a 130 mile journey on M ways and country lanes so I should get a good feel for it (her?).

BTW, do any of you guys refer to your cars as a he, she or it? And is it just the ladies that give them names (he said in a very unPC way!).

Thanks again for your support - this is a great forum.



Jon - Hoping to get some sleep tonight

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Jon i would say go for it.

Forums are there for folks to vent their problems and for advice so you mainly ever see threads about bad issues - hardly any regarding good things about a car!

I couldn't agree more Jon. The only reason I joined this forum was because our Mercedes had a problem. I've now got a VW Golf, but as we haven't had any problems with it I've never seen the need to join any VW Forums

 

[MercAl]

Agree entirely...go for it! Mecedes are by no means perfect, but their streets ahead of anything else! Enjoy!

 

[television]

Just putting up the current laws on number plates, you have to own the car and it must be taxed and MOT, you cant sell the car and reclaim the number. if as said here you sold the car and kept the log book to transfer,and the buyer got caught for speeding or just a roadside check, you would lose the right to that number.

malcolm

 

[LiamMc]

As a new owner myself of a C 200 class, does anybody else find the ride overly firm? I've "graduated" from a Rover 75 top of the range. It was like driving in an armchair as opposed to a wooden kitchen chair.

 

[television]

As a new owner myself of a C 200 class, does anybody else find the ride overly firm? I've "graduated" from a Rover 75 top of the range. It was like driving in an armchair as opposed to a wooden kitchen chair.

What size wheels are on the car, does it have the larger option, if so the ride will be firmer with more road feel. One thing, the Rover was not that good in taking bends at speed,where as the MB is.

Malcolm

 

[daveenty]

I've "graduated" from a Rover 75 top of the range. It was like driving in an armchair

Think of Ikea to a specialist suite suppier.....Comfort takes a bit of getting used to

I had a Renault 25 a few years ago....likened that to an armchair ('till I bought a decent armchair)

 

[JonFB]

Ola, Jon here, the proud owner of a C200K (since 5.30pm Saturday!). Having sat in the car for less than 5 hours so far, I can certainly agree with Liam. I was really surprised by the firmness of the ride (is that good English?). I only have wee 15 inch tyres and before driving the thing was happily going to upgrade to 17", as I thought it wld look so much better.

Well, the ride certainly is firm in my Elegance - is it firmer still in the Avant Garde? (Excuse my lack of knowledge of Benz's - I have so many questions to ask, and indeed am not sure of the ettiquette on a forum like this. Shld I post new "threads" for each new type of question or continue to make this the most woolie and never ending of subjects...


Jon

 

[robbi-wan]

Welcome Jon,
The ride i think is best described as "Firm but yeilding", and took me a little while to get used to (along with NOT hearing rattles/squeaks/road noise etc )
The avantguarde has 17" wheels and 'sportier' suspension and must be a stern test for any fillings!!!
15" tyres are generally cheaper than 17" ones which is why i have not bothered to change mine (apart from the bone-jarring ride)
rob

 

[John Clarke]

As a new owner myself of a C 200 class, does anybody else find the ride overly firm? I've "graduated" from a Rover 75 top of the range. It was like driving in an armchair as opposed to a wooden kitchen chair.

Liam would agree with you - I too had a top spec 75 - and would have bought the same again had they still been making them! - however for my money the 2002 75 was the best of them all - after that in true Rover Style they took away the Jag like headlights in favour of the BMW style and then continued to "facelift" it into uglyness. Still that retro interior was nice and the seats were armchair like - however i too now drive a c class 220 avantgarge estate which is also extremely well spec'd and yes it has taken me a while to get used to the firmer support. In fact I still look at any 75 that passes me like that of an old girlfriend that you were madly in love with, but the fact remains you are now driving a car of the utmost quality at a level that all other manufacturers aspire to replicate. The real test I have found Liam is on a long run you will feel more alert and less fatigued. The one big plus I should have converted to years ago - AUTOMATIC - and nobody does that better than Mercedes.