Does the 03 C230 coupe have same problems as 02 such as 6spd manual transmission, electronics etc?

 

You will not get a reasonable answer here as:

1) postings here are testimonials
2) the information is unverifiable

If you like the car, get it, and buy a 160,000 km extended warranty if you want to minimise unpleasant, expensive surprises.

 

that's Dalai Lama and he'd probably say, "don't get a mercedes. get a donkey and feed it well..."*

i'd figure the newer model would be more reliable b/c little improvements have been made - like the redesigned roller shade and the anti-wind buffeting hump on the roof.

don't be worried... i say jump in!

*means... don't desire things. rather, take care of your needs.

ps i need an aston martin...

 

The only thing different about the 2003 C230 is the engine, and being the first year for an all-new engine, it's had it's share of minor mishaps, such as oil leaks that the 2002 didn't have.

 

Uh huh, but I was referring to his surrealistic brother, Dali.

 

Is the 03 faster. I got a loaner today and it seems much better. The trans auto seems very quick and firm shifting. My 02 is in the shop for being sluggish and shifting like total crap.

Just wondering if its normal from an 02 owner to think the 03 is alot better lol.

From what ive driven of the 03 today its been awesome. I dont know why my car sucks? Can anyone attest to an 02 being powerful

Thanks

 

My short experience with an 03 6sp is very positive. The engine revs smoothly and quickly. The transmission shifts as smooth as or better than any honda I've owned or driven. The clutch engagement was extremely smooth. I thought it was much better than a 330 or 325.

 

Engine is smooth, but a bit laggy below peak torque (3500 rpm).

Clutch is nice but a bit heavy conpared to a Honda.

Trans is not even close to a Honda and is dissappointing. The worst part of the car in IMO. Go drive a new Civic SI for a good shifting experience.

03's Still has trans problem as mine could not be shifted the day it was delivered (1st or 2nd gear) and a new trans was installed with 22 miles on the odometer.

Another 03 that I test drove had shift issues in 2nd gear.
An 02 I test drove shifted ok.

 

1) Postings here are peoples experiences and I suspect many are verifiiable with warranty receipts. (in my case no, due the trans failure occured opon delivery and treated as a factory repair)

2) Your post is unverifiable since you can't prove we are all liars.

 

haha, good save! perhaps you are speaking of a tulku, Kyung-drak Dorje? (aka steven segal... )

 

The 2002 is both more powerful, and more fun to drive. Although the 2003 is only down 3HP, its lost a lot of torque, and the torque comes on much higher in the rev band.

Ive driven the 03 6speed....MB may quote only a .1 second difference to 60mph, but it feels slower than that. The 03 OTOH, is a little smoother, and the motor makes less of that awkward off idle sound.

There seems to be dramatic differences in the 02's in terms of transmission shift quality...my 2002 C7 shifts like a dream...yet the base car I drove early on, without C7, had noticeably hard shifts, and average to long throws.

BTW, my 2002 has been trouble free...no problems, nothing, nada, zilch.

 

I drove a 6 speed C230 Sedan and I bought a 6 speed C230 Coupe and both shifted like a dream. Mine has been fine so far for the last 600 miles. Oh and of course they were both '03's.

 

mine 03 has been flawless for 3200 miles. if that's worth anything. i love it.

actually, no, i take that back. i can't seem to get it to go 0 - 60 in 5.3 seconds. but other than that, it's fine.

 

Thank you; that is a perfect definition of a testimonial. As opposed to a statistically significant observation.

Quite right; ignore everything you read on the Internet.

 

I disagree, a report of a trans failure is not a testimonial, it's a simple fact.

Of course you have to have a grip on reality to realise this.

 

I concur.

Cheers, BT

 

Well there is a difference between a testimonial (i.e. a singular occurrence; the experience of one individual) and a statistically significant fact. The foregoing can be the only meaning of "testimonial" in a discussion of statistical significance.

Yes, it is a fact that the guy's 'box failed. My point was that one can infer no meaningful probability from that single occurrence.

Got it now?

 

Any engineer worth his salt knows that a sample size of one is useless.

Hey, I had my first problem today. Yup. My flawless C230 is no longer flawless. My big failure? A button on the steering wheel cracked

I need to see what kind of deal they are gonna cut for me. What kinda compensation...or else its lemon law time....yup, I'm just fed up with all that bad quality. My car is clearly not safe to drive.

Did I mention its been below zero for about a week around here? Called the dealer, he said he'd order me a new one and call me when it came in...

BTW, a few days ago, my boss' brand new Lexus ES300 wouldn't start in the -8 F weather A coworker of mine who drives a 20 year old benz diesel offered to pick him up on the way in until the weather warms up around here

 

Being the owner of an 02 RSX 6sp and former owner of a 98 Civic 5Sp, I can say Honda builds an excellent manual and a horrible automatic (I've owned two Honda automatics and will never own another). Based on the transmission issues I've read on these posts, The C230 6sp works very similar to the RSX-S. The RSX-S is notchy and grindy in the 1-2 upshift. The the first gear syncros need to be line up when down shifting into 1st at speed. It also whines when the temperature drops below 35 (all three RSX-S I've driven do this). Yes, the Honda manuals have their quirks, but the are fine manuals none-the-less. Based on my brief drive in an 03 C230 6sp, the manual was very good and I will by one because I liked the shift feel as much as my RSX.

 

You just haven't found the right drag strip. There are a couple of down hill streches of I-70 in CO that I'm sure you could get sub 5 0-60

 

MIke, what do you think he's doing here? Collecting info to make his own judgement. He asked, I gave him one account, he can add 'em up for himself.

Or, we could always do a poll and if we got a good response, at least we would have a sampling of this forum to look at stats. I would think there are more good trannys then bad, of course in time some of the "good" ones may go to the dark side

OK, your the stats guy so it's your job, get to work!