Hello Everyone. First post. Yes, I plan to read every post about the C230, but I'm limited on time. Therefore, I need your help. I am currently looking at a silver 2005 C230 Sport Sedan with 30,000 miles. To be honest, I've never really considered a Mercedes, UNTIL I saw this car. Boy, is it sharp. Options are leather interior, Automatic, glass sunroof, auto dimming mirrors, rain sensing wipers, rear window sunshade, and garage door opener. The car is original owner and in very good to excellent shape.

So here's my questions:

1.) What is a REALLY good price to pay for this car? In other words, slightly more than a dealer would give on trade. I'm a very 'frugal' guy, and would not have a problem waiting for the right deal.

2.) A summary of pro's/con's of this car. Here's my list so far:

Pro's:

- FANTASTIC looking car. Very elegant yet aggressive looking...
- Depreciation should be slow, if I get a good deal. Good resale value.
- Pretty good MPG
- Have not test drove yet, but from the reviews I've read very fun to drive. No need for big HP with this car, as I've got another toy for that. More concerned with nice balanced handling and road feel. And from the reviews I've seen this car is very good in that area.

Con's or Concerns:

- Reliability? I've heard mixed reviews. What's the real story?

- Original war. will expire soon, how much for factory extended? Can I still purchase one? If so, are they worth the money and do they cover most repairs?

- Cost of ownership? Does the dealer hammer you for everything? I can do the basics (brakes, tuneups, fluid changes, etc...), but electric problems and major faults would be a dealer repair.

- I read one review of someone complaining about 'car eating tires'. 17' low profiles can be expensive, but if they last 30K no big deal. This guy only got 15K, which seemed odd. What is the norm?

- This will be a year round car, and we see some snow in the winter. How is this car in snow/rain? I assume snow tires are a must. When used, how is the car?

Thanks in advance. Like I said, I plan to read all the threads to get educated, but am limited on time. I might need to pull the trigger real soon....

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

somewhere in the low 20's is a good price.

 

Trade-in value on this car is $24,575 (given that it has the AMG sport package, which i think all of the '05 c230 ss do have). dealers often get the cars in a few grand below trade. So, if you give them a hard enough time, you should have no problem getting it for $25k

 

I bought my 2004.5 two months ago with 30k miles on it for $19k out the door, pristine condition. Bose, rear sunscreen, leather, auto, rain sensing wipers, etc etc.

 

Go for it! You'll love it.

 

- 2005+ cars are a lit more reliable than earlier years.

- may want to look for a CPO car to get an extended warranty

- varies from dealership to dealership. maintenance is relatively easy. see stickies

- more depends on the tires and driving style. Z-rated tires will wear quicky on any type of car. If you get a less grippy, longer lasting tire, 30k shouldn't be a problem

- should be acceptable to drive with snow tires.

 

Thanks for all the help so far.... $20K is the number I'm shooting for, as I found out the guy was offered a bit less on a trade. We'll see. I still have to drive the car.

As for an extended warranty, doesn't MB offer one for purchase on cars 'BEFORE' the 4 year/50,000 standard warranty expires?

 

I have this car in the same color. I run all season tires and I get about 32-35K out of the tires. The dealership is very expensive, but since you can do alot of the basic stuff it should be pretty inexpensive to maintain. Just pray you do not have to take it in because you will pay alot. I have had 2 minor electrical issues which I could have lived with but all covered under warranty. I am sure the price would have been around $2K to repair. You can purchase an extended warranty any where you want, but they seem IMO to be to expensive to consider purchasing. I also get about 28 mpg in mostly highway driving. The depreciation on these cars is only a little better than American brands so it is a little on the high side. I am pretty sure trade in on this car is between $19-17K. If you got a price under $19K I would think that is very good. I enjoy the car alot and think you would too.

 

Just wanted to add a little more about the reliability. It is definitely a less reliable car than import models, but it is also a more complicated car. If you have more systems there will be more problems. It is hard to compare this car to imports because it is a totally different car from them. If you can not live with minor issues here and there then do not get this car.

Also the leather is probably MB tex which is leather match. The perforated seat material is real leather. The rest is fake, but it is of good quality and holds up well.