jcnash

My C230 coupe was manufactured on April 17, 2002, which means it turned 10 a few days back!! Ive had it for 3 years, put just over 70k km on it, and it hasnt taken a step wrong. Ive thrown everything at it from multiple trips moving over 500km with all my stuff loaded to the headliner, tracked it, driven it in snow, rain, on rail tracks (true story), into and out of a car transport vehicle on those narrow ramps, had it repainted fully when it was keyed by some ****...

Ive even driven it thousands of km's with much needed maintenance overdue like bald tires, loose front end suspension stuff, with a steering rack that wanted the car to go right everytime I wanted it to go left lol.

Pretty unbelievable considering people still congratulate me on my "new car" right after a wash..LOL.

I bought it pretty much stock, with some much needed maintenance. Int he 3 years Ive owned it Ive:
1. Replaced front upper and lower control arms twice (first installation was bodged causing premature wear-out)
2. Replaced endlinks
3. Replaced steering rack, inner and outer tie-rods
4. 2 sets of tires (1 winter, 1 summer)
5. Rear suspension couplings
6. Replaces suspension with 05+ sport shocks and springs
7. Put a bunch of cool mods on it, all done by myself
8. Had the typical pano-roof break down, and fixed it myself with some chicken wire!

Hands down the best car Ive owned till date, and it continues to be as strong as ever.

Just wanted to say thank you to all the peeps on this amazing forum...dont think I wouldve had such an amazing experience owning this car if it wasnt for you guys.

Midnight Koop

congrats on the anniversary... nice to hear some good news every now and then.

where did you look to find your exact manufacture date?

what are your future plans? (keeping it until it runs into the ground? or any plans for a new car?)

C230 Sport Coup

Congrats! Mine had it's 10th b'day in Dec, and anniversary of me buying it on Jan 31 2002.
Just turned 186K yesterday. Runs and drives tip top.
Lately with gas prices I baby it but took it for a spirited run yesterday and it did not disappoint.

I guess I'm getting my money's worth.

kirax2

lol i sold my coupe right after it turned 10

got it on 2/14/2002

ncmudbug

Happy Birthday to your car!!! I'm glad you're happy with it! It's always great to hear good news!

samaritrey

Its scary my car is now 11 years old wow!
Congrats on your car hope it runs another 10 years

jcnash

Thanks for all the good wishes guys.

Im definitely keeping the car till it dies...probably start using it as my winter car. With the value of these cars plumetting everyday, it just makes no sense to try and replace it. Nothing out there in the price range even comes close to the coupe!

Midnight...message forum member AdidasC230. He's active in the W204 forum. He did a background check on my car and the report reveals the manufacture date/location etc.

Midnight Koop

awesome thanks... i'd like to know my car's "bday" as well so i definitely will.

C230 Sport Coup

Yeah, at the time, the W203 was a pretty advanced car.
Nothing magical has really happened in the last 10 years in car design,
that in any way makes our cars obsolete. All the advanced features we got as a Mercedes owner in 2002 well, many of those features have made it to other brands as well, and their prices reflect it.
You can spend 30 grand on a well equipped Hyundai coupe these day.
and well, you still got a POS Korean car.

Other than the fact they equipped them in the US with a cassette deck, which was already obsolete at the time, and was quickly replaced with the Audio 10 in dash CD that was stock in Europe thanks to our buddy in the Netherlands. And of course updating the lights, tails and turn signals helped keep it current.

Of course the newer Mercedes have some cool new features, but nothing I really need and most of the stuff they've come up with just make the cars overcomplicated and less reliable such as the 7 speed trans. Have they got the bugs worked out on that one yet? 722.6 FTW!
I keep my interior clean, my leather conditioned, and the outside clean, and I still feel like it's a new car,
well except for couple dents that I try not to look at.

C230 Sport Coup

Look in the door jam for starters. Month and year.

Tri-Star

My car will turn 10 next year. I've owned it for at least 5 years. I need to facelift it!

LILBENZ230

I agree, the W203's feature content makes it still very relevant today.

tommy

And, as lilbenz has said many times in the past, the coupe sure is aging better than the sedan.

LILBENZ230

I was trying to be nice and not let slip the real opinion on the coupes, Tommy!

jcnash

Haha...you guys are hilarious!

But no doubt the coupe ages way better than the sedan. The 2002 sedan looks so much more dated than my coupe :P *Flame suit on*

jcnash

Haha...you guys are hilarious!

But no doubt the coupe ages way better than the sedan. The 2002 sedan looks so much more dated than my coupe :P *Flame suit on*

LILBENZ230

No arguments here, there was nothing at all special about a pre-facelift sedan.

The 05-07 Sport model W203s are the real gems.

Tri-Star

I'd disagree ... my c320 4matic looks like it rolled off the lot yesterday ... except for some minor dents that will be taken out. People have no idea its a 2003. All I need is to upgrade to the amg kit at this point.

LILBENZ230

So you need to update it to look like an 05-07.. my point exactly.

C230 Sport Coup

Especially with the coupe.
Frosty lenses and pink tail lights look dated.
And like I said, cassette deck?
Here in the US we had to wait till 2005 to get a CD stock,
hilarious!!

tommy

Does that mean you're bedazzled?

Your jealousy about the coupes is really unbecoming.

paqueras

I will NEVER sell my 2003 C32 AMG Sportcoupe!

alanchan

hey guys, its nice to hear everyone still enjoy owning their coupe.
my is almost 10 yr old
let me check tonight see when is its birthday.
I got the 05 style face lift look on mine.

jcnash

Man I just finished looking at pics of your coupe! It is seriously awesome! Super rare.

Btw...is must go like a rocket eh? I recently took out all the stuff in the trunk like the spare wheel, tools etc. and the loss in weight makes such a big difference. It flies about everywhere now at the touch of the throttle. Post more pics of your coupe when you can.
I

jcnash

The single biggest upgrade you can do to facelift the coupe is install clear headlights. It cuts atleast 8 years off the age of the car just like that!

Of course adding clear blinkers, clear fogs and the updated tail lights help too.