RLE

Personally, I come here for the cultured atmosphere. Wherever did I put my magnifying glass......

Glyn M Ruck

You will have to go up the "Classes" for that. Don't expect it at the cheap end of the spectrum.

C300Sport

Like I said when I signed off from the entire pissing match; Please read the posts as they were made and make up your own mind...

E92-Lighting

why would you not is the better question

ram_rtg

I'm about to test drive a W204 and quite possibly buy it. Whilst looks is not the reason why I am upgrading, I just want to to move on with the times and try to continue with the reliable motoring I've had with my W203.

As you guys all have W204's I thought I'd ask for your thoughts on a 2009 W204 with 90,000klm on the clock.

Would it be as reliable as my W203 at 140,000klm or are things going to start dying on me?

Glyn M Ruck

The W204 is the better more trouble free car. 90K Km's is nothing on a 204 if well maintained.

ram_rtg

Thanks Glyn M Ruck.

bringtherain

owned both, like my new c a lot more. the only thing i liked about the old car was that the door felt a lot more secure and heavy. I also like to minimize killing animals as much as possible so mb tex is a HUGE plus.

RLE

So, you are a vegetarian, wear plastic shoes and your pants are held up by a rope?

K-A

He said "minimize as much as possible". M-B Tex replacing leather probably minimizes quite a bit right there.

waiszeto

+1 loll Try post in w203 forum ... LOLLL

will_w204

I've had a 202, 203 and a 204...IMO they should have skipped the 203 altogether, and pretend that piece of crap never existed. The 202 was by far a better car, and the 204 is a logical extension of the 202. They should have gone with a design like this in 2001. The way it feels, handles, drives, and the materials are 202-quality. Thank god they brought back the old "cheap" feel of the 202!

bringtherain

never even saw this comment. Is it wrong that I feel bad enough that a death of an animal already goes to feeding me / being part of clothing that I'm actually happy my car isn't filled (for the most part) by the gutting of a cow? Geez you're just one of those eccentric douche bags aren't you?

Glyn M Ruck

One should point out that the W203 was responsible for the highest model sales in Benz history & that a 204 is mainly a 203 under the covers.

Yes - the early MY's suffered from QC problems.

Sportstick

Notwithstanding his pointed question, coming back with name-calling does not help your position. You were doing fine until that last sentence. Please challenge him on his ideas instead and not with ad hominem attacks.

will_w204

Exactly, the highest sales, striving for the same breadth of appeal as a Camry and Accord. If it were appealing for its quality, styling and engineering, as opposed to marketing, it might be ok. I think no one will argue that the 203 is superior to the 204. REad the accounts from members here, most have few failures on their high-mileage 204s. How many hundres of stories have we read about multiple failures on 203s from day 1? Another thing, I guess I'm not one of the "masses," since I'm old enough to remember driving new 124s. I bought a C300 Lux because I don't care for plastic body cladding and fake carbon-fiber trim that appeals to the "masses." The only real, current benz that doesn't need a 3-pointed star hood ornament is an AMG

On another note, the only reason I bought my 06 C350 was for the motor - and truly, that was the only thing I liked about the car.

And yes, the 203s suffered everything from electrical to engine failures, from the 2.5V6 to the 1.8 kompressor. We all know this. The cars designed in the era from 97-04 were subject to the cost-cutting Daimler Chrysler spotty network of parts suppliers.

/soapbox

Glyn M Ruck

I did say previously in this thread "The W204 is the better more trouble free car. 90K Km's is nothing on a 204 if well maintained."

However the W204 is really just a well sorted W203 in a new bottle.

will_w204

Well-sorted is a big deal!

MB-JIM

I don't know about the earlier W203's but my face lifted 2006 C350 is the best MB I have owned. It has been virtually trouble free and I prefer driving it over my 2012 E350. Yes, the E Class is more elegant and has many nice features, but it simply isn't as much fun to drive as my C350.

will_w204

I didn't keep my 06 350 very long; just didn't care for the overall car - but it was a lux model - is yours a sport? The motor is insane in that little chassis, for sure. How many miles on yours?

MB-JIM

Mine is the luxury version, fully loaded, with all the goodies. With leather, nav, etc. the MSRP was right at $50K. I have 39,000 miles. The performance and handling are excellent. The 350 engine is very smooth and responsive in daily driving. My E350 cgi engine feels about the same as my 06 C350. Driving comfort and road noise are very good. It is even more quiet, in going over tar strips, than in my E. Both cars have Michelin MXM4 tires.

tejinder_guraya

W204 09 IS THE BEST CAR YOU CAN HAVE!

Glyn M Ruck

Yup! ~ I had an SA built C240 Elegance, full leather - the whole works. The lady of the family drives a W204 C350. The W203 is one of the best cars I've owned. 2 X castor bushes, one 5 cent tranny plug washer & one brake light bulb in 8 years then sold to a friend. I found the W203 a more solid & quiet car with a superior quality interior until the W204 facelift mainly fixed that. I hope my CLK proves as reliable ~ being one of the final cars produced it should be. Zero issues thusfar.

That said the W204 over it's model life has been a very well sorted car with a minimum of problems when compared with Benz issues of the late 90's early 2000's.

There was zero Chrysler influence in the W203. It's problems, with those of the W211 E Class were that it was the first time Benz had a go at computer simulated endurance testing instead of on the road. That was a big mistake & soon rectified with cars pounding the tar & gravel in SA, Namibia & Finland for cold weather testing. By MY 2003 they were pretty much sorted. Brazilian production took the longest to get sorted with SA & Vietnam ahead of the curve.

SA production had better leather & fabrics than the rest. SA was given the task of sorting rattles & squeaks & my car remained absolutely silent over 8 years of ownership. M112/722.6 cars were particularly bullet proof.

The W204 is a very good buy!

2012c350

I should certainly hope so. The cheapest American car should (and usually does) go well over 90K km with even marginal maintenance. A "trouble-free" car should be defined as something that routinely goes over 200K MILES (320K KM).

Glyn M Ruck

Indeed ~ I know of many W203's that have done over a million Km's without major repair. I see no reason why a 204 should not achieve similar. In ROW people expect very high mileage from a Benz. But they service them. I know the US is a throwaway market but MBUSA's stupid attitude that the transmissions are filled for life etc. does not help longevity.

Next time you visit Europe take a look at the sort of mileage you will see on Benz cars in Taxi service. The same applies in many 3rd world countries.