Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1993 – 2000) Review

Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1993 – 2000) At A Glance

Solid aspirational car in its day

Inferior follow-up to the 190, over-light feel-free steering, uninspiring, rusts, ECU failure at 12+ years old scraps the car

Ask Honest John

How should I sell an inherited 'classic' Mercedes-Benz?

"I have inherited a 1996 Mercedes-Benz C180 Elegance Automatic in good condition with less than 70K recorded mileage. It is surplus requirements and I would welcome your advice on the best method of sale in the current market. "

If you feel the car has some classic appeal the best option may be to sell to an enthusiast audience, such as a Mercedes-Benz owners club, forum or social media group. We would also suggest using these resources to try and gauge a good price for the vehicle, as it is frequently more about what someone is prepared to pay for a vehicle rather than its open market value when looking at an enthusiast audience.

Answered by David Ross

How much should I pay for a 1997 Mercedes-Benz W202?

"I have been offered a 1992 Mercedes-Benz W202 estate with 60,000 miles on the clock. It has one owner from new and it's in good condition - what do you think would be a reasonable offer to make? It has a private plate on it - three digits and three letters which the owner says is worth £1500."

Leaving the plate aside for the moment - a price for the car is going to depend on a huge amount of factors beyond mileage and number of owners - it's value will be based on service history, condition of the body (ie rust) and engine (it's more than possible for a low-mileage car to have plenty of issues either from lack of use or the kinds of miles covered), interior etc etc. These cars are rapidly appreciating modern classics so assuming it's been garaged, has good service history, no rot and has been pampered, you're probably looking at about £1500 to £2k. The numberplate is tricky - there are plenty of online valuation companies that will be able to give you a rough idea of what it's worth. As always with private plates, it depends on finding the right buyer (normally with the right initials).

Answered by Keith Moody

Should my mother replace her Mercedes-Benz C-Class with a Volkswagen Polo?

"My retired mother is looking at selling her immaculate 1995 Mercedes-Benz C180C auto with 50,000 miles on the clock. She wants a smaller, more economical and manoeuvrable car for her short suburban journeys. The Mercedes, owned since new, is immaculate. It has been fully serviced by the main dealer. She is keen on a Volkswagen Polo. The 1.4 Match with a petrol engine and DSG box seems to be her first choice. What is the value of the Mercedes and the best way to sell it? She is keen that it goes to someone who will appreciate and care for the vehicle. And what is you view of her choice of new car? She is still very mobile and wants 'German Quality'."

Sell the C-Class to this specialist dealer: http://www.mtsv.co.uk/. I don't recommend the Polo 1.4 DSG because the engine is a bit long in the tooth and there are questions about the DSG transmission. Volkswagen has not upgraded it to get the much better 1.2TSI engine with the DSG, that you can get in a SEAT Ibiza. So she could stick with VAG, but get an Ibiza instead of a Polo. Both cars are built in Northern Spain anyway. The Polo is actually no more German than Franco was.

Answered by Honest John

More Questions

Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1993 – 2000) Buying Guide

Good

• Galvanised body originally had 30-year conditional warranty, but owners have difficulty enforcing that beyond eight years.
• 14' 8" long by 5' 8" wide and from 1,350kg.
• Extensive range of engines offer something for everyone. Start with 122bhp C180, 136bhp C200, 150bhp C220 four, 148bhp C230 four, 193bhp C230 Kompressor, 170bhp twin-spark C240 V6, 193bhp C280 straight six, 280bhp C36AMG; 94bhp C220D, 113bhp C250D and 150bhp C250TD.
• C250TD is a very good diesel, replaced by new 125bhp/221lb ft C220 CDI common rail indirect injected diesel.
• Estates are smart and offer more status than saloons.
• Five-speed autos standard from 1997.
• Top model, 4.3 litre 40 valve 310 bhp V8 C43 lists at £47,640 and originally sold for over list, as did 218 bhp 320 CLK coupe and convertible.
• Progressive spec upgrades over the years.
• S- and T-Reg cars came 11th in 2001 Top Gear / JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.
• MB was rated by Motor Warranty Direct as Britain's second most claim-free used marque. Mercedes had fifth lowest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index. MB generally 9th lowest average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 70.79 v/s lowest 31.93) Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk 95-97 petrol models average for breakdowns, problems and faults; 98-2000 petrol fewest breakdowns, average for problems and faults; 98-2000 diesels fewest problems, average for breakdowns and faults in 2003 Which survey.
• Very Low 2 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in this model.

Bad

• Early build quality not up to scratch and headlamps poor (much improved later).
• Not as good to drive as 190E or E-Class. Steering over light and lacking in feel.
• C180 classic manuals without sunroofs or aircon don't hold their value in the way Mercedes owners expect.
• Average performance in NCAP crash tests.
• Modest 240V6 has huge engine oil capacity of eight litres.

Watch

• Chip lots of price off if the car is scruffy (a good way to get a cheap, long-lasting car you would have damaged yourself over the years). Glut of cancelled Far East export orders hit used values hard in 1998. C180 classic manuals without sunroofs became very hard to sell.
• C180, C200 and C220 seems to be unusually prone to premature failure of the catalytic converter, leading to an £800 repair bill. Cats can be £800 from Mercedes, but much cheaper from www.carparts-direct.co.uk.
• Reports of cylinder head stretch bolts failing on four-cylinder engines, with replacement a 'head-off' job. Oil leaks from cylinder head a sign of stretch bolt problem.
• Up to 1999, C180s had a low-rated battery and alternator that wasn't up to a life of short runs.
• Glow plugs of diesels can fail after about 3 years and 50,000 miles. Cost £300 - £400 to replace due to amount of dismantling involved. If C250TD is a poor starter, may be due to glow plug problem above. VITAL TO CHECK GLOW PLUGS OF DIESELS. These have a habit of failing, then break when the garage tries to remove them and rectification can cost £4,500.
• On at least two 1994 - 1997 C36 AMGs in the UL and in Germany the weld holding the front suspension turret to the chassis has broken. Seems to be a fault exclusive to the C36.
• Vent tube to diff can get blocked leading to early failure through condensation damage.
• Reports of severe rusting on late year 2000 estate cars.
• Mechanism of single arm wiper needs frequent greasing and is not included in normal Mercedes service schedules. Make sure wiper mechanism works because it costs £800 to replace.
• Batch of faulty manifolds fitted to 200K engines built around year 2000. Eventually crack and cost a fortune to replace.
• Beware of buying cancelled export order 1995-1997 C-Class sold in UK as new when they were up to three years old.
• Check paint very carefully for starring on later South African built cars.
• Rust can be a big problem on these cars, especially in the area around the rear wheelarches. Mobilo 30 year warranty against perforated bodywork states "From the 5th year onwards the car should have been serviced by an authorised Mercedes Benz workshop within the last 2 years prior to the damage being repaired".
• Lower front suspension control arms can rust through. They are made of layers of stamped sheetmetal rather than solid steel. They have a 3 inch large hole on top and the salt and water goes in the hole and soaks down to the lower ball joint area, and rusts from the inside out because they are hollow.
• Kick down problems on automatics (which is most C Class) can be caused by a failing mass airflow sensor.
• Reported high incidence of ECU failures on 12 year old C200s everywhere from the UK to Australia. Has led to a worldwide parts shortage. Cost £1,300 each (as much as the value of many of these cars). So a 12 + years old C Class with an ECU problem is effectively scrap.
• Another common fault of C-class and other Mercedes diesels is failure of injector seals, allowing fuel/air mixture to be deposited as carbon on top of the engine. The problem can be identified by the smell of neat fuel (like paraffin) entering the passenger cabin, and a "chuffing" sound from the top of the affected cylinder as gas escapes on the compression stroke. Apparently it is so common it has been given the name "black death" within the Mercedes dealerships. Unless spotted early, and seals reground and replaced, the cost of fixing can be up to £500.
• By 2010, MB dealers were recommending automatic transmission fluid changes at 4 years old or 40,000 miles at a cost of £300.
• 16-12-2011: If single arm wiper starts to slow down, lift the flap on the bottom of ther arm and lubricate with graphite oil.

Recall data

• 1996: Check for sticking bonnet catch and safety catch which may lead bonnet to fly open.
• 8/5/2001: Build dates 1/9/1995 to 31/12/1996: high humidity may cause corrosion of trigger mechanism leading to airbag inflating. Airbags to be replaced.
• JULY 2005 TSB TO AMERICAN MERCEDES CENTRES. AFFECTS TOTAL OF 368,836 MODELS 163, 202, 208 210 WITH ENGINES 112, MODELS 129, 163, 202, 208 210 215, 220 WITH ENGINES 113, MODEL YEARS 1998 – 2000; MODEL 170 WITH ENGINE 112, MODEL YEAR 2001. Inspect and if necessary replace harmonic balancer pulley which can cause a vibration and eventually separate, damaging the timing chain cover and possibly the sump.

Running Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1993 – 2000)

• Club: www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk
• Usergroup linked to 'Mercedes Owner' magazine www.mercedesclub.org.uk
• Useful online forum: www.mbclub.co.uk
• Discounted and discontinued parts www.partsdock.com
• Specialist: www.mtsv.co.uk
• Haynes manual for Mercedes-Benz C Class 1993 to August 2000. Covers C180, C200, C220, C230 and C250 Saloon and Estate (C-Class). Petrol: 1.8 litre (1797 and 1799cc), 2.0 litre (1998cc), 2.2 litre (2199cc) and 2.3 litre (2295cc) 4-cyl.Diesel and turbo-Diesel: 2.2 litre (2155cc) and 2.5 litre (2497cc). Does NOT cover supercharged (Kompressor) or 6-cyl petrol, C200 or CDI 220 Diesel, or AMG versions.Does NOT cover new C-Class range introduced September 2000. Price: £22.99.