LILBENZ230

I close the books this weekend on what I believe is one of the most reliable W203s on the forum. In its 4 years and 121,200 miles with me, it has never really let me down. There was never a failure to start, and though it has had issues crop up especially in this past year, none have truly disabled the car.

I've really been going back and forth on when exactly was the right time to move on for several months now and came especially close a couple of times to pulling the trigger on something new. Each time I would simply do some sort of maintenance or improvement on the C230 instead.

Then, early last week when the car started making abnormal sounds, myself and my indy mechanic thought the idler pulley had failed. We were all mistaken. The belt tensioner had failed and the A/C compressor was working but making a very nasty noise. Even with my fantastic indy mechanic and his very reasonable labor rates, this was a hair over $1,000 to repair. Now, in 146,000 miles that is not a lot really and I know that. But it got my attention and made me do some figuring. I need a timing chain replacement very soon, I also need an entire suspension refresh, a coolant flush, a transmission fluid change, a rear brake job, and a new washer fluid pump. Also, got an SRS warning that went away after a restart recently.

Combine the significant expense of all that work in money with my severe lack of any spare time and.. well, here we are. I can honestly say that without MBWorld my W203 experience could have been very different. It was this forum that taught me the importance of the M271 pigtails, changing the transmission fluid regardless of MB recommendations, and countless other items. Not to mention the internet - and real life! - friends I made. I visit one regularly and have even traveled with another, met some others. It's been great.

Once I pick up the new ride, I'll update this thread. Don't get excited. I need a piece of transportation that is a thoughtless appliance and that's what I intend on having. Once I have officially handed over the keys of the C230K, I will also have some W203 parts to sell.

tommy

With that engine, I thought your car WAS a thoughtless appliance.

Good luck with the sale, new appliance purchase, and such. Looking forward to seeing what you ultimately buy, no matter how utilitarian.

johnand

I knew you couldn't resist Tommy

Hate to see you go Matt, but I understand. Good luck with the new "appliance".

Carsy

Enjoyed your posts. Safe driving . JC.

samaritrey

sad day in the w203 world.

C230 Sport Coup

And you were SOOOO close to Guru status! Now you'll never make it.
Well good luck on whatever you buy.
Personally I wouldn't be so put off by the maint. part.
A few hours here and there, all could be DIY'd.
except the AC.
The lack of time certainly would be a problem,
I currently have no place to work on my car, well at least anything more
than a minor thing, so I cross my fingers every time I drive it.
Good luck with finding a car that needs no maint. Ha!

Glyn M Ruck

Hi Matt, See PM's. Sorry I'm travelling with sporadic access to the forum. Hope you end up with the three pointed star in your future. We are sure going to miss you. Please look in on us from time to time. There is only one appliance ~ Toyota!
Kind Regards,
G

SeaCoupe

Dude!, your leaving? We are dropping like flies. I've enjoyed interacting with you, even when it was at the expense of someone elses self esteem....

Show us what you get.

Ed

Peydidy

Never though i would see the day. Thanks for all the help you always gave here on the forum! Keep us updated on what happens

kluvsbenz

Another one bites the dust Wow, say it ain't so. Anyway, good luck in whatever "appliance" you buy. You and others have given me advice that has saved me gobs of loot. Honda would be my route for thoughtless appliance

ncmudbug

Sorry to see you go, Matt. I've enjoyed and learned from your posts over the past year or so and as others have said, you've been a great asset to the board. I hope you get a good price on your W203 and get a ride you'll enjoy for a long time. Let us know what you get (so we can give you a lot of crap about it! ). Seriously, I and I know others are interested in what you get and all have the same hope for your good luck and enjoyment with your new ride.

Don't be a stranger. Regardless what you get, we'd all like to hear from you from time to time.

LILBENZ230

Thanks everyone. It was not an easy decision to make. After nearly trading it a while back, I had finally come to the conclusion that mid-2013 at 175,000 miles or so would be the time. Then as recently as a few weeks ago I was toying with the idea of doing extensive reconditioning (suspension, flex discs, etc) and holding onto it for longer. But when the A/C compressor gave out last week I realized I had not accounted for anything actually breaking. It had been so reliable.

That was my stupidity. The car is worth about $6,000. I was looking at about $2,000 in reconditioning. Then with the $1,000 A/C repair it just no longer made sense to me. 50% of the car's value is one thing, but I really don't have time to deal with it honestly. It has been a huge hassle. As for finding a car that requires no maintenance, well that is not what I am saying. How about a car that is new, has a dealer in my town I have a great relationship with, and has a long warranty. That sure beats having to order parts from all over the country and use 2-3 indy mechanics that aren't open weekends. The closest Benz dealer is 90 miles, and using them was never an option anyway.

So this has been brought forward 7-8 months. I'm not looking especially forward to handing over the keys. A lot of good times in the car with my whole circle of close friends and family. And just the other day as I got something out of it in the parking lot of my school a guy walking by said "that's a nice little Benz!"..

Ah well, still a few more days before it's done. Business as usual.

LILBENZ230

I say we need a new title for those of us who move on but still visit. W203 Alumni!

Akhafeez

A legend retires

silvermamba

Take care!

SunnyRayToronto

Oh no,... not LilBenz230 as well,.....

Now, who's gonna keep me in check? Who's gonna get on my back for using the wrong tone when I tell newbies to "Search" with a capitalized "S" instead of a lower case "s". But somehow,... I know if I step out of line,.... you'll be back with your whip!

Anyways,... but seriously, I truly am sadden to see you go. You are a wealth of information for our generation of C-class,.... and you've always been willing to share that wealth with anyone and everyone,.... For that,... Matt, you have my utmost respect,... thanks!

C230 Sport Coup

W203 "Stalker" like Jordan.

Peydidy

kirax2

what da hell man, i still make this W203 forum alive by putting a car resemble as W203

MBfinatic

So what kind of car is it?

LILBENZ230

Barring any unforeseen events taking place, I am in my last 24 hours as a W203 owner. The car is currently undergoing A/C repair though so I can't even enjoy it on the last day.

When I drove it to the shop to have this A/C repair, I had pretty intense second thoughts about the whole thing. But ultimately I think this is the right decision for me at this point. Hopefully tomorrow evening I will be able to post pictures of the new ride on this thread.

MBfinatic

Any hints? european?

bdgdl08

It will be sad to see the car go, and seeing a little bit of my old car go with it! I'm excited to get to see (and drive) whatever you move on to.

Also: Trey, you're a mod!

tommy

Well, I hope your new car gives you the enjoyment that the Benz obviously has. Hopefully, without some of the drama you've experienced recently.

Are you getting the a/c completely fixed before dumping it?

splinter