Merc C Class!!

[Watty]

Looking at possibly buying a C220/270 diesel, around 05/06! Has anyone had/got/ one? Any feedback appreciated

[BrianC]

I have had two c class

The first was c220 classic and the only thing that was suspect was the road springs - had em all replaced at various times.

Now got a c2220 amg sport and it is the dogs !!!!! It has 7 speed auto so the economy is great but it can really fly. Its a 62 plate

[macdee]

My mate had a 220 amg he was under the weather one day and needed to get to a race ,I asked what time he wanted to be there ,he said yesterday
i can tell you that 125 was no bother at most corners
i loved driving it and i thought it was a great car

[alanfjones1411]

I had a merc c 220 and swapped it for a jaguar x type 2.2 diesel on a 59 plate and personally I think it is streets ahead of the merc in every aspect.

[Varastorm]

Check for rust, they hit a low spot in panel manufacturing during that time.

My old man has an 08 E320 avantguard which he washes & polishes religiously every week & that has a scab by the rear number plate...

Random odd places, centre of boot/door panels. Similar to what the old Datsun's did...

Atm, I have an Audi a6 avant, another rust bucket.

Volvo all the way for me

[bigtwinthing]

Best top class cheap car bang for bucks. A VW Phaeton. Like a superb big Passat. Big engine, huge spec, low price. Look 1 up. 50k car now for about 8k.

[Duffy1964]

I have a CLK270 auto on a 55 plate with 109k on the clock and since it hit 100k it's been a pain in the butt.
£650 for new gearbox sensor plate supply & fit, new radiator £350 new glow plugs and one snapped in the engine £1000 and now it's bellowing black smoke as the injectors have gone.

I know about 6 other owners of the C class around 04/05 era and they all say that after 100k the problems start and merc diesels ain't cheep to fix.

Save your money and by Japanese if you want my verdict.

[slower110]

I have a C320 CDI on a 56. Can honestly say I enjoy driving it everyday, Only thing that has ever gone wrong with mine was the wiper stalk, washers gave up.
No bodywork/corrosion issues to speak of here and it's cleaned & checked every week. It eats tyres. They do tend to have a harsh sounding suspension on the front, knocking over certain surfaces that makes you think somethings wrong. I work for Mercs, although I'm the commercial side and myself and others have been over it and found nothing wrong, speaking to other owners its quite normal so don't be put of on a road test.
The brakes have their own feel (the bigger AMG ones), they don't have much initial bite. Certainly not like Audis which have you through the dashboard, but rest assured they will stop you!. There was talk of the calipers being duff and they were on back order for a while at one point, me personally I don't have an issue with mine.
If you can, I'd give the v6 a road test before you buy ( If you can find a good one ). I recently had a 220 while mine was being serviced (no, I don't do it myself ) and didn't think it would pull you out of bed.
I had mine remapped and it was well worth it, fuel economy is more than acceptable and ok round the twisties it's never going to be a hot hatch but it'll stay with most other big engine saloons all the way to the limiter on motorways, ahem sorry... track.

Servicing cost is about par the course and Mercs is fixed price servicing. I'd look for one with service history if you can especially if you get the auto box (which is superb imo mated to the v6). The oil and filter in these boxes DOES need changing as per service schedule.

That's just my experience and two penneth worth, people will always have problems with every make/model of car I suppose. You could do a lot worse for your money though and after driving the new ones, they haven't made me want to trade up. Good luck.

[budd]

Merc had serious issues from around 2000 with rust and electrical problems, wheel arches and random rust spots are common as are odd electrical issues stuff like sensors and for example I had a mate with a clk who had loads of trouble with the steering wheel and bizarrely the rear boot lid mounted brake light.
However they did recognise the problems and from around 2005 things started to improve the newer the car the better the quality, although even now they still aren’t as good as they were in the 80s, I had a 500 SEL that was built like a tank !!! it also looked like a mafia staff car IMHO the last of the proper Mercs.

[Watty]

Cheers guys! Was aware of quite a bit of what you said but its good to get real life reviews! Bit to think about there

[Flatline]

My mechanic warned me off Mercedes of this era, just like budd says

I have just bought an auto 2.4 petrol V70 52plate, FSH, 95k leather, the lot

30mpg, but then it only cost £1300!!! What a steal!!