C230k

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Getting rare now. It looks good and low miles too. Got to be worth viewing if you're in the market for one.
 
Thanks John,

Going to check it out tomorrow. Anything to watch out for apart from the obvious rust on wheel arches,etc.

Are there any engine noises that will tell me to walk away?
 
Sad to say, yes rust is the number 1 issue.

Check sills and jacking points in particular. The problem you'll have is the side skirts do a great job of covering the sills. You'll have to make a judgement call, inspect as much of the underbody as possible. If there's excessive rust on underbody (above what one would consider normal for the year) there's a fair possibility the sills are affected too. Even then the sills could be in a reasonable condition, just like my own car - but I got lucky being candid.

Then there's rust on the usual places like front wing arches, may be boot floor and lower rear arches.

Engine noises? Nothing to be concerned about as such. A dry whirring sound is usually caused by the drive belt idler and tensioners bearings - no biggy. I'd have to say overall these engines and the Supercharger are fairly bulletproof. I've had zero major issues and minor issues was simple stuff like a coil and the other problems I induced myself. Say no more!
 
Duplicate post.
 
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Three things stand out for me about that car.

1. The photo's are taken outside what looks like a mansion - nine times out of ten the mansion or palatial pad is not the seller's home. I find that a bit off putting.

2. Looking at the M.O.T. history the car has only covered 13k miles in seven years ('98-2005)

3. Again from the M.O.T. history, corroded brake pipes were reported back 2007, ten years ago now.

All the above doesn't amount to a hill of beans but best to be on your guard, nonetheless.

Edit:

Here you go: https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/
 
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Gotta love the parked outside a mansion bit !

Got a couple of Pagodas so you never know


Although I did buy a battered old van once, pulled up at the blokes house and it was a 10 million pound mansion with a Ferrari, Aston and Sl55 on the drive. I bought the van and he paid off the outstanding finance of 50 grand (apparently he bought 15 of them in one go!) whilst i was there with his debit card ! (thats going some !) :)
 
Gotta love the parked outside a mansion bit !

Got a couple of Pagodas so you never know


Although I did buy a battered old van once, pulled up at the blokes house and it was a 10 million pound mansion with a Ferrari, Aston and Sl55 on the drive. I bought the van and he paid off the outstanding finance of 50 grand (apparently he bought 15 of them in one go!) whilst i was there with his debit card ! (thats going some !) :)

You're spot on right. You'd never know.
 
Yes, John,
I noticed that and challenged the owner, who despite having 4 Mercedes for sale says he is not a dealer and that he took it off someone as part payment for his business which is Koi carp (See his ebay feedback). In fact the car has done almost as many miles in the last twelve months as the first seven years but the HPI information shows that the 2005 date corresponds with a plate (And therefore ownership) change so maybe the first owner did very little mileage - the service book should confirm something about that. Not too worried about corroded brakes pipes. The car is almost 19 years old and it seems that MOT testers vary greatly on their awareness of it. Waxoil or underseal seems to fool most!
 
Yes, John,
I noticed that and challenged the owner, who despite having 4 Mercedes for sale says he is not a dealer and that he took it off someone as part payment for his business which is Koi carp (See his ebay feedback). In fact the car has done almost as many miles in the last twelve months as the first seven years but the HPI information shows that the 2005 date corresponds with a plate (And therefore ownership) change so maybe the first owner did very little mileage - the service book should confirm something about that. Not too worried about corroded brakes pipes. The car is almost 19 years old and it seems that MOT testers vary greatly on their awareness of it. Waxoil or underseal seems to fool most!

Yep. As I said my comments on the M.O.T. and photo's may not add up to a hill of beans.

The car should be viewed that's for sure if nothing else. And if it's as good as it looks it's priced fairly imo, could be a bargain in actual fact.
 
I had my C230K for 9 years and are great fun to drive....Based on W202 prices, the price is high, however saying that I sold mine last year for about the same price and mine was truly immaculate, same mileage and with a full MB history.

Very good C230Ks are getting rare to find.

The sunroof and the heated seats certainly give this a good spec.

To add to John....

Have a quick look at the diff case from behind and see if it is wet. These generally tend to leak from the seals....Its not a serious issue but good bargaining point as the diff needs to be dropped to repair it.

Check the gearbox inc kickdown and inquire if there is any evidence of a fluid change. If not, that will be the first thing on the "to do" list.

The engines as long as they have been regularly serviced are bulletproof as they were over engineered to handle the supercharger.

Check for any oil leaks around the camshaft sensor though.

If you get the "aircon has stopped working...probably needs regassing", usually means that the condenser is leaking and needs replacement...common issue on W202s.

Also two keys.....the keys are getting seriously expensive.
 
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Looks really nice that one.

I love mine but wouldn't go out looking for the 230k in particular again. It performs well enough but isn't exciting in any sense of the word.

They're tricky to price and can't help think that's a bit strong on the money but then again, the kit, wheels and interior have a value on their own.

Before I sell, I'm gonna take the wheels off mine and put originals back on but I'm saddened by the fact it's probably worth the square root of FA.

5188C174-04E7-45F5-9A55-C8169F2513D5_zpstberoxw1.jpg
 
Looks really nice that one.

I love mine but wouldn't go out looking for the 230k in particular again. It performs well enough but isn't exciting in any sense of the word.

They're tricky to price and can't help think that's a bit strong on the money but then again, the kit, wheels and interior have a value on their own.

Before I sell, I'm gonna take the wheels off mine and put originals back on but I'm saddened by the fact it's probably worth the square root of FA.

5188C174-04E7-45F5-9A55-C8169F2513D5_zpstberoxw1.jpg

bloomin lovely that is
 
I had my C230K for 9 years and are great fun to drive....Based on W202 prices, the price is high, however saying that I sold mine last year for about the same price and mine was truly immaculate, same mileage and with a full MB history.

Very good C230Ks are getting rare to find.

The sunroof and the heated seats certainly give this a good spec.

To add to John....

Have a quick look at the diff case from behind and see if it is wet. These generally tend to leak from the seals....Its not a serious issue but good bargaining point as the diff needs to be dropped to repair it.

Check the gearbox inc kickdown and inquire if there is any evidence of a fluid change. If not, that will be the first thing on the "to do" list.

The engines as long as they have been regularly serviced are bulletproof as they were over engineered to handle the supercharger.

Check for any oil leaks around the camshaft sensor though.

If you get the "aircon has stopped working...probably needs regassing", usually means that the condenser is leaking and needs replacement...common issue on W202s.

Also two keys.....the keys are getting seriously expensive.

Howdo Vij.

You're right of course, the auto box should be checked for full and proper operation, I overlooked that potential issue as I have manual version. My air con also is not working and again you're spot on as the condenser is kaput.

That looks like a two key car...;)
 
Kickdown and the c230k were made for each other.
Foot in carpet. Kompressor spools up (satisfying whoosh).
Revs climb to the limit (harsh insistent scream).
Autobox drops down 2 gears.
Nice.
I'm sure it doesn't help the fuel economy, but there's nothing else quite like it.
My C230k is 18 years old, somewhere around 213k miles, and... rusty but every now and again when I pick up spares from the dealer, I park it right at the front, just to remind them of the late 90's.
 

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