victorbenz

So I been looking at buying another car that's going to be pretty reliable because I'm planning to drive it from Texas to Cali for when I moved, I have my eye on a 2008 Mercedes Benz C350 Sport for 7.5k with 125,000 miles its been well-maintained owner has all records and it looks great inside and out but I wonder what I should look out for with this model I currently have a clk 320 and its been reliable for me, so I know Benz have some models if taken care of last.

Is there anything I should look out for with this car, what would you recommend me to do if I buy, or should I entirely skip this car
also looking at the 09-11 models.

dennish

I've had my '09 C350 for 3 years. I replaced the blower motor and the comand control knob. Otherwise it's been reliable. I worry about the dreaded ignition key switch problem that many of these cars seems to develop.

victorbenz

Blower motor for the AC?

xsever

Yes, there are known to fail on these models as well as the dreaded Electronic Steering Lock (ESL) which would immobilize the car and won't let you turn it on. Read up on it a bit and check the records to see if it's been fixed before. Otherwise, walk away because it's pretty expensive to fix at the dealership unless you're pretty good at DIY.

victorbenz

Okay thanks for the heads up will do !

xsever

I had an 05 CLK 320 and I opted for a 2012 C300 4MATIC Sport to skip the ESL failure and the old pre-facelift look both from the exterior and interior. If you have the money, it's best to go for a 2012+ and benefit from all the increased reliability and added tech. Ideally, I would recommend the 2012 C300 4MATIC because it has the reliable M272 engine and the by-then-reliable 722.9 7G transmission. Whatever you do, stay away from C250s because their engines are suffering from numerous problems (high-pressure fuel pump, chain stretch, turbo) and the 2013-2014 C300/C350 use the new-then M276 engine which can suffer from the high-pressure fuel pump failing along with requiring a retrofit to the chain tensioner to eliminate cold start rattles.

victorbenz

Looking into 2015+ C300 with the 4 banger... is that a solid choice for reliability?

Richard2011

I've had mine for 9.5 years and 82K miles. The only issues I've come across are the EIS/ESL issue and the tail light connector ground wire issue. Both common and well-documented on this forum. The EIS/ESL now has an aftermarket fix that won't cost you over a grand at the dealership like it had cost me back in 2014, and I fixed the tail light connector (passenger side) with OEM parts. I think it's starting to happen on the driver side, so I may have to do that side in the future. Other than that, just normal fluid changes and wear items. It's been a great car.