I've only owned this little Benz a couple weeks and I'm already a huge fan!

But, first a little background: My car history includes mostly trucks (currently a Toyota Tacoma for hauling and a Jeep Grand Cherokee for people moving) with the occasional ricer thrown in for fun. In fact, I still have a '93 Prelude VTEC that I modded all to hell back in the day...and a nearly bone stock '90 Miata with about 50K miles on the original engine. Every year I think about throwing a turbo on that Miata, and every year I resist or find something else to buy. This year, instead of buying a turbo I bought this little C230K. Both of my little ricers are great fun and through all of the other cars I've owned and sold over the years, I held onto them both. This car has that similar quality I love in little cars, albeit in an upgraded package with a 3-pointed star and german engineering. Regardless of what car(s) I own 15 yrs from now, I'm betting this little C230K is going to have a permanent place in my garage.

Silver, sport package, 89K miles on her. She has a couple problems that need fixed (discussed in my 2nd post), but I knew this going in and got such a good deal on the purchase price, I don't mind. Replaced a few little interior parts at the factory and had the oil changed. Then tested her on a long drive of about 130 miles: was pleasantly surprised she got 33mpg highway while averaging 72 MPH (with some spirited city driving on both ends thrown in for good measure). I like this car so much I'm already thinking of finding a low-mileage replacement engine that I can store at my parent's farm in the machine shop.

I'm hoping everyone here can offer me their wisdom on what I can expect in terms of potential problems. I've read that this particular M111.981 engine is mostly considered "bullet-proof", but I'm also aware this isn't a Japanese vehicle and may require a bit more preventative care and vigilance to keep her running trouble-free as a daily driver. Still, I can tell already I'm going to have a long love affair with this little car! ~

 

Post pictures!

 

Always glad to have a new Coupe owner, I completely agreed about the fun to drive aspect!