How very... original...
sure, they can go 200k miles with just regular service, but the question is that are they going to fell apart after 100k or 5 years. In the reliability, most japanese cars are reliable during their 3 yr 36k miles warranty, after that GOOD LUCK. With german, sure they have minor problems during the warranty period, but in the long run, german car will prevail with less problems.
I wanted something distinctive. I live in a city of about 250K people. I MIGHT see one W203 per day. I see several BMW's. I see Accord's, Camry's, etc. everywhere I turn!
You have a grip on reality that 95% of C230 owners unfortunately do not have.
I'll be at the California Speedway this weekend, so you 160 m.p.h. Hatchback owners are free to suspend reality with impunity until Monday.
SoCal, I hope you survive your track event to come back and present some new facts about the lowly C230 Hatchback to us, its miserable owners... I, for one, feel totally abandoned to not see you around for the entire weekend...
I must admit that back in the early 90's, I would have bought an Accord. Today, however, I see the Accord (and most of the offerings from Honda and Toyota) as the "practical, everyman's car". That says "BORING!" or "just another car" to me
I wanted something distinctive. I live in a city of about 250K people. I MIGHT see one W203 per day. I see several BMW's. I see Accord's, Camry's, etc. everywhere I turn!
There is another that I have seen, but only a few times.
Of course there are some employees that won't even buy a Chrysler product after the merger fiasco.
I must admit that back in the early 90's, I would have bought an Accord. Today, however, I see the Accord (and most of the offerings from Honda and Toyota) as the "practical, everyman's car". That says "BORING!" or "just another car" to me
I wanted something distinctive. I live in a city of about 250K people. I MIGHT see one W203 per day. I see several BMW's. I see Accord's, Camry's, etc. everywhere I turn!
Almost got the Beemer but damn there's way too many of those on the road too.
sure, they can go 200k miles with just regular service, but the question is that are they going to fell apart after 100k or 5 years. In the reliability, most japanese cars are reliable during their 3 yr 36k miles warranty, after that GOOD LUCK. With german, sure they have minor problems during the warranty period, but in the long run, german car will prevail with less problems.
1992 Honda Civic SI MSRP $14k
178,000 miles, original engine-transaxle-clutch, timing belt/water pump @ 90k routine maint, new brakes @ 90k and 177k, front end bushings @ 170k, 3 exhaust systems (but I do live in MI and the replacement muffler was lifetime warranty), some sunroof issues under warranty and some other annoying little things.
Only thing that killed this car was a 1981 Toyota up it's rearend at a stoplight
Very happy with the car overall

2003 C230K MSRP $30k
880 miles, @ 22 miles trans failed as I drove off the dealers lot, now has a new trans and a vibration claimed as "normal". I would consider this a fluke if it weren't for this forum... but not "minor"

Only time will tell as for the rest of the story...hopefully the worst is behind me...but I have little confidence in the car mechanically now.
One of the reasons for buying the Benz was safety so hopefully it is worth the trade offs but I won't own this car 178,000 miles or 10 years...
too many things to go wrong that I don't have the diagnostic tools for and MB is way too proud of thier time to pay them for it :p
But Hey... it is different and it does look nice
Here is a tale of 2 new cars I have purchased in my time...
1992 Honda Civic SI MSRP $14k
178,000 miles, original engine-transaxle-clutch, timing belt/water pump @ 90k routine maint, new brakes @ 90k and 177k, front end bushings @ 170k, 3 exhaust systems (but I do live in MI and the replacement muffler was lifetime warranty), some sunroof issues under warranty and some other annoying little things.
Only thing that killed this car was a 1981 Toyota up it's rearend at a stoplight
Very happy with the car overall

2003 C230K MSRP $30k
880 miles, @ 22 miles trans failed as I drove off the dealers lot, now has a new trans and a vibration claimed as "normal". I would consider this a fluke if it weren't for this forum... but not "minor"

Only time will tell as for the rest of the story...hopefully the worst is behind me...but I have little confidence in the car mechanically now.
One of the reasons for buying the Benz was safety so hopefully it is worth the trade offs but I won't own this car 178,000 miles or 10 years...
too many things to go wrong that I don't have the diagnostic tools for and MB is way too proud of thier time to pay them for it :p
But Hey... it is different and it does look nice
what was the reason ur transmission failed?
For instance:
Ford Mustang- latest gen cars are very on target in terms of styling. Interior is embarrasing, and build quality dubious, but I think its a pretty good looking car.
Pontiac Grand Prix G-Force- hey, its slick...Pontiac finally ditches the cladding.
The Lincoln LS- its a real classy looking car, period. Too bad the performance doesn't back up the bad *** looks.
Chrysler 300M- its too big for my tastes, but I do think its a very stylish looking car.
The Caddillac CTS...sure, its controversial, but I like it...the only thing I don't like is the ugly, much to large caddy badging...up close all those wierd angles really gell, and it does grow on you. Tis selling like hotcakes, too!
PT Cruiser- nothing like it on the road. Not for me, but I love its distinctiveness.
Ford Thunderbird- retro done right. In the same class and the MINI and New Beetle in terms of capturing the essence of the original.
The Olds Aurora 4.0- what a shame this beauty will die with Olds...its clean, distinctive, and very futuristic looking...without being cheesy.
Chrysler Crossfire- American styling, German engineering...I like it.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Pontiac Grand Prix G-Force- hey, its slick...Pontiac finally ditches the cladding.
The Caddillac CTS...sure, its controversial, but I like it...the only thing I don't like is the ugly, much to large caddy badging...up close all those wierd angles really gell, and it does grow on you. Tis selling like hotcakes, too!
PT Cruiser- nothing like it on the road. Not for me, but I love its distinctiveness.
Ford Thunderbird- retro done right. In the same class and the MINI and New Beetle in terms of capturing the essence of the original.
The Olds Aurora 4.0- what a shame this beauty will die with Olds...its clean, distinctive, and very futuristic looking...without being cheesy.
Chrysler Crossfire- American styling, German engineering...I like it.
2. CTS is cool. performance is good too.
3. PT Cruiser: what a waste of money to develop this car.
4. T-bird: the styling is retro, which is good, but the performance and interior is horrible. How the heck did it become the car of the year again?
5. Mini and Beetle are british and german. don't know if their designer are American or not though.
6. I like the first Aurora much better than the current one. The Buick brand should be gone instead of Olds. Who the hell still buys Buick anyway?
7.Crossfire is great, simply great. But i'm not too found about it using the 3.2 liter V6 from MB though.
Last edited by FrankW; Nov 2, 2002 at 06:44 PM.
well, u said it. it's in your case...lol
No I did not say anything like that. Learn how to read.
Do a search, you will find many others with the same issues
(6 spd manual trans), no isolated incident here.
No I did not say anything like that. Learn how to read.
1st and 2nd gear syncros were junk. Dealer found mucho metal inside.
Do a search, you will find many others with the same issues
(6 spd manual trans), no isolated incident here.
so, like i said...it's in your case, your experiences with the both cars you mentioned.
no it doesnt come in until the 1st week of Jan. the wait is agony. i apologize about the misconcetion on your idea of the new CLK styling. i must have had the wrong impression. i agree with your thoughts on the the C's no quite complete headlight design. i wish the were a little more prominent like the E's and CL's. im not quite sure if i would agree that MB is in quite the same "identity crisis" as BMW. MB is changing their look, but not quite as drastically as BMW did with the 7 series. the SL is quite a change, but that par for the course as far as SL changes go. i wouldnt worry about Mr. Forbes and knowing the difference between a 45 degree angle and not. hes probably an acura owner too!
In MB's case, its a sudden awakening, hey weve got all this great heritage, and wonderful styling cues, impeccable engineering underneath....why shouldn't we start showing a little more skin? Look at the line up today, and compare it to a few years ago...sure, still nice looking cars, but now its "oh wow!" compared to nice, reserved, classy.... And if the new styling brings in some younger buyers along the way, all the better. I'm anxious to see what the next SLK looks like...
My only complaint with MB's current philosophy is the lack of more manuals. Sure, with the HP is some of the cars you don't need it, but I WANT it. That factor alone could mean the C230K is the last MB I'd own. Ive always had manuals, way back when I got my first car, a 1970 Opel GT 1900S. Great car. Broke down a lot, but it was old, and I was young
Very expressive car. I wish Opel still imported cars. The new Opel Speedster would be on my short list for sure!
1. maybe Grand Prix move all the cladding INSIDE the car...had a loaner the other day, the interior is horrible
2. CTS is cool. performance is good too.
3. PT Cruiser: what a waste of money to develop this car.
4. T-bird: the styling is retro, which is good, but the performance and interior is horrible. How the heck did it become the car of the year again?
5. Mini and Beetle are british and german. don't know if their designer are American or not though.
6. I like the first Aurora much better than the current one. The Buick brand should be gone instead of Olds. Who the hell still buys Buick anyway?
7.Crossfire is great, simply great. But i'm not too found about it using the 3.2 liter V6 from MB though.
2. Yeah, the CTS is neat. I like how it polarizes people...can spot stodgy folks instantly when you mention it
3. I like the PT...its unique. Its not something I'd buy, mainly because its built in mexico. From a flexibility standpoint the car is really usefull.
4. I mentioned the MINI and Beetle because they are good examples of how to do retro right...so is the T-bird styling. I agree that its performance isn't where it needs to be, and the interior is identical to the one in the Lincoln LS...not bad, but it should be something more in character with the T-bird.
5.Oh yeah, already covered that

6. I used to think the first gen was cooler until I got a ride in the second gen car....its styling is very sensual, and it drives better than the first car by miles. Either one I'd be happy to own. Yeah, who does like Buicks? Not me. Last buick that caught my attention was the GNX.
7.Why don't you like the V6?
The good:
Nice car, 16" wheels look a little small, comfy, nice aluminum trim, navigation system is optional ($2,800), nice leather seats, good leg room in the back seats, 6 airbags, 240 hp engine, individual coils per cyl, 24 valve, all aluminum engine block, heads and pistons, 6 sp. manual trans optional, dual zone a/c
The bad:
No a/c vents for rear passengers, head liner looks OK, head room in the rear a little small for tall passengers, FRONT WHEEL DRIVE, stron pull from right wheel on heavy acceleration, acceleration is not that great for 240 hp, a lot of plastic parts.
Overall, I'd buy this car regardless of FWD, make a few mods and have a nice car for $ 26k
The car i drove was top of the line Automatic transmission and CD player (no DVD nav. syst.) for $26,200.00, salesman said I could get a discount of about 500.00 if I pushed.
OK guys, yesterday I went and test drove the Honda Accord Coupe EX V6
The good:
Nice car, 16" wheels look a little small, comfy, nice aluminum trim, navigation system is optional ($2,800), nice leather seats, good leg room in the back seats, 6 airbags, 240 hp engine, individual coils per cyl, 24 valve, all aluminum engine block, heads and pistons, 6 sp. manual trans optional, dual zone a/c
The bad:
No a/c vents for rear passengers, head liner looks OK, head room in the rear a little small for tall passengers, FRONT WHEEL DRIVE, stron pull from right wheel on heavy acceleration, acceleration is not that great for 240 hp, a lot of plastic parts.
Overall, I'd buy this car regardless of FWD, make a few mods and have a nice car for $ 26k
The car i drove was top of the line Automatic transmission and CD player (no DVD nav. syst.) for $26,200.00, salesman said I could get a discount of about 500.00 if I pushed.
my cusion ordered the 2003 Accord coupe EX V6 6 speed with nav. so hopefully i will be able to drive it once he gets it.
thanks for the write up.
my cusion ordered the 2003 Accord coupe EX V6 6 speed with nav. so hopefully i will be able to drive it once he gets it.
7.Why don't you like the V6?
i.e. if i bought a SLK320, i would wonder why i have paid so much when i can get the Crossfire for the same engine and chassi at a much cheaper price. Chrysler should've use their own 3.5 V6 engine from the 300M IMO.
Here is a tale of 2 new cars I have purchased in my time...
1992 Honda Civic SI MSRP $14k
178,000 miles, original engine-transaxle-clutch, timing belt/water pump @ 90k routine maint, new brakes @ 90k and 177k, front end bushings @ 170k, 3 exhaust systems (but I do live in MI and the replacement muffler was lifetime warranty), some sunroof issues under warranty and some other annoying little things.
Only thing that killed this car was a 1981 Toyota up it's rearend at a stoplight
Very happy with the car overall

2003 C230K MSRP $30k
880 miles, @ 22 miles trans failed as I drove off the dealers lot, now has a new trans and a vibration claimed as "normal". I would consider this a fluke if it weren't for this forum... but not "minor"

Only time will tell as for the rest of the story...hopefully the worst is behind me...but I have little confidence in the car mechanically now.
One of the reasons for buying the Benz was safety so hopefully it is worth the trade offs but I won't own this car 178,000 miles or 10 years...
too many things to go wrong that I don't have the diagnostic tools for and MB is way too proud of thier time to pay them for it :p
But Hey... it is different and it does look nice
Last edited by CitronC230K_03; Nov 3, 2002 at 06:19 PM.
not that i don't like the v6, but that the crossfire is using the same engine as the rest of the MB 320 model that bothers me.
i.e. if i bought a SLK320, i would wonder why i have paid so much when i can get the Crossfire for the same engine and chassi at a much cheaper price. Chrysler should've use their own 3.5 V6 engine from the 300M IMO.
Isn't the current SLK history after this year anyway? One year on the same internals...then the SLK will be riding on something different, probably with a different motor too!
The cost of modifying the engine bay to accept the Chrysler motor is probably what decided the matter. Frankly I'd rather have the more powerfull chrysler unit(253HP) anyway.
Isn't the current SLK history after this year anyway? One year on the same internals...then the SLK will be riding on something different, probably with a different motor too!
Why did they kill the Olds when the Buick deserved to die?!?
What's with the new ad campaign...something about classic American design....what - the three vent holes they drilled into that ugly-a$$ fender?!? They just don't get it, do they?
RE: Hatchback = not a four-letter word, is it? Reason I wouldn't get the new Saab 9-3 is it no longer has a hatch. This is the only country where I've seen this discussion ever get off the ground.
I'm shure I could name a few Ferraris and Alfa Romeos with hatches if I did the research. And Aston Martin? I'm just too lazy to make sure but I could swear I saw hatches on some of those...
Oh yeah, and the old E-Type Jag 2+2. So come off it already, America!
Why did they kill the Olds when the Buick deserved to die?!?
What's with the new ad campaign...something about classic American design....what - the three vent holes they drilled into that ugly-a$$ fender?!? They just don't get it, do they?
RE: Hatchback = not a four-letter word, is it? Reason I wouldn't get the new Saab 9-3 is it no longer has a hatch. This is the only country where I've seen this discussion ever get off the ground.
I'm shure I could name a few Ferraris and Alfa Romeos with hatches if I did the research. And Aston Martin? I'm just too lazy to make sure but I could swear I saw hatches on some of those...
Oh yeah, and the old E-Type Jag 2+2. So come off it already, America!
So, is he paying around 30k???






