Buying a C-Class, help & advice needed

[pigSTi]

Hello all,

Having bought an 03 plate W209 CLK 320 three weeks ago, I have been finding many things that are not right mechanically and cosmetically and last Saturday afternoon it died on me completely so I have decided to sell it back to the garage that I bought it off at a £1700 loss!


So, this time round I thought it may be a good idea to ask you guys, being Merc owners and enthusiasts and any feedback before I take the next plunge will be massively appreciated.

I am looking at the C-Class now and have about 7k to spend (but the lower the better)

Here are two that I am giving serious consideration:

Used Mercedes C Class C280 Avantgarde SE (FULL LEATHER), Nr Basingstoke, Hampshire | Sascron

Used Mercedes C Class C320 Limited Edition (GREAT VALUE), Nr Basingstoke, Hampshire | Sascron

Both are at the same place so I can test drive and look over each one in the same sitting.

I like the black one, I like that it is younger, lower mileage and hopefully clear of the rusting issues? I like the leather seats and the facelift cabin etc.

However, the silver one is not so bad either. I'm not overly keen on the seats or the non facelift dash but it is 2k cheaper and could be a great runner.


What do you guys and gals think of these two? Pros & cons? Any 1st hand experiences?


Thanks very very much in advance

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Hello all,

Having bought an 03 plate W209 CLK 320 three weeks ago, I have been finding many things that are not right mechanically and cosmetically and last Saturday afternoon it died on me completely so I have decided to sell it back to the garage that I bought it off at a £1700 loss!


So, this time round I thought it may be a good idea to ask you guys, being Merc owners and enthusiasts and any feedback before I take the next plunge will be massively appreciated.

I am looking at the C-Class now and have about 7k to spend (but the lower the better)

Here are two that I am giving serious consideration:

Used Mercedes C Class C280 Avantgarde SE (FULL LEATHER), Nr Basingstoke, Hampshire | Sascron

Used Mercedes C Class C320 Limited Edition (GREAT VALUE), Nr Basingstoke, Hampshire | Sascron

Both are at the same place so I can test drive and look over each one in the same sitting.

I like the black one, I like that it is younger, lower mileage and hopefully clear of the rusting issues? I like the leather seats and the facelift cabin etc.

However, the silver one is not so bad either. I'm not overly keen on the seats or the non facelift dash but it is 2k cheaper and could be a great runner.


What do you guys and gals think of these two? Pros & cons? Any 1st hand experiences?


Thanks very very much in advance

Depends what you want, the black facelift one is a 4 door, whilst the cheaper silver one is also the Sport Coupe / 3dr hatch.

If I was getting a Sport Coupe, I'd want it to be a higher spec. We have a pre-facelift C320 Saloon and although the 320 engine is loveley, of the two car's you've shown I'd be drawn more to the facelift black saloon.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Duplicate post...

 

[Deleted member 37751]

If you've only had the car three weeks and it's turned out to be as bad as you say, they should be giving you your money back, never mind a £1700 loss!

 

[pigSTi]

Depends what you want, the black facelift one is a 4 door, whilst the cheaper silver one is also the Sport Coupe / 3dr hatch.

If I was getting a Sport Coupe, I'd want it to be a higher spec. We have a pre-facelift C320 Saloon and although the 320 engine is loveley, of the two car's you've shown I'd be drawn more to the facelift black saloon.

I'm not fussed either way with 2 or 4 door but I do agree that it would be nice if the spec was a little higher on the coupe.

With regards to the 320 engine - is it the same 320 engine that is in my CLK 320? And are the sensors prone to malfunctioning in it i.e. the camshaft position sensor?

If you've only had the car three weeks and it's turned out to be as bad as you say, they should be giving you your money back, never mind a £1700 loss!

I have looked into this with the CAB. Most of what I deem to be poor about the car can be considered as wear and tear and this is not covered by my consumer rights. The other things that were wrong with it, the dealer will fix FOC. The problem I have is that I have lost faith in the car and simply do not want to drive it any more.

Here is a list of some of the problems I have with the CLK 320:

1. Part of dash has been re-trimmed, is covered too thick and sticks out away from the joining panel.

2. The air con stinks, I have cleaned it but the smell came back 2 weeks later.

3. The driver door rattles when closing, could be loose glass but could be the expensive motor bit.

4. There is a knock from inside the rear panel (would be door card) on driver side.

5. The passenger head rest will not move all the way down, but does when you move the seat to allow access to the rear.

6. The front suspension bushes need replacing

7. The warning triangle in the boot cannot be fitted as the boot skin is broken where it clips in

8. The passenger side door mirror wont fold in and looks like its been bashed.

9. The tyres are not staggered on the AMG alloys, same profile at back as the front.

10. Sometimes the courtesy function doesn't work, either or both the seat & wheel wont move.

11. Both tweeter covers have snapped tabs and are not securely fixed in place

12. There is a creaking noise coming from the front if I go over speed bumps

13. There is a gap between the driver door glass and the rear quarter glass, glass only sits halfway over the rubber seal that is bonded to the rear glass.

14. The weather strip on the bottom of the driver door has broken fixings so it sags down and probably doesn't seal as it should

15. The camshaft position sensor failed causing the car to become disabled. This happened about 1 car length away from a traffic light junction on the A30 in Camberley on Saturday lunch time - very busy, very embarrassing.


When the RAC man came and put the car on the flat-bed he walked around and marked any damage. He pointed out to me that the car had had a rear end shunt, showed me the poor re-spray. Also the poor re-spray on the lower front doors.

The dealer, who is a very prominent and long established seller of high-end motors like Rolls Royces and Bentleys in Sunningdale has agreed to fix the sensor, all four bushes (when I bought the car they swore blind that only 2 bushes were slightly worn and didn't need replacing) and the wing mirror.

I also still have not received the VC5. 3.5 weeks in. I don't think they had it because (shame on me) I never saw it when I bought the car! Also I have only got one key.

 

[verytalldave]

It always makes me smile when a dealer lists all the features - which nearly always are standard fitment..
I prefer the black model.
Whatever one you buy - whether its either of these 2, or some other, make sure its a facelifted model (as an indicator look for clear headlamp lens - NOT fluted). These tend to be more reliable and have a fully galvanised body - so tend to rust alot less than prefacelift.

 

[jam38]

I have looked into this with the CAB. Most of what I deem to be poor about the car can be considered as wear and tear and this is not covered by my consumer rights. The other things that were wrong with it, the dealer will fix FOC. The problem I have is that I have lost faith in the car and simply do not want to drive it any more.

Here is a list of some of the problems I have with the CLK 320:

1. Part of dash has been re-trimmed, is covered too thick and sticks out away from the joining panel.

2. The air con stinks, I have cleaned it but the smell came back 2 weeks later.

3. The driver door rattles when closing, could be loose glass but could be the expensive motor bit.

4. There is a knock from inside the rear panel (would be door card) on driver side.

5. The passenger head rest will not move all the way down, but does when you move the seat to allow access to the rear.

6. The front suspension bushes need replacing

7. The warning triangle in the boot cannot be fitted as the boot skin is broken where it clips in

8. The passenger side door mirror wont fold in and looks like its been bashed.

9. The tyres are not staggered on the AMG alloys, same profile at back as the front.

10. Sometimes the courtesy function doesn't work, either or both the seat & wheel wont move.

11. Both tweeter covers have snapped tabs and are not securely fixed in place

12. There is a creaking noise coming from the front if I go over speed bumps

13. There is a gap between the driver door glass and the rear quarter glass, glass only sits halfway over the rubber seal that is bonded to the rear glass.

14. The weather strip on the bottom of the driver door has broken fixings so it sags down and probably doesn't seal as it should

15. The camshaft position sensor failed causing the car to become disabled. This happened about 1 car length away from a traffic light junction on the A30 in Camberley on Saturday lunch time - very busy, very embarrassing.


When the RAC man came and put the car on the flat-bed he walked around and marked any damage. He pointed out to me that the car had had a rear end shunt, showed me the poor re-spray. Also the poor re-spray on the lower front doors.

The dealer, who is a very prominent and long established seller of high-end motors like Rolls Royces and Bentleys in Sunningdale has agreed to fix the sensor, all four bushes (when I bought the car they swore blind that only 2 bushes were slightly worn and didn't need replacing) and the wing mirror.

I also still have not received the VC5. 3.5 weeks in. I don't think they had it because (shame on me) I never saw it when I bought the car! Also I have only got one key.

With all due respect why have you taken a £1,700 loss? I mean this extensive list is not just wear and tear. I can understand that you did not want the car anymore, but surely you should have demanded a full refund?

Also, text your reg plate to 83600. If the information you get back is not in accordance with what the dealer said then this will strengthen your case. For example, if the dealer said that there the car was never in an accident, but the hpi check says different then you have been mis-informed.

I cannot stress how much these dodgy traders make me angry.

Good luck.

 

[clever dicky]

As above, quite agree. Total refund or you return it to the showroom THROUGH the glass front. (Just say the brakes failed)
Its a shame though because I really like the CLK's especially the Cabrio's.

As for the two above,
Both very nice, (although the black one reminds me of a hearse)
4 door is handy with kids, but on those leathers?
Silver is popular and easy to touch up with chips and r-u-s-t when the time comes.

Although the coupe is older and yes a pre face lift, the mods to upgrade are easy, should you want to, and plentiful on ebay.
Neither seem to have a sunroof which is a pity but makes choosing more difficult.
The leather seats seem to clinch the deal, but (in another thread) I bought and fitted replacement leathers to mine for fifty quid. Also are they heated?

If you can live with black, as I have the same model Id say thats the one. But the price seems a bit OTT for a five year old car. It would have to be immaculate and have all the toys for that money. But looking at the pics it has an old model audio 20, which is OK, but for the money . Id want full comand system, heated seats, parktronic, headlight washers and a sunroof for that amount. Maybe Im greedy

Of course you can add these extras to the either model, with the comand system (500?) leather / heated seats ???, and good parking sensors it does add up. I dont think sunroof is an option. But some bling like dash bits, headlights (150) and illuminated sills (see me) are reasonable.

If you feel like adding these bits, and paying the extra you might just as well get a bit more knocked off the cheaper silver one and have a stunning car.

If you dont, try and knock down the black one, with less to do and still a nice car (esp if you go to a lot of funerals ).

 

[Rory]

1. Part of dash has been re-trimmed, is covered too thick and sticks out away from the joining panel.

.....

When the RAC man came and put the car on the flat-bed he walked around and marked any damage. He pointed out to me that the car had had a rear end shunt, showed me the poor re-spray. Also the poor re-spray on the lower front doors.

Is the dash re-trim in the area where the passenger airbag is, by any chance?


OK, I know you only really get to know a car as you've owned it for an increasing length of time, but that's a heck of a list of niggles.

On the cars you're looking at, the Coupe does nothing for me. The C280 looks a nice car, but Black can easily look tatty - takes a lot of looking after. Check, if you can, it's had new spark plugs fairly recently - they should be changed, I think, at 50K miles or 4yrs. It's possible due to low mileage they've never been changed and it's quite an expensive job.

 

[markjay]

Mine is a W203 MY2006 and it has been really great, no problems. I understand that the built quality on the facelift models is much improved. I think both cars will do nicely, not sure if you prefer the 2-door or 4-doors. Setting the doors aside, for me the newer car with the lower mileage would be more appealing, especially as it has the newer dashboard. So my vote goes to the black car with the 'smaller' 3.0L engine.

 

[pigSTi]

With all due respect why have you taken a £1,700 loss? I mean this extensive list is not just wear and tear. I can understand that you did not want the car anymore, but surely you should have demanded a full refund?

Also, text your reg plate to 83600. If the information you get back is not in accordance with what the dealer said then this will strengthen your case. For example, if the dealer said that there the car was never in an accident, but the hpi check says different then you have been mis-informed.

I cannot stress how much these dodgy traders make me angry.

Good luck.

Firstly, apologies to all who had replied to my thread - I hadn't abandoned it entirely!

With regards to the CLK, I spoke to the CAB and consumer direct and both basically said that as long as the car was serviceable and fit for purpose I couldn't do much. If it failed mechanically then I must give the dealer a chance to fix it first and as long as it is fixed I can't do much else.

They said also that with the car being second hand or used it was acceptable for it to have wear and tear cosmetically and that arguing what is acceptable for the year/mileage would be difficult.

Long story short, the dealer was willing to fix the faults and the rest could easily come under the fair wear and tear of ages etc etc so I decided not to pursue.

In the end the dealer gave me back £6200 instead of their initial offer of £5800 and they offered me a choice of cars at trade price which would have given me back more than the difference. They had a BMW, and Audi an CLK cab. None really appealed to me so I walked with the cash.

All in all, I have to conclude that the dealership was not out to rip me off, they did do more than most to help resolve the situation and in fairness I don't think even they realised what they had taken in on that PX.

 

[pigSTi]

As above, quite agree. Total refund or you return it to the showroom THROUGH the glass front. (Just say the brakes failed)
Its a shame though because I really like the CLK's especially the Cabrio's.

As for the two above,
Both very nice, (although the black one reminds me of a hearse)
4 door is handy with kids, but on those leathers?
Silver is popular and easy to touch up with chips and r-u-s-t when the time comes.

Although the coupe is older and yes a pre face lift, the mods to upgrade are easy, should you want to, and plentiful on ebay.
Neither seem to have a sunroof which is a pity but makes choosing more difficult.
The leather seats seem to clinch the deal, but (in another thread) I bought and fitted replacement leathers to mine for fifty quid. Also are they heated?

If you can live with black, as I have the same model Id say thats the one. But the price seems a bit OTT for a five year old car. It would have to be immaculate and have all the toys for that money. But looking at the pics it has an old model audio 20, which is OK, but for the money . Id want full comand system, heated seats, parktronic, headlight washers and a sunroof for that amount. Maybe Im greedy

Of course you can add these extras to the either model, with the comand system (500?) leather / heated seats ???, and good parking sensors it does add up. I dont think sunroof is an option. But some bling like dash bits, headlights (150) and illuminated sills (see me) are reasonable.

If you feel like adding these bits, and paying the extra you might just as well get a bit more knocked off the cheaper silver one and have a stunning car.

If you dont, try and knock down the black one, with less to do and still a nice car (esp if you go to a lot of funerals ).

(esp if you go to a lot of funerals ) hahah!

Well, in the end I plumped for the black one, spend a good hour working through my check list (they thought I was weird I could tell & I'm sure that until I showed the manager my MSWord obviously DIY print-out when he came out asking about my "list" he thought I was some kind of canvasser or something)
Anyway, they only had the black one on site so I didn't bother looking at the silver one - plus with it being the 320 I was unsure whether it would have the same engine as my 320 CLK and therefore the same crappy sensors?

Anyhoo, neither had headed seats or parking sensors sadly but the saloon was so much newer and nicer inside than the CLK that I don't mind really. It has the drilled front disks with MB writing on them - I think they are 4pots. Also the suspension felt nice and firm, more like my last Scooby than the wafty CLK, plus the car sits nice and low which makes it look better. Could those things be a sport pack or something?

 

[pigSTi]

Is the dash re-trim in the area where the passenger airbag is, by any chance?


OK, I know you only really get to know a car as you've owned it for an increasing length of time, but that's a heck of a list of niggles.

On the cars you're looking at, the Coupe does nothing for me. The C280 looks a nice car, but Black can easily look tatty - takes a lot of looking after. Check, if you can, it's had new spark plugs fairly recently - they should be changed, I think, at 50K miles or 4yrs. It's possible due to low mileage they've never been changed and it's quite an expensive job.

The trim was to the left of the stereo, under the cup-holder. It had a mobile phone holder screwed into it so they re-trimmed and it looks awful!

I couldn't check the plugs, but the service history seemed ok, the MOT history was fine as well so I guess as long as I get an honest car I don't mind if they need doing soon as it will be my responsibility.

Keeping it nice shouldn't be a problem, I am totally **** about cleaning my cars, I do a mini detail of approx 3 hours once a week and every 3 months or so I do a full 5-7 hour detail depending on claying or not!

 

[pigSTi]

Mine is a W203 MY2006 and it has been really great, no problems. I understand that the built quality on the facelift models is much improved. I think both cars will do nicely, not sure if you prefer the 2-door or 4-doors. Setting the doors aside, for me the newer car with the lower mileage would be more appealing, especially as it has the newer dashboard. So my vote goes to the black car with the 'smaller' 3.0L engine.

Well, as above I went for the 2006 car, glad to hear you have had no issues *touches wood*

 

[clever dicky]

(esp if you go to a lot of funerals ) hahah!

Well, in the end I plumped for the black one, spend a good hour working through my check list (they thought I was weird I could tell & I'm sure that until I showed the manager my MSWord obviously DIY print-out when he came out asking about my "list" he thought I was some kind of canvasser or something)
Anyway, they only had the black one on site so I didn't bother looking at the silver one - plus with it being the 320 I was unsure whether it would have the same engine as my 320 CLK and therefore the same crappy sensors?

Anyhoo, neither had headed seats or parking sensors sadly but the saloon was so much newer and nicer inside than the CLK that I don't mind really. It has the drilled front disks with MB writing on them - I think they are 4pots. Also the suspension felt nice and firm, more like my last Scooby than the wafty CLK, plus the car sits nice and low which makes it look better. Could those things be a sport pack or something?

Pleased you settled on one. Very nice too. Just had another look at your picture (link) but its gone. Perhaps now you've had it a while and washed it we might see more.
sorry dont know about shocks/ brakes but no doubt they will be beefed up stock from those like mine has - a 1.8 sob. I did fit drilled discs which are much better.
How does it drive whats the mpg like?

 

[pigSTi]

Pleased you settled on one. Very nice too. Just had another look at your picture (link) but its gone. Perhaps now you've had it a while and washed it we might see more.
sorry dont know about shocks/ brakes but no doubt they will be beefed up stock from those like mine has - a 1.8 sob. I did fit drilled discs which are much better.
How does it drive whats the mpg like?

I don't know about 1.8 - seems to me that they are more desirable probably from a running cost angle. I would not have minded one but there were none to be had.

I pick the car up tomorrow and will get back to you guys with piccies no doubt and a low down on it - I'm just hoping like mad it wont be a lemon

As for the advert - they removed it within hours of receiving the deposit... weird