2002 C230 hatchback questions

[jena_c230]

I am looking to purchase a 2002 c230 hatchback and had some questions.

I had a 1998 BMW 318ti that I purchased new. I loved this car. It had a manual transmission and was a thrill to drive. I later upgraded to a new 2001 330i. The sedan was too much of a "family" car for me. I did not like it half as much as the 318ti even though it had more power. I still kick myself for ever getting rid of my 318ti. I was the original owner and knew all the ins and outs of the car.

I am looking to purchase a used car. The c230s are extremely reasonable and most are still under manufacturer's warranty (based on mileage). This model is almost exactly like the BMW 318ti (hatchback, 4 cylinder, etc). I did some research on Google and found some negative reviews. Things such as this car was a HUGE mistake for Mercedes, lots of service issues, etc. Are these one off's, or is this line plagued with issues?

I am concerned about getting a good deal on a car and then having to pay $1-2K a year or more in maintenance. I test drove the car, and it felt very stable. It handled well down rough roads and there was absolutely no road noise.

Any advice/information you can give me is greatly appreciated.

[Saaz]

I haven't owned a C-coupe, so I can't give you too much specific info about that variant, but I have first or second-hand experience with C320, C32, and C240 sedans from 01 and 02. (Owned by myself or close relatives.)

All "our" C's were pretty good. They all needed some minor warranty repairs early on, mostly electrical glitches- a couple bad lamp sockets, a bad window controller, etc. But once they got sorted out in the first one or two service visits, they were fine.

Many people have had trouble with 01 C's - that was the first year for the current design. I think problems decreased a lot in 02 models, and probably even more in 03.

The coupe probably WAS a mistake for MB, but that doesn't mean it's a bad car. :) They only produced it for 3-4 years, presumably killing it because of poor sales and/or poor profits. (As you noted, it's relatively inexpensive, so one wonders how much profit they could've made on it.)

[jena_c230]

So, if I purchase the car from Carmax, can Carmax perform the service/maintenance, or does this have to be done by a MB dealer? Can these Kompressor engines be worked on by anonye other than a MB dealership?

Thanks for your help. I want to make sure I make an informed purchase and know all the maintenance costs/issues involved.

[ggoodman]

It would be a great idea to have the car maintained by someone who has M-B experience whether at a dealership or by a qualified independent. Any 2002-2004 C-coupe that is still covered by the 4yr/50k warranty has the scheduled maintenance included at no charge. The work must be done at a M-B dealer and doesn't include wear items such as tires, brakes, etc.
You may want to check with a M-B dealer because their certified pre-owned cars have undergone an extensive inspection and have warranties available up to 100k miles.
The 02 C230 was a 2.3 liter 192 hp engine; the later cars have a 1.8liter 189 hp engine. The 1.8 is lighter, smoother, and slightly more fuel efficient. The cars with factory 17" wheels also have a short-throw shifter for the 6 spd.
As Saaz mentioned, the coupe is not an inherently bad car but was discontinued due to poor sales. The car is sitll sold in Europe where hatchbacks are very popular. I have a 2003 with @21k miles that has been trouble-free. The 01 Cs regardless of body style had some electrical gremlins that were cured in the later cars.

[AllanEggleston]

I have a 2003 C coupe and love it! As Saaz states, by the time they got around to the '03s they probably figured everything out.

I must say that the manual transmission is not as good in feel and precision as on many of the other cars I considered (BMW 325c, Acura RSX, CL, Honda Accord Coupe) when in the market, but I've gotten used to it. However, the transmission is very flexible and will allow acceleration or crusing in higher gears than one would expect.

I've read everything posted about this model and in all the publications about some problems, but I haven't exprienced anything bad.

One very pleasant, unexpected quality of the car is extremely good gas mileage. Most of my weekend commute is interstate and consistantly see 34 - 35 mpg at 55-65 mph. Sometimes, depending on weather conditions and the pull of the moon, I'll see 36-38 mpg for a short while.

I would suggest buying an '03 or '04 if you can. Also, a Star Marked model would be desirable.

I have to concur with the others in that you really should have a dealer or a very, very good independant service your car. I would never trust the corner gas station.

Good luck with your search!

[Sheldon]

I own a 2004 C320 6 speed, and find this to be a terrific vehicle.
I would agree with the other member about the manual transmission; not a highly precise one, but it deleivers great mileage, and plenty of torque. Manuals are very hard to find; I am in the Dallas area, and never drove one(no one in Texas could find one with a 6 cyllinder) before I bought mine and picked it up at the factory in Sindelfingen.
Others I have known speak well of the 4 cylinder 230.
I would disagree about the end of importing the C coupe; it was a great vehicle at at price almost too good to be true, and MB forund a way to replace it and improve profits at the same time; in Europe the C Coupe is seen everywhere, very popular, and is well regarded.
You should however, buy a vehicle that is certified or has every repair record available to you; stick with a MB dealer for service. The 4 year maintenance is a real gift.

[ALUEB]

myself, but the seats weren't comfortable for my bad back. The only thing I didn't like was the buzzy sounding 4 cylinder, but when the Kompressor kicks in that changes. Mercedes has had various problems with all their models, since 2000-01 model years, but is the car you looking at has been maintained by the previous owner I would go for it, the panorama roof is especially a nice touch. I finally bought a preowned 99 C280 and in the the 4 years come March I have owned this car it has been relatively trouble free, two recalls, one MAS and one O2 sensor all covered under warranty. Personally if you own a 318 I wouldn't compare the two as IMHO if you want a true sports sedan the 318 has it over the C Coupe. Mercedes tried and did a decent job but did not hit the mark like BMW has for 40 years with sport sedans. I will admit my C280 handle decent, is quick, but compared to a 325 Bimmer, it's not up to the grade. But my sport sedan/car days are over so I need comfort and a decent handling, weel constructed and safe car and that's what Mercedes makes. I was once told, if you drive a Mercedes you will never drive another car. In my case this is very true, there is something about Mercedes cars, even the C Coupe, that makes them stand out and want to drive, and drive. I owned a 3 series M before, and honestly it was fast, handling like it rode on the rails, but the seat were horrible, even before my back went, ride was rough, but it did what it was supposed to do, just like Mercedes does what it is suppose to do. A luxury car a cut above the rest.

Remember German cars are designed to drive the Autobahn and cruise at 120mph all day, so they are designed with that in mind, and the export cars are still the same, perhaps HP is down and add on safety bumpers, but the Germans build CARS. One more comment about the C Coupe engine, the 4cyliner compressor, is probably on of the most underrated 4's in the world, it is a fineful built and tuned engine and isn't given the justice it deserves.

[maqsood66]

I recently bought a 2002 C230 and love it. The one mistake was I did ot buy from an MB dealer meaning it does not have a warranty. The upside though is that I can get a warranty through my credit union AND I saved about $5K+ on the price.

It is a very nice car and lots of fun to drive.

As mentioned above, You DO NOT WANT TO TAKE IT TO carmax for service. go to an MB dealer or a shop that specializes in MB service.

[carol]

Have a 2004 special order C320C and if we ever got rid of any of our vehicles that would be the one we'd keep! (except for the pickups). Absolutely no issues whatsoever with the car. Very sporty, very quick, smooth easy shifting, very responsive, very comfortable and all around a neat car. Why special order? because of the color - it's Citron Green and it's a 6 speed.

[dolebludger]

For what it may be worth, here is my take on the '02 C class coupe. When the present C class line-up was introduced in '00 as an '01 model, it was "full of bugs", mostly (but not exclusively) electronic. As the C is MB's bread and butter car which sees service in taxi fleets and other fleets in other countries, I believe MB put this issue on the fast track. They just couldn't afford to lose the fleet market internationally. By the time our '04 C 320 sedan was built in late '03, the C class had (IMO) become a highly reliable car. Exactly when the transition happened is something I don't know. If I were you, I'd check the build date on the particular car. The later the better. Also, it may be possible to get the car's service history through your MB dealer. In this case, considerable warranty work on primarily electronic items would not be a bad sign, but a good sign, indicating that such problems were fixed.

As for the coupe being discontinued, that's only in the US where there is insufficient market for hatchbacks in this price range. That's the same reason BMW discontinued the 318ti in the US. Neither of these are "bad cars", certainly. It is just that Americans expect two door hatchbacks to be priced in the low teens for some reason.

[ALUEB]

as the 01 C class was a almost completely new car, compared to the W202 and W201. I have a 99 C280, which has had very few problems, a MAS, O2 sensor, two recalls, one for the engine, which extended thewarranty to 150K and a cupon for a oil change, and recently the harmonica balancer. One other problem was when I bought this car is was STARMARKED, but didn't pass Mass state inspection, as someone didn't see a cracked front turn signal lens. Of course the dealer replaced it immediately. Also, since the harmonica balancer has been replaced, the car runs much better ans is quieter. I was getting and on again off again, tap in the engine, and the engine seemed louder then usually. Also, the no hold electonic key start feature never really worked right. Since the balancer was changed, along with the serpentine belts, as the dealer said it was damaged by the balancer so no charge for that. the tapping is gone and the engine is quieter and the no hold key to start feature works everytime know.

But as with any new model there are always bugs, but Mercedes must have either rushed into the design of the new C class in 01 as I have heard horror stories from people about the 01 and 02 model. I was at the dealer last week and saw the C280 is back with a 4 matic option. I assume it is a cut under the C340, which one magazine said the interior looks like you purchased Gallo Port wine for the price of a magmuim of some french stuff. I will say, the interior in my 99 dpes look more classic Mercedes then the new C class.

As far as the coupe goes, this was the car I originally wanted, but due to my rotten back the sport style seats were uncomfortable for me. But IMHO it is a slick car and the all glass roof, was one of the features I was lookin' forward too. Oh well, Life goes on! The Mercedes 4 banger, kompressor engine is one of the most underrated 4 cylinder engines out there. it is a solid runner and deserved better. Perhaps if they made a Bi version, that is one Kompressor and one turbo on each engine then it would have sold better. But in its present form the car, especially with the manual tranny got up and went, and went bye, bye eventually.

I buy a Mercedes magazine published in the UK, every now and then, even thou it is a monthly publication, but the exchange rate has gotten to the point back in July it was $5.50us an issue, last months it was $9.95us. The C coupe is a very desireable car in the UK, especially the diesel version, yes diesel, praatically every model of Mercedes or as they are call them in the UK Merc, are available with a diesels. Should be like that here, diesels have come so far in technology over the decades, there are diesel car engines out there that are faster or just as fast as petrol engines, and get better MPG's. In fact I predict when all this hybrid, veggie fuel, LP gas and such are all done with, the good old diesel will be the economy engine of the future. price, construction cost, etc, make it a bargain compared to hybrids. I read a Prius, due to the extra cost would take about 10 years to get a payback from the initial investment.

Good night all.

[ALUEB]

I recently bought a 2002 C230 and love it. The one mistake was I did ot buy from an MB dealer meaning it does not have a warranty. The upside though is that I can get a warranty through my credit union AND I saved about $5K+ on the price.

It is a very nice car and lots of fun to drive.

As mentioned above, You DO NOT WANT TO TAKE IT TO carmax for service. go to an MB dealer or a shop that specializes in MB service.


To anyone but a dealer or a good Mercedes trained tech private shop, which there is one of in town, for the majority of service, especially involving the electronics. The only work I had done on my C280 by a non Mercedes shop were the brakes, new disc, pads and a front tie rod rack. As these jobs are pretty straight forward and any good shop can do this type of work. It also cost a *#*#*#*# of a lot less then either the dealer of the private shop.