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i think someone mentioned this but the glossy headlights have to go. I'm reaplacing mine with projector style lights. I think that will be a huge improvement.
IMO The W203 has aged great. Wayyy better then the W202. I thought that my 2000 was the most dated looking car ever. I enjoy lookiing a W140 Much more and I think that has kept its look. THe W203 looks like a new car still. Mine is a 2005 and people ask me if its one year old. When I had my 2000 W202 people said it looks great for a 15 year old car
Ugh - I've never understood the love affair with wood on the interior of a car. Those always look like something out of the 80s. And not in a good way, like Echo & the Bunnymen.
+1 dude
I'm glad somebody said that
I don't think I like brown wood on any car......my friend's dad has a W211 w/ a really nice black/dark wood interior trim tho and I love ittt
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Originally Posted by tommy
Ugh - I've never understood the love affair with wood on the interior of a car. Those always look like something out of the 80s. And not in a good way, like Echo & the Bunnymen.
Maybe it's me, but I'd think that out of those three, the simple ccoupe interior would be the one that would look better over time.
He he! Tommy - we have your measure - You are part of the plastic sprayed silver generation.
Personally, I think style is subjective. If you like what you have that is fine. Remember when it comes to cars or almost anything else only your opinion is important. When my mother and I purchased our 2001 C240, there were not to many other choices the C-Class offered. I told her to wait until the 1st year bugs are fixed but I guess my mom could not wait to get the latest C back in 2001. Luckily we have not had too many problems with this 1st year model. Other 1st year models my family bought in the past are a 1981 Buick Regal, 1990 Toyota Celica, and a 1970 Pontiac Firebird bought way back in 1970 by my dad. Most of my family cars have been kept for close to 20 years, except the Firebird. My 1990 Toyota Celica and 1990 Honda Civic are almost 20 years old.
I often wonder how many 20 year old W203's will be around in lets say the year 2026? These cars depreciate rapidly and are expensive to fix. Are they even worth fixing to keep running for 20 years? Sure you can fix a lot of things youself, but then you wind up spending more time under the hood than behind the wheel of your W203. That sort of defeats the purpose of enjoying a car unless you are really into repairing cars.
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Originally Posted by Jack_2001C240
I often wonder how many 20 year old W203's will be around in lets say the year 2026? These cars depreciate rapidly and are expensive to fix. Are they even worth fixing to keep running for 20 years? Sure you can fix a lot of things youself, but then you wind up spending more time under the hood than behind the wheel of your W203. That sort of defeats the purpose of enjoying a car unless you are really into repairing cars.
This is an American perception. In ROW there will be lot's of 2003 running around with good value maintained. The V6s will do huge mileage. A friend has a 2003 C240 in Taxi service in KL Malaysia that is well over 700,000 Km & we have an E240 at the office that does airport duty that has just crossed the 600,000 Km mark. Both vehicles trouble free apart from lot's of brake pads & tyres - only a few other minor bits - nothing major.
e.g. my 2003 C240 would still fetch US$ 26,000 in SA. In the US you get them cheap & they depreciate quickly. It's your market. In ROW & especially in Asia they retain value well with almost god like status.
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Originally Posted by XsuperbeeX
you are old................. jk...
the new jag is sick especially xf...
Might be aging but still like to go fast - keeps you young!!! SL63 is probably fast enough for me these days but did a silly speed in a Porsche GT3 the other day
I think the 204 looks good in the steel grey color and with the AMG rims. I, too, like my star to stand on my hood but I'd be willing to compromise as the in-grille star looks fine on the 204. On the 203, the front is too narrow for the in-grille star and adding it makes the car look horribly cross-eyed and goofy (IMO).
Great to read so many opinions on the W203. Here are my thoughts...
When the W203 came out in the US in 2001, I liked the updated styling with the exception of the headlights, which myself and many automotive publications equated them to looking like Mr. Peanut (of Planter's Peanuts fame) sideways. I understood the design theme of melting the E-Class' quad headlight look into a 2 headlight shape, but wasn't a fan of it. I was/am more of a traditional M-B fan like Glyn, and, like him, also prefer my hood star on top of the hood.
Continuing with the exterior, I thought M-B did a great job of modernizing the C-Class. The styling is definitely evolutionary and is especially noticeable if you have a W202 and W203 side-by-side. The Luxury (Elegance) models cater perfectly to the traditional M-B buyer, while the new Sport model (Avantgarde) tried, IMHO somewhat successfully, to attract the younger buyer with the C7 styling, which included the machine-faced 5-spoke wheels among other subtle styling changes.
Interior-wise, I again thought they did a wonderful job. Very upscale, very luxurious, especially when fully loaded (power driver's and passenger seats, rear sunshade, heated seats, COMAND, Parktronic, etc). I prefer lighter interiors, but think all the colors (Java, Oyster, Charcoal, Ash) look great inside. I wasn't too big of a fan of the dashboard though, with the quarter circle tach and fuel gauge, no temp gauge, and semi circle speedometer. However, I do appreciate M-B being different with its' design.
As the years passed, the styling still held up well with the exception of the frosty headlights. Which brings me to the W203 facelift for 2005. The frosties were gone, and the clear headlights, whether halogen or BIX, and the clear sidemarkers did a great job of updating the styling. I do not like the updated Luxury lower front bumper, and believe it makes the front end look similar to a Hyundai's lower bumper area. I definitely prefer the pre-facelift Luxury's look in that respect.
I love the greater differentiation with the updated Sport model. I think M-B did an excellent job on this, taking nearly all design cues from the pre-facelift C32 (front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, lowered suspension, etc). M-B wanted to appeal to a younger generation, and I believe they hit the mark successfully. They got me to buy one .
The interior refresh was well done IMO. The center console received a more modern look and the dashboard now houses more traditional looking gauges (which I prefer).
Things I love about my W203, which is a 2005 C230 Kompressor Sport:
Love the lowered look, C32 front end, sideskirts, and rear bumper design. Love the 5-spoke Adharaz (funnel) wheels and associated staggered width low profile tires. Love the BIX and my COMAND (although I'd prefer an easier to use and more colorful COMAND system). I also love my Ash interior and Capri Blue (Tanzanite Blue in ROW) exterior, 3-spoke steering wheel, and excellent driving position and ergonomics. I also love the mileage I get with my 1.8L Kompressor engine (well over 33 mpg typically). Love the handling and sportier and firmer ride.
Things I don't really like:
Not a fan of the wide single tip exhaust, as I think it looks like an added mod, similar to those rice-car aftermarket exhausts added to many foreign cars. I'd much prefer the C32's dual tips instead. Also not too crazy about the sound/coarseness of the 1.8L M271. I also question its' durability especially when compared to the V6's in the other W203's.
What people (friends/family/strangers) say about my W203:
They love the exterior color. They especially love the sporty styling, which they normally wouldn't expect in a M-B. They think of M-B as more of an "older person's car" and are surprised when they see the styling look. This continues when they get inside and experience the ride. Again, traditional ideas are left behind when they feel the ride and how much firmer it is. I too was surprised at how firm the ride is; very close to how my '93 Ford Probe GT felt. The C230 doesn't fall under harsh, but it's definitely very firm. Handling is equally surpising. People also love the illuminated side sills (aftermarket from our fried Jerry at formymercedes). I get the most compliments on these.
Overall, I think the W203 still looks fantastic, both the Luxury and Sport models. I think they'll age far better than the W204's. When the W204's first came out, I was not a fan at all. However, I am slowly warming up to it. I still prefer the W203 styling.
I second that, Paul, about the overall sound of the M271 (especially when cold!) and the exhaust tip. Also, I can't touch that gas mileage. My car averages 24-25mpg now. It may be just where I live and my driving style, or their may be something deeper - IDK - but it doesn't perform any differently.
Now that the W203 is out of production and the W204 has been produced for 3 model years, do you think the W203 C-class has aged well in terms of appearance?
I would say 'yes', the C-Class w203 defiantly has aged well, particularly the facelift models.
I base this following reasons
Personal taste
Back end of the w204 does not do the car much justic. Its not bad and I wouldn't say not to one, but I do believe the w203 back-end does have a nicer look to it.
w203 looks more sleek in design, the w204 has a but of a boxy look to it. But the w204 does not looks as modern as it could. Look at the current E-Class compared to the previous. The new E-Class looks much more modern where as the new C-Class is a more traditional and a bit of a 'safe' design.
Interior on standard w204 Classics is not as nice as the facelifted w203's. I think this made the w203 retain its youth quite a bit.
I am a very happy owner of a W203 2005 Facelift model Elegance with 115000 k's on the clock.
Immaculate and still looking like new .
I HAVE been asked more than once if it was a new car.
Not by MB enthusiasts of course (would have known it's age) but generally very impressed with it's new condition look
It is Gold in colour.
I completely think this car looks modern, especially the refresh ones. I recently purchased an 07 and I have had many compliments on it, most people assume it's much newer than it really is. Way better looking than cars 10 years newer, mines a sports so it's lowered and has the classic 5 spoke rims. I can't wait to add a modern stereo and backup camera.
I definitely prefer the look of the W203 versus the W204 and W205. I really was not a fan of the W204 and felt they took a styling step backwards with that design, including the slight front end refresh. I sold my 2005 W203 Sport Sedan back at the end of 2018. I'm now in an AWD Long Range Tesla Model 3, which I love, but still miss my Mercedes, which I had for over 12 years. Here's a few pics of my car I took a few years ago to show how well it has aged...
Love shifting mine...love walking up to it every time.
Yes, I think it has aged very well. I was just thinking about this today...Purchasing my w203, it was, slightly, pitted against the newly redesigned “retro” ‘05 300HP Mustang, and possibly the equally fun sedan equivalent 340hp 300C. Neither of which have aged well inside or out. (Love Mustangs BTW) But, that’s why I was thinking about it today - following a white ‘05 Mustang. Knew that then, know it now,
that’s why the w203 is still here...being retrofitted every so often to keep fresh. Always a project. This is the long play...If I could just get option 219 coded...dang it.
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Those always look like something out of the 80s. And not in a good way, like Echo & the Bunnymen. 
It does go well with the "Type R" badge on the rear.
