2004 Mercedes C-Class c320 estate

Witor · 28 Oct 2010 at 09:58

Hmm.

Saw one of these for sale locally and it got me thinking. What are these cars like to drive/own? Hugely vague, but i'm mostly looking at opinions on the car itself, not looking at changing the Alfa yet. Only had experience of a C-Coupe 180, saloons/estates much different? How's the engine on these? (Pre-facelift).

Reason it got me thinking is that this is the sort of car I could be looking at in a years time, and more to the point, the farter-in-law has expressed an interest in the car itself, selling his current pre-model Accord 2.0 to his son, and wants something with a bit more badge presence.

DM · 28 Oct 2010 at 10:03

You probably wont have the rust problem over there at least

allllec · 28 Oct 2010 at 10:07

I'm skinny and only 6' 2" however I felt way to big for the car.

Suspension is nice if you like a sportier drive. However if you want something comfortable for cruising it has to be an e class quite frankly.

Witor · 28 Oct 2010 at 10:11

You probably wont have the rust problem over there at least

No, there's quite a few C's out here, cant say ive ever seen one with rust.

I...I...quite liked it from what I saw. Fit's in with quite a few criteria I have for my next car, though personally i'd prefer a facelift model with slightly bigger alloys. Doubt it would anywhere near as fun/special to drive & own as the Alfa though, but that's pretty much a given, RWD or not...hmm.

<rant>
Such a bloody lack of decent cars for sale in Gib
</rant>

I'm skinny and only 6' 2" however I felt way to big for the car.

Suspension is nice if you like a sportier drive. However if you want something comfortable for cruising it has to be an e class quite frankly.

6'1", pretty much same build. ASL?

Nigh on all the E-Classes here are E200's, which I would think wouldn't do it for me on the oomph front.

[TW]Fox · 28 Oct 2010 at 10:36

Like a 330i only not as good.

Witor · 28 Oct 2010 at 10:39

Guessing more wolly input/feedback, nowhere near as good when pushing on Fox?

Vita · 28 Oct 2010 at 11:17

We have a '01 C220 CDI. Had rust under the rear arches. Electrical faults, vaccume pipe leaks also. Car has done 143k though. Other problems have been with the gearbox, car would get stuck in 2nd if you floored it in second. A sensor had gone on it. Apart from them issues, the car in all other aspects has been fine.

We've had it from new, and it's done us good. I'd prefer a E-Class personally as I've found them to be a lot better, I prefer heavier cars tbh, the C does feel kind of light over bumps at times.

Driving is not so bad, it certainly ain't anything like a Bentley but it's good for what it is. If going for a C try get something newer then 2005, as that's when they actually built them like proper Mercs.

Are you wanting the Kompressor or CDI engine variants?

Witor · 28 Oct 2010 at 11:27

Not really wanting one as such at this moment in time, as I said just saw one for sale at a reasonable (for Gibraltar) price, looked in great condition. Peaked my interest as its the kind of thing I like...small saloon/estate, rwd, big(ish) engine. Not too clued up on this variant of C-Class.

Out of curiosity, when did the facelift them? The Clear lights front/back do improve the look quite a bit.

Vita · 28 Oct 2010 at 11:46

Witor said:
Not really wanting one as such at this moment in time, as I said just saw one for sale at a reasonable (for Gibraltar) price, looked in great condition. Peaked my interest as its the kind of thing I like...small saloon/estate, rwd, big(ish) engine. Not too clued up on this variant of C-Class.

Out of curiosity, when did the facelift them? The Clear lights front/back do improve the look quite a bit.

There was an option for xenon projectors/clear fogs on '03 models. Or you could retro fit them.

As far as I'm aware, I've seen the clear lenses from '05 and forwards. And I think the AMG Styling "Sport" models came in '07.

mjt · 28 Oct 2010 at 17:59

Witor said:
Not really wanting one as such at this moment in time, as I said just saw one for sale at a reasonable (for Gibraltar) price, looked in great condition. Peaked my interest as its the kind of thing I like...small saloon/estate, rwd, big(ish) engine. Not too clued up on this variant of C-Class.

Out of curiosity, when did the facelift them? The Clear lights front/back do improve the look quite a bit.

The refresh came in 2004. The dash and centre console was an improvement, too.

DM · 28 Oct 2010 at 18:26

mjt said:
The refresh came in 2004. The dash and centre console was an improvement, too.

They mucked the centre air vents up during that face lift though. They worked much better before and in the e class.

Witor · 29 Oct 2010 at 08:05

You've just hit a pet hate of mine. Never again shall I buy a car with ineffective centre air vents.

*looks at current car*