C230 Sport Coup

Ha, thats pretty cool, you're pretty brave to drive on sand like that.
I got stuck in gravel that the city put down in a parking area.

I got lucky, some guy in a truck stopped by, and was patient enough for me to pull the hook thing from out of the spare tire tool kit under the truck.

We have Pismo beach here on the left coast...I wouldn't try driving my car on the beach.

Kudo's!!

Ryanr317

I think it's hit or miss on the early models. Mine is an '02 but was built in October of '01. It now has close to 104k miles on it and i've never had an issue with it. Then again, i haven't had it since new but the last 3 years have been trouble free. There's a few little things but nothing major.

WVWahine

Great pictures of the car on the beach. Two of my favorite things: C-230 and the ocean. I've only had my car for about a month but I love it more every day. Living in Hawaii I'll probably never get to take it on a true road trip but it's still a joy to drive!!!

LILBENZ230

It feels so good to drive, that's true.

LILBENZ230

I was cleaning out the garage today and I moved the cars out and noticed how perfect they looked.. so I thought I'd take pictures and share. Getting a proper camera is on my list, I promise.

2005 C230K 5AT
51,000 miles

2009 135i 6MT
1,800 miles

These two cars couldn't be more different. But they are both fantastic in their own ways.

07 Benz

How you like the little BMW?? Man that thing is small... makes your c look like a boat!

LILBENZ230

It is positively tiny. The BMW is an amazing drive. The N54 engine with those twin-turbos is unlike anything I've owned before. The sounds it makes and the immense thrust is intoxicating. Dynamically it's better than any Mercedes I've driven, and I can see how BMW got the title ultimate driving machine. However, it isn't that comfortable. It's loud inside and the ride is harsh (thanks in no small part to run-flats) and there is very little room for anything.

That's where the C230 comes in. At 51,000 miles it is as reliable as any Honda I have owned. It's vastly more comfortable than the BMW and much larger inside (though still a small car). The BMW averages 20.1 MPG since purchase. The Mercedes averages about 26.5 in my mixed driving. Combined with it's tiny 14 gallon gas tank stops for fuel are frequent. 6-speed manuals were scarce and the car had to be shipped from NC. Because of this, I was not able to get an upgraded audio system and the system sucks in the BMW.

But none of that matters when you drive it. I'd rather listen to the engine. It is like a really nice go-kart with lots of power. Peak torque is 300lb-ft at just 1400rpm. FUN!

07 Benz

Sweet man... sounds like that little thing is a blast to drive

LILBENZ230

It is a blast. Worth every cent.

bdgdl08

Wow Matt, I would have never pegged you as a BMW driver... you're not a dick! BMWs are definitely more of a driver's car, but I guess you could have that with an AMG. Both your cars look really nice, though I like the C better (probably because it's twin to mine... other than the wheels)(Btw, I like your wheels better than mine). Anyway, looks great!

LILBENZ230

Dynamically, even AMG doesn't stand up. I've driven a C55. They're great, don't get me wrong. For straight line power AMG rules. Mercedes stands out with how special they feel to drive. BMW stands out at how special they feel to drive hard.

It's odd that you like my wheels better since I like your wheels better. I guess we always want what we don't have. I like the lip spoiler, AMG exhaust, and rims of the 2007 models. Having driven an 07 C230 extensively yesterday, though, I much prefer the grunt of the Kompressor. The 2.5L felt underpowered - though it was smooth and much more refined than the 1.8L M271. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs. I think even when I do replace my 05 C230 I will replace it with an 07 C350 Sport. I just love the style of the W203!

bdgdl08

Nicely put!!! I think the 2.5L would be better in a 6MT, because you'd be able to rev above the dead spot at the low part of the gears. Other than that, it sounds better than the 1.8 kompressor. I do like the spoiler, I just think that the '05/'06 compliment the car more.

If you really want underpowered, though, try driving the C240... we used to have a 2001, and it was just plain slow! If you floored it from a stop, you could literally count to three before you'd go anywhere. Sorry, not trying to offend any C240 owners.

HellsAngel

the 135i engine is so good, u can squeeze up to 400hp from it... with a modified 135i you can an M3 (weight.........)

LILBENZ230

I've driven a C240 as well! It was an 01 model and this was probably 2004. Very smooth and very, very slow. But I liked how it felt, and this was before the facelift.. after the facelift I forgot about the 01-04.5 cars altogether. I respect them, I just wouldn't want one.

The N54 does sound fantastic. From inside it sounds like a V8. It is a jewel.

bdgdl08

It's definitely a good engine (the 2.6L V6) but it just feels like it's struggling. I drove our C240 up to the mountains in North Carolina... on the highway, the car just felt like it was straining to stay going. Also, it is geared low so, even in 5th, at 75 on the interstate it's running almost to 3000rpms... and to go ANY faster you have to just about floor it and have it downshift. Around town, though (other than the low end that is even more non-existent than the C230) it can feel very peppy.

LILBENZ230

When I drove the 07 C230 the other day it felt so sluggish on Atlanta surface streets. I find the M271 to have plenty of low-end for me. It's not ridiculous like the 135 obviously. But still, having close to 200lb-ft of torque at 3500rpm is good for a four-cylinder. My Civic Si had 139lb-ft at like 7000rpm. I'd want the 07 C230 to have a 6MT if I was getting it.

bdgdl08

It does feel horrid at first, but once you get used to it and learn how to drive it, it gets better. Plus doing an ECU reset helps. I really loved the 3.2L V6 that was in my CLK320... it had immense low end... 229lb-ft at 3,000rpm. It just made it feel much faster. Also, my step-dad used to have a 2000 C230 Kompressor which got 200lb-ft at 2,500rpm with 185HP at 5,300rpm... that car was quick, even compared to my CLK. I hear that that car was a full second faster than the 1.8L kompressor (comparing coupe to coupe).

LILBENZ230

I love the BMW's off-the-line thrust. It's just ridiculous. You can put it in 6th gear at 40mph and floor it and it will surge forward with such urgency.

I've read that the C230K is 1-2 seconds quicker to 60mph than the C230 V6. I'm not sure the difference is that vast, but my car is certainly quicker than the 2.5L. It just sounds like a diesel. The 2007 was smoother and much more refined.

bdgdl08

Unfortunately, I've never been able to drive a BMW... actually, I did once, but I was not impressed. It was an '07 328i (maybe a different year). Honestly, it was slow and lumbery, and felt much slower than my CLK. But I'm sure that your 135i has amazing performance. And with 300lb-ft at only 1,400 rpm... WOW!

LILBENZ230

I just got in from running some movies back to Blockbuster and for the THIRD time in less than a month my car has been assaulted for no reason. This is really starting to **** me off. Here's what has happened in 2 weeks time:

1. While on my Florida trip, my car was parked in a lot with just maybe 5 or 6 other cars. All of us had left spaces on either side. I was gone for about 3 hours and when I returned someone had thrown what appeared to be Coca-Cola all over the front of it. I had to take it immediately to a car wash and get it off because it was already sticky and we all know it is acidic.

2. Last Sunday night I walked into the garage and noticed muddy, smeared hand-prints all over the passenger fender. I cleaned this off, but an 8-inch scratch was the result. I had this buffed out. No idea when or where it happened, but it was not the hands of an innocent child.

3. Tonight I was at a redlight and across from me was a big Dodge Ram with a lift kit. We were both first at the light on our respective sides. I did nothing to him, and I have no idea who he was, but as he accelerated away from the light he threw something that hit my car directly in the grille. When I got home and inspected it, some of it was caramel. It would have done me no good to chase him down - though it was hard to make myself drive on.

Am I the only one whose C-class is a target for this stuff? I haven't had the BMW long and it has less than 2000 miles yet, but I dread what might happen to it if people are going to act this way. I live in a rural area of GA and there aren't many MB or BMW cars around here. I really hate to think that people do this out of jealousy, as neither of my cars are very expensive - they just look that way. I guess when you have an Uncle Daddy and a Cousin-Wife, you don't read up on the Benz line-up.

/rant

bdgdl08

Damn Matt, that really sucks! When I first got my CLK I had some stuff happen to me like that. I had some sort of coffee or maybe coke spilled on my car I think three times while parked at school. I also came back to my C once to find a scuff mark on my driver's side door that looked like someone had kicked my door with the side of a boot or something. Thankfully it was mostly on the bumper strip (no dent), but it was a pain to get off. I rubbed most of it off, but there was still a line, which finally came off when I washed my car. Really, I think people just target Benzes. I got a flat badge on my CLK just so I wouldn't get the star ripped out of my hood. Someone did that to a really old Benz at my school before I got mine. I'd make a joke about your location, but you covered what I would have said, and it's too late to think of anything else right now. Just be glad you haven't had any permanent damage done!

By the way, I think, for some reason, that Mercs get targeted more than BMWs... at least where I live.

LILBENZ230

Someone touches my hood ornament and I'll knock teeth out. It will really be hard to eat possum without teeth.

bdgdl08

Damn... possum... should have though of that!

LILBENZ230

I'm allowed to make fun of GA since I have lived here all my life. You STFU.

My C230 is a FL car. Sold originally and spent its first three years being serviced at MB of Pompano Beach.

bdgdl08

Then I guess it really has no need for the engine pre-heater! As for making fun of your glorious homeland, I grew up in one of the smallest towns in Florida. People who live a twenty-minute drive from it don't even know it exists. We own the biggest landmark in town, which is called 5-mile pond... because it's five miles out of the town. And possum is actually pretty good! (just kidding) Ever heard of Morriston? We didn't get a post office until I was about 10, nine years ago.