W204 C250 buying advice for a newbie please

[cheapshots]

Hi all,

I'm very interested in buying a c250, after driving one and reading lots of reviews - I'm hooked.

I've narrowed it down to two cars:

1) 2012 C250 1.8 BlueEFF AMG Sport, 23k (auto)

2) 2010 C250 1.8 CGI BlueEFF Sport 44k (auto)

I did a lot of reading RE the cosmetic changes with the face-lift in 2011, but have there been any mechanical differences?

A few questions:
- What's the difference between CGI and non- CGI?
- Is it still the M271 engine in both cars?
- I believe the 2010 has the 5G autobox, whilst the 2012 has the 7G. I read that the 5G autobox in the 2010 model is far superior to the 7G auto box, would you agree?

Also, there's a £3000 difference between the two cars, quite a bit of money so I really want to chose wisely !

Any help would be very appreciated

Cheapshots

 

[foxy52]

Hi all,

I'm very interested in buying a c250, after driving one and reading lots of reviews - I'm hooked.

I've narrowed it down to two cars:

1) 2012 C250 1.8 BlueEFF AMG Sport, 23k (auto)

2) 2010 C250 1.8 CGI BlueEFF Sport 44k (auto)

I did a lot of reading RE the cosmetic changes with the face-lift in 2011, but have there been any mechanical differences?

A few questions:
- What's the difference between CGI and non- CGI?
- Is it still the M271 engine in both cars?
- I believe the 2010 has the 5G autobox, whilst the 2012 has the 7G. I read that the 5G autobox in the 2010 model is far superior to the 7G auto box, would you agree?

Also, there's a £3000 difference between the two cars, quite a bit of money so I really want to chose wisely !

Any help would be very appreciated

Cheapshots

....CGI..Means charged gazolene injection.. its for the petrol range...get a bigger engine C250 upwards for some fun...I never saw the point of 7 gears...a low mileage W204 with a full history is a great buy..foxy52
...

 

[cheapshots]

Thanks foxy52.

I'm keen to find out if the 7G autobox is reliable in the long run, there seem to be a few horror stories floating around on the web

 

[st13phil]

I read that the 5G autobox in the 2010 model is far superior to the 7G auto box, would you agree?

The 5G 'box can be wonderful, but on my W204 C220CDI I found it dull-witted and irritating to the point that I decided I wouldn't entertain another W204 unless it had the 7G 'box.

There definitely are some horror stories around about the 7G 'box, but I can honestly say that they are a much nicer proposition to drive and all the cars I've owned with it fitted have been fine.

 

[cheapshots]

I'm sure the 7g gearbox changes exceptionally well and no doubt more smooth than the 5g, however it's quite daunting seeing the number of failures with the 7G, here's an interesting read:

I checked the VIN's too, thanks.

The c250 2010 has the 'bullet proof' 772.6 (5 gear transmission) whilst the c250 2012 has the 772.9 (7 gear transmission), which seems to fail quite regularly:

Mercedes named in class action lawsuit over defect in the 722.9 7G-Tronic automatic transmission | Got a Class Action?

I like the face-lift but leaning towards not wanting the 7 gear transmission

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Be a bit wary about reports on Mercedes models in the USA. Most are built in different locations to those that we have here in the UK.

The 2012 C250 BlueEfficiency in the UK is fitted with the 7G-Tronic PLUS gearbox that is different in many ways. It's more economical and has a much greater time gap between needing ATF changes. In my opinion (and many professional reviewers) it's even smoother than the 7G-Tronic and significantly better than the 5-speed box.

As far as changes go in general for the facelift model of the C-Class, there were 2000 of them, very many of which were mechanical and electrical upgrades. But the big difference was with the vastly improved interior (again my opinion).

 

[Yugguy]

Actually by all accounts the 5g is meant to be smoother. I have only ever driven 5g so can't comment though.

For me its only drawback is the relatively short 5th gear, I'd like it to be a little longer to keep the revs down when high speed cruising.

 

[cheapshots]

Is this car 7G-plus? It's hard to tell

Checking VIN for Mercedes-Benz WDD2040472A818034 | CARInfo

Yes I agree the interior is massively improved with the face-lift

 

[philsmerc]

The 5g auto in the S204 C250 CGI BE (2010) was quite smooth and a lot better than my old W203 C270 CDI. I never had any issues with it in the 3 years of ownership (did have quite a few problems in the first 6 months I had it though - 2013 to 2016).

I would say, however, that the 7G in my S205 C250 BlueTec is smoother and more agile.

I got around £8k trade in on the S204 back in June - very good condition, 51k miles and full MBSH.

 

[cheapshots]

Ahhh I see.

2012 C250 1.8 BlueEFF AMG Sport, 23k (auto) - £14k

2010 C250 1.8 CGI BlueEFF Sport 44k (auto) - £11k

 

[foxy52]

I'm sure the 7g gearbox changes exceptionally well and no doubt more smooth than the 5g, however it's quite daunting seeing the number of failures with the 7G, here's an interesting read:

I checked the VIN's too, thanks.

The c250 2010 has the 'bullet proof' 772.6 (5 gear transmission) whilst the c250 2012 has the 772.9 (7 gear transmission), which seems to fail quite regularly:

Mercedes named in class action lawsuit over defect in the 722.9 7G-Tronic automatic transmission | Got a Class Action?

I like the face-lift but leaning towards not wanting the 7 gear transmission

..I have the former.. notice the setting options sport etc..?!..I never ever bother with it and I have had 5 C class variants since 98/99....I think you will find the car also finds 2cd from a standing start if u push the accelerator hard !!.....in short..never ever had a gearbox prob in any version... plse don't shoot me down guys but whats the point of 7 gear changes ??!! I don't see it ??....smooth seamless power on a c250/c350 is totally adequate for me .. foxy52
just my opinion ........

 

[Dave2879]

Hi another newbie here,

I have just bought a 2010 C250 CGI sport (AMG) with 39k on the clock (pick it up Monday)
Found this thread using the search feature,

I two was hoping I made a good choice!

Sorry if I have hi-jacked your thread didn't mean too!

 

[foxy52]

Hi another newbie here,

I have just bought a 2010 C250 CGI sport (AMG) with 39k on the clock (pick it up Monday)
Found this thread using the search feature,

I two was hoping I made a good choice!

Sorry if I have hi-jacked your thread didn't mean too!

.....Great choice.. sent us some pics to the ...Show us your w204 thread.....tks foxy52

 

[Yugguy]

Make sure your steering lock comes off with a zip and not a grind or you'll be forking out 550 quid.