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Looking to make a deal tonight on it, price is right and 1 family owned and dealer maintained with records. Only hiccup is rust along the bottom door edges all the way around, but new state and emissions inspections for here in Virginia.
Anything in particular I should be peeking at? I had an 89 E320 before and it was great, and don't suspect this one would be much different aside from more electronics and newer. Seems to have been a well taken care of car. TIA
So I pulled the trigger, and for $2400 in this market I feel I did pretty good regardless. The car runs great and has a few things that I'd like to address first that I feel are needs, then onto the other items. Overall the car drives smooth and tracks straight, brakes well and straight, and has new state inspection and emissions which I still have to do here in Virginia. The questions I want to pose to the masses are as follows:
1. When coming to a stop, there's a slight hiccup at idle, and it seems a little low. Previous owner mentioned he has sprayed the MAF behind the filters and it has helped, but seemingly a temporary fix. Records indicate the plugs were changed around 130,000 and car currently has 202k on the clock.
2. Drivers side mirror is dark and tinted or bled out, seem the auto-dim broke or something but it's damn near useless and can't be adjusted well or seen out of for anything.
3. Car has 2 Michelins and 2 Kumho tires on it; good tread and drives well, but the rears are LOUD, so I'm half curious if they're mounted wrong and directional, or just the variance makes it that way
4. Front drivers strut seems very soft and near death, so that is hopefully and easy fix, new pair up front and done deal potentially... any brand specifically recommended?
Aside from that, there are a few lingering things like the rear window shade, drivers rear window track needs fixing for window to operate properly, and get the OEM hood emblem to make it correct as the one there now is loose and a knock off. Thanks for reading.
Congrats on the purchase. Hopefully the rust isn't too bad, but I would get that taken care of. You don't want the car to rot out after a few years.
1. Can't answer definitively as I don't know the V6. However you may want to check your alternator pulley. On the I4 it was known for seizing which would cause the engine to stumble for a split second if I braked heavily to a stop. Not sure if this is the same problem you're describing.
2. The driver's side mirror should behave the same way (tint wise) as the middle mirror. If it's non functional, just replace the mirror glass assembly. Dealer will have the part. If you want the version with the nifty curved blind spot zone, order the Euro version. The dealer can special order this part but you'll have to find the PN elsewhere though.
3. Check your tire sidewall for any direction arrow or inside/outside markings. Obviously we can't answer this without pics.
4. You can go OEM (Sachs) or aftermarket such as Brabus or H&R. Not everyone likes stiffer shocks though, so you'll have to read up on the suspension thread on this forum.
You might want to put your location in your profile. Not everyone knows you have a US spec car. This matters when doing repairs on your car.
Thanks, updated location as well. Definitely need to fix that mirror; and search for the glass assemblies P#s. Will do codes after work and check the tires too. I believe it's been running Mobil1 syn 0w-40 so I have to see the last time that was done, and check filters etc as well.
New rubber now on all 4 corners, Bridgestone Turenza Quietracks seemed too good to pass up at Costco including their warranty and lifetime rotation.
The clunking in front (swaybar end links) is worse than I thought prior; any part manufacturers I should go with besides OEM that are good quality and good to use?
No codes pulled, all clear. Just a seat belt buckle/SRS warning. Need to find mirror glass for the drivers side, and get the idle straightened out; thinking MAF now since there's no codes... thoughts?
Congrats post some pics so we could see the new ride
I would do some fresh fluids all around
filters tires you already took care or MAF could be the sensor check FCP TUNING
Check belt and for suspension I would do everything from struts inner outer tie rods
Stabilizer links H&R lowering springs if your looking for a nice stance
check brakes and rotors also brake lines . I had to change my rear brake line was rotten
and popped on me
Oh yours is way nicer! What brand MAF and parts should I be ok with besides OEM? Bosch I know does electronic things, like the MAF, but end links and such, or other?
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort RIP
1. check all the hoses, see if there's any vacuum leaks.
When you say "this market" what do you mean? Have used car prices increased?
C240's sell for very little, gutless wonders they are.
$2400 for a rusty 20 year old C320 with rust and 200K + miles seems high to me.
2. If you have a picknpull nearby you might get lucky on the mirror.
I got a couple that way. Gotta get there straight away when a car shows up.
Mirror and shifter are always the 1st things to go.
Dealer is like $300 last I looked.
Non- self dimming on ebay is like $75 last I looked a couple years ago.
3. I take it the rears are Khumos. Just noisy tires.
4. Likely struts never replaced.
Originally Posted by 545moose
So I pulled the trigger, and for $2400 in this market I feel I did pretty good regardless. The car runs great and has a few things that I'd like to address first that I feel are needs, then onto the other items. Overall the car drives smooth and tracks straight, brakes well and straight, and has new state inspection and emissions which I still have to do here in Virginia. The questions I want to pose to the masses are as follows:
1. When coming to a stop, there's a slight hiccup at idle, and it seems a little low. Previous owner mentioned he has sprayed the MAF behind the filters and it has helped, but seemingly a temporary fix. Records indicate the plugs were changed around 130,000 and car currently has 202k on the clock.
2. Drivers side mirror is dark and tinted or bled out, seem the auto-dim broke or something but it's damn near useless and can't be adjusted well or seen out of for anything.
3. Car has 2 Michelins and 2 Kumho tires on it; good tread and drives well, but the rears are LOUD, so I'm half curious if they're mounted wrong and directional, or just the variance makes it that way
4. Front drivers strut seems very soft and near death, so that is hopefully and easy fix, new pair up front and done deal potentially... any brand specifically recommended?
Aside from that, there are a few lingering things like the rear window shade, drivers rear window track needs fixing for window to operate properly, and get the OEM hood emblem to make it correct as the one there now is loose and a knock off. Thanks for reading.
This market is crazy right now, basically anything with 4 wheels people want 3500-4000 regardless; it was insane. So hence my steal for the current conditions. I found some Euro glass kits or knock offs on Ebay along with the mirror as a whole, a center vent trim, and the rear drivers side window motor/track. That’s the next round. Just want to get it running smoothly first. Oil change kits from FCP possibly, a fuel filter, and end links next. MAF will get delivered tomorrow 👍🏼
C230 Sport Coup + 2006 W164 ML350 + 99 Ford Escort RIP
Yeah, I remember a waitress who had a C240 and put a bunch of money into it, and
then wanted to sell it some oh 5 years ago, and couldn't get
hardly anything for it, like maybe 2 grand 100K miles,
completely up to date on maint. perfect paint and no rust, and
perfect interior. I guess those days are gone?
KBB says 02 C230 is only worth diddly but only sold one year with the old bulletproof 4 cylinder with more power.
I figure it's worth keeping and restoring as needed. Gonna be a classic in the states.
Only ones for sale in the US in nice shape and lo miles going for 8 grand! https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used...302145903/NONE
You can get a nice V12 for less. But oh...the pain, when it come to maint.
Well I paid 30K new and then put 10K in mods, many I've since removed, exhaust etc.
So 8K maybe isn't so bad for an almost perfect car.
In UK you can get a nice 2011 CLC for around 5 grand, same car with updated body, but the little
Benz hatch is getting harder and harder to find here in the US except in the junkyards as more people give up on them.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; Oct 29, 2021 at 05:26 PM.
Sorry for the delay, but here she is. As you can see, the previous owner tried to bandaid the rust and just let it go and yeah, you get what you see here. Sad since the interior is great. Still trying to get some things sorted like why I feel heat and cold at the same time, and the dual zone temps are set identically. The broken trim piece is annoying but an easy Ebay fix. I see there's a oil leaking at the valve covers too, so I wiped off what I could and will monitor that. I also need to get mirror glass; is the Euro versions on Ebay any good? And I need a screw for the air filter boxes. I also have an SRS light on that I'd like to get sorted out.
That rust looks painful. Not sure if it's worth it, but you may want to replace all 4 doors. They didn't properly start galvanizing the W203s until partially through MY2003. For this reason almost all examples of W203 body rust are in MY2001-2002.
The HVAC stepper motors and linkages are known for failing. Try doing a calibration first by pushing and holding the first 2 buttons together (defrost and recirculate) for a few seconds, until the lights begin to flash. If there are no errors or problems with the stepper motors, the flashing will stop after some 30 seconds.
The driver's side mirror looks damaged. The bottom edge has some kind of bubbling in the middle. The OEM Euro version mirror glass has curved blind spot sections towards the outer edges. Aftermarket mirrors may not have the auto tinting function.
Last edited by slammer111; Nov 2, 2021 at 09:47 AM.
Yeah the rust is unmanageable and I'm just going to resist making the car nice cosmetically and drive it till it won't go any more. Can you provide me a pic of which 2 buttons you're talking about? Also, any links to the mirror you're talking about? I see some replacement glass available but just want to be able to see well (or at all) at this point. Appreciate you looking, pains me on the rust but the next one I get will be nicer and rust free; there's no saving this one for now I don't think, but I think it has a lot of life left in it as a driver so long as the rust doesn't start to cause issues with inspections.
Yeah I saw that Ebay set for like $80, and I'll check the button test later on the stepper motors and see what I get. Can you replace the glass only without removing the mirror itself? Is the glass just glued/double stick 3M taped on there?
The mirror glass can be replaced separately. It is is clipped to the mirror assembly with a wire clip. You have to remove the exterior housing (the part with the blinker lights) first, which then gives access to the back of the mirror. There are instructions around here somewhere. The dimming mirror also has an additional electrical connector. There is no tape involved.
Be sure not to break the mirror glass, as I hear the dimming liquid eats paint.
The mirror glass can be replaced separately. It is is clipped to the mirror assembly with a wire clip. You have to remove the exterior housing (the part with the blinker lights) first, which then gives access to the back of the mirror. There are instructions around here somewhere. The dimming mirror also has an additional electrical connector. There is no tape involved.
Be sure not to break the mirror glass, as I hear the dimming liquid eats paint.
Cool will do, I'd hope new glass came with clips or they're reusable but we'll find out! Did you find those on Ebay?
It was a quick online image search. The eBay aftermarket stuff won't have the dimming capability. I would honestly try a local wrecker if you want a cheap OEM replacement.
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2002 C320 purchase ?'s
Hopefully the rust isn't too bad, but I would get that taken care of. You don't want the car to rot out after a few years.
