mercedez c200 02 plate any good?

[shuffmuff]

Hi, I am new to the site and would first like to say hello :bannana:

I have not owned a mercedez, but I have seen an ad for a mercedez c200 2002 auto.
It is fine body wise with no rust, i have not driven it but am assured it drives fine, has leather interior with no issues with electrics I m told.
everything inc wheels are standard i think.
mot for another 2 months
guy is asking for 1300.
I do like the car but i just want to know what I am buying really.
first - on the info above is that a decent price?
second - what known defects do these cars have that i should look for when buying
third - i drive modestly and dont race, what kind of average cost will the mots be year on year?
last - how much is a new auto box?, and how much to replace?, just i had a auto before an although i loved driving it, it was the biggest repair to cost for the last auto i had.
any help with these please is greatly appreciated, and any upgrade suggestion are very welcome.
nice to be here and thanks for your kind help all

 

[shuffmuff]

oh, on what car the electrics and software are flagged up as known issues on these models, is there any truth in this?, thanks

 

[whitenemesis]

On a 2002 C class rust will be an issue... How many miles has the car covered?

The electrics are known to be a weakness as is the front suspension.

New auto box in the region of £2-3k plus fitting £300ish

Price-wise I'm not sure but I'd want 12 months MoT on it..

 

[Chrishazle]

Biggest bugbear with the 99-03 C class (W203) was rust, normally starting as paint bubbling. Door bottoms, wheel arches and boot lid are the main ones I remember. Forget the MB 30 year corrosion warranty, it's not worth the paper it's written on.

Front suspension bushes and rose joints - listen for clunks when driving.

Transmission is supposedly sealed for life, but experience shows an ATF and filter change after 70k miles or so is a good idea. Normally 4 1/2 litres for just the box, some also do the torque converter which means additiional 2 1/2l and time, I had the 4 1/2 + filter done on my C270, cost about £150.

check the kickdown works and the engine will rev above 3k, no to either/both probably means failed MAF, not sure about cost, maybe £100.

check the engine temp gets to 80C+ fairly quickly, if not you need a new thermostat, about £40 for the part plus fitting - DIY guide on here if you're OK with spanners, otherwise 1 hour labour.

Before buying my C270 I read the road reports from when the 203 came out, all said the 200d was a bit gutless and the C270Cdi was the better engine -I was certainly happy with ours, comfortable and economical, but grunt when you wanted/needed it.

 

[shuffmuff]

94k miles, i will have a good look at thr front suspension, am gonna take it for a spin and go through the gears to feel the changes, thanks

 

[shuffmuff]

i have told the guy i am paying for a pre mot, i dont mind spending a few quid to make sure i dont get stung, thanks

 

[shuffmuff]

yes that is another thing, willl i regret buying this model, or should i buy a different superior model?

 

[shuffmuff]

does anyone know anyone good working on these cars in the skegness area, i am good with spanners, but i would never dare change a gear box lol, i can service the car and general repairs, starter motors etc, but anything to fine or heavy then i would need a reliable honest repair guy in this area, thanks

 

[whitenemesis]

If you can find a 270cdi, snap it up! Peach of an engine, powerful and economic...

 

[shuffmuff]

If you can find a 270cdi, snap it up! Peach of an engine, powerful and economic...

ok cool, so this one is preferable to the one am looking at?, thanks

 

[shuffmuff]

If you can find a 270cdi, snap it up! Peach of an engine, powerful and economic...

i found 1 for 1600 but with rusty wheel arches, dont look to bad from pics, how much to sort those out?