Advice needed C240.

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MattyBass

Active Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Messages
75
Location
Herford, Germany
Car
W124 E230
Afternoon all,

My foray into the world of BMW (E46) ownership hasn't gone well, and it seems i bought a lemon.

So i want to cut my losses and get rid, then i can return to the MB fold.

I've found a 2000 C240 auto (w203?) for sale, seems it's just about got every toy and option imaginable, and is a good price.

It's done 100K, so is there anything i should be looking out for? Are they reliable? Prone to rusting?

Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

Ta,

Matt.
 
The w203 started around sept/october 2000. If its earlier than that its a 202. Lets assume its a 203. The electrics on the early cars were truly awful. I know. We had one that was forever being fixed - £6000 of warranty repairs in the first 3 years. Almost all down to various electrical problems.
They rust around the arches. Not all but a lot do. Suspension bushes wear quickly. if its got the polished alloys the finish oxidises easily. Make sure all the toys work. Thoroughly check the alarm system. Fire it up several times - intermittent problems with the ignition electrics were a nightmare on ours.
The 240 is perhaps the least favoured engine. Although its 6 cylinder its not much quicker than the smaller 4 cylinders and drinks almost as much fuel as the far superior 320.
Sorry to sound so negative but its based on personal experience. However everything has its price and at the right price it could be a good buy.
 
Thanks for the advice, it's up for 2500 euros, looks in good nick from the pictures, but i thought it was a bit cheap.

I will have to go have a go in it myself and see how good it really is.

Thanks again.
 
Very good price for a 203. Just check it out very carefully
 
1999 W202 is virtually bullet proof in the V6 engine model. Great car! As per other comments on early W203 models, would steer clear. I bought my one when I could have bought the W203 and a reliable Merc mechanic suggested it would be bad move.
 
Rust is usual, front wheel arches, rear wheel arches. Mine is mint, but both front wings have beem treated and always gets hand washed.
 
Shop around for one of the last 202s.

I had a 2002 203 estate and it was truly tragic.

Lots of electrical problems and a clunky box that MB couldn't seem to sort.

Sent me to a BMW garage for a few years
 
Thoroughly endorse the sentiments above. Late 202s were much better sorted than the early 203s. Our local dealer was really disenchanted with the early 203s - many had many problems that proved difficult to fix. Their opinion was that they were sourcing components for the electrics from different suppliers and they did not "talk" to each other properly. Ours was german built so could not even blame the South African factory where most of them came from.
 

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