Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

Need Some Buying Advice...

770 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  rudeney 
#1 ·
Im pretty sure im in the right spot to ask this, please forgive if im not. Im currently seeking some advice on a MB c230 2007 purchase. Car is in great shape physically, not a dent or scratch. However it has 84K miles. He is selling for a tad under 14k which is in my budget. Im going back to school to get my masters, and working same time so I want something that I can easily pay off and not worry. Im currently in a Lexus IS250 lease which is ending soon and the pay off is more than i want to spend.

How do you guys feel about buying a car with such high mileage? Any tips of advice, any services coming that i should be aware of that can be insanely expensive?

Thanks for any help, hope to become a permanent member!
 
#2 ·
I think a 2007 C230 is a W204. But irregardless of that, there is no substitute for a pre-purchase inspection by someone who knows Mercedes. A dealer is probably the best place but they will give you a laundry list of things, several of which you can most likely postpone.
 
#3 ·
that mileage isn't that high, if all the maintenance has been done on schedule (there should be a maintenance log with the manual). but for $14k you can probably find a slightly older car with around 50k miles.
 
#4 ·
If you are in the US it's a W203, last year we got 'em here. I'm really not afraid of higher mileage cars as long as service and parts replacement can be proved. I'd also spend $100 for a pre purchase inspection from an independent mechanic that specializes in German cars to get an opinion of the car's condition. 2005-2007 cars will typically give you the least amount of worries since all the gremlins, had been worked out of the chassis with the mid cycle update. I owned a 2007 C230 for about a 2 years before I traded it for an SLK. The car was well built and if maintained properly could easily see 200,000 plus miles on the odometer. Plus with higher mileage, most people won't even touch it... the educated few can get a scorching good deal on a newer car.
 
#5 ·
My concern is that the engine (M272?) in that car might be in serial number range of the dreaded "balance shaft" issue. Do a search on the forum and you will find the serial number range, and the link to the "Russian" site where you can enter the VIN and get the engine serial number to check it. If it falls in the range, I'd walk away. It might never fail, but if it does, you are looking at $4K minimum for the repair (it requires pulling the engine).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top