pointman

just wanted to hear your opinions on it, from the guys who own one. would you recommend it?

CitronC230K_03

i love this car. its by far my favorite ive owned. this is my 3rd MB and its a well balanced car and you can pretty much load it up with any option you want. plus you can add in any option you want after the fact which is cool. you can do that with other MB's too but i especially like coupe because of its size. its a great car!

JohnCL

Hey pointman, our coupes take some slams every now and then as the "cheap" Benz, but that does not affect my opinion. I love my coupe and as Citron has noted you can add just about anything to them. I plan on keeping mine for a long time, and when it is time for a new Benz I won't be trading it in. If you get one I think that you might enjoy as much as we do.

pointman

very cool, thanks for the write up. helps me make the right choice.

pointman

thanks John... i am not concerned with image anymore. just care about reliability and my personal like for it. sounds like its a nice car... how have you guys been doing with reliability?

CitronC230K_03

its a very reliable car. no, i feel like a fool saying that after my car has been in the shop for two weeks. the dealer cant reassemble the seat since they are being sent the wrong cable for the power seats. anyhow, other than this problem ive been good. the service is great and mechanically my car is sound. i bought my car brand new and have not had any major problems.

JohnCL

Mine has been very reliable and I have an '02 and I have 60,000+ on my car and all that I have had done major is a fuel pump replacement. Everything else the car has been in the shop for is routine or very small warranty repairs such as a broken wiper arm and a sticking pano-shade. My shade took a few visits to get right which was frustrating, but it all worked out in the end and it work flawlessly now. Also, I think that there is a write up somewhere on the boards that there is an issue with the front turn signal wirinig harnesses, and those have been replaced on mine, and I would think that alot of been replaced under warranty. What year are you looking at? Let us know if you get one.

CitronC230K_03

mine is an 03 with 34,000 miles. like john its all been minor warranty items. the service is great, and if you get a good service advisor, it makes life that much easier when your car is in for service!

demon

very nice car except lack of power.

with 2500 post, u r not a mb owner?
or u changing to another mb?

808_230K

sure, the 230 could use a little more kick to make me stupid happy, but it's certainly enough for my daily commute. 30mpg certainly helps it's cause as well. always been a fan of hatchbacks (gti kinda guy), so I guess I fell right into the coupe's niche while shopping for a new ride.

It's no make-the neighbors-cry-SL 65 or anything, but I'm quite satisfied w/it... all 4000 miles worth, anyhow.

a *few* small issues, though... some spotty paint, and it threw the SRS light last week. I just wished I had noticed the blem before delivery, so it's all on me now, but it's a great excuse to debadge the rest of the car ^_^

Outland

Original M111 C230 Coupe is a good car. M271 C230 is a slower version of a good car. C320 Coupe is a slightly faster car. 05 C320 and C350 Coupes are GREAT cars.

Mechanically, its solid. Drives nice, plenty fast, especially the pullied M111 Cars and the C320's. Ive just had minor glitches, nothing I say was a worry. I love the car.

ayilar

I've only had mine for 5 months and 3,500 miles, but I'll second everyone else. IMHO, nothing else with 4 seats combines the ride and handling of the Coupe for the price. Only one minor issue (bad AC smell), fixed at the 1,000-mile visit.

My detailed impressions can be found here.

TNblkc230wz

Best car I've ever owned period!!! If the 230 has enough power for you, don't spend the extra on a 320. I'm just a speed freak.

pointman

Haha, i'm an owner. i am trying to help my sister shop for her car. she really loves the coupe.

John, I am looking at a new 2005 c230.

pointman

guys, thanks for the opinions and great responses... i appreciate it, seriously.

Deutscher_Wagen

My best summery of the 230SC:
It isn't sickly fast, but it's surprisingly quick!

BTW outland, in my research (before I bought my 05SC): MB and many reviewers mention that the M111 was discontinued due to a poor gas milage (for such a small car), and the M271 should feel extremely similar although the numbers are slightly smaller. Is there really that big of a difference in feel?

CitronC230K_03

i dont think the coupe has a lack of power, i think it has enough with the 1.8L. the 3.2 is very nice and strong, but enough for the C230. im very pleased with the 1.8L. the only reason i would change to a c320 COUPE because a Citron C320 would be more rare than a Citron C230. when i ordered mine the C320's werent available.

let us know what your sister gets!

Saprissa

there's only one word to describe my experience with my 2003 CL203/744 C320 V6 M112 3.2L SportsCoupé :

LOVE !

2 years, 20,000 miles, and still loving it, like Day 1


Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

Outland

The M271 scores what, 1mpg better in EPA numbers? No, it had nothing to do with its mileage, which I think is fabulous for such a heavy car. Ive had an 05 C240 for the last couple of days because my parking brake is acting up, and the V6 240 which makes 25 or so less HP than the C230 is not only getting much worse mileage on my work loop, its also a dog. The M111 was discontinued because it is a little on the rough side for an MB motor. And it makes some pretty odd sounds during warmup. In any other car company's line up you wouldn't say that. Acura's little fours buzz like mad at high RPM. Same for the little HO Toyota 1.8, and all Nissan fours are rough. GM's Ecotec is raspy at high RPM. The C240's weezing V6 is liquid smooth in comparison. The fact that variants of the new motor got much better mileage than the smaller displacement versions of the old motor was a bonus....of course these motors are all in Europe.

You wouldn't think it, but it does. I waited till the 03's began to trickle in before I bought my 02 Coupe, and I had the advantage of driving them both back to back. The new motor still makes weird sounds at startup. But its a lot smooth, particularily at high rpm. And it likes to rev- something the M111 doesn't like so much. But, it feels much less powerful at low RPMs. When boost comes up, over 3500, you really feel it. With the M111, the thing is torquey all the way from just off idle, and it pulls hard past 2500. Its clearly a stronger motor. I think that 189HP might be a little peaky, and across the whole range the M111 is stronger. Still, its a v6 like motor in terms of smoothness. If MB came out with a two litre or bigger version, with another couple lbs of boost, it would be a winner.

pointman

thanks alot guys.. she is gonna pick up a new 230 on saturday.

CitronC230K_03

nice. ive only seen 2 2005 C230 SC's on the road and not one C320 SC out in the wild yet.

great choice! welcome to the coupe family!

pointman

thanks Citron... looks like youll be seeing me around alot more.