ninjaff21

Hi I'm new to the forum and am looking at multiple cars. a 1.8t audi a4 2003, and a mercedes from 2001-2006 c-class which i assume is the w203?

Im coming from the world of land rover so I'm use to electrical problems and unreliability.

Im wanting to use the merc as a daily driver and i was wondering what kind of maintenance I'm looking at how much more expensive is it than a land rover. (i will be doing all the labor myself)

How reliable are these cars? what are common faults? what year model should i look at specifically. (is the s-class e-class more reliable than a c-class)

Any input is appreciated thank you!

(basically asking for a buying guide)

corkshoppe

yes, they are all reliable, and can be worked on by yourself, just be sure to check on hear first for advice!

Alswag

Yup! 2001-2007 models are on the 203 chassis. (W203 is the sedan, S203 is the wagon, CL203 is the coupe).
These cars are all very reliable. Though do not get any from the 2006 model year, as they use the M272 V6 engine (or M273 V8) and could cause you a very costly 4 grand repair which is (mostly) a dealer-only job. The balance shaft basically wears itself down and can cause catastrophic engine failure. Do NOT purchase ANY 2006 Mercedes Benz.

If you plan on doing the work yourself, these cars are super affordable to own. Website like Pelican Parts will be your friend. They're also very easy to work on. Everything maintenance related is straight forward, and most repairs are super simple.

I would stay away from the S-Class. The W220 was a colossal POS in my opinion. Everything breaks, all the time.

The E-Class is never a bad option. The W210 is bulletproof, and so is the W211. The only problem in the W211 is that earlier years have somewhat finicky electronics, but nothing too bad.

If you're looking for a good place to start, I'd be looking for a 2005 C320. In 2005, the interior and exterior of the car was refreshed and the electronics are a tad more reliable. That being said, the 2001-2004 C320 isn't a bad choice either. Also, the M112 V6 (C240, C320) or the M113 V8 (E430, E550, E500, E55 AMG, C55 AMG) will never die. Seriously, these things don't stop. Keep up with maintenance and don't skimp out on anything and you'll have a car that will run for years guaranteed. The 722.6 transmission on these cars (every model equipped with a 5-speed automatic) also don't die. Except the transmission fluid MUST be changed at the latest every 60k miles. These transmissions only **** out if they haven't been taken care of and have never had a fluid change.

That being said, buy an oil extractor (suction pump? whatever) that holds at least 9 litres. It will make your oil changes a whole lot easier. Also, buy torx sockets, including inverted torx. These cars almost exclusively use torx, and you'll find them pretty much everywhere. Also, again, get your parts from pelicanparts.com or another similar site. Otherwise, you're paying MB bucks, which literally has a 100% markup on most parts. Again, do not skimp out on parts. This especially includes oil, spark plugs, and coolant. Only use MB approved coolant, only use 5W-40 or 0w-40 full synthetic (Mobil 1 or Castrol), only use MB approved spark plugs, and only use MB approved transmission fluid. Using cheaper alternatives only end in tears. Happy hunting!

ninjaff21

Thank you for all that information! thats exactly what all i needed. as for the oil i use a 5w-40 T6 rotella anyone around here use that? i have always loved rotella i used it in the land rover and we use it in both our toyotas.

mercedes4ever

If you get the Merc w203 2001-2007, get the facelift model [revised dash, clear headlights etc] approx 2004.7 >

samaritrey

Check to see what is on the 229.5 approved list I believe some shell oil is on it.
As others have said most are reliable 01-03 can be a gamble but after that much more reliable. That said my 01 has been rather good and is at 211,000 miles. I would also recommend the 2005 c320 as it is a bullet proof drivetrain and the newest model you can get with the 722.6 transmission and the m112 engine. If you want an 06-07 check the engine number for the balance shaft issue (more info can be found on here not all are bad)

ildd

For the most part, my car has been very reliable, other than a couple interior things. mechanically, it's perfect. Like alswag said, the c240/c320 engines are mostly bullet proof.
I'm not sure if you know/care, but there's minimal back seat leg room, if that's important. Since you drive a Land Rover, I'm guessing you sometimes haul some people around, which is why I mentioned that.

ninjaff21

Leg room isn't a big deal I've been trying to sell the land rover its a 7 seater and on weekends thats filled up completely. currently I'm driving a rental from my grandparents its their spare car. its a for taurus sel 07. its one of the worst cars I've driven. still managed to fit 8 people in it somehow!

if anything less leg room= less of my friends asking me to drive on weekends. unless it becomes a thing of who wants to ride in the benz or audi (depending on which i get)

VVF

Then buy a coupe and remove the backseat

Alswag

I wouldn't use the 5W-40 Rotella oil. It's rated as MB Approved 228.3, which is for diesels. The only oils I trust are Mobil 1 0W-40/5W-40 (usually labeled as ESP formula or EuroSpec) and Castrol Syntec 5W-40.

EDIT: Also, do NOT use conventional transmission fluid in the 722.6. The only fluid that should be going into it is the one sold at the dealer. There are alternatives by Valvoline and Fuchs, and I've heard some success stories, but I would still only use the dealer-sold fluid. Why save 30 dollars at the possible cost of a 5k+ transmission?

EDIT 2: These cars require special treatment, pretty much. If you don't know exactly what fluids to use, buy them from the dealer. Also if you're in Canada, use this to get a 20% discount at the dealer for all parts and service. Only requirement is if you own an ML or a C-Class from 2001-2005, though I let my mom use it when she got her CLK serviced at the dealer (although I told her I'll do her service A...) and it worked, no issues.

ninjaff21

how reliable is a 99 SLK230 KOMPRESSOR. do they compare to the e and s classes? or naawww

Alswag

Honestly, I wouldn't buy an R170. But that's just because I don't like them.
The M111 engine on the SLK230 is reliable, and easily modifiable. The E-Class will always be a good option, but the W140 is glorious. Though, more to love means more that can break. Pick your poison.

ninjaff21

i found a nice 2003 clk320 with 157k on the clock they are asking 6k but kbb says its worth about 4500. how much should i offer and is the clk as reliable as a regular c320

VVF

A little offtopic, but I find that when you want to sell a car, seems like nobody is willing to buy at KBB estimate price. When you want to buy a car, everyone seems to be selling at way over KBB estimate... wtf.

A 2003 car with 157k is gonna have some issues though. I suggest you watch this interesting series: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...Ohv6LIBlIh1Kxa

ninjaff21

Sorry about it being off topic I didn't want to start another thread didn't want to upset anyone. this car has its maintenance records and has been garage kept from what the owner says.
Also that video series is great its helped me with a lot already!

VVF

I was off topic, not you
I'd ask him why the 1.5k premium over the KBB.
Also get a thorough inspection from a good indy or a dealer, and lower the price based on what they find.

samaritrey

Way to many miles find a lower mileage one they are not hard to find.

mercedes4ever

Agree with that many miles it will be a potential money pit!

ninjaff21

In my price range I'm looking at cars with about 120k-150k miles on them. i don't mind doing repairs as long as they are diy and the parts for said repair are not terribly expensive. what should i look out for in a 2003 ish c-class or clk around that mileage that i will most likely be doing service on?

(do these cars use timing chain or belt and are they interference?

on my CL there are tons of every type of mercedes being parted out mostly wrecked so thats a good thing a i guess? cheap parts!

Also how are the M class mercedes?

tommy

Chain, and it should be fine with that kind of mileage.

If you are going to buy that old of a Benz, you need have a slush fund of 3-5k also. I have no idea why most on here are saying that the 01-03 models are reliable, that's far from the truth. That timeframe also has very serious rust issues.

Current gen M's seem to be doing ok; the first gen weren't worth the metal they were stamped from - huge issues across the board as they got the AL workers to start learning to read. So if you go down that road, buy as early of an M as you can.

Personally, I'd stay away from any used W203 and look for Japanese if I had to go the used route, but YMMV.

samaritrey

+1 if you have that small of a budget not much good can come out of any euro brand.

Javvy

+1....RUST PIT......

javvy

ninjaff21

So i should stay away from the c-classes because of the rust problem?

tikara

definitely not as a whole sale,

if you see a particular w203 that's rusted, walk away,

if you see one that's not rusted,
it will likely be good for rest of its life, even if you are going to drive it in mud

ninjaff21

I'm feeling more comfortable with buying a c-class than i am buying an audi. from what i understand these cars will run for what seems forever without extremely major problems. and the problems it has are mainly electrical. am i correct on this or am i missing something? also does this forum really help with doing a lot of diy stuff?