S/W202 as runabout

[BigSilverEstate]

We were thinking about spending about £1,000 on a cheap automatic to help my wife get back into driving after a longish break. I see our money will buy a late 90s C class, though not necessarily a very good one. Potentially a bit safer / nicer than some of the small japanese alternatives though clearly higher tax, insurance etc plus more expensive if anything goes wrong.

Any thoughts on what to look out for, which ones to go for, whether to stay away completely at this money, etc.?

 

[NW_Merc]

I'm selling one, 1.8 w202 if you're interested in a cheap runabout.

 

[trapperjohn]

Either the C200 or the C250. You will know all about the rust issues.

The 1.8 will be gutless (I had a saloon of that ilk) You wont need the power of the 2.2. The 6 POT 2.4 has a serious drinking habit around town.

Make sure you get two keys and the alarm and central locking work. Elegance trim level is about the best.

Otherwise. Excellent motors.

 

[trapperjohn]

Whoops sorry North West. I only spoke the truth re engine sizes.

 

[NW_Merc]

Whoops sorry North West. I only spoke the truth re engine sizes.

No bother john. It's ok. I would agree about the C200 being having a bit more power. But it depends what engine size she would like. I, personally have loved driving it, it's the esprit model with the lowered/stiffer suspension.

 

[trapperjohn]

The Esprit level does give it a bit more "bite" all round. IBW used to service one for a guy who worked at ECP and it was very smooth.

 

[mbenz1]

You should be able to get a decent W202 in that budget. Personally, I found the C200 to be the better option as it has more power (than the C180) when you need it.. but all the engine variants are great. Imo the later W202's (around late 1999 and 2000 onwards) didn't have as good build quality compared to the pre-facelift version and the early facelift.

If you are after the 4-Pot petrol engines, you might find that many of them rattle - don't know why though but overall its a brilliant merc

as Trapperjohn said, the elgance version is well suited to the W202

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Wow thanks for very quick and helpful replies. NW I think you might be a bit far away but thanks for reminding me of the car you are selling. As you rightly suggest, power is not a big consideration for SWMBO though it is nice to be able to get away from trouble when you need to. I will read around the various threads on rust to get an idea which is the rust you walk away from and what is acceptable on a car which with respect is going to receive 1-2 years of good natured abuse around SE London and then retire.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Go for a facelift, the interiors are way way better with plenty more gadgets and overall still feels fairly modern, the downside to the facelifts is the rust.

 

[Stratman]

The W202 estates were built in Germany and don't seem to suffer from tinworm the way the saloons do.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

The W202 estates were built in Germany and don't seem to suffer from tinworm the way the saloons do.

All where made in the Fatherland. Are you thinking of the W203?

 

[Stratman]

^^^ Very possibly

 

[bedwards1966]

A far better choice than a jap runabout...
Pre 2000 and they are bombproof, many are saying the 180 is low on power - to put in into perspective it's only low compared to the other models, it has enough power for normal driving, it's only if you like some extra that you find yourself wanting more.
The wheel arches rust terribly, make sure the engine runs smoothly without any hesitation or flat spots (could be a MAF sensor fault, that's common), apart from that there isn't much to worry about. Don't be put off by 'high' mileage, they just go on and on.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Not 100% true, you can get trouble with the Tappets etc which I had with my old C180

Check the wiper mech works well and doesnt get stuck during its sweep at all.

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Once again, thank you very much for all your responses! I have a really good list of things to look out for.

I am considering looking at this at the weekend:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201218468139616/usedcars?logcode=visc

It is below budget and probably overpowered based on various comments here. But it has the advantage of being reasonably nearby, and I reckon paying another grand would not appreciably lower the risk of getting a wreck.

Would be interested to know of any major concerns that strike your expert eyes at first sight ...

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Aerial is stuck at halfmast and theres a small dent behind the petrol cap, otherwise it looks in good nick

Check the wiper works well, and doesnt stick at all (put it on setting 1) Also check that all the electrics work, including the heater - if that doesnt work its £££

Otherwise check for rust on all 4 arches, around the boot handle & boot lock.

 

[NW_Merc]

Check for rust on the sills, although this being a pre-facelift car and does have underbody seal, the rust can show through. Have a look when you're looking at the wheel arches at the jacking points and see if there is any bubbling indicating rust underneath the body seal.

 

[Scott_F]

A budget of £500 will buy a not very good one - your budget will buy quite a decent one.

If your wife hasn't driven much recently then possibly performance isn't a major consideration. If so, you could well be better off buying a low-mileage, low-owner, low-spec car that has been well looked after rather than being tempted by one with higher levels of trim and performance but a more questionable pedigree.

 

[BigSilverEstate]

Well this morning the hunt began. The one I linked to was a bad'un with sticky throttle, soft brakes, sticky speedometer, rattly driver door etc.

Second was a facelift (2000) C200 elegance with lots of extras. Rather good nick externally and to drive, I thought, with flashy AMG alloys and new tyres, though punchily priced at £1600. A couple of things about the dash/instrument cluster troubled me though:

- SRS (airbag) indicator light was permanently on
- Odometer LCD was faulty so mileage was not legible

Assuming they are able to satisfy me of the mileage, If anyone had an idea of the likely cost of dealing with these matters it would give me an idea whether this could be something to bring into negotiations or a deal breaker.

Meanwhile SWMBO is currently making noises about trebling the budget and getting a Golf so we may remain a single MB household a little while longer.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

The SRS light might only be the passanger seat sensor which can be fixed in a matter of minutes.