2003 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C320 from North America - Comments

I just purchased this car 9.2.2006. I wanted to provide my 'just bought' thoughts on this used vehicle.

Looks - The C320 is 20% sport, 80% class sedan. With the right rims/tires it could definitely be a sexy and sporty looking car.

Amenities - Loaded; the 'stock' C320 has dual power seats, etc., etc.

Unique Extras - 1) power head rests, 2) power rear-window shade/screen, 3) auto-adjust rear-view mirror (when night comes, mirror will tint in response to bright lights. 4) rear air (excellent) in center console, with speed adjustment (and it is cold!). 5) power tilt/telescoping steering wheel (though actually a little annoying because it does not auto-contract to get out of the way when you shut off the car). 6) Rear-seat headlamp 7) Power seat adjusts vertically and tilts forward/back. 8) Press and hold the 'unlock' remote button and the windows/moon roof will all open. Press the lock button and they all close.

Ride/Performance

-- Seating is firm leather; seat adjusts to suit your height/length, and only slightly more toward the sportish feel.

-- Stepping into the car and starting off is a feeling of strength and solidness. Steering is tight and responsive; again a confident feeling is produced.

-- Engine performance is outstanding! I mean this car is fast. Redline is 6k.

-- Transmission is smooth yet gripping, no slips here. The coolest feature is the practically automatic 'manual' shift feature. Once in drive 'D', you can move the single shifter to the left (-) or right (+). Why? Well, like shifting a standard car up or down through 3rd, 2nd or 1st, the feature allows (with a flick of the wrist) you can downshift to 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st. Like-wise, you can start out in 1st gear, rev up and right-click (so to speak) into 2nd. Man, I have had some fun with it! From Mr. Business to Mr. Andretti...

Did I mention it is rear-wheel driven! Yea!

-- Ride is again slightly more toward firm/sporty, but also quite smooth. Technically it is my wife’s car and she feels quite comfortable. You may not realize how much a difference tires can make; in this case the tires are apparently more performance than touring, so I can't really comment, but upon what I am riding. There is always slight road noise, but it is relatively quite inside (note I have high expectations, somewhat perfectionist). The C320 takes corners well, and powers out with ease. At slower speeds, it absorbs driveways and other bumps with a cushy feel. Rear seats are snug; a 6' guy like me could squeeze in for a short ride. Rear AC is excellent.

-- Pricing - As of 9.2.06 I paid $22k, $24k out the door, with 59,000 miles. Afterward I found three others with similar or less mileage for about the same price (with dealers). I also noted the cool tires with some unique sport cut to them, are Chinese Chin Kooks or something. What a joke; the old 'dealer puts budget tires on car and lots of Armor All' program. The bottom line again is that the wife heard me say 'walk away' so we could price them out. But she bought the car at NIGHT, on emotion and primarily on trust that the dealer was giving us a good price. Even I bought in as he showed us his 'price' on the computer. When I priced them out later that night, I found their ad with the same car, at $20,995! When we take the car in today, I am going to see if we can get the Internet price, and express my frustration at this deception.

-- Reliability - Good question.. Last night we were able to get a really good look at the cr. The outside temperature sensor appears broken, it's always 97 degrees. The left-front turn signal light just failed, primping a malfunction message. It sues Mobile 1 synthetic oil, so at least the engine is well lubricated. I am very concerned about reliability, which is why I suggested the Avalon to my spouse. Well this was officially her deal, so any ridiculous parts pricing and pain is hers (at least for the blame part!).

Also in lieu of the Avalon, check out a used Acura TL... I came from a Mercedes. Sport, Luxury has it all...

Reliability should be a worry. This cars motor is great, but the electrical and brakes are awful. Lights burn out every other day on the car. I traded mine for a Lexus IS300 in 2005 and got less than half what I paid for the car. I was just happy to get rid of the nightmare. Always at dealer. It seemed like I drove loaner cars more that my own. Mercedes must know they have problems because the dealer I went to had at least 500 loaner cars. Stay away from this car unless all you want is status.

I too just bought a used 2002 C320 for $23.5k with 48,000 miles on it. Not even before I got home the check oil level light came on and now I'm freaking out. Do all of these use the synthetic oil? I need to take it back to the dealer, but should probably add some oil before then. Any suggestions? I REALLY hope I don't regret buying this car : (

I currently own a 2004.5 c320 sport I would like to say that yes there are a couple of problems here and there that are electrical, but I have driving all those g35, 350z, TL cars and none of them impress me as much as my benz. As far as the engine goes it has a bunch of torque and plenty of horse power to jump onto the freeway with ease. The car is solid and very reliable as far as I am concerned.It truly is a benz.

I just bought a 2002 C320 on the 12th and have had no problems with it so far. I bought it from Carmax for around $22,000.00 and bought the 4 year warranty on it. The car had 35,000 or so miles on it and looks like it's in great shape. I don't know why I didn't do it before I bought the car, but I did most of my thorough researching the last few days after I bought the car. Unfortunately, I am reading nothing, but negative reviews for all the C Class models in the 2001-2005 range and it's starting to make me nervous. Review after review complains about electrical problems that affect not just one or two isolated parts of the car, but a whole myriad of parts that are connected to the car's electronics. In the few days I've had this car, it drives great and has not given me any problems. Carmax did a thorough inspection and replaced all sensors and such... but these reviews have me worried. I am really hoping that I don't have to excercise my warranty... but if I do, I'll post here and let you guys know.

I bought my 2002 C320 back in May 2005 for $21,000 with 41,000 miles – it was a one owner lease car. Both my wife and I LOVE the car – we have not been disappointed. While the car was still under the 50,000 mile warranty, we did take the car in for the following problems: Rear window shade stopped working (replaced), my second electronic key stopped working (replaced), rattle sound under the shifter (heat shroud was warped), shifter trim ring was loose (replaced), scheduled maintenance (oil, filters, etc). Under the 50,000 mile warranty, everything was free, even standard maintenance – I'll miss that aspect the first time I have to take it in now that I’ve passed 50,000 miles.

The car automatically determines when its time for your oil change according to your driving habits. Although the manual lists 10,000 files as normal range, I'm now at 18,000 and the computer is telling me I have another 600 miles for my next service. I think I've fallen in love with synthetic oil.

The car has the NAVCOM system. I was able to find an updated navigation CD for my area on eBay for $8.00 – buying an updated one from MB would have cost me $125 for 1 CD – I don’t need the other 9.

There are more gadgets on this car than you can shake a stick at – you really have to read the manual to find them all. The only things I don't have on this car (that we have on our Explorer Limited) that I wish I had are the backup sensors and the tire pressure monitors. Oh, and a pass-thru between the trunk and passenger compartment would have been handy 2 weeks ago for a patio umbrella I had to pick up.

I currently have one error message – "left brake bulb is out – substitute bulb in use"… how many cars will do that for you? I'll pick up some extra bulbs this weekend and change that out.

Negatives?... well, having to use premium gasoline when gas prices were above $3.00 a gallon wasn't any fun. I drive about 50/50 between city and highway and average about 22.5 miles per gallon. And, I wish the integrated phone system wasn't limited to such a small number of phones. I'm not going to switch my cell phone to one of their approved phones just so I can use the system.

Yes, I've done research and found sites where some owners were complaining about their cars, but I've only had minor problems and the level of service at the dealer was the best I've ever experienced.

We leased a new C230 Kompressor sedan back in 2003. We have about 40,000 miles on it right now. As far as looks and performance, this car has it all. To this day I still glance back at it when we park her.

Reliability, small complaints, and road noise, is a totally different story.

1. Lost all the steering wheel button functions twice so far. It took the dealer a whole month to get the parts in, and complete the repairs the first time, 2 weeks the second.

2. Brakes go out with less than 20,000 miles and it's not due to driving habits.

3. Lost the digital gauge (s) 'read out' once.

Road noise is absolutely horrendous. The tires that came with the car, 'howl' and 'growl' constantly. At low speeds it was terrible. Took the car back to the dealer and received no satisfaction at all. We opted to wear out the tires instead of spending the bucks to replace them prematurely. Not being an expert, I believe there is also road noise transmitting from the suspension system as well.

The interior is very well done with a combination of cloth and vinyl appointments, unfortunately they put cloth at the kick panel just in front of where the doors open. Every time you get out, your foot hits this panel and leaves black marks that have to be steam cleaned.

We have had zero problems with the drive train and it is a kick to drive the car.

I have had the 2002 C320 only a short time, but have driven the previous model (year 2000) C230 Kompressor for a few years before this one. I'm very much impressed with the C-Class. The C230 Kompressor was a great combination of sufficient power and good gas mileage. (Note: the C230 Kompressor from 2002 onwards is not the same engine. It is actually a 1.8L, not 2.3 liter, and thus has somewhat less power).

This C320 has very good power - 0-to-60 in 7.1 seconds I'm told. The gas mileage is lower however. I get about 23-24 MPG. The best thing about the car though is that it is much better handling, quieter and smoother. The interior design is more modern and luxurious - even though I liked the previous model's more classic interior design just fine.

I think you can get a little more for your money with couple of the finer Japanese cars - such as the Acura TL. And the Mercedes will probably give you a few repair issues to deal with. But the Japanese car is NOT going to have the panache of the Mercedes. This you can be sure of.

I'm happy with this car. Looks great - inside and out. Great combination of power, handling, comfort and gas mileage.

Panache is over rated, realibality is more important, to be rich and not have anyone know is my goal, quiet money, my business is just that, why would someone want to make them selves a target? Tell the whole world "look at me " almost all of the Porsche's, M.B., Ferrari's etc never make it to 65 MPH in the first place so my Toyota is perfect for me. Some of the richest people in America will never say so.

Many Americans have very low self esteem and therefore have to fill that void by telling people how rich they are (or think they are). It is very typical of new money, and is personified by rappers, sports stars, and anyone on MTV.

That said, the Mercedes C Class is actually quite subtle and doesn't "scream money" the way a Hummer H2 or Ferrari would.

Regarding the use of premium fuel: I started putting regular unleaded (87 octane) in my '98 C280 probably five years ago. The car has never missed a beat and the only time you'll EVER know the difference is if you drive it like a sports car and really run the revs up. Otherwise, you're just burning a lot of money for no reason, in my opinion.

How come no one mentions the use of gas on C320 or C230? I have a 02 C320 and it is horrible on gas, I barely drive it (like 25 minutes per day, and very very slow acceleration), and I still have to fill it up in 1 and half week (expensive)

BUT on the highway it seems so much easier on gas.