JennyLovesMBs

Hi,

I know this maybe has been a topic for a while now on and off, but I'm in the market for a Used Mercedes Benz and I found a dealer willing to sell me his loaded 1994 Mercedes Benz C280 for a reasonable price. I was just wondering:

1) Is this car reliable after 130k miles?

2) What are the average repair costs for the 1994 C280 sedan overall?

3) Are there a lot of problems for this model and year?

I've done my research and such on this car and I've been hearing on and off problems with the transmission and other minor stuff as well and is this car worth it?

I've also done my carfax/autocheck on the Mercedes Benz C280 which I am looking at and it shows nothing but a clear report. I know carfax/autocheck does not get all the info for the car but gives you a good idea of what a cars been through.

The dealer is asking $6000 for the car.

Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

scorchie

My comment on a 1994 model is that although the buy in may be cheap at $6K, repair costs will be relatively high... some of the more common expensive problems are the head gasket and engine wiring harness.

You may want to check the service history to see if either of these issues have been taken care of in the last few years, because by then, more reliable parts would have been available to prevent further problems.

Personally, I would recommend spending a little more and getting a newer model. The reliability was improved, because the 1994 was the first year of release of that model in the US.

Hope that helps.

-s-

JennyLovesMBs

Thanks

I'm also looking at a 1995 BMW 318ti which is about the same price at the dealership but with a lot less mileage then this Mercedes Benz. Would buying the 318ti be a better buy than buying the 1994 Mercedes Benz C280 with about 130kmiles? (The 1995 318ti has about 103kmiles on it). I've also heard less mechanical problems with the 318ti.

Benzmeister

I figure if I do all the factory maintenance recommended in the book the cost would be around $2000 a year, not counting any reapairs. However my car is Starmarked until 2005.

GDawgC220

There may be less mechanical problems with the BMW, but there are prolly more electrical problems. That's what BMW is known for...

DougandhisC280

Is MB World advertising in Victoria Secret? A week ago we never had any girls on this forum and now we have two.

Anyways, I have a 94 C280. The only reason I bought it is because the head gasket and wiring harness had already been replaced. If the one your looking at has 130,000 miles I would imagine that at least the head gasket has been done. If it hasn't, you're looking at another $1200 to get that done. The wiring harness is $700. As far as reliability goes, the car breaks in at around 250,000 miles so yes, it is extremely reliable mechanically.

I'll be honest with you, if you are looking for a luxury car that is affordable to own, get a Lexus. They are also very reliable but if something does break, the parts are interchangeable with Toyota parts so it's like owning a Mercedes at the price of a Camry.

As far as the price goes, I would be a little sketchy. I bought mine 2 years ago with 70,000 miles for just under 17 grand. It was in excellent condition and needed nothing. For yours to be almost $11,000 less I would be wondering what it needs. Is it a Mercedes dealer? Let us know what you find out.

oh yeah, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

JennyLovesMBs

Is there a way I could check if the head gasket problem was fixed if i brought a regular mechanic with me? Or do I have to bring a Mercedes Benz Mechanic with me? Is it possible if I could check it it on my own? Where I live I only have one Auto Repair shop who Specializes in Only Mercedes Benz cars, but I would assume the shop charges higher than usual since it's the only one in the neighborhood.

As for it being a Mercedes dealer, no it is not. I also checked the actual mileage it is about 142k miles.

By the way thanks for all the help guys, I'm clueless when it comes to cars

DougandhisC280

If it's made it to 142,000 miles you will either see one of two things when you look in the engine bay. Either oil is dripping all down the side and back of the engine or it's not. If it is dripping, you need the new head gasket. If it's not, it's probably already been replaced.

It will be extremely worth your while to get the entire car checked out by a Mercedes mechanic. It may cost $150 but may save you thousands. They are very different from other cars so most people don't even know what to look for. You might as well get to know this Mercedes repair shop your talking about because that is the only shop to take it to. Don't let a Chevy/Ford place work on it.

JennyLovesMBs

Quick Question:

At how much mileage does this Head Gasket Problem usually start affecting the car?

I also managed to get a picture of the Engine that I'll have my friend upload, I'm not sure how much it can show but it's better than me describing it.



Thanks a bunch

vas2vas

I love BMWs, but the 318ti is not the best example of BMW engineering......the benz is a better choise....plus it's a hell of a lot faster than the 318ti......

davis449

That engine bay is really clean for have 140K on it. It looks ok from the pic. The tranny problems are mostly associated with the electronically controled 5 speed that they started using in 97. Yours is vaccum controled. Mine was replaced at around 30K, but I think it was a freak occurance or the poeple who owned the car before me didn't have a clue. I agree that you should have the car FULLY checked out by a Mercedes dealer before you purchase.

JennyLovesMBs

I know this is a Mercedes Forum but how reliable would a 1992 Lexus ES300 with about 117k miles on it and a 1995 Mercedes Benz C280 with 75k miles on it be compared to the 1994 C280 with the 140k miles on it.

Would the:

1) 1992 ES300 be a better buy since it has less miles on it and the parts maybe "cheaper" compared to Mercedes Benz. It also costs $6000 (Not the same dealer as the 1994 C280 one i was previously talking about)

2) 1995 C280 be a better buy since it has less miles but costs about $2000 more because it is about $8000 (Not the same dealer as the 1994 one C280 one i was previously talking about)

Thanks

GDawgC220

My '94 C220 has about 128k miles now and the engine bay is almost like new...is it suppose to get really dirty or something?

mr_man12

I bought my '94 C220 this year and the engine compartment was fairly dirty ... mostly dust that I was able to clean up in a couple hours. But not NEARLY as dirty and rusty as other cars I have had. A big reason for this I think is that my benz (and I'm guessing a lot of other benz's) have a plastic cover on the bottom of the engine compartment that prevents dust/water from flying up into the engine compartment.

vas2vas

get the 95 c280, provided it checks out (odometer no accidents etc).......don't even think about lexus, it may have leather seats but it's still a Toyota at soul and just about at the point where things are gonna start to fail.....when we talk about problems in mercedes bmw's etc usually we mean squecks loss of peak power etc, for Lexus on the other hand we talk about being standed on the side of the road kind of troubles......plus M/B c class has some of the cheapest parts around, dealers make it expensive to fix them, and good luck finding lexus parts for a 92 car, those cars weren't built to last more than 7-8 years and so no sence for toyota to keep making spare parts for them........

JennyLovesMBs

the 95 C280 didnt check out, It had Odometer Rollbacks, and has been in a accident with a salvage record. That leaves me with 94 C280 with the 140k miles. I'll just do any necessary repairs on it if needed and go from there, Unless I find another Mercedes Benz that's a better deal.

DougandhisC280

About the Lexus thing, My girlfriend has a 92 ES300 that makes me think twice about my Mercedes. It runs smoother, much quieter and reliability is flawless. It has 174,000 miles on it. It still looks and runs like new and the only thing that has ever been replaced is the washer fluid bottle. Yes, it may be built by Toyata but it is pure Lexus. I am very impressed with it. It comes down to this, if you have the money to spend on repairs for a Mercedes, get it. If not, Lexus is a very good buy.

davis449

I don't know about that , man, Toyotas are not bad cars and their longevity is very good. Hell, the fact that Lexus is made by Toyota is all the more reason why I WOULD buy one. I've seen tons of older Lexus's on the road and most of them are ES 300 models. That V6 Toyota made is rock hard.

DougandhisC280

You must be an expert. Did it say 7 to 8 years on the bill of sale or was it the title because I can't find that information anywhere. My Lexus must be screwed up because it's made it 12 years. I'd better get it checked out. I just hope I can still find some parts for the car since there are only a few million of them on the road now.

Rincewind

i was considring getting a lexus gs awhile back b4 i bought my c230 but the price diff was wayy larger heh

thy dont look too bad

the sc or whatever looks neat too

DougandhisC280

Poor Jenny....we've kind of gotten off the subject.

JennyLovesMBs

lol It's ok, the feedback I recieved so far has been very informative and helpful. Thanks so far

Now my problem has shifted to PPI's, I talked to the dealer about PPI's and his exact words were "We do not do PPI's, however you are more then welcome to bring someone with you to our lot to inspect the vehicle with you". Since He "doesn't do" PPI's I was thinking of bringing a Mobile PPI with me, but my problem is whether or not I should inform him a Mobile PPI is going to be the "someone" that is more than welcome to accompany me to inspect the vehicle on their lot. Someone has already suggested that I just tell the used car dealership: "I'm bringing someone to Inspect the vehicle." and don't mention PPI at all.

vas2vas

everybody is entitled to their opinion.....making mine here......consider yourself lucky cause (a) my housemate had the same car, and his experience was nothing like yours.....
(b) I have a friend who's a professional mechanic for over 20 years.....
(c) the fact that there are so many of them around is good enough reason for me not to want one

DougandhisC280

Exactly. That's why I have the Benz and my girlfriend drives the Lexus. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything so I hope you took no offense to that.

Back to Jenny's thing: If they don't want you to get the car inspected off the lot I would walk away. More than likely they will let you do it if you act like you have 3 other Mercedes you're interested in elsewhere. If not, I would think he is hiding something. It may seem like you're getting a good deal now but if a couple of things are wrong with it you can easily add a couple thousand dollars to the pricetag. I'm not trying to make it seem like a cult or anything but there are a lot of people who can afford to by a Mercedes but can't afford to own one. If it's six thousand dollars I would budget another three thousand to be on the safe side. If something does go wrong, don't be bummed out about it because you still got a good deal to begin with.

vas2vas

I'd have to agree with DougandhisC280, this new situation sounds a little fishy....unless you can get the car out for a thorough professional ppi+road test etc, just don't buy it.....