dannyn

Hello to all,
I am thinking about buying a 2005 C230 Sport. I was wondering if there is anything that I should know before purchasing. I.E. This year has a really bad drive train issue or anything like that. I know 2001 was not a good year for these cars so I was just wondering if there is something like that I should know. I know the car is in excellent condition and has a clean Carfax, which is always good.

Also, sorry I have to say this, but I am somewhat looking at an A4 Quattro, AWD. I was wondering performance wise how the C230 does vs. the A4. AWD is not really a big issue, just an option that I am looking at.

Thank you for your time.

LILBENZ230

I'm at 63,150 miles on my 2005 and it runs like a champ.. no issues. I'd buy it again.

I would never buy a pre-2005 W203. For both reliability concerns and (but more importantly) the 2005 facelift was a huge improvement, inside and out.

I have no knowledge of the A4.

W203E35

Since Matt answered your question on the c230 I will try to answer your question between the A4.

The B5 A4 was ok (was good but will never compare with the 230 as far as reliability). The B6 A4 for some reason felt worse. Most people who I knew had a lot of transmission problems problems with the B6. So far for the B7 everything seems fine.


If you are after speed then a B5 S4 is your best bet. KO4 upgrade and a chip (depending how aggressive it is) and you will be around mid 300 to high 300.

e1000

Post facelift w203 C-class's (2005+) are fairly reliable and do not have any glaring reliability concerns. Like any car, they have small issues here and there.

EDIT: Except Karo's car which drinks oil like a drunken sailor drinks rum. Sorry Karo I had to do it!

W203E35

hahaha it's all good Eric.


This is how I feel ever since my car has started to show symptoms.


While this is how my car feels (give me a quart...give me another...)

e1000

Maybe you bought a C350 TS..... TWO STROKE!

SeaCoupe

Benz's have had issues with electrics just like all cars. However, in the W203 lineup, I think that M112 and M111 engines have proven rather solid in reliability.

Specifically the M271 engine is what I understand as having issues in the cylinder head. This engine was on 03 to 04 C230 Coupe/Sedans Kompressors.

krisv420

Omg lol you did not just say that hahahaha

dannyn

Thanks for all of your responses.

Looks like the car that I am looking at would be a good purchase.
The price is $15,900 and has 50,000 miles. What do you guys think about that? I think I can talk the lady out of the car for cheaper.

Any other input would greatly be appreciated.

Here are some pictures to look at in the mean time...

W203E35

That's an ok price. Try to have them go a little down.
Tell her 15K out the door and tell her to put that she sold the car lower (much lower) so you don't have to pay sooo much for registration

W203E35

I wouldnt be surprised. Last night I jacked up the car (late night) but didnt unlock the doors the alarm went on loool. Then I looked underneath to see if any oil signs and noticed on one side the cover is broken.

The cover is hard plastic there is no way this broke off while driving. I have a feeling when they took off the transmission they broke it.

This is why I am soooooo frustrated with dealers

I'm going to invest 1K and get STAR DAS and with the WIS fix all my own problems.

By the way Eric, if you need any diagrams and stuff let me know

samaritrey

lol i did the same thing a few weeks ago in my moms garage with the doors closed. i am surprised i can still hear anything.

dannyn

Yeah I was thinking 15k also. I was going to do this, but we have to meet at her credit union where she has the loan on the car to get the title so I do not think that will work on the sales receipt the same if she had the title in her hand.

W203E35

We'll she can still turn the title over to you and she can still claim she is selling it less.

Think this way. Lets say she bought her car brand new in 05 (I dont know if she did) but it's almost 2010 so that means she has max 5-8 K left on the car to pay off.

She can still "sell it less" (paper work wise not actual car)

Find out how much she has left on the car to be paid off so atleast you can write you bought the car for less.

If you were paying more of it in cash this would have been easier.

dannyn

That's what I was thinkng. Cashier's check the part she owes and then give her cash for the rest.

One problem. The car may have a major problem. I just called my Mercedes dealer and he said the O2 sensor had been replaced and so had the wiring harness. The most likely cause he said to have both replaced is oil. The way it gets in there would be the cam advance or retard magnets go bad. He said once that happens its an ongoing problem and is never completely fixed. So right now we are waiting for her dealer to release the work order to see if that is true, and if so I think I may have to pass on the car.

W203E35

Take if from me, someone who bought the car as a "Certified PreOwned Vehicle" from the dealer make sure the car doesn't have major problems.

Right now my car is oil like crazy. Almost a quart for every 1k miles. Also ask for the history report not only car fax. I heard through members that the dealer doesn't give this out but when I called MBUSA they said go to any dealer and they will give it to you.

Here is my car every 1,000 miles

Good Luck,

P.S. A lot of times people are excited for a new car and usually don't think straight. Always take a friend with you

dannyn

Yeah I really don't want to be putting tons of oil in especially since the car has NO DIPSTICK!!!

That's a bummer about your car.. Do you know what is causing it?

And yeah I have gotten that new car syndrome and almost bought a Mercedes that needed a new bumper it was rock chipped so badly but then I left when home and looked at the pictures I had taken and thought to myself...ARE YOU CRAZY!? I think I learned my lesson now.

W203E35

I have no idea. They do have a bulletin about it consuming oil. So I have a feeling this is a common problem that they want to brush off saying it's ok if the car consumes 1qt every 1k miles . I'm going to take it to another dealer and see what they say.
-------------------

Just take it nice and slow and rethink everything. Especially with the new year around the corner you will be able to find a lot more c230s with lower prices.

Good Luck

dannyn

If it is that much I am not sure that you have this problem.
But here is the unconfirmed problem that I think the one that I am looking at has..https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ensor-etc.html

e1000

yeah, unrelated issue to Karo's. I wouldn't let that problem stop me if the issue was taken care of and documented.

dannyn

Really you do not think that is a big deal?
My dealer told me unless everything was fixed he would not buy the car. He said once its started that its pretty much a deal you will see come up again.

LILBENZ230

Leaking cam sensors.. this issue can be fixed (and appears to be). Get photos of the cam sensors on the front of the engine and see if the adapter wires - called pigtails on here - are fitted? If not, fit them once you buy the car. I fitted them to my car at 42k. 21k later and no issues. I agree with Erick.. don't let that stop you as long as it is repaired.

dannyn

So it really looks like I need to get a PPI on the car before I buy it, which is no biggie, I would most likely do that anyways.

Also the car was only fixed a month ago so even if the pigtails were not put on not much oil would have leaked out during then and now that would cause me an issue.

But I can do that. Do you have the Part number or a link to the pigtails?

samaritrey

go to the dealer and get a vmi also it will have all the work performed under warranty.

LILBENZ230

It's not that simple. I've talked to many dealers, all who say you cannot just request and get a VMI. The last one I talked to showed me the VMI I wanted to see, but said they could not give me the copy. It was clearly marked "Internal Use Only".

Not sure why they treat these as if they are medical records.