W203/CL203 Car Buyer's Guide - All you want to know and consider
Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 142
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From: Battle Creek, Michigan
1988 560SL (Sold)
confused???
I'm confused as to your confusion. (huh?!?) What is it you are exactly asking? According to the numbers that you gave, the dealer is predicting that you will use up 51% of the vehicle in the first four years, and another 9% if you drive it the fifth year. I am pretty sure that history will allow the prediction of these numbers to be fairly accurate.
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: SF, California
Looking to purchase 230 or 240
Hello, first thread but have been reading this forum on and off for the last three weeks. Looking to purchase a 230, 240, or a G35 sedan, all in automatic. Read most of the posts from search concering the 230 vs 240. Test drove them both. Couldnt notice a significant difference while test driving (smooth roads and breezy countryside conditions). Hence I have to ask it here. When people generally recommend the 230 over the 240 secondary to power and handling, are they making these recommedations based on daily commutes or weekend stints? Is the 240 that sluggish? I had an Audi '02 1.8T quattro/triptronic, and the acceleration was horrible with the AC on during the summer months...almost to the point where i felt unsafe merging into traffic. So why not straight out go with the 230? I like the interior of the 240 a bit more and am trying to justify that the power is adequate. I dont have the extra $ for the 320. My other option is the G35s. Im not going to bring in that car into the conversation for this thread. One last thing in this extremley long thread (sorry) but should i really really be concerned about build quality or are these negative posts average gripe that most all car makers see? Ive been quoted the 230: c2, c4, heated seats, cd changer, auto, 1/2 leather, metallic paint for $31k, is this what most people have paid? Many thanks for any input.
Last edited by SfBae; Jun 4, 2003 at 11:06 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,618
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From: stix of florida
Honda Grom
I got the 230 sedan because the 240 was just too sluggish for me. You should drive them again and make a list of things that you liked and disliked about each.. then figure out which one is better for you. Honestly.... I looked at ALL the cars out there and the only one that was worth the $$ in the same class was the IS300. The rest had a plastic feel to them IMHO. and in terms of build quality... I bought the benz with a 100K warranty for a mere $1580 more.... peace of mind. Just remember.. it isn't a TOYOTA, but out of all the benz's my family has had only 1 was ever bad. This 230 has 5K miles on it now and still nothing wrong. There are plenty of members who have a lot of miles on their c class and have had no problems.
good luck!
good luck!
Banned
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 141
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C240 02
SfBae, here is my advise. U probably read some of my posts and yeah they have been extreemly negative and lots of fights and immature actions took place. Please excuse all that. Im being very honest with you and the rest is up to you
1) people on here are more bias towards their car so they will always recomend you get a benz for the most part
2) do the research your self, this forum goes way back more than 2 years. Read all the problems, issues, and complaints that took place. A key note is look for REPEAT issues that have kept on taking place from 01 to 02 to 03 models and have not been fixed. Thats very important when u question reliablity
3) There is no doubt this is one of the safest cars in the world. Its also an aswome image car too. Just put some nice rims and people will look at you like crazy. U will get attention so thats a plus. Handling is good and some cool features exist in the car
4) I would personaly get the G35 and thats for a couple of reasons. I have had about 20 issues so far in close to 2 years. most of these issues have already occured to alot of people on this forum so my car is not really a lemon because its happening to everyone else too. But for me also the G35 offers good looks, comfort, and more power for sure. Stock audio is even better.
5) if for some reason u descide on a benz then go with the C230, it looks better from the out side, bigger wheels, weights less, better on gass, and is faster,also costs less. As far as interior well u can either opt for those options or customize as u go along your self
6) either way, good luck to u and enjoy what u get. let us know
1) people on here are more bias towards their car so they will always recomend you get a benz for the most part
2) do the research your self, this forum goes way back more than 2 years. Read all the problems, issues, and complaints that took place. A key note is look for REPEAT issues that have kept on taking place from 01 to 02 to 03 models and have not been fixed. Thats very important when u question reliablity
3) There is no doubt this is one of the safest cars in the world. Its also an aswome image car too. Just put some nice rims and people will look at you like crazy. U will get attention so thats a plus. Handling is good and some cool features exist in the car
4) I would personaly get the G35 and thats for a couple of reasons. I have had about 20 issues so far in close to 2 years. most of these issues have already occured to alot of people on this forum so my car is not really a lemon because its happening to everyone else too. But for me also the G35 offers good looks, comfort, and more power for sure. Stock audio is even better.
5) if for some reason u descide on a benz then go with the C230, it looks better from the out side, bigger wheels, weights less, better on gass, and is faster,also costs less. As far as interior well u can either opt for those options or customize as u go along your self
6) either way, good luck to u and enjoy what u get. let us know
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: SF, California
Yes, the G35s are nice. But that car too is not without issues. Foremost is the thin paint. Plenty of people complaining that their bumpers look like something out of a war zone with a few k mileage....buffing the paint, one goes all the way down to the raw metal....etc....this is the most talked about topic over at infiniti's forums...and how/where/cost to apply clear bra. I was looking at an acura cls but that ended quickly when i learned that they were having massive tranny failures (one person had it replaced 6 times in a yr)...
lol...must be a bad yr to purchase an entry level lux car in the 30k range.... decisions decisions
btw, thanks again for the comments
lol...must be a bad yr to purchase an entry level lux car in the 30k range.... decisions decisions
btw, thanks again for the comments
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Super Member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 600
Likes: 8
From: San Francisco, CA
16 GLE400, 16 eGolf, 15 M3, 13 328i, 06 S430, 98 E320
I rather deal with thinner paint than a bunch of electrical and mechanic problems and potentially unresolved problems on the C.
May I suggest you look into a bmw 325i? I have a 02 325ci with 8k miles and no issues whatsoever. I must say the bmw is the best all around car out of that 30k bunch after test driving everything in that segment.
But I must say, the c-class sedan is the best looking out of all...good luck on your purchase...
May I suggest you look into a bmw 325i? I have a 02 325ci with 8k miles and no issues whatsoever. I must say the bmw is the best all around car out of that 30k bunch after test driving everything in that segment.
But I must say, the c-class sedan is the best looking out of all...good luck on your purchase...
Last edited by davezaristo; Jun 5, 2003 at 01:30 AM.
Guest
Posts: n/a
this is like the 50ieth time comparisons like this have been brought up lol.
well you gonna get a g35, get the coupe, the sedan just looks weird.
between the c230(Sedan) and 240
well what do you want
c240 pros- v6, smoother ride, wood grain
cons- lacks hp
c230- pros- sporty ride, supercharger, sporty rims
cons- lack of wood, might be a little rougher then 240
goodluck!
well you gonna get a g35, get the coupe, the sedan just looks weird.
between the c230(Sedan) and 240
well what do you want
c240 pros- v6, smoother ride, wood grain
cons- lacks hp
c230- pros- sporty ride, supercharger, sporty rims
cons- lack of wood, might be a little rougher then 240
goodluck!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,415
Likes: 340
From: Charlotte, NC
Had: 1987 300TD, Had: 2004 C230 Sport Sedan, Have: 2014 E350 Sport, Have: 2019 S450
[QUOTE]Originally posted by BenzC240
[
4) I would personaly get the G35 and thats for a couple of reasons. I have had about 20 issues so far in close to 2 years. most of these issues have already occured to alot of people on this forum so my car is not really a lemon because its happening to everyone else too. But for me also the G35 offers good looks, comfort, and more power for sure. Stock audio is even better.
Please be careful about taking a small sample of people and generalizing about the entire population.
This item starts "I have had. . . ", goes on to ". . . already occured to a lot of people . . . " (how many out of 1,000,000+ cars to date), and then continues to " . . . everyone else too". It's amazing that in one sentence, the problem can grow to such epidemic proportions.
If you do the research by searching this forum, you will find many threads discussing quality/problems/etc. In these threads you will also find many people with problems, and many without.
As you would expect, those with problems will be more vocal than those without.
If you want truly to compare apples and apples, then visit the Infinity forums, and check out their problem threads as well. You will also find disgruntled G owners, with repeated problems.
They're all good cars. No matter which one you get, there will be things that you like, and things that you don't. Don't let that prevent you from getting the one that you really want.
[
4) I would personaly get the G35 and thats for a couple of reasons. I have had about 20 issues so far in close to 2 years. most of these issues have already occured to alot of people on this forum so my car is not really a lemon because its happening to everyone else too. But for me also the G35 offers good looks, comfort, and more power for sure. Stock audio is even better.
Please be careful about taking a small sample of people and generalizing about the entire population.
This item starts "I have had. . . ", goes on to ". . . already occured to a lot of people . . . " (how many out of 1,000,000+ cars to date), and then continues to " . . . everyone else too". It's amazing that in one sentence, the problem can grow to such epidemic proportions.
If you do the research by searching this forum, you will find many threads discussing quality/problems/etc. In these threads you will also find many people with problems, and many without.
As you would expect, those with problems will be more vocal than those without.
If you want truly to compare apples and apples, then visit the Infinity forums, and check out their problem threads as well. You will also find disgruntled G owners, with repeated problems.
They're all good cars. No matter which one you get, there will be things that you like, and things that you don't. Don't let that prevent you from getting the one that you really want.
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
I would also look at the 325i/Ci for that price range. I have a 330 CiC Convertible as well as my C230K Coupe. There is defenitely a difference in the ride between the BMWs and Mercedes. I will leave it at that. So people don't kick me hard...
Whatever you do just get the car that you like without getting influenced by what can go wrong with it.
Good luck,
SK
Whatever you do just get the car that you like without getting influenced by what can go wrong with it.
Good luck,
SK
Super Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 824
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
[QUOTE]Originally posted by dmatre
go test drive all the carst that you are considering buying. Then go home think about it for a week which one will sute youre needs the best. I like the G35 because of the HP its fast good handeling and looks good. what i look in a car is performance thats #1 for me performance
Originally posted by BenzC240
[
If you do the research by searching this forum, you will find many threads discussing quality/problems/etc. In these threads you will also find many people with problems, and many without.
As you would expect, those with problems will be more vocal than those without.
If you want truly to compare apples and apples, then visit the Infinity forums, and check out their problem threads as well. You will also find disgruntled G owners, with repeated problems.
They're all good cars. No matter which one you get, there will be things that you like, and things that you don't. Don't let that prevent you from getting the one that you really want.
[
If you do the research by searching this forum, you will find many threads discussing quality/problems/etc. In these threads you will also find many people with problems, and many without.
As you would expect, those with problems will be more vocal than those without.
If you want truly to compare apples and apples, then visit the Infinity forums, and check out their problem threads as well. You will also find disgruntled G owners, with repeated problems.
They're all good cars. No matter which one you get, there will be things that you like, and things that you don't. Don't let that prevent you from getting the one that you really want.
go test drive all the carst that you are considering buying. Then go home think about it for a week which one will sute youre needs the best. I like the G35 because of the HP its fast good handeling and looks good. what i look in a car is performance thats #1 for me performance
Almost a Member!
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
C320 Sport
As it's been said already, don't discount the idea about buying pre-owned. There are a lot of good C320's out there for the same price or less than the C230k... I've never driven the kompressor model, but I have driven the C240 and there is no comparison in how the engine feels. I intended to get a 240 and now I'm SOOO glad I didn't. That extra hp (as I posted on another thread) makes a big difference.
Anyway, if I hadn't found this '01 with only 11k miles on it, I was going to go for an '02 returned lease with 13k for about $30k. If you don't plan on keeping the car forever, you may end up kicking yourself later for getting killed on the depreciation. Case in point- December '00, the first owner paid $47k out the door for this car, I bought it in March '03 for $28k. 40% depreciation in 2 years is big and you don't want to be upside down on a loan if you wreck it or don't like it! Save the cash, get a better car, and buy an extended warranty with the extra!
Check out the Bimmers too... I was a happy BMW owner for 5 years prior to this. Considered a new one as well, but the interiors were too tight for me.
It's a major decision, so make sure that you feel good about whatever you buy, no matter what anyone else says!!! I like my car so much I'm not upset about having to take it into the dealer once in a while, no matter how much BenzC240 tries to convince me otherwise.
Happy shopping & let us know which way you end up going.
Anyway, if I hadn't found this '01 with only 11k miles on it, I was going to go for an '02 returned lease with 13k for about $30k. If you don't plan on keeping the car forever, you may end up kicking yourself later for getting killed on the depreciation. Case in point- December '00, the first owner paid $47k out the door for this car, I bought it in March '03 for $28k. 40% depreciation in 2 years is big and you don't want to be upside down on a loan if you wreck it or don't like it! Save the cash, get a better car, and buy an extended warranty with the extra!
Check out the Bimmers too... I was a happy BMW owner for 5 years prior to this. Considered a new one as well, but the interiors were too tight for me.
It's a major decision, so make sure that you feel good about whatever you buy, no matter what anyone else says!!! I like my car so much I'm not upset about having to take it into the dealer once in a while, no matter how much BenzC240 tries to convince me otherwise.
Happy shopping & let us know which way you end up going.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 29
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C Class Decision
To add to what has been said, much of which is good and valuable advice, I would add the below.
My wife and I have a C230K coupe, an '02 model (the 2.3 liter engine). While we had a few annoying problems with the car the first year (memory seat failure requiring key replacements, ESP/BAS light, a bad thermostat, and a noisy passenger side window regulator), these problems have been resolved and the car has been totally trouble free since November of 2002. These problems occurred between the time we took delivery of the car in late February 2002 and that time.
My take on the C class is that they are generally pretty reliable cars. None of the issues with our car would leave us stranded -- they were annoying only. Further, some gremlins are to be expected with any new car, and all of my cars over the years, when new, had at least one or two minor issues. As you are now into the '03 models, and fairly soon, the '04 models, I think that as is the case with all auto manufacturers, known problems will be addressed, if for no other reason than to keep the company's warranty costs down.
The final thing to keep in mind is to be very wary of drawing overall reliability conclusions from viewing this web page or any others. As people more knowledgeable than I am will tell you, to do a "apples to apples" reliability comparison between cars, you should not merely compare anectdotal evidence. This is not to say that it cannot be helpful, but it should not be given undue emphasis. Finally, along the same lines, there is a common and understandable tendency for people who are unhappy to be louder in complaining than those that are happy are with their praise.
Good luck.
My wife and I have a C230K coupe, an '02 model (the 2.3 liter engine). While we had a few annoying problems with the car the first year (memory seat failure requiring key replacements, ESP/BAS light, a bad thermostat, and a noisy passenger side window regulator), these problems have been resolved and the car has been totally trouble free since November of 2002. These problems occurred between the time we took delivery of the car in late February 2002 and that time.
My take on the C class is that they are generally pretty reliable cars. None of the issues with our car would leave us stranded -- they were annoying only. Further, some gremlins are to be expected with any new car, and all of my cars over the years, when new, had at least one or two minor issues. As you are now into the '03 models, and fairly soon, the '04 models, I think that as is the case with all auto manufacturers, known problems will be addressed, if for no other reason than to keep the company's warranty costs down.
The final thing to keep in mind is to be very wary of drawing overall reliability conclusions from viewing this web page or any others. As people more knowledgeable than I am will tell you, to do a "apples to apples" reliability comparison between cars, you should not merely compare anectdotal evidence. This is not to say that it cannot be helpful, but it should not be given undue emphasis. Finally, along the same lines, there is a common and understandable tendency for people who are unhappy to be louder in complaining than those that are happy are with their praise.
Good luck.
Guest
Posts: n/a
i think a 320 is better for you. try to get a used one if new is too much. if you couldn't get a 320, get a 230. if you couldn't get a 230 deal, get a 240. i don't know anything about g35 so i'm not going to suggested it. i didn't like the 325, but the 330 kicks ***.
good luck.
good luck.
Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 93
Likes: 29
From: West Los Angeles
2003 W203 C230, 2021 RS6, 2022 992S, 2024 Q8 Etron
Re: Looking to purchase 230 or 240
Originally posted by SfBae
I had an Audi '02 1.8T quattro/triptronic, and the acceleration was horrible with the AC on during the summer months...almost to the point where i felt unsafe merging into traffic.
I had an Audi '02 1.8T quattro/triptronic, and the acceleration was horrible with the AC on during the summer months...almost to the point where i felt unsafe merging into traffic.
The C230K has about the same power as the 1.8T but no turbo lag, which is good. But it's not significantly faster than the Audi, in fact, I think it is slower, so I think you will be disappointed with the performance if you are sticking with automatic.
If you think your 1.8T is sluggish then C240 is not your answer either. Listen to people who have had both or driven them back to back. Almost all of them have said the 230 is better and has more power.
The G35 is a bit more money but it may be what you need. A much bigger V6. Neither the C230K nor C240 is much power upgrade over your A4. Especially if you insist on having automatic.
Last edited by bzcat; Jun 5, 2003 at 07:01 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
C230 Sport Sedan
Hey everyone im in the market for a 2003 C230K sport sedan.. i haven't been able to find much information online about the sedan, so could anyone that has one tell me how they like it? and also how much they got it for w/ what options? thx
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: So CAL
2003 C230K Sedan
Car is cool, except alittle bit more horsepower will make it perfect, make sure you get C4 (Bi-Xenon and Headlamp Washer) for $680 or you'll end up spending $15k to get it aftermarket if you decide to get it later.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 472
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
'14 A6 3.0 TFSI
When the rumored change occurs in Feb '04, they say the seats, instrument cluster, and console may change. I've had mine for almost a week and I'm loving it!
If you're looking for articles about the car, it's tough! There was a recent comparo in Motor Trend (June issue, I think). It came out on top. Edmunds.com has some info about it. There are consumer reviews for the car on the site. The professional review doesn't say much about the C230 sedan. Automobile Mag. also had a short blurp a while back about the car. Didn't say much though. That's the sum total of information I've been able to locate about the car. Let us know if you find more sources!
If you're looking for articles about the car, it's tough! There was a recent comparo in Motor Trend (June issue, I think). It came out on top. Edmunds.com has some info about it. There are consumer reviews for the car on the site. The professional review doesn't say much about the C230 sedan. Automobile Mag. also had a short blurp a while back about the car. Didn't say much though. That's the sum total of information I've been able to locate about the car. Let us know if you find more sources!
