Hello,

I have referenced this great site for years and value your opinions.

I am considering trading my 2004 XF with 59k miles. It is in great shape with a clean and clear title. I am looking for a more comfortable commuter.

An Infiniti dealership has a 2007 Mercedes c230 sport with only 13k miles for $20k. I would trade the XF and an additional $10k for the c230.

I have reads hundreds of c230 reviews and they are mostly good, along with some scary problematic issues, even with low mileage.

A lot of people swear Mercedes is the leader in quality, while others say avoid altogether.

I am torn. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

2007 was the last year for that body style C-class... Being the last year, it received the whole parts bin in goodies.

The C230 Sport has the AMG style aero kit, and nicer wheels.

No catastrophic issues that I'm aware of. Typical Mercedes "if a sensor breaks, it could be $30 or $3,000" type of stuff but you won't know till you hook it up to Star-DAS.

Pros:

• More seats
• More comfortable
• Better quality interior
• You can now pay for the expensive service at a MB dealership
• Not having to explain "it's really a Mercedes" to people that don't care

Cons:

• Slower
• Mercedes snobs won't be impressed, as it's the cheapest ticket to the Benz show
• Looks good, but won't get you noticed like the Crossfire will
• It will still cost the same maintenance $$$ for a more ho-hum driving experience

Overall a solid car, and I'd rather buy a C-class than a milk-toast econo box from another brand (Although for $20K you could get a NICE 2010 Altima V-6 coupe, but I digress).

 

At least there is a dealer who will work on it.

A nice parctical small car. For a grocery getter, still fun to drive.

As for quality,,,,,Mercedes are the best "engineered" cars in the world. But made with the cheapest parts.
Quaility is defined by meeting your expectations. On the C or E classes of their line, I suggest you lower your expectations.

 

Basically you are trading a SLK for a C plus $10K more. Is your Crossfire paid off?

 

I think thats a great deal personally! Shelling out $10k for a mercedes with low miles on is a wise choice

 

From what I have read, it is essentially the same as a Crossfire (Daimler-Chrysler built) however...you will be driving a real Mercedes, not as unique or sporty as the Crossfire but a Mercedes - good luck

 

Look for a C320 instead. The i4 is a decent enough motor, but coming from a 3.2 V6 to a heavier supercharged 4 is probably not the best deal. Is it at least fully loaded? Nav, bluetooth, leather, heated seats?

Price sounds too high by 4K

Just my honest opinion.

 

I too was considering the C230 recently. I am looking specifically at the SportCoupe' hatch model; the cheapest of the C's and lowest priced Mercedes ever in comparisson to other models. Similar in reponse to BMW's 318ti hatch but I lot nicer and newer.

As a young lad, not too long ago, I seen my first SportCoupe' the day before Easter shopping for goods for the next day and fell in love with a gold model. It looked really luxurious and I assumed it was extremely expensive. This was of course before I really got into cars so I liked what I liked.

After having owned my Benz-built Crossfire I would seriously consider buying another Mercedes. In extreme soaking rain storms the Crossfire has been excellent. The gearing is perfect in that it feel very comfortable and not sluggish going 30mph.

And though I know the Crossfire is an SLK, the SportCoupe' gives me an impression that they too are related in some way.

The appeal for me would be to get something that drove "similar" to the Crossfire(I don't drive fast in my X-fire, sorry) but could be driven all year round without fealing bad about it. Mercedes' least expensive model seemed to be the ticket. I would even be happy with the fabric bare bones model BUT it would have to be auto since I'm lame and never learned manual(and by now don't care to).

The feeling from the gold model came back to me a few years ago when I went rock climbing and in the parking lot on a sunny day I saw a C230 SportCoupe' in the Paprika color. Paprika is like a metallic ruby red with orange highlights. I WANT THAT!




My only reservation of this and any smaller vehicle is whether or not I can drive it to work in the winter. I'd assume snow tires are a must for this RWD car. I'd be concerned when leaving the highway, even going 25-30 mph, and driving down the off ramp if it hasn't been plowed or the snow is so dense it is coated only 5 mins after it was plowed. My Buick Riviera is currently my snow bunny. Performs better than my old JEEP. I've driven my Miata in a freak snow storm and was respectful of it's capabilities and had no issues but it is not a decent winter car.

Should I continue to consider the C230 SportCoupe'? I do still want to keep my Crossfire. Models I've been looking at with 60k-70k miles are around $6k around here.

 

I believe the C class chassis is very similar to the slk r170 chassis. I've driven one and other than the narrower tires handles pretty much the same. As far as winter driving is concerned you can always throw a couple bags of kitty litter in the hatch area and even if you do get stuck you've got something on board to help you get out.

 

Good points, except for one thing:

Dog food > Kitty litter

With dog food on the ground, you will attract dogs. And no other species is more useful in a blizzard than a pack of dogs. Hook a team of Schnauzers to the front tow-hook and you'll be outta there in a jiffy. It's what they do in Alaska.

 

Sorry in advance if I missed something, speed-read this thread. The C230 has my vote in the looks department, but you are going to find it greatly underpowered (although it won't be much different from the Limited Crossfire - absolutely no offense intended).

Assuming you accept that, two huge things I hope this particular C230 has is (1) the bi-xenon package (an expensive upgrade when new, and really a must-have with these older C classes now on the used market based on what you pay for the same model without the bi-xenons), and (2) the wood grain trim, not the chintzy looking aluminum plastic that was in the C55. Although, since the C230 only has the AMG package you may be forced to have the crappy plastic.

Lastly, the price is too high. I am not typically the first person to say this, but based on C55 resale values, they can go lower. The C230, while a good looking car, looks much older than an '07 since that body style was being produced since '03. MB upgrade the rims on the '07 which was nice, but its an older model. And with higher mileage C55s going for the high-teens in terms of price, you can definitely get this one down. People aren't on the dealership lot saying, "Hmm, I wonder if they have any older c-classes". Unless this is a really clean example of the C230 and you think people will be drawn to it when on the lot, you probably have some negotiating room for sure.