phrenzy

Hi there.

Well, I'm a potential newbie W202er. I drove a '97 C230 tonight and liked it a lot but it was a bit out of my price range. I have found a lot nearby with the exact car I want for what seems like a really low price.

Right now, I am torn between a BMW 95 325i convertible and the W202. grrr...

Anyway, in terms of this C280. Any particular list of demands I should make before signing?

First thing I plan to ask for is proof of the head gasket update. If that hasn't been done, I will cut $1000 off right there or walk.

Is it correct that by 1996 the harness problem was no longer an issue?

I really hope this car checks out because I would really love to own one.

Thanks for any help!

vas2vas

$8500 is the bottom end retail price for the car with this mileage(NADA)... of course prices depend on location, but I don't see them knocking off another grand from the price as this is pretty much priced to sell.... see if they can offer a warranty or you might wanna get an aftermarket warranty on it...
personally I'd take the convertible (as long as it comes with a hardtop)...

Adobe

I'd ask to see the service records and have them give me a CarFax on the car. The service records should show what's been done to the car and the CarFax will show you the history of the car (how many owners, accidents, private owner, lease, program car (rental), etc.)

Look for things that would indicate that the car has been poorly maintained like a Walmart battery or a Fram filter, cheap tires, etc. It'll tell you a lot about the previous owner(s).

pointman

i dont think that car is worth that much...where are you located? location makes a big difference, but i think you could get a better price for an 96 with 120k.

phrenzy

I'm in the Bay Area in california.

It's pretty much the lowest price I've seen for this car.

Where is the battery on these cars again?

GDawgC220

the battery is located in the trunk, on the right side under the mat.

Yeah, I would definately look for the headgasket problem and see if it's been replaced. I believe in 96+, the wire harness was corrected with better materials for the harness. Look for the service manuals and see if they've been done. Not a bad price, that's what I've been seeing around the NE area as well.

Britrover

Phrenzy - : I owned a BMW 325I and now own a 95 C-220 as a summer car. I think the answer lies in what kind of a ride you like. The Mercedes will drive a lot different than the BMW it is a lot less sporty but is built like a tractor (very reliable).


I have put on around 90K miles on my Mercedes and find it to be the most reliable car. The transmission is a little jerky on lower gears but overall a great car.

I hope this helps.

fast mayte

ok this is the thing that i kinda left a 325 for last summer.
325i convertable - to me, looks girly/gay with top down and out of date styling
c-class - still looks great and neutral between a girl/guy car.

c-class - boring driver and nausiating. did i say wable wable?
325i - smooth, fun, ultimate driving machine for a reason.

benzito looks great but suks to drive.
bmw looks o-k but excellent to drive.

oh and over 8 for a c280 with over 100k miles? rip off. remember, it is a 8 year old german car with half it's avg life gone.

i'd go for 7-75max.

GDawgC220

I dunno...I find the w202 fun to drive. I mean, it's a great daily for me, 'nuff power for my commutes.

What do you mean "avg life gone"? Mine's at 10 yrs old with 139k and it feel like theres a lot more life to it...

fast mayte

oh sorri, i ment half it's avg life is gone. 200k will need some good maintainance,

as fun driving, just compared to a bmw, it feels like a big car even thought it's not. maybe cuz of the slow steering response or soft suspension. but it's still not as fun as driving any bmw. i just drove a 89 750il. it was slow. raced it with my car and hung till 40, okok i cheated, he was in second gearrrrr..... but that IMO was more fun to drive/throw around the corners than my c220. hummmm

GDawgC220

that is true. I mean, BMW is more of a "sporty" ride than MB's were meant for. But overall, it's a decent car and can handle most things you throw at it, IMO.

But yeah, it's a soft suspension (MB is usually about ride comfort levels). I was driving the Audi today, which I haven't driven in a while. Our A6 has a tight suspension, so taking turns at 30 was fun for me, hehe. Very little body roll when taking tight turns in that thing...I think it was setup to be a "sporty" wagon IMO.

phrenzy

Yeah, this is why I am so torn. The whole 'sporty' versus 'soft' thing.

You may laugh, but part of what has spoiled me is owning a Lincoln 95 Mark VIII LSC. I had 210,000 miles on the engine and it runs as strong as new and will easily smoke the tires (4.6 Litre V8) ..

The Lincoln has been bullet proof for me and has (IMO) a perfect balance of softness and agility. It's right between a BM and an MB.

That said, since my lincoln has been totalled (it still runs , but will cost at least $3000 to fix right which is more than the car is worth) - I am forced to make a new purchase.

Thing is I want to get something nice, but something that won't be worthless in 5 years (as the Lincoln ended up being)

BMW and Mercedes are the only options I can see. Lexus is very nice and reliable, but I *hate* the 'boat' feel of the ES400 and the ES300 I like, but is too camry like. I still haven't driven an GS but I hate the way those look.

The mercedes seems to have a nice luxury feel to it, looks bad-*** and holds its resale value.

This is important because if I move, lose my job or get into financial trouble I want to be able to liquidate whatever car I have without losing every penny I put in to it.

The one thing I don't like about either the BMW or the Merc (only driven a C220 so far) is the engines were surprisingly noisy and compared to the Lincoln the power is, well, pathetic.

I figured the Merc should be at LEAST as quiet as the Lexus ES300 but it isn't at all. And it feels like it has to struggle to move the car.

That said, the mercedes feels like it will last forever - I am surprised to hear people say 200k is half the mercedes life! Lexus routinely gets 300k or more! I would expect, if well maintained, half a million from a mercedes engine. Is that not in the realm of possibility?

Oh, and a few new things I learned about this C280 for $8500 - it apparently comes with a warranty of some kind, and it is also a 'sport' version - Not sure what that means.

It has several chips and door dings so it would need to be touched up, but the interior appeared to be in perfect shape. I still have yet to actually drive it though, so I'm waiting for that.

I appreciate all the advice you guys, I really hope this car works out! Thanks! keep it coming!

GDawgC220

the w202 is rock solid...if you take care of it, it'll last. But, that being said, things do wear out because of age and with MB or BMW, it'll be costly to repair parts (averages out to be about $500/repair or so). Parts do wear out from age and just that both would be expensive to repair.

As for the "sport" package, it includes the two-toned seats, steering wheel, white gauged background in the speedo, sport tuned suspension (just tighter version of regular suspension, mainly springs i think) so ride isn't as supple or smooth as a regular c280 or c220.

The 220 will be a lil under powered while getting it to go (though, i've had no complaints about it so far, adequate enough for me) on highways, it'll pick up quickly, as do most German cars. They're made for high speed crusing, so while your at 60+, pick up is fast, even for the 4-banger.

phrenzy

So, I got some more info.

Like I said, it is a 'sport' model. At least that is what is says. It def. has the carbon fiber trim and monochrome body, AMG wheels - BUT - I didn't notice any 'two tone' seats. Does that mean it's fake?

Also there are a few dings around the car too... so it isn't "perfect"

They are offering (for about $600) a 5 year / 100,000 warranty on the car. Getting that would probably make me feel A LOT better. If I got the car with a warranty, could I have the head gasket replaced (if it hasn't been already) under the warranty even if it isn't currently leaking oil?

Also, they aren't sure if they have "all" of the service records, but I would guess I can get some info from mercedes regarding this.

So, if I were able to get them down to $8500 INCLUDING the 5yr/100k warranty would that be an OK deal?

Thanks!

benzdude280

The warranty will cover any and all oil leaks. I would feel good about paying that much with a 5 year warranty.
BTW.....The sport model does not always come with the two-toned seats.

Cheers

phrenzy

Well, slight correction (again) - Warranty is 3 years and has a $100 deductible.

Basically, my plan is to go in tell him I am willing to take it right away for $7500 - let him negotiate possibly up back to $8000 and then get the warranty ($500)

Then I will go nuts with pre-emptive repairs and basically 'restore' the car this way.

I have another car, so I don't mind having this car in the shop for a bit while I clean it up.

OOohhh, so close. I can't wait to have my german tank!

I think I may get a license plate that says "PANZER"

benzdude280

LOL,

PANZER.....hmmmm has a certain ring to it.

That's exactly what I did with mine when I bought it. I didn't have it more then a week when I took it in. Except, mine didn't have a deductible. So everything was FREE!!! New head gasket, new transmission, new oil pan gasket, and countless other things that added up to what I paid for the car. I stuck it to the stealership and now my car is like brand new. My mechanic can't find a single leak on my car in the time being. Knock on wood........

Cheers and good luck

phrenzy

LOL - exactly! I figure - I will basically make them 'restore' the car to new - at least mechanically and electrically. Why not?

I can handle the little dings on the body - no problem.

I did this with my lincoln - diligently fixed every TINY thing that came up - and the thing is at 200k + miles and runs PERFECT still - if it wasn't for the body damage I think that thing could easily make it to 400k !

So, bring on the Merc - with a warranty in hand nothing scares me!