rawkusx

well im a college student that has a couple of bills and im about to switch my car for somthin thats sport and luxury my picks are either a BMW E36 or a MB w202.

now my question is wich of the w202 is the best to purchase, the one with the least common problem that i wont have to spend big bucks to fix and yes im a grease monkey so i could do labor my self.

ddtham

All Euro cars are expensive to fix. To minimize that, get a latter model W202 with perfect maintenance and repair records. I also heard that c220/c230 is relatively cheaper than its 6/8 cylinder counterparts.

bcmiguel

I drive a 99 C230 Kompressor and I am very happy with my purchase, had it for 3 years and still feel the same. The BMW is nicer on cornering as I had an 87 325i before, but the c230K is more to my liking, luxury and when needed has the supercharger to over pass traffic, the only thing I had to get use to was the different stages of the gas pedal, but now I got the hang of it...

rlee02135

depends on how much you have to spend.

if you really like the w202, get a c36 or a c43.
i would save up a little more and go up to a w203.
you can get an 01+ c240 or and 03 c230 coupe for around $15k

NEA-4311

I believe the W202 C230 Kompressor is one of the best choices because 1st of all you're a student, 2nd you get 2.3lt (niiice) and 193hp (sweeet) while 3rdly, you still have a V4 engine (not thirsty), so YOU will be the only one with a drinking problem! . Oh and may I suggest... White! Hehehe! Hope you get the best anyway.

rawkusx

well w203 are a lil off my buget cuz of insurance and other things like that, so im guessing a 98-2000 could be the best choice??

so a c230k wont give me much problems??

and which years are the ones that came with tranny problems??

davis449

98 C280 or 99^ C 280 or C230K is the best IMHO. There is no way in hell I would get a w203 C 240. If you are going to get a w203, I REALLY would advise against the C 240. That thing has NO engine. You are WAY better off with a 99-00 C 230K than that car.

rawkusx

no i dont want a w203 im going for a BMW e36 or a MB w202

NdnMbLova

That made no sense but its okay.


Get a 99^ C280. Make sure you get low miles and you get all the record that come with it. Look for a lease car(one that used to be leased). If you take care of the car then it will stay in shape.

rawkusx

ive read a couple of threads and ive got that the c230k is a real good engine and dont give problems, could that be a false statement??

what year did the bad tranny's come in on w202??

davis449

Bad trans were 1997-1998.5.

rawkusx

so is a 99-2000 c230K or non K the best choice??

e harmon

I don't believe you have a choice for 1999 and 2000 models. Here in the US anyhow, those years all had the Kompressor (thus 230k). Even if you did have a choice, you'd probably be happier with the supercharged version anyhow.

Regards,

e harmon

rawkusx

yea i meant to say that but i guess those years got me more convinced.

NdnMbLova

2000 c280 sport!!

patrick_y

I would recommend the 2000 C230 Kompressor with Sport Package. The C280 and the C230 get roughly the same 0-60 time but the C230 drinks a bit less gasoline.

When I was first looking at pre-owned Mercedes, i started off looking at the W202 as well.

The 2000 model gets touchshift (if you like that) and a new steering wheel design. Plus the Sport model gets the steering wheel similar to that found in the 2000 SL 500! It also comes with a carbon fiber trim.

rawkusx

so is there any major problem that nobody has said anythin about that would be present in a c230??anybody??

67 Demon

I'll give you personal problematic info from my own experience in owning a W202 (1999). I currently have about 77K miles on the odometer. My wife and i have owned the vehicle for about 4 years and have put about 53K miles on it since owning it. To date, the only non-warranty issues we have had is that the odometer reading (last number on the far right) goes in and out. Some days it is readable when we start the car, other days only part of the number is readable. Is this a big deal? Not at all. At least not for us. I was told in order to fix the problem, that I would need to order a whole new instrument panel, which would run me about $800 or so. The only other issue that we have had is that there is a noise coming from the drivers side dash area. It only occurs when we begin to accelerate. Again, doesn't bother us too much and doesn't affect the performance or driveability of the car. Maybe one day i'll try to find out what is causing the mysterious noise.

Other than that, we (actually it's my wife's) have had a very worry free experience with this vehicle. Just keep up with the scheduled maintenance as best as possible and it should treat you right. Good luck with your decision.

rawkusx

thats perfect! ive wanted some to know from somebody who has owned it for some time and put alot of miles on it.Thanks,but which one do you own??

67 Demon

I own a 1999 C230K.

Substance

2000 C280!!!!


230 vs. 280 naturaly aspirated vs. supercharged

186hp vs. 194hp similar acceleration 0-60...8.0 vs. 8.3 sec

200ft/lbs vs 195ft/lbs better high end on 280. better performance above 60 miles.


more luxuary on 280 ..10 way power seats, digital readout auto a/c,

2000 vs older models....5 speed touchshift tranny with no problems....tele aid...better antenna, better stereo headunit with the cell phone functions( yes its useless without the mikbox)

280 SPORT edtion has ugly(imo) larger wheel(16inch vs. 17) sportier suspension set up. ugly(imo) 2 tone seats( not like the ones on C43) ugly steering wheel (imo again) and ugly ( grey trim) but it was only 900 dollars option and itsworth it for the nicer suspension set up.

if you can afford it, go for a 2000 C280 with low miles.
you can find one between 13-17k depending on condtion and mileage. most good condition ones are around 15-16k
you can get a nice 99 c43 for 17-18 and imho it would be better to take more time and save up for a 99 C43. for 1-2k more, you get heated seats with more adjustments( lumber support and such) xenon lights with washers, rain sensing windshield wiper, nicer sportier look, these are all other than performance aspects. if you test drive a c43 , you will also notice the exhaust tone of the V8. donwside of the C43, you will pay more for the gas, and no touchshift tranny, higher insurance (maybe)

Substance

ohh for the color, silver is the way...you wont have to wash your car everyday.

NEA-4311

I would still go to C230K, its feistier and it drinks less. If you live in the USA you might want the C280 because you generally have larger engines but if you especially live in EU then no question about the C230K. And besides silver and white colors, I really like the champagne one and the gray ones, in general though all light colors need way less cleaning and washing than dark ones.

Substance

in usa 280 wont hurt you much, its got better gas/mileage then most american cars. with little exta bucks you get power seats, digital a/c and much better high end performance.

patrick_y

Going back to the 230 and the 280 gas mileage. I have the 2005 C230 with the 1.8 liter engine. And I have one complaint. The RPMs are very high and thus affect gas mileage.

Thus, since the 280's RPMs might be lower, you might get better fuel economy at faster speeds than a 230 would at the same speed. Say a more extreme case, at 100 mph, the 230 might be drinking more fuel since it's revving at a higher engine speed and fuel consumption increases exponentially at higher engine speeds.

Thus, it's probably a good idea to go with the 280 as well.