Should i spend £1800 on an 11 year old Mercedes?

(2011-09-03 14:15:10)

1. Alistair P Says: I want to get a new car for my family that will be reliable and last hopefully for years as well as be spacious and fuel efficient. I've found a 1999 Mercedes C200 5Dr petrol estate with full service history and one former owner for 1800 quid but cant work out whether this is good value or whether i am likely to end up shelling out loads to keep this serviced and in good nick and whether i should just look to spend my 1800 on a second hand Ford Focus or VW Passat. Are older Mercedes like this reliable and economical to drive?

2. Bostonian In MO Says: 1999 was near the end of the W202 chassis production. By then most of the bugs had been worked out. The most significant item you might run into on that series is broken coil springs and some suspension bits packing it in. The engine was very reliable as long as it was maintained properly.

I put 150,000 miles on a 1996 model bought used in 2004 with no issues whatsoever. It would still be on the road today (at over 300,000 miles) were it not for a drink-driver who though that red lights were only for red cars. The young lady and her infant son who were in the car however walked away without a scratch, testament to the car's inherent safety.

Servicing need not be all that dear. I used full synthetic oil (0W-40) and changed it every 12,000 miles and the filter every 6,000 miles. The filter sits on top of the engine and can be changed without even soiling your hands. If you get the vacuum pump unit used to drain the oil on some boats, you can even siphon the oil out via the dipstick tube (which is the Mercedes recommended method, by the way, though the unit that the main dealers use costs more than the asking price on your car) and do the whole job from topside. (Getting at the drain plug from the bottom is rather fiddly as you have to pull the splash pan to gain access to it, so even a hand operated pump is the way to go.)

Before taking the dive, have it inspected by a qualified Mercedes garage, either a main dealer or an independent who specializes in Mercedes. The £80 - £150 that you spend on that will be cheap insurance in the long run.

As to the £1,800 asking price I cannot say. It does compare very favorably with the most similar US model at current exchange rates.

3. Bostonian In MO Says: All the best. TFTP.

4. Bandit-05 Says: On the plus side, since this is a 1-owner car, and it has been fully serviced so you can ask to see those service records. What you're basically looking for is to make sure that all the complaints the owner had were followed up and repaired. If some complaints were listed but then ignored/not repaired, it can mean that the owner was cheap and that makes you wonder what other corners were cut or problems ignored.

If you're satisfied with the maintenance records, have the vehicle inspected by another dealer or other trusted shop to give you their opinion on the vehicle's current state and any potential problems it may have in the foreseeable future. This will be the most accurate way to judge the vehicle's current state and potential value.

5. peter Says: You don't say the mileage but generally these cars are excellent well built and capable of huge mileages I have had 3 Merc c classes and they have all been great.
BUT any 12 yr old car can give problems and Merc probs are more expensive than most. You may well find the engine / transmission etc capable of huge mileages but problems are more likely to be electrical gremlins and these on a Merc - especially if you need specialist diagnostic work, really expensive.
Oh and don't go to a main dealer, find a small specialist.
Good Luck !

6. roger Says: its more dependable than that crappy ford focus or a vw pissant look at carcomplaints.com and see which one has less complaints. ( hint) its the mercedes. And what is so hard about taking a car to a mechanic . get a written diagnostic that he has inspected this car closlely and found it in good shape.

7. EvelynThe ModifiedDog. Says: Mercedes from that era are probably the rustiest, most unreliable dogs you can buy. Two of my friends had 'X' and '51' plate Mercs and they had more rust on them than my 20 year old Volvo.

The C class is the worst of the lot, avoid them like the plague.

8. Franck Melbine Says: I am no expert on cars, that car is old,but then again that in my opinion is too cheep, if you have a friend that is good at cars, then bring him try the car a little see how it goes......