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Thinking of leaving :(

Crazyjester900

Crazyjester900

Active Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
510
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Car
C200 W202
O you've got to love and hate MB......................................



my car is fine but i took it to a good friend who is a very
well established MB Mechanic at an exclusive dealership.

I was told yesterday that in 6 months to 1 year the car will
need a lot of work to keep in good order well above what
the car is worth, so i have to sell. I love my car and this will
really be hard..
He recommended a 01, 02, C-Class as they are a little more
solid and easier to maintain..

I'm a photography by trade so i am going to get a wagon next!
ideally i'd like to stay with the C Class but i am thinking of getting
a "Subaru Liberty Wagon OR Forester"

Any thoughts comments, bearing in mind i'd just rather keep
my baby.....


Cheers guys,
Brad
 
What work will it need ?

Even if you get rid of it , take your mods off and just buy another one , why would you want to buy a Subaru Forester ?

They're for hillbillies...
 
Crazyjester900 said:
I was told yesterday that in 6 months to 1 year the car will
need a lot of work to keep in good order well above what
the car is worth, so i have to sell. I love my car and this will
really be hard..
He recommended a 01, 02, C-Class as they are a little more
solid and easier to maintain..
Click to expand...

W202's are a doddle to look after, the later stuff is much more complex...
 
Crazyjester900 said:
He recommended a 01, 02, C-Class as they are a little more
solid and easier to maintain..
Click to expand...

I thought the prefacelift 203 suffered significantly from electrical gremlins, and the potential Valeo issue.

I would have thought a good 202 would be a long term better bet, especially if you know where it has been and what has been done to it.
 
Why dont you just start fixing it now? Replacing the things before they break? If you start doing it now.. over a period of a year will be easier on you, your time and your pocket.. rather than leaving it right until the limit and having to spend hundreds/thousands all at the same time!
 
The W202 will have been built in Germany, the W203 probably built in South Africa. The early W203's are reckoned to be a better handling safer car than the W202 but prone to lots of electronic gremlins and not immune to rust issues either. Both the libertywagon ( legacy) and forester are based on the imprezza chassis and are very good handling cars. The post 2004 model cars are a vast improvement on the previous models ( particularly in the standard of interior trim) and get good safety reports from the American IIHS tests http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=358 They are regarded as bulletproof mechanically but the forester can suffer from transmission problems- probably dependant on how they have been used. The Forester turbo version which doesn't have a low ratio box is regarded as a bit of a Q car having indecent handling and performance for a small 4x4. Their reputation for good mechanics is marred slightly by a spate of cylinder head gasket problems on some of the flat 4 engines-particularly the 2.5 -bigger bores/less metal?? http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=377 less common in post 2004 cars but they are not immune and they tend to be more expensive to repair- lots of engine repairs mean an engine out job or lots of ancilliary dismantling. However I believe Subaru are very popular in OZ so that probably means lots of garages handle them which will keep costs down.
In the end you will be driving a more refined exclusive car in a Mercedes than a "Suby" -this sort of thing is important to some people -some people don't care-- your choice- good luck.
 
Keep your 202....fine cars.
 
Dealers will prefer the modern merc (w203) over the older (w202) models as they can hook it up to Star and stuff. Thats probably what he means by "easier".

I would find a good MB independent (or even just a local garage) to look after your car.....

Did he say what work is needed?
 
Yeh, my car has some significant stuff,
Bushes and ball joints.
Shocks are leaking
Says if computer goes its worth 6k
antifreeze leaking from the back of the block.
the electric's are starting to fray..
to name a few

I believe what he says it's not a sails pitch he works
for one of the biggest dealerships but he was looking
over my car in a pit in his shed, it's not a sales pitch as
he wouldn't be gettin any cash from it. He's a Mechanic..

Even if i start fixing it now i can't justift spending 8k+ on a
car that is currently worth around 8 - 10K..

i want to stay with MB but not looking like finances will allow :(

i want a Subaru as i'm told they are very reliable and that
the Liberty Wagon is a good car.

Also currently i am driving a 1996 with 230,000K's
and i can get a Subaru that is 2003 with under 100,000
for an extra 4K onto of my car....

It's hard to stay :(
 
Howard said:
What work will it need ?

Even if you get rid of it , take your mods off and just buy another one , why would you want to buy a Subaru Forester ?

They're for hillbillies...
Click to expand...

lol

ok ""Liberty Wagon""

2003 i am looking at, who are they for??
 
source the parts 2nd hand and fit?

6k for an "computer"..... i am sure you could get a 2nd hand part for a fraction of that cost. Out of interest, i am sure a w203 has many more "computers" that could go wrong.

What makes him think that the computer (ECU?) on your W202 is on its way out? - anymore than say a 2003 Subaru estate's?
 
Crazyjester900 said:
Says if computer goes its worth 6k
Click to expand...
There are a lot more computers which "might" go on the 203, and the price is the same if not higher! This is a highly unlilely event for any vehicle.

It's entirely possible that something on your car might break, but better chances that you can find a part at a breaker or redundant stock at a stealership than with a newer car.
 
mmmmm yeh,

i don't know :(

such a crappy decision...

It just seems like i am putting more money into a dead end..
i know all car modding is kind of like that.
but i'd rather MOD than repair :)
 
My W202 will need £1k at the garage in the next 12 months to renew suspension and brake parts. It will drive 'as new' afterwards, given the four new tyres just fitted. I've no issues with the block or transmission. It is worth £2-3k (one owner, 80k, C250TD).

The alternative to buy a middle-aged car for £15k. It may well require the same maintenance, and depreciation will be £1k every 3-6 months! Fuel costs would fall by a few hundred pounds if new car obtains better economy. But fuel is probably not too relevant at 10k miles p.a.

The other nice thing about the 202 is that we don't lose sleep over the odd paint scratch. Given the low costs of running the car I use a proper bodyshop to rectify scratches. The rear bumper has just been done for £200.

The above approach is nearly Bangernomics, but not quite....
 
Shude said:
There are a lot more computers which "might" go on the 203, and the price is the same if not higher! This is a highly unlilely event for any vehicle.

It's entirely possible that something on your car might break, but better chances that you can find a part at a breaker or redundant stock at a stealership than with a newer car.
Click to expand...

ok yeh i am new to MB had my car for 4 years so i am still trying to
learn everything about the 202.

I was told 203m was cheaper to maintain.
but yeh he is speaking in new part terms i suppose
 
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