Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Mercedes-Benz CLK (2005 and earlier)
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Just a quick question--I want to buy a 2003 C230 and I'm wondering if the Bose system comes with a CD player or do I have to buy the changer--I don't recall seeing one or for that matter a tape option (I don't think I own a single tape)?
Thanks
Virtually everyone else in the business has gotten religion on this topic - MB wants to be the last holdout, apparently, but it appears we are less than a year away from putting this to rest.
True enough, although I'll take a single CD before forking out $800 for a 6-CD changer.
The irony to all of this is that the stripped down A Class (A140) that I had as a rental car in Germany this summer lists for under $15K, but even it had a single CD slot player.
-hh
Had a little early snow here in S/W Va. Performance tires combned w/rwd backing up does NOT work (ESP useless, as usual). I was trapped in the garage, had to back up a slight incline, and didn't make it. Don't have to depend on the C (have awd Suburban as back-up)and don't get a lot of snow so probably won't invest in snow tires, but if you do think about it.
The Mercedes dealer had a new C sedan with the Kompressor engine in it. Mercedes just came out with it - it comes with 17" wheels and a 6 speed standard for base MSRP of $25k - I loved the way it drove. What's even more interesting is Mercedes is putting the 320 engine with a six speed in the C coupe for a base of $27k. My MB dealer didn't have a 320 coupe but I asked him to call me when he gets one in.
I Haven't been able to get that C230k 4 door off my mind since I drove it. I really liked that car, but with 2 new cars in the last year - an X5 and a VW GTI turbo - can't really justify trading the GTI in on the C230k sedan with a six speed - it is tempting though.
Meantime, I've been very pleasantly surprised with how well my C230K with 16" snows has been handling in the messy conditions we're having here in the East.
-hh
Both of the new sedans have the firmer suspension of the coupe, plus other "sports pkg" stuff [interior bits, seats, exterior bits] and thus are not considered replacements for anything else in the sedan line. Both the standard C240 and C320 sedans and wagons continue with the standard suspension and interiors.
C230 Coupe
C320 Coupe
C240 Sedan
C320 Sedan
C240 Wagon
C320 Wagon
C320 4Matic Sedan
C320 4Matic Wagon
C320 Sport Sedan
C240 4Matic Sedan
C240 4Matic Wagon
C230 Sport Sedan
C240 Sport Sedan
C320 Sport Sedan
C32
I'm not sure if the C230 sedan comes in a non-sport configuration. No wonder MBUSA hasn't updated their website, lol. No way the E-Class will ever regain it's #1 sales position in the U.S.
M
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
My .02
My MB dealer called this morning and told me they just got a C230k sport sedan in with a 6 speed. I'm going in this afternoon to test drive it. I'll ask for some info on the C320 Coupe while I'm there. About all I know is the C230k sport sedan starts at $25k and the C320 Coupe starts at $27k. 17" wheels and a 6 speed manual are standard on both.
I was totally impressed, the sport tuned suspension was near perfect, nice power delivery, very nimble feeling. Overall a very nice, complete package and the price was certainly right.
The 320 is one of automotive's great engines and now that the 350 replaces the 320 in the ML, until is shows up in a Chrysler product, the only other car where the 320 can be found will be the E-class and that's pretty good company.
I drove the c240 with automatic but was disappointed by the weak off-the-line pick up and the too-soft ride (ala camry) but I am happy with the rest of the car.
IMO, any engine takes some getting used to, particularly if you're driving a stick and it is Supercharged or Turbocharged, as 'dead spots' are more common. Its learning curve as far as I'm personally concerned.
For automatics, my wife's car is an Audi A4 1.8T w/auto and there's a little bit of lag here and there. Its been ~18 months since I test-drove the C230K w/auto, and my impressions at the time was that it was very similar to my wife's Audi. Overall, I'd say that a perception of "less lag" is nothing more than concealment by the slushbox.
I am very interested in this car and want to get as much information (including comparative ride, off the line pick-up, and road noise).
FWIW, I found the ride characteristics to be slightly different between cloth-vs-leather and 16"-vs-17" wheel packages. Leathers w/16" was the softest, and cloth w/17" the firmest. FWIW, I bought the cloth w/17".
I would probably get a c230 sport sedan automatic BUT w/o the 17 inch tires. Would probably trade the tires with OEM MB 16 inchers.
If you're going to lose the 17's, you may as well just not buy the option at all, in my opinion: the other bits within the package are color-coordinated door handles (for any body color other than black :-), a louder exhaust, and a short-shift kit which is irrelevant if you're not getting the manual.
I'm very particular about road noise, I don't want to feel gravel type road grains.
I've found that the road feel with the C230K (cloth/OEM 17"s) was "less isolative" than on my former drive, a 1995 Saab 900S with 16" Dunlop SP9000 summer tires. I'm currently running 16" snows on the C230K, and I want to say that the road feel is smoother (less harsh) than my Saab was with 15" snows, which means that the MB has changed less overall between summer & winter tire stocks. So far, I find the ride quality with either tire to be acceptable on my local roads (Northern NJ, with occasional road trips down through Philly into Maryland, etc). Overall, your best option is probably to borrow a car and take it out for a ~60 minute solo test drive, and make it a point to hit some of your local roads that you have "road surface quality issues" with.
-hh
That is what I used to do in my country when the road gets very slippery.
I drove a 6 speed and automatic C230k sport sedans. I like a manual and fell for the 6 speed but the automatic was very nice. Much better response than a C240. The new 1.8 aluminum block engine is supposed to be a big improvement over the previous Kompressor engine. I didn't notice much if any lag, just nice progressive power with no perceptable flat spots.
As far as tires, if you don't get many snows special tires probably aren't worth the cost. But your problem does point out a major short coming of ESP and similar anti-lock based traction controls: they just don't work as well as a good positraction/mechanical system. I've had it on several cars both domestic and foreign and am very leery of their claims. I guess they're better than an open differential, but not much.
IMO, there's no good fix except to get another set of tires. Since they should easily go another 10K miles and because all-season tires are inherently a compromise, I'd recommend a 2nd set of rims with dedicated winter tires. EuroTire set me up with a set of four steel 16"s and Vredstein's for around $800.
((BTW, note that many non-OEM 16" alloy's have interference problems on C230K's))
rickrover...thanks for the info that the '03s are OEM'ed with 17"s. Guess the big question here is to research if they've up sized the disk brake diameters such that 16's won't fit on them.
-hh
My C-230K... Silver... C5 and C7 packages...they couldn't find one with C4 package as well
I've paid out of door 32,000 (California). I thought it was ok based on another dealer that offered 32,200 WITHOUT Leather (C2 instead of C5) and based on Edmunds TMV of 30,660 (plux taxes and fees)
So far I love it !!!! Everybody at work thinks I'm rich or something... and I have to explain that I got the car for "just" 32K.... bla bla bla...
Does anyone know if I can install the C4 package later on at a dealership??
Also, any alarm system recommended for the C230K??
Thanks
Have you tried asking your salesman or dealer service? You may also be interested in checking out our Aftermarket & Accessories Message board. Good luck. And please keep us posted on your ownership experience! ;-)
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
Anybody, please post your driving experience on c230 sport sedan. Thanks.
From the bottom of my heart thank you!
In any event, the reliability of low voltage systems is an issue industry-wide that's not unique to one manufacturer. The automakers previously moved from 6v to 12v because it improved reliability. There's R&D ongoing today for a similar voltage jump: IIRC, the number that they're currently talking about adopting is 42 volts. ETA is ~5 years.
Nevertheless, it still doesn't address the issue of parts quality: personally, I put the quality of AC/Delco a lot closer to Lucas than I do to Bosch. YMMV.
-hh
Any thoughts?
I purchased by C230 on April 3, 2002. For the first few weeks the car was wonderful. Then the trouble began. In the course of the next 10 months, the following defects occurred:
1) The rear seat cushion was defective and had a large bump in it. This was replaced.
2) The parking brake stopped working and had to be tightened.
3) The car pulled to the right. Three alignments were done to no avail. The dealer now blames the problem on the snow tires (even though the problem existed before the snows were installed, and despite the fact that Mercedes expressly advises customers to install snow tires).
4) The headlights did a fine job of illuminating the house numbers along the right side of the road but did little to light the road. They had to be aligned twice.
5) The rear shock bolts came loose (not in connection with any driving hazard) and had to be replaced.
6) The stick shift and pedals vibrated so much that the dealer changed the engine mounts. Problem is no much better.
7) Floating mirror problem that others have had. Dealer changed the controller and the problem was corrected.
8) The bumper fascia behind the left rear wheel came loose and had to be reattached.
9) Endless creaks, pops, rattles and squeaks. The sunshades on the panoramic roof had to be replaced because they were rattling around like loose bolts. The trunk lid has been “lubricated” several times to stop it from creaking like an old door hinge when driving. The dash and the glove box had to be tightened down as they were giving off loud “pops” when driving. Felt tape has been installed on the combar (I don’t know what that is but it’s what they said was the problem) to stop a rear rattle, and around the rear seat trim to stop squeaking. The tail gate panel trim had to be adjusted to stop a rattle and the tailgate shocks had to be replaced for the same reason.
All of this has not stopped the problems. The alignment still pulls to the right. When I close the center blue air vent the air diffuser lets out a loud high pitched whistle. The dealer says this is normal but not a single loaner car I was given made this noise. The trim on the “B” pillar has come loose and constantly makes a cracking and popping sound. The tail rattle still comes and goes (sounds like a loose tailpipe). Lastly, the driver’s headrest intermittently fails to lower when the seat is pulled up in the entry/exit position. When this happens I have to remove the headrest and reinstall it to reset it.
In 10 months of ownership the car has been in the shop for 44 working days.
Have others had these kinds of problems? Is this a lemon or do I do as others and sell it and cut my loses. Or is this the kind of stuff you have to live with as a new millenium Mercedes owner? I actually love the C230 but I hate this car. Every week it’s a new problem. Any suggestions?
Thanks for any suggestions.
JR
The noise probably is something on you key chain. In any event, it is easy to verify by driving only with the C's key like the dealer did.
I was able to test drive a C32 AMG that was really impressive. Hard to believe the C32 costs very nearly twice as much as a C230k sedan. Have to say it's worth it 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, incredable brakes. I actually considered the C32, only thing I'd have to do is sell my 01 BMW X5 - can't part with that so it's a C230k.
I've been looking into C230k performance upgrades as well. Renntech has a kit that takes the stock Kompressor to 230 HP with a couple simple upgrades. The warranty is still intact as long as a Mercedes dealer installs the upgrades - just happens to be a Mercedes dealer that carries Rentech accessories that's not too far away from me.
Thanks in advance!