I have a 2000 C230K, 61k miles, original owner. Car looks new inside and out except for a bit of paint roughness on the front fender arches.
My question is, is this car worth keeping? I sometimes am afraid to put any more miles on the vehicle for fear of something breaking.
The car has been reliable so far. Only repairs have been charcoal canister shutoff valve and seat relay. The driver's side mirror spring broke and is held in place with zip ties. I have a good independent shop.
Repair the broken bits, fix the rust if it bothers you, have it serviced/checked over at a good Merc specialist and carry out some preventive maintenance and enjoy it.
The only broken part is the mirror spring, but the zip tie fix is working for now. I don't want to replace an otherwise perfect mirror assembly. As for the rust, it isn't bad. You only notice it if you look very closely or rub your finger over it. I considered replacing both front fenders but that is pretty expensive. I'm going to wait on that. The vehicle has been serviced regularly since new, first at the dealer and after that at my independent garage.
By the way, it is a great riding car. I just put on a set of Yokohama Avid Ascent GT tires, way better than my previous Firestone Affinity.
Its worth keeping if you arent afraid to get your hands dirty. If you plan on taking it to a mechanic, you will be eaten alive in service costs. But I agree with John; why have it if you are scared to drive it? If it runs good, drive the hell out of it. Put it away when it starts running like crap, not when it is running good.
Worth keeping, imho.
Does not require alot of maintenance from my point of view. Treat it with respect, maintain it, TLC and it will return the favor with it's attributes: fun, peppy sporty sedan.
Perform some of the minor upgrades such as a maf relocation / oil separator line revison shutoff / etc and she'll be a zippy little sedan that's easy on gas.
Thanks for your suggestion. It is a fun car to drive. I guess I was figuring that with the vehicle being 20 years old that I could be looking at replacing a lot of rubber and electronic components going forward.
It's got low miles. Keep it, maintain it and it will last a while. These were the last years of the "modern" reliable mercedes. All MBs after circa yr 2000 are junk.
If you want to sell it this is the best time to get rid of it because the milage is still low and everything is working. You can fetch the most for it which still won't be much because a smart consumer would rather spend a bit more and buy a Lexus than a 20 yr old (possible) money pit.
khomer2 - Thanks for mentioning the R170 thread. I had forgotten that the SLK 230K shares the same drivetrain. Also you are right about parts availability for the W202 series.
oefvetw124lover - Thanks and you are right, always good to have cash set aside for repairs. My independent accepts the Bosch service cc which is six months same as cash. This has worked out well for me.
Hirnbeiss - Thanks. Keep it and enjoy it seems like the way to go. And I do have a good independent. While not super cheap, they are way cheaper than the dealer of course and are honest. They check the vehicle out in detail every time I bring it in for service.
MB-W202 - I bought the car new. I felt that the W202 was way more solid and attractive than the W203 (no offense to any W203 owners). Plus I felt good at the time buying the last year in an eight-year production run. If I sold the vehicle it would fetch peanuts and I don't want to give away a solid and enjoyable car.
I'm going to keep the car and enjoy it. This is such a great forum, thanks to everyone for your advice.
Glenmore, thanks for sharing your 2000 C230k history. Great to hear that the car has been and continues to be worth keeping.
LostInTime - sounds like a plan. Thanks.
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