C180 kompressor Avantgarde SE Auto - Your advice please!!!

[amazon786]

Hi All

I would appreciate some good advice on the purchase of my (hopefully) first Merc.
I am keen to buy a C180 Kompressor Avantgarde SE Auto. 2005 model. Mileage will be approx 20 - 25k and my budget is around £13k.

First question: is this a good first purchase?
Are there any major worries that I should keep in mind?
What are the servicing costs on average?

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. I have been searching for a Merc now for a year and hope to purchase one by next month.

Thanks in advance. Lastly this site is fab!

 

[verytalldave]

Depending on what your present car is, and what you are used too, you MAY find the 180 a little down on power. The 200 is better - specially if you carry passengers.
Fuel consumption is around 35-40mpg depending.
They are nice cars and a good introduction to MB ownership.
No major worries. Models produced after 2004 are all sorted and reliable.
Servicing costs vary between about £250 to £750 depending on service required and where you take it. Mercedes are more expensive than indies. Obviously.
Colour is important and affects value. Black and silver seem to be the most popular and therefore command a slightly higher price/value.
Make sure you get 2 keys with the car. 2 keys are standard as supplied. Spares cost £150+ each. Also make sure you get the books.
Dont ever think about buying a manual to save money. Very wrong for many reasons. Auto is a must.
FMBSH is a nice thing. A 2005 model should have this. Leather is a good option to seek out. Other options hike the price and may not be possible within your budget.

 

[amazon786]

Thanks for your comments "verytalldave".
I have owned mostly Nissans and Toyotas. Usually 1.6 or 1.8 engine size. So I would think that this car would certainly have more power.

Also would you recommend taking our the Service Plus option to safe guard against any high maintenance costs.
I plan to do less then 8k milage in a year.

Thanks

 

[verytalldave]

Difficult question.
If I say NO then something goes wrong, then I have egg on my face - and you arent very happy.
If I say YES and nothing goes wrong, you could argue its money wasted.

I will answer your question this way.
Given the mileage and age of your car and your projected 8K/year, the probability of something going seriously amiss for a long time is fairly low.
Therefore I will put it this way.....................
If I was buying the car you describe, would I opt for service plus?
And my answer would be no.

 

[amazon786]

Thanks again for your advice. I understand totally what you are saying. Surely anything can happen but given the age/model/usage I take your advice onboard.

 

[Micman]

Hi,

That's exactly what I've got!

I would say Yes, great purchase.

All in all I've had no problems, although I did have a sudden head gasket failure at 22,000 miles!!! It was all fixed under warranty and down to a faulty part.

I just put it down to one of those things! Things like like could happen on any car at anytime. It certainly doesn't seem the norm on a Merc so please don't let that one extreme case put you off.

Go for anything after September 2004 (54 plate) as they are the revised models with the new interior etc which is miles better quality than the previous ones.

Fuel consumption seems to vary depending on your runs - short journeys around town will be approx 25-30mpg. Longer runs will see 35-40+mpg.

Engine size, I am surprised at just how punchy the 180 Kompressor is. I know it's the small engine of the bunch but it has great smooth acceleration and always plenty of power for overtaking etc.

My advice would be seek one with the optional Sport Pack - that gives you the lovely 5 spoke 17" alloys, lowered suspension and higher finish interior with aluminium trim etc.

 

[amazon786]

Thanks for your advice Micman.
I hope to test drive a few this week and hopefully make a decision. Well excited.
I will keep you posted of the final outcome.

 

[amazon786]

A quick update on my search for my first Merc.
I test drove a few (55 plate) which means that they still have 6 - 8 months of Manufaturers Warranty.
Went back to give the deposit on the 2nd car I drove and found that it had already been sold. My luck!. Anyhow, my serch went on and tracked down another C180k Avant SE Auto with only 19k miles and next service is due in another 11k miles at a Merc Dealer and have paid the deposit and hope to pick it up next week.

I look forward to pick up the keys and the drive back home.

 

[amazon786]

I am picking up the keys this Friday. Looking forward to the drive back home.

 

[grpar]

Amazon

My 54 plate C180 Elegance Auto has run to an unchanging 27 mpg average fuel consumption over the last 5k miles. Living in London, most of its bread 'n butter driving is in start-stop traffic (mostly stop, in fact), where the trip meter shows around 24 mpg. So, that doesn't seem too bad.

On motorway journeys, if you're in a real hurry it'll do around 33-34 mpg. If you're more careful with the right foot and keep it around 70 or less it does around 38-40 mpg.

The C200 is a little more urgent, but not substantially so. For city driving, you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference.

On servicing, London MB dealers do an "A" service for around £250, and a "B" service for around £450+ (if the car's still less than 3 years old, with no other problems needing work).

 

[amazon786]

I picked up my car on Friday morning from the Mercedes Direct dealer. The Sales person gave me a run down on the interior etc and off I went back home. A great feeling driving the car and I can say that I am now a happy owner of a new Merc.

I drove from London to Manchester on the same day and it did 39 mpg on my motorway journey. It was a nice smooth journey and I enjoyed every moment of it.

It's a small engine compared to the rest of the Merc family, however I find the Kompressor with plenty of power.

This lunch time I found an excuse to leave the office for a quick drive!!!

All in all very pleased with my purchase.

 

[EGBM]

I'm pleased for you - I hope to have a similar experience myself in the near future.

Congratulations.

 

[verytalldave]

Glad you like it. Most LOVE their Mercs and finances allowing, wouldnt drive anything else.
I cant imagine now what it would be like to go back to owning something "ordinary".
Even though there is a price premium on Mercedes ownership, its money well spent.
My Mercedes is one of only 2 cars I have ever owned in nearly 40 years of driving that I get in just for a drive. The other was a 1970 Lotus Elan.

 

[amazon786]

I have been driving my new purchasae for a week and have noticed that every time I drive close to a speed camera I hear a beeping sound as a warning. Yet, I don't have a Satnav installed!
Is this usually the case in Merc's?

 

[Splatt]

No standard fitting on C class to warn of cameras. I suspect your car has developed "Gatsophobia" , don`t worry it won`t get any worse.

 

[verytalldave]

I have been driving my new purchasae for a week and have noticed that every time I drive close to a speed camera I hear a beeping sound as a warning. Yet, I don't have a Satnav installed!
Is this usually the case in Merc's?

Its possible that a previous owner installed some device to give a warning.
If so, then consider yourself fortunate.
Just a guess...............
Its certainly NOT a standard fitting - or even an option. Unfortunately.

 

[ElegantSpoon]

Hellooo good to hear your getting on well! I picked up my first mercedes on saturday a 54reg C230. What fuel have you been using as I have had a drop in MPG with sainsburys fuel?

 

[Micman]

I have been driving my new purchasae for a week and have noticed that every time I drive close to a speed camera I hear a beeping sound as a warning. Yet, I don't have a Satnav installed!
Is this usually the case in Merc's?

Hi there,

I wonder if you have the SmartNav system fitted. My car had it installed and the Merc dealer didn't even realise it until the day I went to collect the car. Nice surprise for me as I gained SatNav!

Basically it's a SatNav system by the RAC Trafficmaster and was available as an option from Mercedes when the car was new. It uses the cars pre-wiring to telephone a call centre, you tell them where you are going and they send the route back to your car. It tells you where to go and when to turn rather than you having a screen to look at.

To see if you have it installed try looking for a button located on the front edge inside the slide lid cubbyhole/cupholder behind the gearshift but in front of the armrest. (that's where mine is located anyway).

The button could be located anywhere within reach of the driver - so have a good look around as that is the only visible clue that you have it installed.

The reason I think you may have it is because you can have it set to alert you to speed cameras when you approach them. My car did exactly the same as you are describing when I got it because it had that alert set up.

If you have got it installed give them a call, they have a range of different account types you can have. I run mine on a pay per route basis much like a mobile phone where you top it up with credit.

To see what the button looks like check out the website
http://www.smartnav.com/

I would love to know if you too find you have it installed!

 

[amazon786]

Hi Micman
You were spot on!
I do have a SmartNav fitted by the previous owner. I found the button, pressed it and got through to their Call centre. I was told that I could register with them and use this service straight away.
This really is a very neat option to have whilst on the road. It tells you of oncoming traffic incidents as well and also re-routes if necessary.

And I think you are right in saying that the previous owner had set it up to give warning of speed cameras.
Thanks for the link to the website. I will check the price plans as I think this will come in very handy.

 

[slk350]

All in all I've had no problems, although I did have a sudden head gasket failure at 22,000 miles!!! It was all fixed under warranty and down to a faulty part.

That's amazing, I had an 03-C200 which had a head gasket failure after 13 months due to a faulty part with circa 18,000 miles. Repaired and replaced under warranty but had to call out Merc Breakdown 4 separate times until it was diagnosed. This was after the car was taken away on a low-loader 24 hours after I bought it (from new) due to it leaking oil on my drive. The nice men even came and cleaned the drive for me.

Still loved the car though.

Kev.