I am discussing purchasing a 2001 c240 2.6L V6 with the 6 Speed Manual Tranny from a private seller near me. We're working out a time within the next few days for me to go check it out, look it over, and test drive it.

From what I've been told, 2nd gear has gone out due to synchro being bad, and the SRS sensor along with the ERS sensor possibly needing replaced. Beyond these, basic tune-up is what is needed.

The body has close to 200,000 miles on it while the engine has 84,000 (with documentation).

I was wondering what a good price would be on this vehicle, given the circumstances and such. As well, wondering generally how "good" (very subjective, I know) these vehicles are, all around. Is it worth purchasing to use as my daily driver?

Any response and input would be greatly appreciated,

K.Downing

 

Rust?
Why was engine replaced they should go for ever if maintained. Was replacement engine a junkyard engine or rebuilt?
Don't take this the wrong way but let me ask lets say you bought this car and in two weeks you had to drop $1,000 on a EIS (where you put the key) would this put you in a bad financial position? Then lets say in a month or two it needed another $1,000 repair for something crazy like the Instrument cluster or fuel pumps and rear sam? (the rear sam (glorified fuse box likes to die on the early w203's when you remove the battery)

If you piggy bank can handle craziness like that then yes they are good cars. I loved my 01 c320 and sold it with 215k on it running perfectly. My 01 w203 was probably the most reliable one on here as most 01-02 owners have tons of issues. The front end has 4 control arms that don't last very well(50-80k) and they are around $140 each (don't buy anything but OEM/OES) and the labor to put them on adds up or if you DIY you will hate life lol

The early cars have electrical issues like i said already the rear Sam as well as if you have power seats computer they like to drain the battery so you have to replace them or modify them (very cheap and easy DIY) amount many other little things that add up. An oil change on a Mercedes cost around $75 in oil and for the filter FYI.

The biggest problem is that parts can be higher than you are use to with domestic and Asian brands as well as finding a good INDY to work on it that has a star computer can be hard and expensive. If you are DIY type guy then buying a star computer is about $500 and can save you a ton of money and help figure out the complicated issues.

As for how much it is worth I would say under 2k as I sold my C320 with 215k for $3500 (guy overpaid) and it was in almost perfect shape minus some door rust(very common on early w203s) and it had a perfect maintenance history (I took very good care of her.)
This c240 is less desirable as it is very slow, manual (Mercedes manuals suck and most people don't want one) has a busted one at that, has error lights which could get expensive fast, engine replacement? and high miles. I would not pay much over $1,000 with all those issues but to be honest if i could only afford a cheap daily driver I would buy an old civic or Toyota that will go forever get way better mileage(c240 has been said to get worst mileage than the c320) and be very cheap to fix/maintain.

If you are set on a w203 try to find one with less miles, good history (such as using correct MB approved oils and so on), 04-05 C320 would be first choice or 04-05 c240.
The 04-05 c230s need a timing chain every 75-100k. The c320 would have the 722.6 5 speed automatic that if serviced every 39k will go forever and I could easily get 28-30MPG on the highway and if I drove nicely I once got over 33mpg.