New here, was scanning threads to get as much info as possible before posting, but also like to hear what everyone has to say. From what I read the early years of the c300 wasn’t the best, have it’s fair share like everything of some complaints on it and also not. I am looking for a commuter car for work and stumbled across a 2009 C300. States pedal
position sensor needs to be replaced and that’s it. Has higher mileage then I was looking at (110k) but the price wasn’t really bad (atleast in my eyes).

What are everyone’s opinion on this year and model? Longevity? Reliability?

 

I used to subscribe Consumer Reports which I trust their reviews. Now I stopped subscription. US News lists C300 from 2007 to 2021.
I am not sure how reliable their ranking is but it shows 2009 and my 2011 reliability are 4 out of 5. Recent years it dropped to 2.5/5.
If you check a few sources you can draw some conclusion how good that year is.

 

Buy a Toyota or Lexus

 

There are mixed experience with these cars. I have seen a good number of posts from people who did regular maintenance and got 150K+ miles and there are people who have had multiple issues at much lower mileage. I think these cars are the best bang for the buck but I work on my own vehicles so repairs are not bad if they pop up. There is a possibility you get a vehicle that will not have much issues but its not something I would 100% expect and then get into financial trouble if something pops up, I would have money set aside for possible repairs if you dont work on your own vehicles. Some issues that can be encountered, the rear subframe is known to rust in areas that use salt on the roads. If you live in a dry area then this is less of a concern but something to check when looking at the car as it would be an expensive repair. There is a well known issue with the ignition switch and/or the steering lock going out costing 1200+ at the dealership. There are alternative that are significantly cheaper like indie shops replacing only the failed component instead of replacing both like the dealership does, and steering lock emulators are another alternative repair but still require programing. Dealership does not program used parts but there are companies/mechanics that can. There is a repair that can cost $50 in parts (motor in steering lock) that would be a cheap repair but its not always the motor that goes bad, sometimes it requires a new part or its the ignition switch so again dont think it will certainly be the cheap repair. The intake manifold is also known to go bad, some people have gotten a lot of mileage out of their manifold and others have had it fail at lower mileage, its a $700 part from fcp euro + labor to install. You can get a used one for around $250, this is a much cheaper alternative but it comes with its own risk so buy from a seller with a warranty if you go that route, your mechanic might not warranty the work on a used part so still some risk if you rely on a shop to do the work. The transmissions can have an issues with the conductor plate and solenoids. Regular transmission fluid changes can help prevent the wear particles from coating the circuit board with fine metal wear particles that cause the issues. There are people who have gone to high miles with an original transmission and regular fluid changes.

There are quite a few examples of people getting high miles out of these cars with minimal work in the high mileage thread and examples of people who have faced huge repairs. A lot of people who were unhappy with these cars may have had a 4matic transmission issue and/or paid dealership prices for all repairs or got hit with several of the bigger repairs that are possible to encounter on these cars. I really like these cars a lot, one of mine had the pedal sensor issue, it would go into limp mode if accelerated too hard and go back to normal after restarting the car. It was an easy repair for me and a cheap part. On my 4matic (107k miles) I just had to do the engine mount transmission mount, axle boots, wheel bearing, pulleys belt and tensioner. Around $400 for parts and I did the labor, probably would have cost $1500+ at a shop. Another car I worked on had 85k miles and only needed the pulleys, belt, tensioner and had a couple oil leaks that were not too hard to repair. I estimate it might have cost $500 at a shop for that.

 

I actually just reread this thread that spanned multiple years. Title "highest mileage" https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...mileage-6.html

I suggest you read through it. There is quite a number of people that got to high mileage with just regular maintenance. If you do read through it ignore any info from people with the c250 or 2012 and newer c class. They c250s have a different engine and in 2013 the c300 c350 got a different engine so ignore those. Also ignore the repairs that were needed on the 4matics AWD in that thread if you are looking at RWD models

 

Thank you so much for the reply, and I did read that thread. I always get there’s always a hit or miss on cars so it’s a risk you always take whether buying new or used. I’m going check out the car cause hey it’s doesn’t hurt to look. I want to get under car to check rear subframe and if that is good I will probably look at making a offer but it is less then what they are asking. If they accept I’ll then first take to mechanic weather dealership or local mechanic to inspect before finalizing.

Also thank you for suggestions on other cars to look at. I have been looking from Honda’s to Mercedes and remarkably the prices and mileage of stuff I’m finding is all the same or some of the “higher end” cars are better in price/mileage.

 

Also
check recess for different years. It’s an indication of reliability.

 

Make sure the car was properly maintained! Otherwise you can have expensive surprises as a result.