04 Mercedes c230 any good

[bowlofturtle]

If benz has a nice dealership quality scantool i would be down to gamble.

VW has VAGCOM and that thing is a one of the best tools to use on a VW. Coding modules, misfire counters per cylinder. Forcing EVAP and 2ndary pumps to kick on to test. Good stuff.

Toyota has techstream, which i haven't used to fix CEL but i think its good.


If benz has one that it would make me consider buying a DIY to fix.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
If benz has a nice dealership quality scantool i would be down to gamble.

VW has VAGCOM and that thing is a one of the best tools to use on a VW. Coding modules, misfire counters per cylinder. Forcing EVAP and 2ndary pumps to kick on to test. Good stuff.

Toyota has techstream, which i haven't used to fix CEL but i think its good.


If benz has one that it would make me consider buying a DIY to fix.


They do, it's call DAS or Xentry or Star Diagnostic. There are C3 and C4 systems, the C3 systems start at around $300, but then you need a laptop for around another $100. You can search on aliexpress using various combination of search terms. They're hit or miss though, there are some complaints that they don't quite work right. You really need to research the model and year you're going to buy though. I wouldn't get anything older than a 2007 E350 made after 9/2006 to avoid balance shaft problems and SBC which was their brake by wire, a 1-2k fix when the pump goes bad and it eventually goes bad, 2006 was their last year for it. I'm not sure if the C class had it.

 

[barkingspider]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
How'd the test drive go?



Says the car ran fine, no leaks, no vibration, everything worked except for the moon roof, needs new tires. We spoke with a local garage that specs in German cars and the owner said the 6 cyl or 8 cyl is better, more reliable and actually cheaper to fix than the 4 cyl kompressor. So he decided against it. I keep telling my buddy to get a beater like mine, parts are cheap and abundant, and it easy to fix up. But he is still about status, ha

 

[Nick1994]

Lexus...

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: barkingspider
But he is still about status, ha


Status? It's a 12 year old C class.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: barkingspider
But he is still about status, ha


Status? It's a 12 year old C class.

Yeah, they're bought mostly for status. I like them for their luxury features, but the C class didn't have as many and it took me a while to find one that was pretty well loaded. Most of them had the basic option package, but just one or two option packages if that. I see some MB's from the 90's driving around, I don't think it's about status then as they're usually rusted out at that stage or are looking pretty beat. Moonroofs can also be a problem on the E class, just not a super major item, usually the gears or the motor goes but it's an expensive fix at the dealer unless you DIY and take it all apart yourself.

I'm not sure if it still qualifies, but try looking at a 2004 or 2005 E320. The early 2003 E320's had a lot of problems and some are still with them in the 2004 and 2005 years. Probably 2005 would be best if you can find them. 2006 had the new E350 and that was the balance shaft problem.

 

[simple_gifts]

MB's "Cimmaron" moment for sure.

 

[Alfred_B]

Kinda sad to see Mercedes have such a reputation. I've always regarded them as high quality vehicles that last for a very long time.

Indeed MB's Cimmaron moment.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
Kinda sad to see Mercedes have such a reputation. I've always regarded them as high quality vehicles that last for a very long time.

Indeed MB's Cimmaron moment.


In 1987 they decided that it was better to build less reliable vehicles as cheaply as possible to maximize their profits while keeping the price the same.

It works so well that that era was exactly when BMW and Audi started gaining traction. To make maters worse, the Japanese realized they could make a luxury mark too.

The joke is that Mercedes was made like a Mercedes (old reputation) until they decided to make them like a Mercedes (new reputation).

 

[Wolf359]

They've gotten better of late. There are no real disasters with the newer W212 E class which is 2010-2016. The earlier W211 E class were bad in the first few years and then got better in the last 3 years. They still have some issues with some of the lower end classes like the C and CLA class, some SUV's also had problems. Really depends on the type of car and year, the updates vary from year to year from class to class. Some of the typical issues like never buy a first year model are still somewhat true. But I think that's true of all car makers.

I did give a ride to a guy once who was impressed and though that the high price meant that it was very reliable. I laughed. The high price just means it has a lot of luxury features which means it will cost more to fix and break down more often. It's still pretty enjoyable to drive around in though. I'm always thinking, why didn't I get one sooner.

 

[cadfaeltex]

Lord help me. Saw the new GLA on line and really like the look of it. So how's it looking reliability wise? Guess it's based on the CLA platform.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: cadfaeltex
Lord help me. Saw the new GLA on line and really like the look of it. So how's it looking reliability wise? Guess it's based on the CLA platform.


Have you seen the GLE? That is one sharp vehicle. Now this has "status".

 

[CincyDavid]

If I could find a nice W124 300E/E320 I'd grab it. Nothing newer than that. I still see occasional W126 420SEL and 560SEL sedans on craigslist that tempt me, until I think about 17MPG with 93 octane fuel...been there, done that and don't want to do it again.

That white abomination in the photo above looks like Buick taillamps on a BMW...yuck.

 

[camrydriver111]

I don't have experience with MB, but I do have experience with BMW.

I wouldn't say run, but approach with caution.

I think they are good cars, but they are not right for everyone. If you need cheap transportation then run away.

If you enjoy working on your own car, the time and money you spend repairing it is worth it to you in exchange for driving a MB, then it might be a good buy.

Buy the best condition car possible. If you buy a neglected car, try to repair it, it will end up costing more than paying more for a well-maintained car in the first place, and will always be a worse than a well-maintained car. This applies to any brand of car, but with a MB or BMW you will get burned even more.

Get it inspected, which you did, and that's good.

Avoid first 2 or 3 years of a model.

Just as an example, I live in Canada and it looks like some of the early models of C-class, and S-class from those years have massive rust problems. It looks very comical.

Have a maintenance budget even if you plan to DIY repairs. I would say if you're paying $4k for the car. I would have another $4k budgeted for the repairs.

Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
The joke is that Mercedes was made like a Mercedes (old reputation) until they decided to make them like a Mercedes (new reputation).


It hasn't stopped them from selling cars. Although I've heard a lot of people say that they've improved, and that the cars from the Daimler-Chrysler days were the worst ones.

Originally Posted By: 97prizm
Here is an article from jalopnik that is really neat showing a guy who purchased a Mercedes S600 for almost nothing, but with work he has a $94,000 car for cheap. Cheap Mercedes


I've seen that article before, and I think it's filled with half-truths and a few outright lies.

"I priced out the labor a local shop would charge to replace a rear air shock assembly, and instead of giving me a price that resembled my phone number, they told me $70, and it was done in a few hours."

Couple hours of labor is not $70. They would probably charge you $70 alone for just getting it on the lift, or $70 alone for hooking up the scan tool and leveling the air suspension after the replacement. Parts + markup + labour, I think you're looking at ~$1000, or more to do the rear air springs. Probably double that for the front ones.

He also sold the car right away. Drive it for a couple of years then come back and tell me it's cheap.