Swapping C180 to C250

[pembssurf]

Well we were not even in the market for a diesel car but at the Merc dealers today picking up some parts and saw a lovely top spec 2013 plate C250 AMG Sport CDI with only 20,000 miles new MOT & just serviced. After some aggressive negotiations I managed to secure £7k trade in on our 2011 C180 CGI SE estate that had 68,000 miles on. Obviously our car was pre S204 facelift and this car is a facelift version, a diesel one at that, with a lot more kit on and wayyy less miles. It has beige-leather interior and the newer command online and panoramic sun roof etc. Now I'm sitting here in the cold light of day with a week till exchange and wondering if I have made the correct decision. I was getting to the mileage with the C180 where cam chain failure was becoming an increasing concern.

Anyone got any experience with such a swap. Am I doing the right thing?

It is an approved used Mercedes with full 1 year unlimited mileage warranty.

Also thinking about the service plan at £35 a month as the next service this time next year will be a B service at 4 years old with ATF Change so I may get my money's worth by signing up to 3 years of the plan to get two B services?

 

[pembssurf]

Quick bump before I commit 18k coins on Saturday.

 

[Dave2879]

I bought a c250 amg sport petrol version it had 39k on it, it is a 60 plate so jan 11 when registered and paid £10995.

Am really happy with it so I wouldn't have any concerns with the Deisel version

 

[reason42]

Quick bump before I commit 18k coins on Saturday.

It's a good move, in my book. I had a C250 facelift. It's a nice car - plenty of mid range torque.

You'll enjoy, I'm sure.

 

[pembssurf]

Thanks guys, from what iv read in the forum sounds like the engine is fairly solid, I know I already like the base car as I already have one but it will nice to be have all the toys that I don't have now on my current billy basic spec. Guess approved used means il get a year tier 1 warranty too !

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The 250 is a cracking engine in the W204, plenty of grunt with excellent fuel economy.

The facelift is a big leap also, the interior in particular is a vast improvement.

 

[markjay]

Can't comment on the C250 CDI engine, but I have a 2013 W204 C180 (Facelift) and its a fantastic car. The cabin is so much improved over the pre-facelift model.

Only issue is that mine had Audio-20 with Becker Map Pilot navigation (and not COMAND), and while everything is working fine the small low-resolution screen and the SatNav software feel outdated for a premium marque, even when comparing to other cars form the same era.

But otherwise the W204 facelift is a great car

 

[markjay]

...Also thinking about the service plan at £35 a month as the next service this time next year will be a B service at 4 years old with ATF Change so I may get my money's worth by signing up to 3 years of the plan to get two B services?

An MB Care Plan for services 4 (B), 5 (A) and 6 (B) is likely to work out cheaper... especially if the air filter, spark plugs, and ATF fall into these services.

This will tell you how much a Service Care Plan will cost: https://servicecarerates.mercedes-benz.co.uk/

This will tell you what needs doing: Mercedes-Benz ESS

And this will tell you how much it would cost if you did not take out the Service Plan: https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk/home

 

[Chrishazle]

2013 so just outside the 3 years free map updates, so check that's been done or it will cost you loads - assuming it has Comand rahter than Garmin.

Not 100% sure about the ATF change interval, IIRC it's 37k miles or ?years from new, another to check.

£7k for your estate - I'd expect that or more on our 2008 S204 C220Cdi with 80k miles, so not sure that's such a good "cost to swop". If it's £18k to swop, I'd walk away. My car was £15500 when I bought it 4 years ago with about 50k and full MBSH, from MB main dealer with 1 year tier 1 warranty and B service done as part of the buy.

 

[markjay]

2013 so just outside the 3 years free map updates, so check that's been done or it will cost you loads - assuming it has Comand rahter than Garmin.

Not 100% sure about the ATF change interval, IIRC it's 37k miles or ?years from new, another to check.

£7k for your estate - I'd expect that or more on our 2008 S204 C220Cdi with 80k miles, so not sure that's such a good "cost to swop". If it's £18k to swop, I'd walk away. My car was £15500 when I bought it 4 years ago with about 50k and full MBSH, from MB main dealer with 1 year tier 1 warranty and B service done as part of the buy.

I am assuming £18k is the outright purchase price? It's not unreasonable but it's on the high end for a 2013 W204. I think that for this price you would want (in addition to the low mileage and AMG Line spec) also all or some of the following: Xenon HIDs, COMAND (not Audio 20 / Becker), Leather (not Artico), Heated Front Seats, Dual-Sunroof or Pano Roof, full-electric memory seats, reversing camera, dimming rear-view and driver's side wing mirror, Thermotronic Climate Control, a few 'Assists' e.g. Distronic or the one that reads the road signs etc. Perhaps not all... but quite a few of these.

 

[geraldrobins]

2013 so just outside the 3 years free map updates, so check that's been done or it will cost you loads - assuming it has Comand rahter than Garmin.

Not 100% sure about the ATF change interval, IIRC it's 37k miles or ?years from new, another to check.

£7k for your estate - I'd expect that or more on our 2008 S204 C220Cdi with 80k miles, so not sure that's such a good "cost to swop". If it's £18k to swop, I'd walk away. My car was £15500 when I bought it 4 years ago with about 50k and full MBSH, from MB main dealer with 1 year tier 1 warranty and B service done as part of the buy.

£7k sounds about right to me based on the quotes I have received on mine.

 

[RSTurbo50]

Forgive me if I'm wrong here but isn't the C250 CDI engine the one to avoid? Read loads of reports of injector failures on these....

 

[geraldrobins]

Forgive me if I'm wrong here but isn't the C250 CDI engine the one to avoid? Read loads of reports of injector failures on these....

I think most have been repaired under a recall and it was the earlier 651 engines that had the potential problem. The applies to the C220CDI and similarly engined E classes etc. But a good point and worthy of a check.

 

[pembssurf]

I am assuming £18k is the outright purchase price? It's not unreasonable but it's on the high end for a 2013 W204. I think that for this price you would want (in addition to the low mileage and AMG Line spec) also all or some of the following: Xenon HIDs, COMAND (not Audio 20 / Becker), Leather (not Artico), Heated Front Seats, Dual-Sunroof or Pano Roof, full-electric memory seats, reversing camera, dimming rear-view and driver's side wing mirror, Thermotronic Climate Control, a few 'Assists' e.g. Distronic or the one that reads the road signs etc. Perhaps not all... but quite a few of these.

I can confirm I had 7k trade in on my C180 which was favourable to the top webuyanycar price. The model we are buying is literally top spec AMG plus so has: Command 4.5 (3rd gen) Full beige leather interior including doors Ash trim Panoramic sun roof Active park
assist Multi interface
Memory seats
Road sign assist
Live traffic
Heated seats Also it has only done 20k miles with full service history. We definitely paid at the top end of the price bracket but it seems pretty mint so hope it's worth it.

 

[markjay]

I can confirm I had 7k trade in on my C180 which was favourable to the top webuyanycar price.

The model we are buying is literally top spec AMG plus so has:
Command 4.5 (3rd gen)

Full beige leather interior including doors

Ash trim

Panoramic sun roof

Active park assist

Multi interface

Linguatronic

Heated seats

Also it has only done 20k miles with full service history. We definitely paid at the top end of the price bracket but it seems pretty mint so hope it's worth it.

That's very nice spec

 

[pembssurf]

Got full tank of diesel and free map update and command firmware update chucked in and a full A service with 3 plus items and a new MOT with 2 new tyres. Not to mention 1 year tier 1 warranty

 

[pembssurf]

Forgive me if I'm wrong here but isn't the C250 CDI engine the one to avoid? Read loads of reports of injector failures on these....

This was my one and only worry but with it being 2013 and the last year of production I was hoping this would have been sorted :/

 

[markjay]

This was my one and only worry but with it being 2013 and the last year of production I was hoping this would have been sorted :/

To be precise the last year of production for the W204 was 2014... in fact there are minor updates for MY 2014 compared to 2013. The W205 then became available from mid-2014.

But for that reason there aren't very many 2014 W204 about, while there's a very good choice of 2013 cars.

 

[pembssurf]

To be precise the last year of production for the W204 was 2014... in fact there are minor updates for MY 2014 compared to 2013. The W205 then became available from mid-2014. But for that reason there aren't very many 2014 W204 about, while there's a very good choice of 2013 cars.

Ahh useful info, I did not know that. I'm a strong advocate for getting the last MY in a production run as you would like to think all of the kinks have been ironed out.

Also the same reason I never buy a new model in the first year as it's normally recall central.

 

[markjay]

Ahh useful info, I did not know that. I'm a strong advocate for getting the last MY in a production run as you would like to think all of the kinks have been ironed out.

Also the same reason I never buy a new model in the first year as it's normally recall central.

Absolutely...

In 2008 I bought a 2006 W203 (facelift) C-Class. They stopped making them in mid-2007. I kept it for 9 yaers and it was a great car.

And I just bought a 2013 W204 (facelift) C-Class... as said they stopped making them in mid-2014. So far it's perfect.