James_C

Hi folks!

First post here, just started my research on the W203 C Class after deciding it is likely to be my next vehicle purchase.

My wife and I are in the market for a family vehicle as we now have a baby on the way, after driving a few Benz's and falling in love with them we have narrowed our search down to the C Class. It would tick all the boxes for us, firstly being about the safest car our money can buy, which is very important to us seeing as we will have our first born in the back seat. Also comfort and low noise was something we loved about the Benz, as well as reasonable fuel economy. They also still look really nice for a 10yr+ old car.

Having asked a couple of local mechanics for their opinion on this model I was rather disappointed by their response. With both warning against these vehicles as they believe I would literally be buying a money pit. The apparent timing chain issue came up several times with the implication that a repair at some point would cost me thousands.

I'd like to hear from actual owners on their experience in regards to reliability and servicing costs, at this stage it's looking more likely we could only afford the pre 2005 model C Class although hoping to stretch the tight budget to a clean 2005+ model.

So the W203 C Class, is it really that bad? or are these guys over reacting?

Looking forward to your responses!
James

RCPDesigns

I believe the timing chain issue is only for the supercharged 4 cylinder engines (C230).
There are peculiar issues with the W203 and it pays to be well aware of them. Jumpstarting or replacing a battery on most cars doesn't run the risk of an expensive repair but it sure can on the W203.
I would recommend extensive research here in the forums so you can understand the issues. Once you understand what to look for you should be able to, with time, find a car the will give you many years of dependable service. Time is key, however. You are looking for a one or two owner car that was religiously taken to the MB dealer for service. It may take some time to find this car but it is out there.
As per the expense of maintenance and repair, yes, it is high. If, however, you have the time and can learn some skills, you should be able to (with the help of the forum) save significant money on maintenance and repairs.
I love the W203 and think it is a great car. I bought one for my daughter will be buying another in a couple years for my son. I also do the maintenance and repair so I find the cost of ownership to not be bad at all.

C280 Sport

Find a 05-07 C240,C320,C280,C350. Any of those models will be fine. They ride decent and do good on gas. Cheap to buy and easy to work on.

The only bad the W203 really has is inside is cramped, cheaply made inside and has a lack of options. Personally if I where you I would go with a E Class but if you are set on a W203 a 05-07 will do just fine and not break the wallet. Get a PPI before buying.

cvx

Buying the pre-facelifted and/or high mileage W203 is pretty much flipping coin between massive money pit and a very nice reliable car.

The W203's are very cheap in USA (if you are from there) so I would recommend saving a bit more to find the best available late 2006/2007 models if you prefer the W203 styling.

I can give you some idea how expensive these things can be. In the last 2 years I have been quoted over $10k at the dealer for various problems. I did most of these repairs by myself so the total costs have not been so high.

Still running original turbo, chain and transmission @ 240k+ miles.

C3Duece

most 10yr old/older C class suffer the following
- rusty doors, wheel wells and trunk
- weak front upper/lower control arms


pretty good cars overall if you can deal with the rust.

C280 Sport

01-04 had rusting issues. I personally have never seen or herd of rust on a post facelift 203.

slammer111

Personally if I were to to pick one up now, I'd go for the post-facelift 2005-2007 models. Besides the more modern interior interior, it appears they mostly solved many of the problems plaguing the pre-facelift. With that said, my pre-facelift has never left me stranded on the road once, and it's been almost 12 years.

Common issues for the 4 cylinder M271 C230 engine:
- include a leaky vacuum pump (easy fix)
- leaking cam sensors (most should be fixed via recall by now, also easy fix)
- some hoses that fail (not too easy but can also be DIYed) - search "$12 hose"
- timing chain failure - this one is hit or miss
- squeaky belt caused by fatigued idler pulley

As for the rest of the car,
- cracked suspension bushings (this happens on other cars too though, to be fair)
- coolant leaking into the transmission and destroying it (depends on brand of radiator installed onto car at factory, so complete hit or miss)
- door locks failing (can be DIYed but super painful, every single W203 door has this problem eventually)
- HVAC motor damper linkages failing (another super painful repair, but doesn't affect driveability)

Not sure about the rust bit, but I do fix my rock chips promptly. Opened up my door to repair a faulty door lock last year (car was 11 years old) and there was 0 rust inside at all.

At the end of the day though, this car is still a ton of fun to drive, even after all these years. Good luck.

fookoo303

I have a 03 c240 with 230,000 miles. I have problems with rust in my doors but mechanically it has been a tank.

I had to replace my fuel pump at about 150k.
Replaced from control arms at about 130k.
I did all the work myself so my out of pocket cost was very little.
Im surprisingly still on the same battery from the factory.

Overall, i think it's still going very strong for it's age. But i somewhat contribute the reliabilty is due to the fact my c240 is the base model with very little options.

tommy

An Accord is going to be as safe for your kid, and will give more room for them, too. As would most midsize sedans from that era as well.

I'd say the advice from your mechanics was pretty much spot-on. There are definite issues with these cars. You can get good deal that will never let you down, or a money pit. If you play the percentages, there are other, smarter choices in the used car market that would equally check your boxes.

neurodave

If you're set on the 203 C-class, go for the face-lift models late in the generation. I'd say the sweet spot would be the 2007 model. The 2006 models have those balance shaft issues, earlier models had issues with suspension and rust (although my 01 has no signs of rust).

Money pit? Yes. I have spent roughly $2900 in the past year fixing things that have gone wrong. To this day, I'm still having issues with suspension, front end, etc so there is more money waiting to be spent to get the car 100%.

If I could go back and do it all over, I'd get either a 2005 or 2007 C230 Sport or a 2007 C350. The problems seem to lessen later in the MY.

Why not go E-class? More room, but same basic idea, and roughly same prices.

RCPDesigns

I second the E-class idea. You still have to understand the common issues with the cars and still need to be careful and get a pre-purchase inspection. You still want to find a car someone has taken car of... but a W211 would be great. We upgraded from the C-class to the E-class when the kids came along.

Nasty_Nate

I've had my 2005 C230 for 4 years and 70k now, she's been super good to me, only issue I've ever had until recently was the alternator which was a couple of years ago. 163K and not much of a warning but just Thursday the 22nd I heard the dreaded timing chain clank (thankfully as I left home to take my son to school) immediately turned around and opened the valve cover to reveal this lovely attached image. FYI cam sprockets are roughly 800 each.

skcj213

My 2007 C230 Sport has been a good car, I can't say great. I do love driving it and they way it looks. Even at 8 years old I still get comments from time to time on how nice it looks. Things that have went wrong in the 4 years I have owned the car.

RH Front Interior Door Handle Broke - ~$65 (replaced myself)
Thermostat Stuck Open - ~$85 (replaced myself)
Transmission Conductor Plate - ~$1650 (going to the dealership this weekend)

Also, if you buy a sport model budget for frequent tire replacement. Because of the staggered tire size they can't be rotated. This means the tread wears out fast on the rears and the shoulders wear on the fronts. I replaced the rear tires last fall after about 30,000 miles and front will get replaced this summer after about 35,000 miles. Not terrible mileage on tires but not great either. We drive our car very gingerly, wife drives it 80% of the time. If you drive aggressively you won't get near the mileage mentioned above.

RCPDesigns

skcj213:
Here is a 6 part series that cover replacing the transmission conductor plate. If you've got jacks and a creeper, you might be able to handle this repair.

skcj213

RCP,
Thanks for the information but I have the 722.9. From what I understand it is a whole different ballgame from the 722.6 and requires SDS to complete the repair.

RCPDesigns

skcj213:
Indeed it could, I forgot about that. You might, however, take the conductor plate out, clean everything (maybe replace the valve body) and put it back together. Obviously if you have some specific reason to believe it is 100% the conductor plate that is bad and not just connectors that are varnished over or something cleaning will fix.. then yeah, you gotta go to the dealer.