All, considering a W202 as my next car as the wife wants to sell the Volkswagen Passat soon. I could read all day on potential issues with this car, but I was looking at a 1996 C280 w/ 95K miles; would rather go with something 1998-2000 though. My indie mechanic would certainly be checking it out before I commit to anything. For those who have owned this car and have had to deal with 100K issues (as we're more likely to buy a higher mileage car), what are some things I should expect to have to do at around 100K, and what are some of the little nuisances that pop up (for example, on my e-class, I know some people have had the brake light switch go, or have had mass air flow sensors needing cleaning, etc). Would love to add another Benz to the family if possible!

 

I would probably recommend the '98-00 models. By that time, the major issues with the car had been sorted out, particularly the wiring harness. Hopefully the previous owner has followed the service (A & B) schedule; has refreshed the transmission fluid, replaced the battery and kept track of the brakes.

At higher mileage, I've noticed that the plastic that Mercedes used for trim, both in and out of the car, can get work, cracked, brittle.

 

cool - thanks for the thoughts, MTI!

now it's just an issue of finding one w/ decent miles. if you go to autotrader, there's one in bloomfield ct (minus pictures) w/ only 64K miles on it, and it's a 99 or 00. $11K is kinda steep for a nine year old car but I'd try to get him down to $10,500 and trade the VW in for it. i'm definitely going to get service records first.

did these come standard w/ leather, or leatherette? if leatherette was there at least a leather option? not that important, just curious.

 

Would recommend a 99-00 car, the later the model year the more likely any issues with the 5-speed auto (introduced in 1998) would be sorted out. Also, you get the updated interior/exterior styling, and electronic convenience items that make the driving experience a lot nicer.

A C280 most likely will have leather upholstery, C230s are more likely to have MB Tex instead, although a lot of them were ordered with leather interiors.

The early C280s came with an inline 6-cyl engine that had head gasket and wiring harness issues. If you get a pre-98 one check to see that the wiring harness has been replaced as it is $$$$. Otherwise the engine is very durable and pretty easy to work on.

The late C280s came with a V6 that has had some issues with engine sludge and a problem with the harmonic damper. Check for a history of regular oil changes with synthetic oil, and also to see if the damper has been replaced (not all of them are bad, btw). Otherwise the new V6 is smooth, torquey and efficient.

 

Try to get a year 2000 C280 if you can, they came with the -/+ touchshift which is a delight to have. Overall it is a quick car which is going to give you good driving pleasure at least for the next few years if you buy one. You won't be dissapointed.

 

thanks guys, great info unfortunately i'm not seeing a lot of these around, let aloen 2000's..but i'll keep looking and will travel if I must to get the right one!

 

I believe there was a C280 2000 special edition model, very nice...

I don't know what your budget is, but take a trip to the dealer and see what starmark models they have. I would finance the oldest/cheapest C class that is eligible for the 3 year starmark warranty. It might put you back $20,000 (plus the warranty cost), but I think it is worth it, you will get a newer car and a warranty. You will sleep better at night.

 

I think if you are looking for C280s in the 11-12K price range, you should also consider the C43. There are nice examples to be found around 12K.

For example: 99 C43 with 70K miles for 12K http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999-...em170181908770

This guy is a poster here - car is very well taken care of.

 

Stick with 1999-2000 models. Take your time, persistance is key.

 

Good information in this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w202/221114-new-member-2000-c230k-vs-c280-sport.html

 

I had 1999 C280 and it was a great car...

 

I agree!

And also, the member that I was telling you that had the C43 for sale... AMGJared... he sold it for a cash offer of $10,500.

 

thanks for the very valuable feedback, guys!

well our passat had been giving us problems to the point where we're ready to add another benz to the family. there is a black c280 (MY 2000) for sale in CT, which is about 100 miles away. any c280 closer to us has at least 100K miles; this one in CT has 63K and would come w/ new tires/brakes, and "fluids" (which ones remain to be seen) according to the dealer. I would drive down and pay for a pre-purchase inspection at a local MB dealership as I'm not familiar with the area or any mechanics nearby. they want $11K but i woudl probably not pay more than $10,500 and that's only if they do me right by the Passat (they said they would definitely take it in trade, and I'm expecting them to give me about $2K or so under book trade-in as I know VW/Audi typically do not get book value at trade-in).

Thoughts?

 

Use the blue book website and it will give a number on how much the resale or trade-in value. Just remember these are just estimates.

 

unforunately the wife wants to stay away from german this time. i'm kinda pissed because vw soured her on european makes until her "next car" or so she says.. i don't blame her for not doing vw/audi right now, but she knows my e320 has been nothing but good times since i bought it. grr. oh well...we looked at a 2000 lexus es300 tonight makes me sad just THINKING about owning a FWD car again lol

 

I bought a 99 C280 about 3 months ago with 90k miles, pretty good service history since 50k, and fastidious local owner who I could talk with and get comfortable that he pampered his car.

I paid under $9k for it and think that it's probably closer to an $8k car today. I wouldn't spend $11-12k for one of these, as there are better options.

I agree with the other poster - had I been more patient and studied the market harder, I would have waited for a C43. I drove one of those in 1999 and to this day, it's one of the best test drives I ever went on (and I've owned 4 Porsches and a 500E).

 

it's a sad, sad day guys. even though i know i could have had a benz c280 w/100K miles or so, i was a bit nervous about not having the service history behind the car - no idea if the tranny fluid was done, though my mechanic would have looked it over and given me the okay.

the wife wanted something japanese. ugh. that broke my heart but she is driving it every day, not me. she wanted to at least try a Nissan I30 (oops...Infiniti I30....) and a 2000 Toyota Camry (oops...I mean Lexus ES300). We ended up w/ the Lexus. I haven't driven an IS or a GS, but the ES drives 'okay'...can tell it's a front-driver, the dash is definitely cheap and comes right out of the Camry, and the leather isn't anything great, but as long as it's safe and she's happy in it, it's going to have to do for now. And yes, I'm complaining about now owning a Mercedes E320 and a Lexus ES300 instead of two Mercedes

i kind of pushed her into a VW Passat GLX loaded-up wagon last year and it was too far away for me to take it to my regular mechanic, who told me recently that he would have told me at the time to stay away, so we had two cars requiring premium fuel and which had all wheel drive. I didn't mind it and I think the premium vs. 87 octane fuel debate is ridiculous; if a car requires it, use it; the difference per year isn't much unless you're driving 25K miles per year. Anyway, my E320 has been nothing but good times, but the VW had to go, too many times in the shop and she uses the car at work. Looking back I would have gone Audi or at least considered the C280 back then. I made a list-ditch effort to get her into a 2001 325i the other day, but the guy didn't want any part of the VW< said he had too many on his lot. The Lexus guys offered me way more for the VW than anyone else did.

Even though I respect Toyota/Lexus as a brand, and I'm fine that the wife is driving a Lexus right now, the process of searching and looking at both Japanese and German lux cars side by side tells me that I'm never going back to Japanese, at least for my car. I may drift over to Italian when Alfa Romeo comes back but ya know...that's a pipe dream for now, at least until 2009

Thanks for your input guys, was really looking forward to the C280. It'll be a while before we buy another car so it looks like I missed the boat this time..maybe the next car she owns will be a used 2008 or -9 C350!

 

Look on Craigslist in the Los Angeles area.. I bought a C280 w/77,000 Mi for $5800..all it needed was a MAS and a Coil Pack on #2.. I bought my 18 yr old Daughter a 2001 C230K for $6300 w/ 63,000 mi.

MBZ are like Chevys on the West (Left) Coast.. once they are 6= yrs old they get Cheap.. Great for someone who wants an inexpensive tuner.

 

if i wasn't in boston i'd be all over it!

 

Carrier shipping to East Coast is under 1k