Looking for general C180 advice

[Liam]

Hi All,

I'm buying a used car (insurance limiting me to 1.8 engine) in a week or two and had assumed that I would get a 2001 or 2002 avensis / laguna / Mondeo etc... low mileage, reasonably reliable and all that. Someone suggested to me that I could get a 97 or 98 C180 for the same money which would be easily as reliable and still worth more when selling on in 2 or 3 yrs.

I am excited at the prospect of owning such a classy car but having never owned a Mercedes before I am a little concerned about reliability and costly repairs, I have made a few enquiries and have read the following potential problems:

Wiper motor is a common (and costly) problem
Tyre wear and pulling to the left (have seen postings here about this)

Anyone know if these are true and if there are other problems I should watch out for??

I will probably go for a 97 or 98 with between 50k and 80k miles
I will use the car every day and put approx 30k miles per year, will it be worth anything in 3 yrs with 150k miles?? Will it last that long?? Is it a stupid idea to consider buying one for what I need?

Any tips on what to check for, questions to ask etc. when buying??

Thanks for any advice offered, promise to keep you posted about how I get on. Will be buying in Ireland unfortuneatly and so will be paying exhorbitant government funding (50%ish) prices. So much for EU price harmonisation.

Liam

 

[doyleeamonn]

Hi,
I'm also in Ireland and have just imported a C180 Elegance Estate 1998 woth 58K. The car is beautiful, too early to tell about reliability. Its not fast and mine is currently using a lot of fuel.

 

[Glenn]

Hello Liam,

having had a petrol C180 for 18 months I'd suggest the following;

Buy a diesel, my petrol is super smooth but for the miles you say you'll be doing an oil burner is the only option.

Buy an auto not a manual, they drive better and the 'design feature' of the floor mounted parking brake is a nightmare for a manual as you have 4 pedals at your feet!

Try and get one with as much spec as you can afford, ideally an Elegance, as this way you'll have all the toys you need (electric windows front & rear/sunroof/heated mirrors/leather trim/wood trim/air con).

I have had some problems with mine, the main expense so far being a new cat (ouch) but find a good specialist and you can't go wrong. Basically regardless of age, people will notice you drive a Merc, and you will feel the quality everytime you get behind the wheel. Can you say that about any other car for the money??

Oh one final word, depending on where you live mind the brainless few don't try and steal the star from the bonnet, mine was nicked from the drive a couple of months ago, and whilst easy to replace it's a pain in the pocket at £15 a time.

Glenn