My gut instinct is to hate it, but it is RWD, ~190 HP, and I like the hatchback layout with a panarama roof.

It did pretty well against the Acura TSX and Saab 9-3 in Motor Trend's comparo:

Quote :

"That leaves the Mercedes-Benz C230 Sport Sedan. Its combo of solid road manners, cornering prowess, and three-pointed star power is hard to top. There's considerable sport-sedan value in the fact that it's rear drive--important to many buyers in this category. Throw in its altogether better supercharged engine, six-speed manual transmission, and superb build quality, and the C230 clearly sets the current standard for four-cylinder sport sedans--especially if your budget tops out at around $30K."

And they are pretty cheap on the used market...Sub-$20k for a low mileage one in like-new condition.

I think the biggest turnoff for me is that they look kindof girly. But, I spotted this one on eBay with Buy it Now for $16,900 and it looks pretty good with the roof racks and 17"s:


Thoughts?

1/24/2006 12:26:42 PM

pretty fun to thrash, friend of mine whos a benz tech says the overall quality on c class models is sub benz, you get what you pay for.

remember how much maintenance is on benzes to compare.

1/24/2006 12:32:31 PM

I think the 02 and 03 models have free maintenance through the warranty period. After that I'm sure it is pretty expensive. An independant shop could certainly save the owner some dough though.

1/24/2006 12:34:02 PM

what year is the one you are lookin at?

1/24/2006 12:40:43 PM

ive always had a benz....if you are buying used, make sure you have all paper work with it. i wouldnt buy one otherwise. as long as maintainence has been done as needed and preventitively, you should be pretty well off as far as any major repair costs are concerned.

get the 4 door version though......that 2 door version is gay

1/24/2006 12:41:31 PM

I'm not really looking at one in particular. I just saw one out at Autopark last week and thought I'd read some reviews.

1/24/2006 1:21:45 PM

I say to never get the base model of any brand
you will get a better overall car (and options) if you get a "higher" model from a "lesser" brand

1/24/2006 1:21:50 PM

not worth it

1/24/2006 1:24:34 PM

with a supercharged motor that car still only manages 0-60 in 8.9

1/24/2006 1:25:58 PM

The reviews I've seen put it in the low-to-mid 7 second range for the stick shift. I don't know where you got 8.9.

1/24/2006 1:32:00 PM

I like the C130 better

1/24/2006 1:37:36 PM

i think you should just stop pretending (we all know its not an expensive car) and get a honda.

1/24/2006 1:41:44 PM

sorry, I meant 7.9 guess my brain was like WOW THATS REALLY FUCKIN CLOSE TO MINIVAN TERRITORY and just wrote 8

1/24/2006 1:45:25 PM

my bro's got that and its pretty fun to drive. his is a 2003. and its a very smooth ride on the autobahn even at high speeds. My mom's got the 2004 4 door which i like a lot better. Just looks nicer IMO

1/24/2006 2:11:33 PM

Quote :

"i think you should just stop pretending (we all know its not an expensive car) and get a honda."

Way off. It's not about pretending it's expensive at all. I just think that it is a lot of car for that price range.

Hondas are good cars, but way too plain for my tastes. The S2000 is about the only Honda that I want enough to actually buy.

1/24/2006 2:17:42 PM

S2000... now there is a great car

1/24/2006 2:29:37 PM

^ they ain't shit

1/24/2006 2:30:01 PM

lets ask your supra what it thinks of them

1/24/2006 2:41:05 PM

just as soon as it's running again

1/24/2006 2:47:25 PM

my brother has a 4 door C230 - they're solid, smooth riding, comfortable micro-luxury cars... however the 2.3L engine is only adequate power for how much those things weigh... fine for city driving... slow overall though.

I was somewhat intrigued by the coupe when I sold the 540, but realized it was too much money for what you get.

1/24/2006 6:52:02 PM

You need to get the:

C32 AMG Sport Coupe





or the C 30 CDI AMG Sport Coupe







or the C 350 Sport Coupe

1/24/2006 8:10:15 PM

I like the car, but I hate the typical buyer.

Mostly younger women with money from daddy using it as an attempted status symbol.

1/24/2006 8:15:59 PM

you better really like the brand name because there are lots of better cars in that price range with decent mileage

1/24/2006 9:31:34 PM