DjaKRAbb

Hello, i actually enjoy working on my 2004 c200k as im learning alot about cars / diy repairs in general and glad it lead me to this forum.
it has 100k miles so was cheap.

But im thinking, my car is not worth that much money, it has/had all the usual problems + more that i caused lol each of which are easily a 'scrap-able offence' if i would pay a garage to do the work e.g:

- front + rear shocks kaput
- front + rear suspension arms kaput
- leaking vacuum pump
- leaking camshaft magnets
- 12$ hose
- cracked oil pan (drop the subframe to fix)
- engine + transmission oil needing a flush
- rear dif fluid
- timing chain will need replacing soon

I mean the list goes on, just look at the posts on this forum.

If you are not a DIY enthusiast / masochistic , why would you purchase this car in 2020? New threads on this forum with " i bought this car x months ago and its broken" are really sad to read. What i think im trying to say is, people who buy it in 2020 and think its a daily driver are being tricked.

I think its great theres always something to fix/keep me busy/learning

KevinH2000

I'm currently in a positive mood concerning my 2005 C230. The check engine light isn't on and all of my maintenance and repairs are up to date. My era of good feeling could end quickly when I start the car tomorrow. Please account for the context of my response and understand that it could be very different next week.

If you are simply looking for the least expensive and most reliable way to get from point A to point B a W203 is not the best option in 2020. You would be better off with a used Toyota or a Honda. However, there are some positive aspects of ownership if you can perform some repairs yourself and don't loathe doing the work. Here's my list of reasons for preferring my 2005 C230 to my daughter's 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan with a manual transmission.

1. The C230 Sport Sedan has better handling and the firm ride I prefer. (This comment may not apply to other W203's variants such as the C240.)
2. Better acceleration
3. 6-speed manual vs. a 5-speed manual in the Honda
4. Higher-quality interior materials - although I upgraded the seats with a pair from a C63 AMG the stock seats were also better than the Honda's.
5. Additional options not available on the Honda such as Homelink, heated seats, rear sun shade, summer convenience feature, self-dimming rear view mirror, automatic wipers and automatic headlights
6. I prefer the styling of both the interior and exterior of the Mercedes
7. Inexpensive upgrades using "pre-owned" parts. See my C230 upgrade here.
8. It is a Mercedes and everyone needs to own one at least once in their life - for better or worse.
9. The steep depreciation makes the initial purchase of a used W203 affordable even if repair and maintenance costs are sure to eat up most of the savings.

I note that you had a "self inflicted" wound when you damaged your oil drain. I had a similar experience when I dropped a wrench on my alternator cable which caused significant expense and inconvenience. If I had not made that mistake, my other maintenance and repair costs while higher than those on my daughter's Honda, would be acceptable. I had other expenses for upgrades, but those were a choice not a necessity. I paid $4300 for my car and have driven it about 50,000 miles since I purchased it. If I had bought a new car and driven it 50,000 miles, I expect that the depreciation alone would have been more than my total expenditures on the C230.

S70Houston

Not much to add to Kevin's comments, totally agree with all.

I for myself would never drive Japanese and love the feel and look of an older Benz any day.

My son insisted to have a manual car as his first vehicle, so when I found the 2004 C320 with sport package and manual 6 speed transmission with only 59K original miles, I jumped on it.

Maintenance is all up to date and the car drives like a champ. I paid $5300 for a W203 with only 59K miles on it and in pristine condition, came with a brand new set of Michelin Sport Pilots all around.

HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG?

OM646

I'm in Europe so the reasons might be different. I bought it for the looks, and also because it has one of the last reliable diesels made by MBZ for the C Class, the OM646. Also mine was a bargain, and i prefer the interior to that of the early W204 (that could be had with the same engine in the 1st years)

DjaKRAbb

Thank you for the well thought out and thorough response, you even put my own argument into better words.
Yes, yes and yes. I think i fall into the category of a noob who thought 'wow, a mercedes at an amazingly low price?... LEATHER seats?? electric windows in the back?? Oh my.... whats this button... central locking!?!? whats this button do *rear seat head rests fold down*, whats this one, *BOOP* *trunk/boot opens*' and the sound/feel inside the cabin when you drive around is just a whole other level and for me definitely feels like a 'luxury car'. Oh my .. the lights stay on for a bit after i leave the car / unlock it?? the sun visor has its own light hidden inside the mirror flap ! lol
Amazing work you have done Kevin, i'll make sure to read all of that thread, and good tip on the 'alternator' disaster, i had no idea that could happen

Houston your car is pretty much the 'de facto standard' of a perfect conditon Mercedes

W203 owners enjoying their cars while problems of the future slowly creep forward,,, "can i have some more repairs sir?",, but instead of getting angry, we say Ofcourse!

Raja King

I did got one just months ago.. in the past I always drive new japanese cars.. yes the new cars are almost to zero maintenance.. but the driving experience is different then my first benz, 2005 w203. Plus there is no big difference to 2017 honda features except
for start stop button & bluetoooth head unit.

Beside of the fuel consumption and minor repairs I enjoy it.. alot!

slammer111

Suspension arms are a wear item like any other moving part. These fail on Japanese cars as well. Personally I'm still on my original shocks at some 236k km. Car still passes the bounce test. Did yours start leaking or something?

The M271 leaking cam sensors and vacuum pump are components made by other companies, and in both cases it's the internal seals that leak. The updated parts do not have these problems.

Fluid changes would fall under regular maintenance. All fluids have a finite service life, regardless of make. Most manufacturers only really care that the car makes it past the end of the warranty period. I imagine the transmission fluid in a Lexus wouldn't make it to 300k km either.

I definitely do not trust anything that's "lifetime fill". As an example, I occasionally do a partial change on my power steering fluid, which has no predefined service life. The stuff still works and looks fine, but once I have it out of the car, there is a sludge that settles at the bottom. When I replaced my supercharger oil (supposedly lifetime fill as well), the stuff that came out was brown like engine oil, while the new fluid going in was clear like water.

The $12 hose (there are actually 3 of them) were made with the wrong material initially and the latest version lasts a long time. However, the check valve between 2 of the hoses is made of that potato chip plastic. When I replaced mine a few months ago, the valve had an updated PN. Hopefully this means they changed the grade of plastic used.

I notice you didn't mention the HVAC stepper motors. Hope you're prepared for a fun time. Then there are all the plastic coolant pipes going bad (there are updated parts made of a different plastic).

DjaKRAbb

True, you are correct, its not fair to have general maintenance things as a negative (same can be said for any car)!

Haha, well, i have seen the HVAC posts.. and a few videos about mainly the 'clicking noise' (some worn gear cog), has not happened to me 'yet' , but the blower motor is making a scratching noise (left hand drive motor is cheap enough for me to buy new, but the right hand one is 4x the price) i think i could probably buy the left hand drive one and simply swap the 'plastic case' holding the motor with my one, but im not sure so i purchased a used one + some bushes and ill repair it (videos on that too.. just some soldering)

Coolant pipes - let me tell you about my first introduction to this forum - i had an exhaust smell in the cabin - opened the hood and seen that the exhaust manifold gasket and/or the pre-cat union (i have the old style like you slammer, 1 big exhaust pipe with no flex join??) so as im reaching around i have the shock of my life, i get sprayed with WARM (luckily the car had been off for a while...) green fluid all over my arm and im thinking i have battery acid all over me LOL so i end up here, and its the coolant return pipe? to the reservoir ... seems to be common, found a thread on it. i fixed it with some other part thats supposed to be for joining plastic clutch pipes in an Opel, seems to be holding.

DjaKRAbb

*about my shocks, the rear ones where not 'leaking' anymore because they where empty and where listed on the inspection as being 'inoperative' , so, being that i could find a really cheap aftermarket pair, and its a "simple" job to do i did it. They can pass the bounce test i think because the suspension arms provide alot of damping also (i think).
The front ones where still 'acceptable' but i was replacing all the front arms and i had never got the chance to drive a car with 'new' front shocks, so i purchased some, also not expensive. The only problem i found is that you probably need to buy new springs + new top mount thing with the bearing (which i did not... that made it too expensive) cus i now have a weird issue where when you are on full lock, theres about an inch or less of air between to top nut/bracket and the engine bay thing. Also, compressing the front springs... you need ones that will work because they have to be squashed until the springs are almost touching each other.. i had the incorrect tool but "the show must go on" so i used some table vice's etc, very unsafe!

*good practice with the steering fluid, i also done a 'partial flush' with about 2 litres - fill - drain - fill .. and even after that the fluid is still very dirty after being diluted so its well worth doing

slammer111

The coolant return hose as you've mentioned can break off.

On the engine end the hose plugs into a plastic nipple (the nipple connects the hose to the long tube above the exhaust manifold) that goes bad. This piece dies every few years. The part is only a few bucks at the dealer. Personally I keep a spare in the car and would recommend you do the same. I'd recommend doing this job properly, as it is a really dumb way to get stranded if your hack job fails suddenly. I remember mine broke off when I rested my hand on it while doing a different repair job. I didn't even push down.

On the tank end it plugs into a nipple at the top of the tank. The black plastic on the tank is known for going bad as well - the plastic basically turns to powder. When I replaced the tank after some 16 years, I could break pieces off like a biscuit. The tank isn't terribly expensive either and the job is quite easy. Just have to lower the coolant level below the bottom of the tank. The coolant can be reused afterwards too.

DjaKRAbb

Good advice, i will order the part. Im worried now that you mention it lol My hack is using the 'correct' pipe fitting that locks into place, its a male to male slave cylinder pipe join, i just ground one end down so i could slide the hose as far as possible onto it, and use the c-clip to further secure. the thread for those wondering https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ance-item.html Mine had turned into dust. It's vital when you think about it and everyone should have a spare if you own an m271 engine. Thanks for the info!

* the other end on the reservoir... i pulled the pipe off that also, i had no idea that could break, luckily it didnt! i got lucky once again lol

** Part number for the coolant reservoir 2035000049

tjts1

Unless you DIY and you know what you're doing you shouldn't one one of these cars.

w123fanman

The real key to buying any used car is getting one that has been kept up. I bought my 2002 C320 wagon for $1500. It was in pretty good shape mechanically (even had new Michelins) other than the water pump and transmission ( thought it was a conductor plate but was a dead transmission, and I later cracked the radiator tank but that was my fault) but I do my own work so not a big deal. I'm now more like $2800 into the car, some of that was for "while I'm in there" parts (did both flex discs, crank position sensor, belt system, diff fluid flush, cabin air filters) and it's gonna need some things in the future but the parts prices really aren't too bad (cheaper fuel pumps than my F150, none of the suspension parts approach the cost of my LS400's suspension parts). It rides as good as my brother's 2006 E500 4Matic wagon with half the miles and gets way better fuel economy than it or my 190E. I can't really complain. I'm thinking of giving it to my mom once it is 100% sorted.