2000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class A140 Elegance 1.4 petrol from Netherlands

Summary:

Not Mercedes' best, but nice

Faults:

New springs (on all corners).

New timing chain.

New alternator.

New start engine.

New power steering pump.

New water pump.

ECU & LHM unit repaired.

General Comments:

Got it from first owner and many things (see faults) had already been replaced, otherwise I would never have bought it. All together the previous owner spent almost 1/3 of the new price on repairs, which I think is rather a lot... On the other hand, the car is 17 years old and has driven more than 280.000 km, so you could expect some things to break down in the meantime.

Now it still drives like new, and both interior and exterior look very good, free of scratches, dents or whatever. The clutch still is the original (first) one and doing fine. So I would think the Mercedes A to be rather good quality, as long as you're willing and able to replace certain things in time. Buying second hand is tricky; only buy one with a full history of maintenance, so you don't risk a costly repair right away.

What I like about the car are the high seating position and good quality seats, the small exterior and the relatively spacious and very flexible interior. The brakes are great and the engine has enough power and is very silent. On the highway the car is surprisingly comfortable and doesn't use that much fuel (1:15-1:17).

What I like less is that the suspension is quite hard, so in city traffic it is not as comfortable as you might expect from a Mercedes. Also in town it is far less economical (1:10-1:12).

Conclusion:

The A Class certainly isn't the best car that Mercedes ever built, it is not the most comfortable nor reliable, but for me the combination of size and practical use are making it a fun car to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th September, 2017

2000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Classic from Argentina

Summary:

An over-priced plastic rollercoaster

Faults:

Minor electric problems.

Blown horn.

Blown headlight.

Blown power window fuse.

Seat-adjust lever (plastic) broke after using it a couple of times.

General Comments:

I guess if roller-coaster wagons were altered for road-use as personal vehicles, this is kind of what they would feel like.

You sit tall, have nowhere to put your legs, and in every corner, you feel like you are going to flip over.

At the same time, the car has a low center of gravity, so it feels like it's gripping the road, but since you sit far above that center of gravity, the actual feeling is that of being ejected through the window at any time.

Moves sideways over bumps like a tall sports-utility vehicle.

Hard, uncomfortable seats.

Horrible plastic everywhere... and LOW GRADE plastic, not even high-density injection-molded plastic.

Most of the rubber around the windows of this Brazilian-made roller-coaster wagon was already dried and cracked when we got it.

Changing a light bulb is incredibly difficult, and changing any part is an expensive affair.

The car was reliable, but we felt like we were sitting on a time-bomb, waiting for something to break and drive us into bankruptcy.

The car was extremely uncomfortable to ride in for any amount of time, and I just feel it was not worth the stress over the expensive parts.

There are cheaper, more comfortable cars in the same quality bracket.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st October, 2010

19th Feb 2011, 13:55

I believe you needed to change shock absorbers, because of the high mileage. This car never gives the sensation of flipping over. It's got incredible handling, praised even by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.

2000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Classic 1.7 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Nippy town car, very economical.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th June, 2009

2000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class 160 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

It is a car; that's it

Faults:

I have had the steering column replaced 5 times.

Thing's breaking in the car; plastics etc..

Can't list the problems; there are so many.

Very disgusted; thought I was buying a good car instead a lemon.

Cost of repairs is huge!

Very disappointed!

General Comments:

This car is far less superior than any other small car, because of all the faults and design problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th December, 2007

12th Dec 2007, 16:38

My mechanic told me not to buy one of these cars, as they are expensive to fix, and are always going wrong.

26th Dec 2007, 11:51

My experience is completely the opposite. This are reliable and well constructed cars, with very durable components.

27th Dec 2007, 08:20

I agree with the review. My year 2000 A160 was a menace needing frequent warranty repairs. Plastic interior parts would break off with virtually no effort (like the front seat height adjustment handles). Finally when the timing chain snapped at 67,000km I had had enough and sold it.