Advice: Mercedes Benz C180

mmalaka

I am looking for advice here:

I am interested in buying Mercedes Benz C180... it is 1997...it is 1.8 Engine I am planning to view it on saturday...

What do you think about this car?What should I be looking for on Saturday?
I used to drive Honda civic 1.4... so would this be a big jump regarding the petrol & service cost?

Thanks

Saab Ed

So long as its real cheap.....

mmalaka

Saab Ed wrote: »

So long as its real cheap.....

sorry????!!!!!!

steph1

I had one of these before and found it ok on petrol. Servicing mercs will be pricey if you go to main dealers so stay away from them and get a good independent mechanic to service it.
You should be able to pick up one of these reasonably cheap.

Saab Ed

Dont get carried away with the Merc badge, an old C class is not much more than glorified Ford Sierra. Not a great car to drive and not that reliable either. €1200 max no matter how good IMO

EPM

and auto is so much nicer to drive in them. However if you its a manual and you're not bothered its not really going to affect possible resale much to be honest at that age

Dirty_Diesel

I had one years ago and found it fairly pleasant to drive, ok on petrol and very reliable. The main things to look out for would be the viscus coupling on the radiator fan. It's like a clutch that slips less when engine gets hotter so the fan spins faster. With the engine off it should be noticably stiffer to turn by hand when the engine is hot rather than cold.

The only problem I had on mine was a wheel bearing. However, it was a simple fix. It's possible fix it by just removing a cover on the hub and tightening it up. Nice one!

bazz26

Also make sure to go for the Elegance trim, the Classic is really bare on standard equipment.

Irlandese

mmalaka wrote: »

sorry????!!!!!!

Sorry to be late but the following advice from USA club may be useful for others thinking of buying an old merc:

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

• Wiring Harness, please check this first, most of the electrical promblems cause by a poor wiring harness condition, no wonder, it is an old car. Replace it if necessary, the original one will cost you around 600 to 750 USD, however there is a after market product with price around 250 to 300USD.
• Wiper Motor failed due to poor quality of internal plastic gear. Replace by after market metal internal gear. It is very cheap solution, however you need to find a local workshop or mechanic to this, the MB authorized workshop would not do this job. Or you can replace the whole motor by your self , at least you saving some money for dealer cost.
• Watch for damper pulley which is located near a crankshaft, actually you should inspect the rubber seal around it. If you find oil leaking around the seal and pulley, replace the pulley (one package with the seal). The poor seal condition can make the damper leaning downward and the fanbelt scratching the engine block.
• Premature catalytic converter failure often reported by C180 - 200 user.
• Check for rust, lower front suspension control arms can rust through. They are made of layers of stamped sheet metal 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.

BlackWizard

This thread should help you out.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055287447&highlight=c180