It's certainly not a dressed up Chrysler. Chrysler had nothing to do with it. It is not an expensive Benz & yes it was built down to a price. Luxury car? well maybe but at entry level. There is nothing wrong with the seat back design - I have never known one fall off. I've never known a door handle break & I have genuine mats & they don't creep. There are a number of common problems on these cars but these are not some of them. SA production door handles have steel innards & don't break. The common problems on these cars are very evident on these forums such as leaking cam sensors, castor bushes & the like. These are global problems. There are problems on American models that the rest of the world does not see and I believe this to be country of origin specific due to some poor local content.

Where was your car built? Mexico? Brazil? South African built Mercs give a fraction of the trouble that I read about on this forum.The same goes for cars from Vietnam. Most American W204s are now built here - have a look at that forum - not much wrong yet and these are all early production models - the only common issue I've noticed so far is that the sun roof catch seems to mess around. If it is really a problem - it will be redesigned.

 

I like how the W203 looks, but to be honest that's about it, I have also a 2001 BMW 520i and I still prefer that car over the Benz. The BMW's engine is just WOW!! That's my opinion. Don't shoot.

 

it's a known problem that the grab handles will break.

 

Hey Mu - that's interesting - then that's an American problem - In SA all that stuff is made here as part of our local content program & is designed for our farmers to bang there doors - OK Loved your "brain fart" comment on the other thread - had me laughing for hours!!

 

Funny, I say that all of the time about my 07 sport... this car is so completely underwhelming in nearly every way that I can't even begin to describe my disappointment accurately... my dealer is top notch and the car hasn't had much in the way of issues, but plain and simple this car is just so lackluster it pains me


Lesson learned... too bad as I truly expected more... I guess that the entry level Mercedes just doesn't have the amenities and features and flat out doesn't compare to the other vehicles in it's class... thankfully it's a lease, and believe me, I am counting the days until I can turn it in

 

LOL, well i just wanted to let people know. i wish our cars were SA-spec'd, it'd be a lot tougher!

 

Alright, this weekend on Sat think im getting a 05 C230 I4, Sedan, White.

NO bixenons, No heated seats

The Bixenons, i can always het HID kit, no problem.. but the heated seats.. i kinda wanted them to be heated seats

Question anyone know if the dealer can add heated seats funtion without having to buy a entire seat? Somehow inseart in the seats as an add on? if so has anyone done this?

 

I'm thinking it might be pretty expensive to attempt to retrofit heated seats. You need the elements, controls, wiring (if not present), plus the dash buttons too. Not to mention all the labor involved. Doesn't sound cheap.

Have you tried searching autotrader.com? When I was looking for my car, my 2 local stealerships didn't even come close to having what I wanted. I wanted Capri Blue with Ash interior for starters, and nothing close. Nevermind all the other options I wanted on the car. They kept telling me I'd have to give up on something or another. That's when my searching went to autotrader with no limit on distance to search. Sure enough, I found what I wanted waaay over in California (I live on the East Coast in RI, so over 2,600 miles away). Deal went thru flawlessly, as did the shipping cross country. Couldn't have been happier, plus I got the car that I wanted with the options that I wanted. Didn't have to settle on anything.

Cintoman

 

Yea im beeen searching on autotrader for 6monthes

 

Oh! the joy of buying things in America - they make it so easy - I used to buy my audio gear from all over the place and a couple of days later the UPS man would stagger through the door complaining about the weight.

 

Alright, looks like the Sold the c230 I4, BLK,05.


So trying to see whats a better deal, and what car is a better pick. Again I4 or v6.. V6 smother last longer maint is more expensive, I4 good pick up, less Maint, more maint over 100k(don't think im keeping this car for that long, 2-3years tops)

So Delema

2005 C230 I4 4door, White, 21kmiles, 6MT about $18,000 Privet owner
(no Bixenon, no heated seats) seeing Saturday(heard its not as smooth ride
Warrenty left is one month
VS.

2006 C230 V6 4door, White, 22kmiles, 6MT about $16,000 +tax,Dealer about$17,700 out the door.
(no Bixenon, no heated seats) Seeing tomorrowFriday (heard its smoother then I4)
Warrenty left is longer, oneyear obo


Need any imput plz,
Im going to test drive both..

 

both cars are going to be nice, but i'd just test drive em and see how you feel about both. i'm thinking you're gonna like the kompressor more, since you did have a 350. it's going to be a little quicker, and the supercharger's whine is going to be nice.

 

[QUOTE=stephen4785;1410642]I think you are largely correct in that people expect a Mercedes-Benz to be of higher quality and have fewer maintenance, mechanical and electrical problems, even if they are more technologically advanced, etc.

I have a 2007 E350 4MATIC Wagon. I have less than 3,000 miles on it. The right side rear window shade already has the edge trim towards the bottom starting to come off. The navigation system, if you want to call it that, is terrible.

Some Mercedes-Benz dealers are pretty bad. Others are a little more civilized, but still want to charge quite a bit. For example, I was just quoted $288.00 for Service A. $288.00 to change the oil and rotate the tires?! And then when I wanted to utilize my "First tire rotation provided at no charge*" Mercedes Benz Maintenance Booklet 2007 Passenger Cars, E-Class, Confirmations page, the dealer said they were not sure they could honor that, even though it's right in the MBUSA Publication Order No. P-6515-8172-13 booklet.

On the plus side: The car is well finished on the inside both in fit and appearance. It appears that from 2007 onwards the quality really starts to improve. It is a very quiet car. The sound system is nice. The styling is pretty good. Pick-up and power, for the weight and size of the car, is good.
I also bought the car based on the claims made that it is more safe than other leading luxury cars, but to what extent this is actually the case, I am not sure.

Only time will tell how well the "quality" of this Mercedes-Benz will hold up to expectations.

 

I own an 05 C230 Kompressor, but have driven the C230 V6 as loaner vehicles. The V6 is quite a bit smooter, and it seems the pedal step-in acceleration is a bit quicker off the line in the first 2 seconds or so. But the V6 is quite a bit thirstier than the I4. And I also noticed the front end of the V6 is noticeably heavier (heavier engine), which detracted from the sharp handling the I4 has.

Personally, you know which one I'll be recommending, since I have one. So chalk up a vote for the I4. I love mine. The supercharger is great, it's quicker than the V6, much better fuel economy, more tossable in the turns, and remember....even though it's a 4-cylinder, it's not like other manufacturer's 4-cylinder engines. This one is smooth. Plus you have to love the supercharger whine when it really kicks in.

Cintoman

 

some ppl has had their door handle broken. hasn't happened to mine.

 

let me guess. C230 sport with no options.

i'm still surprised people complaint about amenities and features when they CHOOSE to spent less money on a less optioned car.

my C32's loaded and my C350 I intentionally got one without any options. you don't see me complaint about "wow the entry level MB doesn't have the amenities and features." also mind you to actually take a look at a base 335i and base A4 3.2 and a base IS350 and come back and tell us those have more features. (well, the IS probably does, but not the other two).

 

Sweet, thanks for the imput, looking at the V6 today, and the I4 looks like tomorrow, the guy is busy tomorrow(privet party)

Thanks for the help.... Im leaning more to the I4..

 

No, your guess is incorrect .

I have all of the available options with the exception of NAV (which was by choice as I have no use for it). Unfortunately I don't think any amount of optioning could make up for what this car lacks overall. Everything feature wise just seems old tech and outdated when compared to the other vehicles you mentioned. Even the basic ergonomics are just plain poor and don't seem to have had any thought placed into them during design.

As I stated, lesson learned and I should have been way more attentive in my research and most especially the test drive when switching marques (I have been a long time/multiple Audi owner and only went with the MB as our firm does a fair amount of work for the local dealership and we have been throwing business back their way as a quid pro quo). I will miss the excellent dealer service (Audi is mediocre at best but passable), but not the lack of quality in the product itself.

 

you still failed to mention what options do you have.

did you get full leather? did you get memory seats on both driver and passenger? did you get the 10-way power seats? did you get power adjustable steering wheel? does it have the entry and exiting steering wheel and seat settings? heated seats? harmon kardon? digital climate control? power folding mirror? did you get the voice comand? I would assume you got bi-xenon and the useless ipod integration kit.

oh wait... a lot of those options are NOT available on the C230 sport.

and you still fail to state what features you think that are lacking of ergonomics.

I was comparing the my W204 C350 to the 335i btw. your 2007 W203 is an out going 7 year old model just in case you didn't know that.

 

Drove the 06 last night, and im going to be picking up the car tonight, I was going to get the 05 but im not no more since after considering that the warrenty will be up in one month.... So im going for the 06 c230 white 6MT, and lower price then the 05 that i was looking pluse warrenty for till 2010. So the 06 wins in my book since it has Benz warrenty 4year/ 50,000 miles.. Im only going to keep this car for like a year then next year going to get the Infinity G37 pear White 6MT is my cup of tea that im trying to go for next year, picking the 05 puts me at a greater chance of being venerable if something goes wrong with the car.,..

 

Thanks for the help guys , and il post up picks soon

 

I really want to get a W203 someday. I already have a W204, and I don't think I'd want another W204. I love it, but two of the same would be boring, so I'll wait on the W205.

However, in the next year or so, I'd love to add a W203. There are things about this W203 that are just so attractive IMHO. I love the W204, but I always had a fondness for the looks of the W203.

Anyway, which years of the W203 are considered fairly reliable without issues?

Would 2005-2007 all be good? Was the 4-cylinder kompressor ok too, or should I only consider the V6 models? Was there any issues with the 7-speed box on the W203s once they started putting it on them?'

Anything else I should know?

Thanks.

 

definitely a 2005-2007

If you're going C230, I would go for a 2005 with the supercharger.

If you've got some more cash and time, hold out for a C350 SS.

 

2003 and later

 

The best is the C350 or if you go older, get the C32 from 2002-2004. Avoid the 2003 C230 because it had some issues with the radiator and head design unless the owner resolved these 2 issues. The 2004 to 2007 C230 are good. They all have their little reliability quirks so make sure you have a reliable and honest independent MB mechanic.