roopebmw

Hi
I will get my first car now in a few months, when i get my driving license , but i can't really deside witch car to buy.
I have been thinking of a mercedes c280 sport from 99-->, but is it a good car? Does it have enough power, for some "real driving"? How is the quality? Is it faster than a volkswagen Vr6?
I have also been thinking of bmw 328 and mazda6 2,3 sport , so wich car do you think i should buy?
Does anyone have a c280 here that could tell me how the car is?

Rincewind

if u want something sporty get the bimmer 328i.

if u want luxory and comfort, get the benz

i wouldnt get a vw, they are constructed in mexico
(at least the ones that are shipped to the US are).

Jano

I would go for the Benz, simply because you get elegance and luxury with understated performance. I have a C240, which shares the essential engine of a C280, although with a smaller displacement of 2.4 liters.

You can be sure that you will be very satisfied with Mercedes. The quality, value, and overall satisfaction you'll get in years to come will be yours to have. Remember that Mercedes is a sporty like limousine which really is a great combination. Wherever you go and whoever hears that you have a Mercedes, will stop and realize that you are a owner of a respected car manufacture with a great history and heritage.

I had the choice of getting a 323i BMW (E46, current 3 series) but I chose the C-class (W202) for it's proven durability and safety. I have no regrets about not getting the current C-class (w203) or BMW 3 series.

You will most certainly have enough horse power as this will be your first car. I can tell you from first hand experience that I regularly enjoy driving my car over a 100mph everyday and taking the turns like a bee-em-duba-yu. :p

tpliquid

i owuld get sumtin instead of benz ..unless u are willing to spend $$$ on a AMG car..

performance go buy a 350Z... dats a good performer car. dont buy a C280 it cant hang with anything. xcept maybe some ricers.

Rincewind

ya what tp said...

before i bought my w202, i test drove an audi a4, bmw 328i, and a mercedes c230/c280.

the bimmer felt faster and more agile then the a4 and c230/c280.

the a4 however handled turns better and the driving feel felt
different (it was a quattro awd model). oh and the interior of the a4 was the best out of the other 2.

the benz out of the other 2 felt the most comfortable interms of ride quality and i liked the look of it out of the other 2 cars. it was the most quiet too, interms of engine noise. however out of the other 2, it felt the heaviest and cumbersome, body roll, etc.

those were my first hand experiences but your best bet is to test drive the cars your about to buy and make your own judgement.

i ultimately went with the benz, cause i wanted a economically fuel efficient, luxory, comfortable, safe 4-door sedan.

i figured even tho the audi and bimmer felt more sporty and fast, i always planned on having 2 cars to drive. 1 luxory/economical/comfort car and 1 sport/fast/convertible

i plan to hang on to my benz for a long time, i love its classic design/shape and the whole rep behind the name. in the mean time however, i plan to save up for that sporty car i wanted as a secondary vehicle... prolly gonna be an m3 or z06 vette or maybe slk32 amg if the new 04 isnt butt-ugly.

as a first car i'd take into consideration the cost of inssurance too as well as the practicality of it all. i mean figure the cost of what your making to what you want and all that s**t... good luck on what you decide.

roopebmw

Thanks for your advice. Amg car would be very nice, but I'm not the one that is going to pay for the it, it's my parents.
I have driven the mazda6 and I must say that it was very nice!
The beemer ,ididn't like so much because the quality was very bad , but I haven't driven the c280 sport yet so i can't say anything about it.
If I'll buy a mercedes then I will go and fetch it from GErmany, and on the same tripp I'll be able to test it on Autobahn.
What is the topspeed for it, and acceration for c280????

alhang

The C280 is a good all round, rear wheel drive sedan. if was 10 years younger i'd probably choose a 3 series instead. Since you are in europe you'll probably have a few extra choices in sports cars than we do. personally i have always had a fondness for audi handling, although they're engines tend to be rather meager when coupled to quattro. I learned to drive in a Audi 5000 CS turbo Quattro, with probably the worst power steering system ever designed and a bit of a long winded name... but an extremely safe car. I'd get an Audi if your interested in a platform that's fairly cheap to modify. Anyway, good luck with your purchase.

Rincewind

all depends on how you want to roll imho~

Jano

C280 top speed should be about 230 km/h or more, but I wouldn't be more optimistic than 240 km/h. The horse power will be rated at 193 and your acceleration to 100 km/h or 62 mph will be about 8 seconds officially from Mercedes Benz (but actually more like 7.5 seconds). The top speed and acceleration are my estimates based on the infomation of my C240.

My C240 has a stated top speed of 214 km/h. The horse power of my car is rated at 170 with an acceleration to 100 km/h or 62 mph at 9.1 seconds.

But I have to tell you that the acceleration times are very conservative from Mercedes Benz. Meaning the actual car may accelerate faster than the stated times. I can swear to you that my car feels like 8 seconds or 8.5 by how hard I drive my car. I am a very aggressive, but safe driver.

I should also let you know that with my stiffened and lowered suspension, I get better acceleration times and a higher top speed of nearly 220 km/h!

Happy driving on the Autobahn... :p

x15jq

When did the W202 have the 2,4 L engine used in teh new c class? Was it for the last year before the change to teh W203?

I always thought there was only a C220, a C230/Kompressor and the C280 2.8 V6?

I had no idea there was a 2.4 avialable...

On the W203 forum, the 2.4 L gets bashed alot because everyone says the W203 C230 K aka 1.8 L engine is faster by far, buit i like the way the V6 feels and sounds..

Thats cool there was a 2.4 in the W202 tho, I had no idea they implemented that engine for the last year?

Jano

I suppose it was the last year that the W202 was in production that the 2.4 liter was available, although I am not definite...

Benz Structure

Though I love Mercedes, I say test drive the Infiniti G35 coupe... See if you like it. My brother's girlfriend just bought it. SUCHA QUICK CAR! I love that car. The Nissan 350Z is nice but if you're looking for a nicer interior I say go with the Infiniti G35 Coupe. FULLY LOADED with every option is the way to go! Good luck on choosing a car!

scorchie

There was no MY2000 C240 for the US market. If he lives in San Diego, it's possible that he got a Mexican-market car.

-s-

x15jq

Wow cool!

I wonder how the resale will be since there isnt many of em in the us..

Good luck with it, I wonder if it is the same performacne specs as the w203, i kno they now use a 2.6 L labeled as 240, go figure. Same with the 230 kompressor, its nowa 1.8

Jano

Unfortunately the C240, W202 does not have the same engine displacement or horse power as the C240, W203. The C240, W202 simply is 2.4 liters rated at 170 horse power. I am sure though that the resale value would be similar but less to a C280 since both cars share a V-6 engine.

Another nice aspect of my C-class just to share with you is that it has the plus or minus, five speed gear, which is great! Just like the current S, E, and C classes automatic gear box.

C280Sportster

A W202 C240...Hmmm ?

Supercharge that baby !!!

DougandhisC280

If you want elegance and performance handling, get the Benz, throw some Eibachs and some 18's on there and be on your way. I can outhandle my friend's M3 any day!

Saprissa

please bring your W202 C240 to the San Diego MB/AMG meet on July 9th !!!
it's at the Encinitas Coaster/Amtrak Station (off the 5 freeway, corner of Encinitas Blvd & Vulcan Rd.)



Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

Jano

Sorry that I can't make the event Sapprissa, but you'd know I'd be there if I could...

For all you who can make it,... may the event be a success and unforgettably GREAT!!!



Update on my car: nearly 120,000 kilometers with only a small oil leak and new automatic transmission fluid 3,000 kilometers ago.

boschk

Is it a good car? I guess that depends upon what is important to you. You need to tell us what is important to you if you want good feedback.

Does it have enough power for "real driving"? Again, what does real driving me? Drag racing? Autobahning? Autocross? Touring?

Quality? To each his own, but my 99 C280 Sport has been excellent.

Is it faster than a Volkswagen VR6? VR6 Passat? VR6 Golf? Faster 0-60? 0-100? 50-80? Define faster.

Personally, I don't think anyone can tell you what car you should seriously consider because you've not provided any good info or criteria to go off of.

boschk

Have you considered that you may be a better driver than your friend, regardless of the car? While the C280 isn't a poor handling car, neither is the M3 by any stretch of the imagination. However, given two drivers of equal skill and having owned both cars, the M3 still has the handling edge, even with springs and tires.

davis449

I'm getting my sister's 99 280 Sport and I've driven it before. I must say that even after putting wider rubber and stiffer shocks on my 95, my sister's car still feels like it handles better. I really like the 280 Sport, but I would say go with a 328i Bimmer. No VW.

95280

hey Guys

Just got my 95 C280 three days ago. I still have some bugs to sort out but for the most part she is a awesome machine. i have noticed that a lot of you are talking about the W202 being a V configuration. Now i don't know if it is just because i am in South Africa or if it is because of markets but the V6 config was not introduced to the SA market till the 203 series. All 280 202's where inline 6's.
I do have to say that coming from a 1.4 liter Ford background, she does give you a bit of whip lash on fast acceleration, She does do the 0-100 Kph run in about 8.0 seconds but i still need to service the Transmission and the Air cleaner needs replacement. I am thinking of getting a performance filter for her as it safes a few pennies in the long run with services and economy. I will update on the 0 - 100 times when i am done with the services. but for now, i need to go find another 325i to play with that was fun!

Kropf

As far as for the US anyway, the W202's V-6 was introduced in 1998.

http://www.mbusa.com/overview/1997/C...AccClassCode=C
http://www.mbusa.com/overview/1998/C...AccClassCode=C
http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicl.../solo9819.html

RevoWution

Are W202 C240's rare in the US or something? Cuz there's heaps of them down here in New Zealand haha. Both my brother and I have a W202 C240 haha. His one is the 1998 model, whereas mine is the 2000 model with the TouchShift gearbox. Both have 2.4L V6 engines.

The W202 C200 Kompressor is probably the rarest W202 we have down here. I've yet to see one on the streets (only seen one for sale). Other than that, we have W202 C180's, C200's, C220's, C240's, and C280's.