Have a friend looking at a Mercedes...

CraigB

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He's wanting sedan since his wife is expecting. He's wanting something different (he's always owned Mustangs) and is looking at '04 C230 Kompressor, loaded to the gills, 48k miles. The car seems super nice. So the question is what's bad or good about these cars?
 
The W203s (and most Mercs of that era) are part of Daimler-Chrylser's encheapening project, so one must be very weary of service history and the like. If he and his wife have their hearts set on this particular car, then they need to review it's maintenance and service history in full. Check for frequently replaced items (I saw a report on a '03 W211 with three A/C blower motor replacements over the span of three years) and also if there's not a good dealer network or a reputable independent shop around, I'd pass. Also, a loaded Mercedes means that it's going to eventually loaded with problems. The nav unit is fairly crap, replacement CD/DVDs are very expensive, power sunshades can and will break in a very expensive manner ($1000 for a whole assembly!) and make sure the A/C blows hard (our '07 W203 that my mom had in Abu Dhabi had very weak A/C).

However, if he can find one with very little equipment, then he will be much better off.

A car like that probably costs around $12-15k, there are better options out there.

*Cue X308 suggestions*
 
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The Mercedes dealer that had it said it was sold by them new and always serviced there, I'll make sure to have him look at the service records. I say it was loaded, but I guess it didn't have navigation. It does have the rear sunshade, but he usually has his car windows tinted.

As for the Jaaaggg suggestion, I'm not sure he'd be to keen on that. We also don't have a Jag dealer within 125 miles.

Thanks for the input. I think his wife will have final say on it (we drove it without her first).
 
I did some searching and I came up with some possible alternatives:

'06 Volvo S60 2.5T w/ 56k


'07 Acura TSX w/56k

'05 Audi A4 2.0T 6-speed manual w/59k (I might be weary of this one as it's due for servicing soon, but don't quote me on that)

There's also a ton of really great Subarus (mainly low mileage Legacys) at around this price point.

I'd recommend checking out the Legacys- my dad has one and it's servicing costs are low, mileage is decent, it's very comfy, safe and reliable. Also, the quality is quite good for a car that cheap.
 
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I'm not really aware of any European mechanics locally. There is a guy that services Ferraris and the like, but I've had dealings with him before and don't really trust him.

My friend is much like me though. I'm sure in a few years he will bored of this car and move to something else. So if it gets him through the next two years and 30k to 40k miles without major issue it'll be fine for him.
 
One more thing about W203s. I poked around a bit on BenzWorld's forums and apparently, there's a rampant sunroof control unit problem (not closing all the way) that needs to be sorted, so check the function of it and also another problem that cropped up was a coolant loss issue, so check history reports and records for that. If he just plans on keeping it a short time, then he should be fine, just tell him to prepare himself for the depreciation hit and maintenance costs as he racks up the miles.
 
I drive my (currently 60k mi) 2001 C240 W203, US base model with no options, daily. I've owned it for close to a year and have had minimal issues. The two issues I brought it in for were an oil leak I suspect caused by an idiot over-tightening the plug when the previous owner had a cheap oil change done and a common case where some insulation fell on the driveshaft and rattled. I also replaced a mass airflow sensor myself. Other than that, the car has been problem free. I think one of the motors in the aircon system is dying, but otherwise it works well.

Overall it has been a solid car, though I'd be more worried with a fully loaded model. If he only wants to drive it up to 70k mi, it'll probably be fine.
 
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Not a bad choice though. I always had a soft spot for those little SVT's.
 
Since I have a kiddo on the way I think a 5-door would be best for me. Something I can get a car seat into easily, get good MPG on a family trip and have some fun in at the same time.

We took the horrible dealer pin striping off of his car last night, he's going to wash and wax it tomorrow, I'll try to get some photos of it to post.
 
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