Mercedes C coupe Diesels?

Colbaker · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:22

hi all,

I am looking at buying a Mercedes C180/220 diesel coupe but only have 4k max to spend, problem with this is that they are all over 100k on the mileage, Is this an issue with mercedes?

Am i likely to have to fork out for either a new engine or gearbox shortly after purchasing one?

[TW]Fox · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:25

Do not fall for the marketing, this car is not a Coupe, it is a hatchback. Usual issues with modern turbodiesels apply - you may encounter injector and turbocharger issues and neither will leave you with much change from £1k to fix.

The C Class Coupe is probably one of the worst cars Mercedes have ever made.

TS7 · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:28

[TW]Fox;16974767 said:
The C Class Coupe is probably one of the worst cars Mercedes have ever made.

Definitely, along with the A Class.

Fr0dders · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:30

Mercedes arent the sort of car you want to be running with tight pockets.

Which considering the 4k budget and concerns about repairs, you appear to be. Have you considered how expensive to maintain this old merc will be ?

For this sort of money you're looking at the early 2001 cars. Mercedes around this sort of era were not especially renowned for their build quality.

mjt · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:34

First things first, it's not a bad car.
It's just not particularly good. Build quality isn't the best, either.

We had 2 C180K Coupes from new and they were nothing special. (4 year lease, 2 + 2)
The only reason we got them was because my mum liked them and they had a full-lenth panoramic sunroof.

The Mercedes diesel lump is also nothing special. 100k isn't a problem per se, but I'd look elsewhere.
Have you considered the BMW Compact? A much better car imo.

As for the diesel, any particular reason why you're not looking at petrols?

[TW]Fox · 19 Jul 2010 at 12:38

mjt said:
First things first, it's not a bad car.
It's just not particularly good.

No, its a bad car. Looking at what it was designed to do and what it costs, it fails miserably - it is a bad car. It's barely as good as a Focus, a Mercedes Benz thats no better, if not worse, than a Ford is a fundamental failure.

Have you considered the BMW Compact? A much better car imo.

The very fact a BMW Compact can be considered 'much better' highlights how poor the C Class 'Coupe' is

matt_fsr · 19 Jul 2010 at 14:39

I don't know much on the car / aims of the car itself, but I'd say 100k is nothing for a modern diesel;

IF its' been regularly serviced, and you've got paperwork to prove it. Without that, I wouldnt pay 2k for one.

Although I cant get past the ugly, ugly front lights of all 2001-2007 Merc models - I just think no matter how nice the driving experience is, I just would look at it and think "ewww". At least mine, its difficult to have an opinion of

144k miles on my 4-pot 1.8 C180 Petrol - never misses a beat.

Peerzy · 19 Jul 2010 at 14:43

matt_fsr said:
I don't know much on the car / aims of the car itself, but I'd say 100k is nothing for a modern diesel;

Injectors, turbos and the DMF issue are all well known issues on 'modern diesels' with higher mileage.

None of those are exactly cheap to fix!

Schnippzle · 19 Jul 2010 at 14:43

We owned a C220 sport from 1995 which was cracking, no fault what so ever..... until I wrapped it around a tree. That was a saloon however, not a coupe/hatch. I do believe that the new models are not quite as well built.

matt_fsr · 19 Jul 2010 at 14:46

Peerzy said:
Injectors, turbos and the DMF issue are all well known issues on 'modern diesels' with higher mileage.

None of those are exactly cheap to fix!

Pardon my ignorance, but what normally goes / goes wrong and what sort of mileages are we talking?

Is it generally accepted that new diesels are now "drive 100k then throw away" or what?

A new set of injectors shouldnt be a huge sum, + some 1/2 competent grease monkey to fit them surely?

Peerzy · 19 Jul 2010 at 14:54

matt_fsr said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what normally goes / goes wrong and what sort of mileages are we talking?

Is it generally accepted that new diesels are now "drive 100k then throw away" or what?

A new set of injectors shouldnt be a huge sum, + some 1/2 competent grease monkey to fit them surely?

I really don't know enough about them to comment.

No car is 100k then throw away and it does depend on the engine and how it has been treated.

4 injectors + labour can sometimes be a £1k job I've been told.

100k on a petrol and you want to make sure any cam belt, water pump, tensioners etc has been looked at and obviously any flaws in the engine sorted. Diesels you tend to want to check all of that plus injectors, DMF and the condition of the turbo.

Consider also that diesels put far more torque through the clutch and gearbox so fars needed to be rated for more power, which usually means generally they either don't last as long, or cost more to replace.

Obviously this is just talking in general terms and some engines are totally different!

mjt · 19 Jul 2010 at 15:05

[TW]Fox;16974865 said:
No, its a bad car. Looking at what it was designed to do and what it costs, it fails miserably - it is a bad car. It's barely as good as a Focus, a Mercedes Benz thats no better, if not worse, than a Ford is a fundamental failure.

lolwut?

A Merc C Class Sports Coupe is better than a Mk1 Focus. And I'm not sure why you're comparing it to a focus when they weren't competitors..
The Merc and BMW Compact were premium hatchbacks. Ultimately they were the only 2 cars in that class, but that's irrelevant

The Focus clearly wasn't.

[TW]Fox;16974865 said:
The very fact a BMW Compact can be considered 'much better' highlights how poor the C Class 'Coupe' is

The E46 Compact isn't a bad car either!
I think you're confusing bad with poor value for money.

[TW]Fox · 19 Jul 2010 at 15:14

Nothing premium about a C coupe bar price and badge. Terrible.

DM · 19 Jul 2010 at 15:19

Stick to petrol autos if you must have one of those.

mrk · 19 Jul 2010 at 15:34

mjt said:
lolwut?

A Merc C Class Sports Coupe is better than a Mk1 Focus. And I'm not sure why you're comparing it to a focus when they weren't competitors..
The Merc and BMW Compact were premium hatchbacks. Ultimately they were the only 2 cars in that class, but that's irrelevant
The Focus clearly wasn't.

The E46 Compact isn't a bad car either!
I think you're confusing bad with poor value for money.

Well, it looks like someone hacksawed the entire boot end off an E46 coupe for a start which is bad enough!

117 · 19 Jul 2010 at 15:41

I owned a C Class Coupe for 8 months as a stopgap, C200 CDI with AMG package.

However good they look on paper, the diesel especially is hateful!

I had a 53 plate, and although it looked good with the AMG bodykit, the engine was underpowered, rattly, noisy and harsh, the lowered suspension made the ride unforgivably harsh for a Mercedes.

In my experience there is also a lot to look out for on the W203, such as cracked springs (I had two at £200+ a corner) engine mounts (the diesel vibrated the rubber mounts to an early death) and a whole variety of problems with the turbo and common rail system, also dont forget the whole radiator issue with automatic versions (radiator matrix fails, letting water into the gearbox). In short it was the worst car that I have owned.

My grandparents also are ufnortunate enough to own a C200K Coupe, and although the petrol engine is far more tolerable, barely a week goes until the car has another fault, and this is a low mileage MB approved used car.

In short it does not really deserve the star, yes the diesels are economical but the wheelbase is too short to achieve a decent ride, and on bigger alloys the whole car feels uncomfortable, rattly and crashy, even the 50+ mpg I averaged did not redeem the car. In fact the whole experience frustrated me so much I went to the other extreme (S500)