I own a 2005 C class wagon, silver, bought new in 2005, in the US, it currently has 109,000 miles, the car gets routine maintenance at a general car garage, as per MB guidelines, never, ever a breakdown, not a spec of rust anywhere, as solid as it can be. She's aging so beautifully, I've decided to keep her, so now she's getting better attention than my SQ5 TDI or my old Ford pickup truck.
Great video. The W203 2nd generation must be the best kept secret in the motoring world. Absolutely fantastic, reliable, economical and great performance. You get so much car for your money. Can highly recommend it. I own a C180 kompressor. To me, the W203 is Sacco's swansong, a culmination of all his years of knowledge, put into an affordable, delightful package.
Agreed. Sacco's designs were cohesive and sensible. Had a W210 and now have a W203. W210 was unmistakably a Benz which was Sacco's stated design goal. W211 and W204 carried on but W221 with the wheel arch pontoons started to lose the plot.
I have a first gen s203. The cup holder is quite bigger I must say. Driving it for over 40 thousand kms. Being a first gen and not having been well treated plus the infantile sicknesses from the 203's. Being used as a mule wasn't that kind of me either but since it is my daily driver/tractor everything optional that will eventually fail won't be replaced or fixed. The alarms are a pain in the arse as I usually go on holiday with my cat who roams freely in the car. Apart from the fact that it will get uglier the most important thing is that these being taken good care of are very reliable and get good fuel milage.
Great video, thanks! I own one for six months now (almost same as this, with sunroof and unfortunately the typical rust :( ) and I had not realized where the toolkit was and that the back seats can lay completely flat. Actually it took me a month or so to discover the (full sized) spare tire :). It is a very strong car, but it has a huge problem with rust, if you live in a wet climate...
Very comprehensive review cheers. Have you come into some money Matt, like your upgraded house , make sure the servants clean the oil drips off the driveway for you!
The South African models must be more reliable than others, because over here these things are rock solid. We’ve had one for 15 years as it’s original owners, and it still plows on strong. They tend not to rust, and so long as you maintain them and drive them frequently, as well as not be too gentle with the throttle they seem to last ages.
@@furiousdriving I have a Sth African built '07 W203 C230 (V6) wagon here in Australia. As we are RHD like SA, MB Australia sourced the update wagon from SA for some reason. The sedan still came from a German plant. It has actually been a reasonably good car, quite reliable, far from perfect but better than most of the German made Benzes that I have owned.
Also not a hint of rust anywhere, unlike some other Benzes (W210 for example) that have had rust issues that I have owned, even in this relatively mild climate.
Great review!I'm the owner of a 2003 C270 CDI Avantguarde and absolutely love this car.We didn't get these estates in Australia so the PO imported it from the UK.It has absolutely no rust at all.I think the rust issue is Euro specific as we have plenty of W203's driving around here in OZ and as far as I know,the majority are rust free.The OM612 engine(inline 5) is one of the best diesel engines Mercedes made in that era and has plenty of grunt.I really like the interior as well.Still in really good condition.Overall I'm really happy with the car and bought it for an absolute bargain.
@@furiousdriving You think you have it bad? In Norway even plastic rusts! Seriously though, if you wanna know how badly a car rusts just look around on our biggest used car website Finn with a dot and an NO behind it (youtube and links don't match) VAG products for example all rot like crazy, around 2010-ish being the worst where there are some you can practically see the door cards from the outside.
I have driven a W124, W201 and W202 (first generation C class). The W202 was a new company car, the W124 and W201 were youngtimers. Build quality of these is much better than that of the W202. Very few features, very solid cars. Than I moved to Volvo's: 940, 940, V70s, S80, S60, C70. Solid cars, nice materials not really premium build quality. In all I prefer them over the Benzes, mainly because maintenance is cheaper as long as you avoid the dealer. Than I moved to a Omega Sport (nothing fancy, nicer seats, xenon headlights and nice wheels - after all it's an Opel) and a C5 estate HDi as the more daily driver. The Opel, 22 years young, feels very solid and well built, much to my surprise. Yet the real surprise is the C5. It has done over 200.000 miles, rattles a bit (yet so did Volvos with comparable mileages) yet all still works: aircon, electric windows, etc. The leather interior is still very nice. The Opel you can actually bring to the dealer and pay reasonable fees... I'm looking for a car with the build quality of a W201, the D5 Volvo engine, roadmanners of a BNW E36 and the practicality of the C5 estate... I have not found it yet...
Ever thought of a jdm car?. You can get a toyota crown athlete estate for really good money £5/6k you can get a really nice one with low miles and they're loaded with kit. 1jz gte under the bonnet as well. I got my self an Athlete VX model back in February best car Ive ever had even though its 19 years old, I've never had a bad car either really
@@carsyoungtimerfreak1149 the JDM Toyotas were better equipped and had better engines than the equivalent Lexus that weren't sold in Japan. The Toyota Celsior is a good example of the Lexus Ls400. The Toyota has loads better kit
Couldn't agree more man. I own a 1995 C180 Classic and love to watch and read about the W202 chassis but it's hard to find any sort of reviews like this one on the W202. Hope this changes one day! Or I might just start my own W202 channel!
Another great review. Like the look and size of this model, particularly the estate and the test car is in lovely condition. Had a 202 C class for several years and added 70k miles to the 50k it had already done, totally reliable with only regular MB specialist servicing. Have now got a 204 C200 Blue Efficiency Elegance, 2011 diesel. Very pleased with it after one year, had over 70 mpg on a run, motorbikes do less ! As I'm retired, think it will be a keeper, no distracting touch screens, can play my CDs and feels really solid.
Mine has a different steering wheel, gear knob, side mounted boot lights and the Alharez wheels. I have had a C180 Kompressor 2007, S203 Avantgarde for years now. It has been a super reliable car. 17 yrs old and no rust. It will be hard to replace when I have to.
Brings back memories of our wedding in 2011! Our friend kindly let us use his black 2007-09 c220 cdi advantgarde sport(I think was the full name?) as the wedding car,it was the saloon version, with the big 5 spoke alloys(different to the ones in the review), and an auto. Was a nice looking car. Didn’t really see them much as they moved away, so can’t comment on the reliability. All I know is, it was very smooth and quiet, and it was pretty quick, it would pin you back in your seat if you floor it, and got to 60-70mph in the blink of an eye!
Always quite liked the looks of these. Not sure I'd buy one due to high maintenance costs, and the horror stories about rampant rust are scary, but they are lovely looking cars.
I think I might have one of the 2001 versions that doesn't have any issues. It's still immaculate inside and out. Owned it for many years and it's only done 85k miles. Never let me down so far, that being said, it'll probably be on fire by the end of the week now that I've just said that.
Great review of a lovely car. Back in 2006 or 7, Ma was thinking about replacing her 1990 Volvo 240 wagon. I had a problem with shoulder room. At 6'3", with the seat for me, the shoulder room at the B pillar was so tight I could not sit upright behind the wheel. Instead, we kept the Volvo, and Arthur has been my daily driver ever since.
Great video! I have a C180k coupé. It’s serving me well. The bloody cup holder is a Bain of my life. It’s absolutely infuriating Edit: my 2007 has a completely different steering wheel
Cut me in half and it will say Mercedes Benz through my core like a stick pf Blackpool `rock.. The finest cars ever created. Good vid as always Furious
I had a 2003 C270CDI (bought 2006 with 30,000 miles), the first and only diesel I have owned. Despite being pre facelift, it gave me no problems whatsoever and the cost of ownership was low. The performance was pretty good and fuel consumption faultless. I replaced it when my work changed from a weekly commute to working from home, replaced with an ML350.
I almost bought one of these about 8 years ago. It was black, full leather and had all the toys. After much dilly-dallying, went back to the dealership to watch it being driven out by its new owner with a huge smile on his face! Oh bumsy 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Hey, you're reviewing my car. Well almost, I've got a 2005 sedan with the 200K petrol engine and manual 6-speed. The facelift in 2004 really helped to improve a lot of things! Rust problems are much more common on the pre-facelift cars. Since I've got it, I really appreciate the W203 for its unobtrusive and comfortable character. On long motorway cruises it also can be very economical, especially if you travel a lot on speed-limited stretches like I do. I also love the size. My Rover P6 had the same dimensions. Perfect size for a car! The M271 compressor engine can have issues with the badly designed tiny timing chain and timing gear. So far I've escaped those, maybe cause I never use a car for around-city driving and short distances. Overall a nice small Merc! I also love that in that era, cars were designed to be friendly, not aggressive as today! Also prefer the huge windows and low waistline much over today's designs! How you describe in this video all those details in the interior that I maybe never really noticed so far, makes me appreciate it even more. :)
They look good. But my friends had a few and they weren't reliable cars. They had alot of problems. Electrical mostly and also mechanical and they happened at low milage. My friend had problems at just 50,000 miles. But they do look quite nice. The newer ones are more reliable. My friends ones were petrol
Had a 2006 C320cdi as a company car . It was a nightmare in slippery or snowy conditions. Once I fitted some decent winter tyres problem solved. No need for a suv ! Lovely engine and it went like stink .Good build quality as well. Nice cars
A good review of what I consider to be a value for money car, an honest appraisal. I owned a well maintained c200 in great condition with 148k MB service history for £995 drove it for 11 months sold it on and now own a c270 with the better engine same mileage, 12 month mot (£950) and I could drive the car anywhere without issue. The only issues I had with the c200 is slight knock from the rear suspension, passenger door lock was temperamental, and the nsf tyres wear. I go for the early version without the dpf and catalytic converter nonsense.
Its a short review 'RM Williams, the best boots in the world' not cheap but last decades, my old pair did and are still going! I should say Id already got them, not chucking the sponsorship money around lol!
My facelift is great. no rust. After my E36 BMW which interior just dissolves over time its nice having everything where it should be. It's not a rocket my C180K, but its all there and no electrical gremlins. In NZ we dont have the rust issues. Great review!
My Mum and Dad had one from 2008 - 2014 C220 CDI in Classic spec in Perlite Grey it was an 05 plate, and I went up with my Dad to collect it from Surrey (we lived in Devon) Very refined. But it wasn't long for strange electrical gremlins to come in, even though it wasn't massively over specced. I think at this point Chrysler were cheapening the brand, corrosion was also a big issue, shame because I think these still look sharp today.
Had a c32 estate about 5 years ago was a great and very reliable car with lots of up and go but got to say it wasn't a drivers car the steering was the worse thing about it and the mpg wasn't very good in town average around 13/16 but to be fair I did have a smaller pulley and had it remapped around the 400 hp mark overall the car was great especially for the money I paid at the time
Currently driving an '06 C320 CDi. Not the most dynamic thing I've ever owned, but the amount of overtaking torque is just obscene and it'll sit happily doing 50mpg barely ticking over in 7th gear on a long run. Does eat front suspension bushes for breakfast and it's a bit over stiff as I have the Sport pack, but all in all it's cost me less to maintain than the Mondeo it replaced.
Great review! Great car too, I always thought that in an estate, the bench seats popping up, to protect the back of the front seats from the load, is a fantastic idea… my mrs’ old A class did it and it makes perfect sense because you aren’t afraid to put rough loads in your luxury car with that setup. Also, I recognise the A246 in deepest, darkest Surrey - my old commute and natural stomping ground of a Mercedes ;-)
Thanks Matt. A brilliant review of a great car. I have a CLC 220 Cdi which was a great replacement for a couple of C200 saloons - absolutely love Mercedes!
Cracking review Matt , I nearly bought one a few years ago , I wish i had , the BMW I did buy cost me a lot of money over the few months I had it . My Accord has a 6 CD stacker at the bottom of the dash that takes up no space and is easy to get at .
Very high spec C class, to have the underpowered poverty 200 CDi engine! 120hp not a lot in a big, heavy car like this. I had a CLK 270 CDi - that pulled like a train!
Would love to hear your opinion when comparing all luxury compact cars of that era .. Mercedes c class, BMW 3 series, Jaguar Xtype, Audi A4, Cadillac cts, Lexus IS etc....
@@SpitfireFortyFour true ..probably because it couldn't compete with the 5 series although they were related... and BMW did that on purpose... it was simply inferior in my opinion
@@nabilm2941 I disagree actually. At least for the pre-project drive cars. They were better built with a far nicer interior and superior ride. The exception being the late V8 cars and LWBs. They definitely had extra care put into them.
Thank you a lot for a such great review! Recently bought almost the same, but C320 with 3.0 diesel and in black colour. It is my first car and only tomorrow I will be able to see it for the first time with my own eyes in person. But I am already absolutely in love with it! In Poland it costed me only 4250$! Hope it is a great deal :)
I have a December 2003. With the 646 engine. Diesel. It runs great it has over 300,000 km. Trouble free ...It’s had a few issues. But nothing major. I’m also a decent mechanic. So I take care of all the little things that happens.It’s quite strange because it’s got some things for the 2004 at some things for the pre-face lift. It’s a six speed manual. The only major problem I had was a front crack spring. And the radiator leaked . Which was a problem with the automatic because the fluid would flow the coolant into the cooling system for the automatic transmission. And trash it ...So the manual is more desirable. For this reason.I drive this car just like my grandpa would , Start it up. Wait one minute. Don’t beat the hell out of it. And it will last you. There’s some small rust issues. But in a few years I’ll just junk it. The pre-2003’s are absolute junk.
This is one of few cars I actually -refer the saloon version of over the estate. I reckon this c200 estate looks like it could have been designed by a much cheaper manufacturer
My Dad and my Uncle currently have a matching pair of these (they're twins) mainly for their load logging capabilities. Both are really late cars, both diesel and both have all the AMG bits on them, presumerably they were trying to get rid of parts and stock when the W204 rolled out. Its odd to see all the blanking switches and lack of central SATNAV screen. For an Avant-garde this car seems rather underspecced. Strange metallic brown too, reminds me of the W124 my dad had when I was growing up!
Indeed, It’s an avantgarde where the remaining bits of the options list wasn’t ticked off when it was bought new. Things like satnav, heated seats, parking sensors, etc were always optionals, including avantguarde’s. The colour isn’t brown, it’s Cubanite Silver
my aunt bought one of these when they just came out as a reward for herself. It had constant electrical problems and spent a lot of time at the dealer having seat modules replaced until their warranty ran out, like the other posters mentioned. I think they were put off mercedes forever as a result
I had the AMG trim one in black 2007. 3 spoke wheel etc. Ah the joy of company cars. It was a manual taligate too. Lovely car, can't beat a merc my favourite daily cars.
I didn't know grille badge or bonnet mount emblem was trim dependent back then, I just thought coupes got a grille badge and everything else the one one on the bonnet back then.
I have the 2003 model with a 646 engine. In a manual transmission. It’s pre face lift. Bought in Germany for 1000 euros, I’m a pro level mechanic .The big problem was The bad radiator. And the automatic transmission. Combination, If you can find one that has what I have. you have a winner. There are a few suspension problems, And of course quality problems. Mine has over 300,000 km. It’s still drives very well. Don’t beat on it. And warm it up for about two minutes before you takeoff. I can find parts for this car everywhere in Germany.Besides that. It’s a plastic piece of $hit.
Interesting specification choice the original owner made on that one. Basic 200CDi engine, auto box, Avantgarde trim and in estate form. I can't imagine it was a company car as it probably would have had more than 70,000 miles on it when it left the fleet at 3 years old. Clearly, whoever bought it new wasn't in a hurry to get places as the 200CDi engine was really taxi driver spec and the slush matic really does a number on the performance figures...
Whenever I drove my dad's Mercedes cars I found myself pining for my Alfa 164 which seemed to me a far better car all round. He was stitched up by the dealer on servicing costs as well.
This is the car I am quite interested in buying. However as pointed out, it would have to be a 2004 onwards model. The early cars as you say had more problems. My friends parents had a C180 Kompressor saloon. Looked nice, full leather nice alloys etc. but had some quality issues.
An interesting watch , the merc did seem to have some rather bad failings in the earlier models as you mentioned , surprising for a high end and expensive car , but hopefully that’s in the long past.
We received this here in the US, and the last as well. Still see a few on the road today. And I think most are V6 petrol engines, and 4matic as well. Styling reminds me of the S-Class of the same era, as well as the interior.
Remember, this is the era of Daimler Chrysler, to which Mercedes-Benz quality went downhill while Chrysler quality improved. Now owned by FIAT, Chrysler is still using the same E-Class chassis for close to fifteen years on the 300. New vehicles from most manufacturers look like stretched versions of the same chassis.
@@furiousdriving Funny, I just saw this C-Class estate while out walking to do errands! Déjà vu ? Most likely ! I also remember a friend at the time had a C-300 4matic sedan (saloon) and I remember it stalled at an intersection, just the one time, but that stuck with me. Too reliant on tricky electronics, which have a tendency to fail. I must say that the estate you drove is in enviable condition, well cared for.
I would love to know the measurement from the tail gate to the front passenger seat when it's as far fowords as possible, could any one tell me please ..
POV from the States: whenever cars like this (generally European, specifically German) cross the auction block at a Mecum Auction (televised here and I think carried in the U.K.), the low sale prices always bring a gasp...and one of the commentators, Bill Stephens, will observe "That hammer price shows the market has already 'priced in' what the new owner is going to have to pay for maintenance."
I owned an early W203 320 estate, was a really nice car but electrical gremlins from the front and rear S,A,M's (service acquisition module) was a real problem which was a shame, when running it was quite brisk, I now own an early 1994 W202 which doesn't suffer from electrical issues because of the old school style electrics similar to the electrics that you would find in W123 and W124's, the early W202 also didn't suffer from rust because the accountants hadn't got control of Mercedes until around 1996 when updates on all the electrical parts and rust protection were introduced leading to bad reputation for Mercedes
Which model do you own? I own a 96 C280 (built 10 Nov 95) the only rust on my car (literally, I’ve been under and in everything on it) is under where the boot seal sits, and then it’s only surface rust, wire wheeled it and there’s strong solid steel under it...not bad for 25 years old. Also if yours is RHD there’s a good chance it was made in my town - East London, South Africa.
Alan Eeles that’s great, I’m glad to hear there’s another C280 staying on the road, here in South Africa people are scrapping them like crazy due to silly things, as a result parts are plentiful but my car is one of the very few I see on the road now, I’ve only seen one other C280, it’s mostly C180’s left...What’s the mileage on yours if I may ask?
Alan Eeles lower than mine, mine is 193000km (~119000 miles) I must say, the only thing that I’m mad at Mercedes for (besides the bio harness) is that they never made a M104 estate, either as a C280 or C36, there were less than 10 C36’s in South Africa too, and that was when it was new, and no C43 officially sold here either...thanks for chatting by the way 👍
A great comprehensive report thank you. I realise this is UK centric because like the other 3 countries out of nearly 200 you use bhp and mph (imperial measurements) but then Nm (international standard as used in over 190 countries). As your channel goes worldwide perhaps just use one measurement system and perhaps with imperial subtitles for the countries yet to catch up? Either ways, good report otherwise. What a shame this well designed vehicle had so many issues.
The 200cdi and 220cdi hardly any difference in economy unless you use the extra performance of the 220. The 200 was there really so they could charge you more for the 220.
@@jonnygti they were poorly built. My 20 year old toyota crown has zero rust. Mercedes of this vintage were terrible for rust, even some relatively new 2012/14 plate Merc vans rust
Betfred what are you talking about? I was saying they are probably all rusty because of how old they all are now. And then we were talking about a completely different brand of car after that.
I have a 202 and a 203 I’m selling the 202 because the wife drove it through a brick wall although I still use it daily the mot is due so I’m going to dig the 203 out of the garage
furiousdriving , as an Aussie I should be able to pick them. 😂. I have two pairs one 40 years old and the others only 30 years. Don’t wear them daily and they do, now, need a bit of refurbishment which will be done soon. Love your videos.