M~Factor

In search of my first MB C-class, I came upon the perfect used 2013 C300 with 26k on the clock, a mile away from where I live! It has all the options I am looking for $23,500. It even came with leather seats with red stitching with red seatbelts! Just beautiful! However, it has this carfax report below. What do you guys think of this? Mind you this is a model year 2013.


08/16/2014
6,570 miles
Battery replaced
Instrument cluster lens replaced
Instrument cluster replaced/repaired
Steering lock replaced


09/30/2014
8,145 miles
Ignition lock cylinder replaced


02/27/2015
11,253 miles
Camshaft position sensor adjusted
Cylinder head gasket(s) replaced
Cylinder head replaced
Oil and filter changed
Relay replaced

tekfoc

W204's are a dime a dozen look for another.

Adi-Benz

Ha true, use the filters. cars.com, autotrader.com, best 2 imo

Colin G

I wonder why a cylinder head was replaced? Seems odd for a 3 year old car.

Alfadude

The head was replaced when it was two years old....with only 11K miles on it! And the ignition lock replaced with only a few thousand miles? And the instrument cluster? Something just doesn't smell right on this one. Maybe if you could find out more about the history of it. Could be something totally innocent. Then again.....

Does it look like it has been repainted anywhere?

I would almost be inclined to keep shopping unless i could find out more. Then again, it has the Sport package, which is pretty rare. Tough call.

MB Marko

pass on that one, I'd sell you mine but I'm in Canada hahaha

M~Factor

The car is truly in MINT condition, inside and out. It is the color I want and I must say, red stitching with red seatbelt is RARE!!!


On start up, I heard a clutter for a full second. Thought nothing of it, as I was thinking it had not been started for a while. But after reading the carfax, I don't know now.

white46

Wow.
Those are costly repairs on only 3 years old car.

Previous owner must got sick of it repair after repair and finally gave up and sold.

twowheelin

I would be worried that the sequence of the repairs may be telling a story... The ignition key replacement and instrument cluster could have been damaged as a result of theft. The car could have been severely abused causing some serious engine damage and the resulting head & gaskets (plural!) replacement. How much excess wear did the rest of the engine suffer?

black lavender

2013 with all those serious repairs. No question, walk away. Don't care if it's mint inside and outside. Those repairs are engine damage.

It seems like you REALLY want it though. Don't say we didn't warn you

Adi-Benz

I think it was a lemon. Even so, I wouldn't buy it. Like I said, try and use filters > red interior, etc.

Good luck on your search!

C3004Matt

Pass on it. You didnt find it idd that a car with such low miles is only 23k?? I got mine with 60,000 miles for 20k. Only buy from mb dealerships also. You can easily add red seatbelts.

Matt

stratman1954

Any warrantee?

M~Factor

There's 11 months of warranty left.
I emailed the dealership for more info on what's on the carfax. No reply back. lol

MGH

Maybe it has had some issues from new and they are all straightened out?
When I went looking for my MB e400 coupe with the exact options and colors I wanted, they were very hard to find.
If you found exactly what you were looking for and it's mint, you should weigh that in your decision.
Personally, I wouldn't be afraid of that car as most of the bugs could have been worked out already.
I would definitely look into some sort of extended warranty though...

MGH

Is it more important to save a few bucks and forever miss those options you really wanted or pay a few extra and drive something that your proud of?

Atlas Grey

I looked at 3 C350 coupes in one day, all within 50 miles of each other. Two were the AMG Sport package you are describing. Red stitching, Red Seatbelts and AMG floor mats. Coupes are way harder to find than sedans and I still found three. Run, don't walk from this car. If I had to guess it looks like this car was broken into and stolen then a joy ride which caused engine damage happened. Seriously, these cars are not rare, go find another. Use car gurus as stated above. Great app and lots of filters available. Or just use the googles and add C300 AMG sport package to the search bar. Car gurus shows 5 links in the top half with AMG sport package. RUN AWAY!

LogicalApex

Depending on the car fax history it may have been a fleet car or rental vehicle of some kind where people were very spirited in their driving and handling of the car.

My understanding (though could be wrong) is that it isn't simple to hot wire a late model Benz. As the car needs to get a code from a chip in the key and without this it will shut off pretty quick if hot wired. So a joy ride shouldn't be possible... At least not by your average car thief. Much easier to flat bed when stealing...

I'd argue for a lower price if this car somehow proved worth it to the OP (super hard to find option or something like that) and it would have to be CPO to get access to the MB unlimited miles warranty on it.

If the bugs were ironed out you could be good, but don't go into it without protection as they say. In case there is something nasty lurking.

Also, as mentioned C300s are common keep your eyes open...

I'd sell you mine which has had zero issues and is CPO w/ 2 year CPO extended on top for not much more (does have 45K miles though).