Balaraform

I am thinking about purchasing a used 1996 C280, it has 90k miles on it and it is at a very reasonable price, however I have heard that MB are expensive to maintain. I really like the car and I want it but the thought of it costing more than its worth in repairs worries me. Any suggestions?

Balaraform

Thanks

tpliquid

heh. i spent abuot 800 fixing it. i got ripped. paid 700 for a MAS.

Matt H

Ouuch.. that's going to leave a mark...

DougandhisC280

Peachtree City GA? Finally, someone close to me. I'm not going to lie to you. It is expensive to maintain a Mercedes. Everytime something goes wrong with it I just want to sell it. But when it works, I wouldn't trade it for anything. You should also account for the cost of resale value. Yeah it may cost more to maintain, but you will be able to sell it for much more than you would expect. You can get an 84 Mercedes 190E for the price of 1 year old Kia. That should say something right there. If you have some common knowledge of working on cars this will also help. The dealers charge out the wazoo for labor so if you can do your own brake jobs and other common maintenance tasks it will save you some money. If you've looked around on this forum you will also see such websites like www.thebenzbin.com and www.bimmerzone.com . These websites are about 60% off from the dealer's price. We can usually help you walk through repairs on the W202. (W202 is the chassis name for the C class) I don't know anyone on this forum who doesn't do repairs on their own car. So how good of deal are you getting on this C280? Does it have all records of maintenance? Let us know. I found a great deal on another one in Florida if that one doesn't come through. I'll only let you know where it is only if your serious though because I'm thinking of getting it for myself.

Balaraform

If all goes well with my trade in i SHOULD be able to get the car for around 8500-9000. I asked on the Maintenance record so they are supposed to be looking for it, however I plan to take it in to a MB dealer and get the low down before I buy it. Is there anything I should look for that way 20,000 miles down the road I am not buying a new tran. or something else thats over $500?

Note: I also typed the wrong date in the above post its a 1997 C280, if that makes a big difference.

Thanks for the help everyone.

DougandhisC280

Not too many changes between 95 and 97. I would definately take it to a dealer to get it checked out for that price. Make sure she has done the 90,000 mile service because this costs almost $500 on its own. She should have stamps in her maintenance book if she has done the correct service. If she has no proof of maintenance do not buy the car. It will cost you much more trying to catch up what she didn't do. If she does have all records, you've struck gold.

DougandhisC280

For some reason I kept referring this dealer as "she." I'm not sure why I said that. Now why am I even posting this?

Public Enemy

Well, when I bought my 98 C230 I bought the used car warranty by Eagle which covers everything parts and labor execpt tune ups and regular car service. When my transmission goes out, they have to pay for EVERYTHING. This is great because now I am not worried about things breaking down. It costs $1000 dollars for the warranty, but since my car is being payed off monthly they gave me a monthly price of 27.33 per month for three years or 50,000 miles.

chriswhitsett

I would definately get some sort of warratny on it if that's possible, I got mine checked our by 3 different very reputable german mechanince around town and they all said it looked fine, just a minor oil leak, and a water pump which looked as though it may go out at some point. The water pump went out a week later, the oil leak turned out to be a bad head gasket, I have also had to replace the transmission among many many many other things. I have spent $10,000 inb repairsa so far. Mine is a 1994 with 92000 miles on it. Mine was ragged out I think. My mechanic said that the c classes around this time frame either are brick solid or have many problems like mine. It's a risk, but if you get a good one, you'll love it. I obviously love mine not to sell it even after all the trouble i have had.

Cyan

The w202 C280 has the ideal engine. It's 194hp thrusts the car through the highways like a rocket.

1998 and above C-class models include the Flexible Service System (FSS) which is basically a more efficient oil-usage technology. I drive from Peachtree City to Marietta every day and after 8,000 miles, my oil dip stick is right where it has been since I bought the car.

Check out Carriage House. They have a black, 1999, c280 with 30K available. Still under factory warranty.

Good luck.