Edumacate me

[cmy_bimmer]

Hey guys . New to this site, but not to forums. Im all for euro's, but im a bimmer guy (as you can tell from my username ). Well, its that time for my dad to get a new car and I saw a pretty good deal on a 95 C220. Now, I need a quick summary of these cars. The bad and the good. Dont worry about scaring me away, so let me know what these 'benz' are good for . ill let you know a little bit of what my dad has been looking for. He's always been in love with Merc's, while i strangely grew up loving bmw's. He's driving an avalon now, and our 07 BMW's lease is coming up so time for a replacement. My dad commutes from home to work every day and racks up a good 80-100 miles a day. A 4 cyl would be quite helpful, but im not sure what motors these models come in (this particular Merc has a 4 cyl). now here's that mercedes I passed by and it looked real good to me. I may check it out tomorrow if time permits, so plz inform me of the things I should look out for. Thx much http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1439852719.html

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[cmy_bimmer]

And while we're at it...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/1437794385.html

[cmy_bimmer]

Really? 39 views and no response???

[billabongo]

Originally Posted by cmy_bimmer

Really? 39 views and no response???

The first one (black) for sure! That looks incredible, and the original protective coating is still on the engine and other aluminum parts which means its been probably serviced with MB as most people rip it off with over pressured water sprayers.

Plus sounds like records and such should be easy to obtain as the user states original and maintained.

I would not think twice on that one, compared to the other.

-Billabongo

[timmyj51]

I have the exact same car ('95 C220) with 190K and I can say its
been the best car I've ever owned. Still runs smooth, gets great
mileage and still has all original equipment (water pump, radiator, muffler,
starter, etc). Tranny shifts a little rough but have had no trouble with
it (these MB 4 speeds are very reliable).

That's a great price, perhaps too good. If the car's in good shape I'd be asking at least a grand more. Just follow accepted advice: take it to a mechanic and have him check it over with a fine toothed comb. Especially check the tranny, the brakes, the suspension and exhaust. People often dump their cars when these have to be replaced and they could each cost close to a grand. Also check that EVERY accessory is working: cruise (all functions), power seats, AC, windows, rear defroster, even the gas flap. Also check that all three windshield wiper speeds work. One thing that's probably not working is the gas gauge. Very common on these cars. Also check for rust, especially on the front driver panel by the molding. Body work can cost more than mechanical repairs.

[cmy_bimmer]

Thx for the reply's guys. I was starting to think twice about this forum . Im prolly just used to the bimmer forums being very fast paced .

ANYWAY, thx for the input and ill be inquiring about the car. It looked like a great deal, but id very much prefer the I6 over the 4 . Ill keep updated


EDIT: Just called the guy and will check out the car tomorrow . Looking forward to checking it out .

[ddtham]

Hi,

Welcome to the dying w202 forum I have had my 97' W202 C280 with sport package for close to 5 years now with no major problem whatsoever. The engine and tranny still runs great at 186K miles now.

Here is a quick summary of common problems with W202:
- 94-96 has problems with engine wiring harness ($1300 ish to fix)
- 97-99 has the 5 speed AT which is not the most reliable tranny in the world (mine still shifts smooth though, I guess the key is tranny flush every 45K miles). The older 4 speed is more reliable, even though it's less fun due to gearing.
- Most W202 has problem with Mass Airflow Sensor (I think it's like $350 easy DIY).

If I were given those two choices from your first post, I would go for the C220 like others have stated, just because of the service records and lower mileage. If everything equals, I would go for 97 C280 with Sport Package , just because of 5 speed AT, inline 6 sound to die for (even though the car is obviously not the fastest thing around), snug sport seats, good gas mileage (24/28), good suspension, and kinda cool faux (fake) CF interior trim and door pillars.

Good luck with your search,

[cmy_bimmer]

Originally Posted by ddtham

Hi,

Welcome to the dying w202 forum I have had my 97' W202 C280 with sport package for close to 5 years now with no major problem whatsoever. The engine and tranny still runs great at 186K miles now.

Here is a quick summary of common problems with W202:
- 94-96 has problems with engine wiring harness ($1300 ish to fix)
- 97-99 has the 5 speed AT which is not the most reliable tranny in the world (mine still shifts smooth though, I guess the key is tranny flush every 45K miles). The older 4 speed is more reliable, even though it's less fun due to gearing.
- Most W202 has problem with Mass Airflow Sensor (I think it's like $350 easy DIY).

If I were given those two choices from your first post, I would go for the C220 like others have stated, just because of the service records and lower mileage. If everything equals, I would go for 97 C280 with Sport Package , just because of 5 speed AT, inline 6 sound to die for (even though the car is obviously not the fastest thing around), snug sport seats, good gas mileage (24/28), good suspension, and kinda cool faux (fake) CF interior trim and door pillars.

Good luck with your search,

Thx man, that was quite helpful , what's scary now, is that the first one I posted has 125k and you stated that the wiring harness has issues. Damn, that doesn't sound like fun. I will for sure keep all of the lookouts in mind when checking the car out tomorrow. Pretty good chance we pick it up because of the condition, but we'll see.

how are these cars when it comes to DIYing? I've tinkered with A LOT of stuff on my car so I can call myself a DIYer . Just wondering. Thx again

[billabongo]

Originally Posted by cmy_bimmer

Thx man, that was quite helpful , what's scary now, is that the first one I posted has 125k and you stated that the wiring harness has issues. Damn, that doesn't sound like fun. I will for sure keep all of the lookouts in mind when checking the car out tomorrow. Pretty good chance we pick it up because of the condition, but we'll see.

how are these cars when it comes to DIYing? I've tinkered with A LOT of stuff on my car so I can call myself a DIYer . Just wondering. Thx again

Keep in mind that the 1st benz if it has been serviced with MB over the years likely has had the harness replaced anyways. As part of the service as the harnesses pretty much were all replaced as long as the car stayed with MB service.

You could always find out from the owner or check the part # on the sticker for the harness.

As far as repairs (DIY) I think benzs are extremely easy to work on. The nice thing about benz is they design the cars to be serviceble. The majority of stuff is very simple, much easier than any BMW. As a guy who has owned a few BMW and a ton of benz there is no comparison on serviceability.

BMW is ridiculous to work on.

-My 2 cents

[cmy_bimmer]

Originally Posted by billabongo

Keep in mind that the 1st benz if it has been serviced with MB over the years likely has had the harness replaced anyways. As part of the service as the harnesses pretty much were all replaced as long as the car stayed with MB service.

You could always find out from the owner or check the part # on the sticker for the harness.

As far as repairs (DIY) I think benzs are extremely easy to work on. The nice thing about benz is they design the cars to be serviceble. The majority of stuff is very simple, much easier than any BMW. As a guy who has owned a few BMW and a ton of benz there is no comparison on serviceability.

BMW is ridiculous to work on.

-My 2 cents

I just called the guy about half an hour ago to schedule an appointment and he said it was sold . None of you guys hopped on the deal, did you? The search continue's. Sigh


And as far as working on BMW's (sorry, cant resist myself ), its quite easy imo. Ive done quite some work on my car, including a 5-speed transmission swap, which consists of about 60% of the drivetrain . Will be doing some motor work over winter break too. So, if its much easier than working on a bmw, then I should be safe .

[cmy_bimmer]

thoughts on this one?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1446283882.html

[billabongo]

Looks good, price is high to me as the miles are up there.

Should be a nice rig, as that would not have the harness issues of the older ones.

[cmy_bimmer]

Im worried about the car being driven by a student though... That could mean it was used to teach. IDK tho.

And flowmasters on a mercedes? How does that sound?

[billabongo]

Originally Posted by cmy_bimmer

Im worried about the car being driven by a student though... That could mean it was used to teach. IDK tho.

And flowmasters on a mercedes? How does that sound?

LOL, I missed that part in the ad. Wow, that has to sound like butt!

Not sure either, only way to find out I guess is to take a peek at the car.

Could be some good wiggle room on the price

[cmy_bimmer]

Hahaha, like butt? Nice example .

yea, I think i may go check it out. And I definitely dont plan on paying sticker price on that.

[ddtham]

Wow, that was quick! If you're a handy mechanic, DIY should be easy on MBs. I think the difference between Bimmers and MBs is the support system. For most Bimmers, you can easily find detailed online DIY with step-by-step pictures, while MBs only have a few of that. So, everyone who never touch a wrench before might have better luck with Bimmers than MBs.

Good luck on your search again and take your time, someone in the forum from SF bay area just purchased a beautiful 95'C36 AMG with 101K miles for $5000 from another forum member.

[cmy_bimmer]

Originally Posted by ddtham

Wow, that was quick! If you're a handy mechanic, DIY should be easy on MBs. I think the difference between Bimmers and MBs is the support system. For most Bimmers, you can easily find detailed online DIY with step-by-step pictures, while MBs only have a few of that. So, everyone who never touch a wrench before might have better luck with Bimmers than MBs.

Good luck on your search again and take your time, someone in the forum from SF bay area just purchased a beautiful 95'C36 AMG with 101K miles for $5000 from another forum member.

Yea I was really bummed he sold it, but I guess it was never meant to be . Yea, you're right with the DIY reports for the bimmers. There are quite a few online, but very straight forward. Im curious to see how it is to work on a benz .

yea, ill have to take my time because I dont want to end up with a bucket. We'll just have to keep searching patiently.