Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor CL203 (2002-2005)

If the body type suits your needs there's no better buy – I lusted after a C-Class Coupe (CL203) for a few years before finally buying one. I drove a couple of C180's and found the power wanting, C200 was quite punchy but I settled on a 2005 C230 Kompressor which I actually bought interstate sight-unseen with 77000 k's on the clock. The main reason I looked into Mercedes was I bought a smart cabrio… Read more ·  1

years back which introduced me to the Mercedes experience, though if the smart wasn't so new to the country and I could have got servicing anywhere else my preconceptions about Mercedes may well have led me to miss the experience altogether. I found Merc servicing to be way cheaper and better quality than any other dealer I've used in the past (Holden, Ford, Honda). When I finally had to let go of the Smart and move to a bike for a couple of years I was sure I was going back to Merc when the time came, and sure enough I did.

I've only had the C230 for about 3 months, I haven't actually used the dealership as 3 Point Classic is in my area and they are every bit the Mercedes experience, and actually a little bit cheaper but not that I found Merc terribly expensive. As an example the front rotors were worn, but still legal, but I decided to replace them anyway as they felt imperfect. $80 per rotor, plus about $150 to fit the pair, close to the $300 mark all said and done. The transmission service was quoted at $520 but came in mid $400's. Lubrication of the sunroof, seatbelts, suspension springs (had a creak sound occasionally) and full test of aircon and sensors etc, handbrake test/adjust all at no charge. While I was very pleased of course, to be honest I wasn't surprised. At Merc I've had internal light bulbs replaced for literally $1, headlights for $20 per side (plus labour), Continental tyres fitted for nearly half the cost that the local Bridgestone dealership quoted. I think it's possibly a secret that most want kept; Merc isn't actually expensive to service and run, they are just hideously expensive to buy brand new - but that's ok because there's plenty of folk to do that part for me and they always look after the car!

Some of the cons some people have listed are accurate. The back seats (in the coupe at least) are way small. It is pretty embarrassing if you wanted to take a couple of adults on a long trip. For me I've got two child seats in the back (mine is "Dad's car") so the tight legroom is no problem, but the kids absolutely love the panoramic sunroof.

In the 230, there is no shortage of power. Road noise is unbelievably quiet. Driving on the highway at 110+kph, listening to a CD is fantastic, almost no road noise and really crisp sound complemented by a subwoofer. Best sound system I've ever had in a car, there's a few songs that sound like the singer is in the car with you. On that note I drove a couple of hours to the coast a few weekends in a row and I've found the seats to be comfortable and no need to stop and get out etc.

Yes there is slight body roll when cornering, but I've never driven a car with less, every car I've ever had was way more. This corners really well, if there was any less roll there would be none at all.

One major disappointment is the whole Mercedes bluetooth thing. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves on this point. I have the factory SAP v2 bluetooth connector but it only works with a very few specific models of mainly Nokia phones, which I guess isn't terrible since in 2005 Nokia probably seemed like a safe horse for Merc to bet on. On the plus side it takes a sim and is a phone in it's own right, but then that doesn't work on the three network, so again thwarted. Very very disappointing to see that the 3rd party option (ViseeO) is far superior in every way and cheaper. I would have expected, given the extreme expense of the bluetooth option, that they would offer firmware upgrades given their partnership with Nokia would ultimately turn out to be a huge mistake.

To connect my mp3 player to the stereo involved a genuine part which I bought online for $50 (dealer was asking $120 which was my first and only experience of local price rorting, I have no explanation for that) which took about 10 minutes to install and I then had an AUX in. Worth noting is apparently pre-2005 models and post 2005 models have various issues with aux input so check that out if it's important. There are a number of really nice ipod integration options available, but they are all expensive.

Finally, the fuel economy. Prior to this car I've driven a Ford Laser, Holden Astra CDX, Smart Cabrio, Honda CRV plus a series of motorcycles. Excluding the Smart of course, this is by far the most economical of all the full cars or motorcycles I've driven (it's a common misconception that big motorbikes are fuel efficient). Driving a crazy rat-race way to work to avoid lights in peak hour I'm still getting 10 litres to the hundred. I've seen plenty of people getting 6 litres on the highway but I've always had 4 people in the car on the highway and my number is 7. That's fantastic economy for a car that has way more power than any of the others I had. Our other car is a Honda CRV which we bought new, for some $15000 MORE than I paid for the Merc, and no-one would ever suspect seeing the two in the driveway that the Merc is the cheapy in every respect (CRV chugs like 13 or 14 litres to the hundred and Honda servicing is pretty ordinary). But that said, the Merc originally sold for around $90k with options, so I guess the Honda held it's value a little better!

I guess one other thing to mention is the paint. I've been told that a Merc that's been in a bingle and resprayed isn't really a Merc any more, because in the factory they put some crazy number of coats of paint and clear on. Whatever they do it's pretty good because every old Merc I see is in excellent, if not showroom, paint condition. It is also possible that when you drop a hungee or two on your car that you are compelled to keep it clean too. :) One that note, I find myself enjoying washing my car once a week, which is something I've never done before. Inexpensive for what you get (as long as it's 5+years old!), well appointed, great power with economy A bit small, and bluetooth (both music and phone) is disappointing and expensive to get working