I've been on a couple of other forums on this site but I'm new to this one. After a minor financial set-back, I can no longer afford to buy a W203 but I first fell in love with Mercedes the moment I saw what I now know is a W202. So I see this set-back as an opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream. I'm interested in buying a MY 2000 C280 or maybe a MY 2000 C230k if I can be convinced it will make me happier. But I need to know which of these cars has the following equipment items as I wouldn't like my car without them:

- ESP system (not just traction control)
- automatic climate control (set it and forget it), single or dual zone is fine
- auto dimming review mirror
- both front seats are power opperated
- auto up/down side windows
- which engine would be easier to increase power with a simple chip or upgraded muffler (I like the Remus sound)
- which one has the smoothest power delivery/linear acceleration
- comes with a trip computer (provided info like avg mpg, etc.)

I can do minor repairs myself as long as they aren't too involved. For the bigger stuff I will be taking the car to a trusted Indy shop.
Thanks to all for any helpful input. I will check this regularly so if you have any questions for me or you feel I was unclear or vague about something, leave me a post. I should respond soon after.

 

I own a 2000 C280 Sport and mine has all of the above options except for the mpg computer and it has a single zone auto climate control. As far as upgrades, I know a chip is available for my engine but the car has more than enough power for everyday driving. Best car I've owned!

 

Is your engine chain or belt driven? And how well does your car handle in slippery conditions? I live in the Rocky Mountains and the winters are tough.

 

No idea but check out this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M112_engine

The engine is the M112 E28

As far as handling in the winter weather I run dedicated winter tires and it's fine.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply Capt. Are your winter tires studded or non-studded? And how quiet would you say your car is on the highway? I know I could easily find out by test driving one myself but there isn't a lot of these for sale where I live. I know boxier designs usually generate more wind noise but would you say that is the case for the W202? What noise do your hear? I've driven my brother's W203 @ 85mpg before and was impressed at how quiet it was. I also like how you can give the key a quick twist to the start position (position 3?) and release and the engine with keep cranking until it's on. You don't have to hold the key until this happens. Does the W202 have this as well?

 

I drive a 2000 C230 Kompressor Sport and I have these options:

YES - ESP system (not just traction control)
YES (Dual Zone) - automatic climate control (set it and forget it), single or dual zone is fine
YES - auto dimming review mirror
YES - both front seats are power opperated
YES - auto up/down side windows
N/A - which engine would be easier to increase power with a simple chip or upgraded muffler (I like the Remus sound)
N/A - which one has the smoothest power delivery/linear acceleration
NO - comes with a trip computer (provided info like avg mpg, etc.)

I've been driving my car for 5 months now with no problems. I just had all the fluids flushed right after I got her. My car has the best of both worlds: POWER = Accelerates fast especially when the Kompressor kicks in + ECONOMY = Good on gas.

The C230 Kompressor is a 4-Cylinder, 2.3 16V K M111.947 Engine with 192 hp. See more of the specs here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W202#W202

My car starts right up after you quick twist the key to the start position (position 3) and I don't need to press the accelerator pedal when starting it.

 

Jovsky, how would you describe the ride and handling of your C230? If you have experienced both the sport and non-sport versions, what are the noticable differences in ride quality between the two? And do the sport models have a more aggressive throttle response?

 

My C230k Sport's ride is a little stiff since it has a factory sport suspension compared to the Elegance version where you are like floating on the water. My car's more rugged in handling and you are right, it has a more aggressive throttle response. Plus, the "tiptronic" transmission, which came out in 2000, is really awesome. I like shifting it in auto/manual mode.

Check this link for more info on C230 / C280 comparison: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-purchase.html

 

Yeh I like that shift feature too. Best application of a manual mode in an automatic shift gate IMHO. I've read threads about the acceleration of the C280 an C230K and I know they're pretty close. But i don't drag race from every stop so in a real world application how does your car perform when passing on the highway? My commute is mostly highway and I often have to pass slower cars. Is the torque of your engine adequate or does it require higher rpms to access hp in order to pass swiftly? In other words, does passing require a shift into a lower gear? And do you know if the auto tranny was an adaptive unit in 2000 MY cars?

PS - thanks for the thread link, it answered some other questions.

 

I don't drag race too! I use my C230k as my daily driver and the torque is more than adequate to pass slower cars. I do not need to down shift to be able to pass slower cars. When I am cruising on the freeway say 50-60 mph and I want to overtake a slower car, I just step on the gas pedal and I can feel the Kompressor kicking in at 3000 rpm and it gives me a boost to pass swiftly. But if I am really into Sport/Manual mode, when I downshift to 3rd, the car quickly responses and gives much power to boost.

I drive in the bumper-to-bumper traffic in L.A. side streets and I get around 15-17 mpg. Not bad comparing it to my wife's Dodge Caravan V6 of getting only 11 mpg in the same bumper-to-bumper traffic. In the freeways, I get 22-25 mpg with the C230k.

 

So I test drove a 1999 C280 and a 1999 C230K today and I was very impressed with both of them. Neither one was a sport model but the handling was still adequate. I really like how quiet they were at highway speeds and how supple the suspension was on rough roads. The C230K needed new motor mounts so there was some vibration at idle but I think the motor is a bit too buzzy for my tastes. And the power delivery was not as smooth as the V6 so I think I do prefer the C280. The owner of the C280 was the second owner and she had kept a thorough record of maintenance and repairs. She said it had been a great car during the five years she has owned it. I didn't get it because there were some areas of rust and the leather on the driver's seat was torn badly. I noticed a few things that I wanted to ask about.

First, there was no adjustment for the steering column...NONE! I couldn't even find a latch to release it. My 24 year old BMW has an adjustable steering column, why not an 11 year old Mercedes? Was this added in 2000?

Second, is the leather on the seats cheap and easily torn or wrinkled? I'd hate to have to pay to reupholster the whole interior.

Third, I noticed the W202 has only one wiper-arm. I understand how it operates but does it have a higher failure rate? I don't want to have it stop working in the middle of a blizzard. And can it be fitted with the bracket-less wiper design?

Lastly, both cars only had the ASR system which I understand is Mercedes' version of traction control. I want the ESP system with Yaw control. I can understand the C230K not having ESP being the...uhmm...more wallet friendly model but the C280 should have it as standard IMHO. Was the ESP part of a package or does it come standard on the 2000 MY?

If anyone can give me some answers I would really appreciate it. I really like the way the car drives. It would be a perfect replacement for my aging BMW 5-series.

 

I could not vouch about the features of an older W202 before 2000. All I can say is what my 2000 C230 has the following and I am not sure if it came standard on all 2000 & up W202 or just for the Sport models which I have:

YES - Adjustable Telescopic Steering Column
YES - Two-Tone Black/Gray Leather Seats (Front Power Seats too)
YES - ESP Control Switch which you can turn on/off at your discretion

I am not sure about the wiper being fitted with the bracket-less wiper design? I could not figure that one out.

You are right that the C230 being a 4-cylinder car has a buzzy engine compared to a C280 being a 6-cylinder car. The reason for this is that 4-cyl cars tend to have a higher rpms compared to 6-cyl cars when driving on a same speed.

 

Where is your steering column adjuster located? And what I meant by bracket-less wiper was the wiper blade that is just a strip of rubber. And do you know if the headlights are upgradable to xenons?

 

The latch is located just below the steering column. It has a steering wheel icon/logo on it. However the telescopic mechanism is manual such that you need to push/pull manually instead of the ones in W124s (my other 1990 300E) where they are electric/automatic though.

I haven't seen a bracket-less wiper blade before. The wiper arm has a U-shaped adaptor (like a hook) for the blade. If the bracket-less wiper would fit in the adaptor then you can use this so-called bracket-less wiper blades.

My headlights are factory Halogens (H1 & H7) and can be fitted with aftermarket HID kits without much modification (plug & play). If you really want Xenons then you can buy aftermarket headlight housings that have these Xenon lights fitted.

 

I hope I'm not being a pest asking all these questions but I really appreciate the feedback. Good to know the headlights are an easy switch. Another thing I read these cars can do that I wasn't able to accomplish was raising and lowering the windows with the remote. When you hold the lock/unlock button on the remote the windows raise or lower. Is this another feature not yet installed until 2000? And with regards to night time lighting:

- are the switches in the overhead consol illuminated?
- if the master light switch for the exterior lights has a setting for front fog lights, why can't I see the lights in the lower part of the bumper?

 

With regards to raising/lowering of windows & sunroof using the remote/door locks, these features are already present since the W124 days. However, with my 1990 300E since it did not come with remotes, you have to turn the door locks clockwise/counter-clockwise with the key and leave the key for a few seconds for the windows to open/close. In my C230k, my car would only close the windows using the remote. It does not open the windows. I haven't checked the manual and haven't read it thoroughly yet. I heard you need to synchronize the key remote control with the windows and the manual tells you how to go about it.

The switches in the front panel (ESP, hazard lights, A/C, stereo, door locks, anti-tow, & rear headrests) and the overhead consoles are illuminated once you turn on the park lights or headlights at night.

The foglights you are referring to under the bumper are only available in C36 & C43 AMG models only. I do not have those options. However, all W202's have built-in fog lights in the headlight housing. See lower pics for more info:

 

Does the steering wheel just telescope in and out or does it tilt up and down also?

 

Just in and out. No tilt up nor down. That is why it is called telescopic steering column as in a telescope.

 

Hey now, no need to be cheeky. I know what a telescoping steering wheel is. But if it doesn't tilt up and down, that is a concern because I could not find and ideal position behind the wheel when I drove the 1999 C class. That is also a safety concern because not having the wheel in the best position for the driver makes the airbag less effective in the event of an accident. That was another thing that concerned me...safety. I know the W202 has front airbags and side airbags for the front seats, but there are no curtain airbags which seem the most important in my opinion because they protect the heads of the passengers in the even of a side impact. Side impacts are particularly threatening because there is very little car between the passenger and the intruding vehicle. One's risk of death or serious injury is greatly increased in a side impact especially with a truck or SUV. Does the W140 S-class have curtain airbags?

 

Could not comment on this one since I don't own/drive a W140 S-Class. Sorry.

 

I think you may be better off looking in the direction of a W203. If you find that too small of a car perhaps even a W220. There are some good deals to be had on those. They both have more airbag options than the W202 models.

 

+1 I think since nathandimond is more concerned about the features, he should go and buy a W203 instead. W202's are an older car and those features do not exist yet (for example, like curtain airbags) at the time of W202 production.

 

Well Capt, I would love a W203. My brother has a 2001 C320 with approx. 125K on it and it runs great. He was lucky enough to buy it from the original owner who was very meticulous with the maintenance of it. I want a W203 after the face lift because I know MB fixed many of the problems they had with the W203 platform and I feel it is the perfect size of car that I'm looking for. But prices of these cars are a bit out of my price range. And the W220 is a dream car of mine. I'm 6'3" so I know I would be most comfortable in the S-class, but the ownership costs are way too much for me to handle. I would go broke just by replacing the tires. After I graduate in the spring, I plan on getting a second job which would allow me pay for either of these cars. The problems is that winter is coming quick and my old BMW is not going to be sufficient enough to handle it. The rear defrost doesn't work, the head lights are too dim, and I have no electronic aids to help with traction. I cringe at the reality that I will have to get something other than a Mercedes because of desperation. I've driven a lot of cars but none them even come close to the feeling I get when seeing that three pointed star on the hood while driving down the highway.

 

Wait a minute, I guess I should have checked this before posting my last response but there are 2000-2001 S430s on Autotrader going for under 10k. They all have over 100,000 miles but that is fair for a ten year old car. But the maintenance and ownership cost is still a concern. And these are the first cars of this platform so should I be worried about encountering the 'teething problems' of the early model years?

 

It's best to ask that question in the W220 section. There is lots of good info there.