The corporate view on the C Class Coupe

[peterg1965]

Having just sold my Jaguar XJ6 I am on the hunt for a replacement. Needs to be comfortable, economical, have cruise control and be reliable, my budget is about £5-£6Kish. I didn't even think about a C Class Coupe, but have seen that even Approved Used ones may just be within my budget. Are they any good?

What about this one? Just down the road from me in Preston.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...C+CLASS&min_pr=&max_pr=7000&max_mileage=80000

 

[peterg1965]

Does anyone know anything about C Class Coupes?

 

[pammy]

Portzy used to have one - a 180 iirc. And there does look to be some good deals around!

 

[pint6x]

I think it looks like a previous model Renault Megane

 

[Corrado]

If you can stretch to a facelift model (late '04) then its usually considered better - less rust, and with a few other snags ironed out. Might mean sacrificing the pano roof, for example, to fit in budget.

 

[peterg1965]

I think it looks like a previous model Renault Megane

But it is a Merc!

 

[peterg1965]

If you can stretch to a facelift model (late '04) then its usually considered better - less rust, and with a few other snags ironed out. Might mean sacrificing the pano roof, for example, to fit in budget.

Prices seem to be all over the place, assume getting an 'Approved Car' from a dealer will give me a decent warranty. Prices for 6/7 year old cars don't seem to be much different to 3/4 year old examples.

I would fancy a manual diesel or failing that an auto diesel. Pano roof would be nice, as would leather and a decent colour - silver or Jasper Blue. Stratstone at Preston have a few, petrols I think, I may go down next week and take a look, maybe have a drive.

They strike me as something 'different', yet appealing in comparison to what I was considering vectras/mondeos/octavias.

 

[BlackC55]

Don't buy a panoramic roof model. They rattle loads and can be expensive to fix when they go wrong.

 

[grober]

One comment on warranties. They vary! A few are very comprehensive and cover everything except wear and tear things like clutches brake pads/discs etc. But then it gets complicated. Many really only cover major items like the drive train i.e. engine and gearbox. Some have cost restrictions within certain time intervals leaving you to find the rest of the cost of any repair. Because of time restrictions you may find you are covered for only one costly repair in any one year etc. Mercedes warranties are usually pretty good but some dealers are offering cars for sale with alternative " third party" warranties which are not so comprehensive because the cars fail their elegibility test. It pays to read the small print of any warranty offered. Unfortunately this can be difficult at point of sale because the full documentataion is not sent to you till several weeks after the deal is completed. With a Mercedes resale values are usually better with auto transmissions. Hope you find the car you are after.

 

[peterg1965]

Don't buy a panoramic roof model. They rattle loads and can be expensive to fix when they go wrong.

Are there any other 'don'ts'? Auto boxes? certain engines? Is high mileage a problem? are they relatively inexpensive to maintain? and finally do the engines require cambelt changes?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[esox]

And there does look to be some good deals around!

Hmm,maybe the price is proportional to their desireability!

But it is a Merc!

Only just.
A three pointed star does not a MB make......

 

[rf065]

But it is a Merc!

I think it looks like a Merc with half the rear end missing.

Russ

 

[grober]

There were early ones that had the " powered clutch" type of autotransmission I think? Avoid at all costs! All conventional torque converter autobox types are fine if looked after. No Mercedes Benz engine has a cam belt all have chain driven timing gear. There was also a major change in engine type in common with the C class saloons during the production run . The later Mitsubishi derived petrol engines with balancer shafts a being much better proposition in refinement. Diesels can have problems with injectors and or glow plugs which can be expensive to fix if they cant be removed from the cylinder head easily. Basically they are no more problematic than the C class saloon on which they are based. Mercedes servicing is expensive but there are plenty good independents out there- some on this forum. Ideally you want a post late 04 model ( facelift) as Corrado said-one owner- full MB service history- sold by an MB dealer with full warranty- petrol engined 4 cylinder ( best long term proposition IMHO) - auto gearbox- in a nice metallic ( not silver -too common) with attractive alloys. There are lots out there- be choosy- you might have to pay a bit more but it will be worth it in the long run. That would be my approach if I were buying-- others may disagree.

 

[Will]

Just a question, but why specifically a 203 coupe, as opposed to a regular W203 saloon?

There should be plenty of W203s available in your budget, and I'd think that there's a good chance you could find one with the sort of spec that you're after too

Will

 

[peterg1965]

Just a question, but why specifically a 203 coupe, as opposed to a regular W203 saloon?

There should be plenty of W203s available in your budget, and I'd think that there's a good chance you could find one with the sort of spec that you're after too

Will

Good question Will, and I don't have an answer other than that the Coupe is something different (and a hatchback). Maybe I should extend the search to salons too. I might just pop down to Mercedes benz of Preston to have a look at both.

 

[peterg1965]

Just got back from Stratstone Mercedes at Preston. Yet another underwhelming experience at that place, I would be surprised if they sell any cars at all. There was absolutely no interest from the salesmen until I approached them. On enquiring about the three C Class Coupes on their website (Stratstones) I was simply told that they had all gone and there wouldn't be anymore at that price. They were 'trade' car (what on earth does that mean?) and buyers were expecting too much from them so they were not going to sell anymore!! There was no follow up like 'is there anything else we can interest you in? Shall I see what is available in group stock? Is there another model that would be of interest?

It wasn't as if I was an 'unlikely' Merc buyer, my GL was sat just 10ft away right next to his desk!

My fault, I should have rung first but I am not impressed with that outfit.

 

[portzy]

Just got back from Stratstone Mercedes at Preston. Yet another underwhelming experience at that place, I would be surprised if they sell any cars at all. There was absolutely no interest from the salesmen until I approached them. On enquiring about the three C Class Coupes on their website (Stratstones) I was simply told that they had all gone and there wouldn't be anymore at that price. They were 'trade' car (what on earth does that mean?) and buyers were expecting too much from them so they were not going to sell anymore!! There was no follow up like 'is there anything else we can interest you in? Shall I see what is available in group stock? Is there another model that would be of interest?

It wasn't as if I was an 'unlikely' Merc buyer, my GL was sat just 10ft away right next to his desk!

My fault, I should have rung first but I am not impressed with that outfit.

Sratstone can be quite variable in their attitudes depending on the location, my local one Bradford are very good in all repects.

On to the C Class Coupe. As Pammy said, I used to have one and it was relativey problem free. Just a minor trim issue which was sorted and the usual left drift which they also eradicated.

I found it to be a rather nice car, was a C200K petrol with the five speed auto, Evolution Pack, silver, and the pano roof which never gave me any problems so long as you lubricate the runners reasonably often.

Only sold it to get an SLK otherwise I would have willingly had another. Late 2004 with facelift would be a sound bet.

Portzy.

 

[jsl]

I might just pop down to Mercedes benz of Preston to have a look at both.[/quote]

Did this use to be the Ciceley MB dealership? Just intersested as I used to buy from them eons ago.

 

[peterg1965]

I might just pop down to Mercedes benz of Preston to have a look at both.

Did this use to be the Ciceley MB dealership? Just intersested as I used to buy from them eons ago.[/quote]

Yes, it used to be Cicleley Continental until Stratstone bought them out.

 

[C230K]

Ciceley are still over at Queen street, and now sell Chryslers and used Mercs.