A sedan for life

I purchased this 1997 model in Sept of 1996, one of the first C-230's for the US market. Having driven a BMW 325 for the previous four years I admit to being spoiled by BMW performance. The children grew and the back of the bimmer just did not cut it. The six cylinder Benz was a little above my budget and my salesman stated that any step into a Benz was a step up. From a comfort point of view he was correct.

My Mercedes interior is almost flawless almost four years later. No broken vents, nothing popping off the dash or doors and the integrity of the ride is as it was the day I purchased. I bought this car to keep for ten + years and it sure looks like it will meet or exceed my expectations. As with all quality autos they all spend some time in the shop.In the first year I did experience an electrical problem which was caused by an improperly seated ground bolt. This was explained to me as a factory defect. I also had some AC problems which required two trips to the dealer before properly corrected.

Mercedes Benz stands behind the product, a loaner car always with a smile. For a while I thought that I had a lemon but Mercedes proved me wrong. I think they would have rebuilt the entire vehicle if needed and they might have, but I would never had known because they sure know how to put the car back together. Last week my dealer rebuilt my AC again even though I have gone over my 50,000 miles with only a few incidental fees.I would have gladly paid for the repair if asked because the car runs so well it is less expensive to fix than buy a new one. Why buy a new one if my 53,000 mile car runs as good as the day I bought it.

I have always serviced my car at the dealer with much lower than expected cost and the manufacturer and dealer stand by the product. One maintenance tip, change front brake pads every 15 to 20 thousand miles regardless of what a service manager says. It costs much less to replace pads than to replace those costly rotors.

Finally I still miss that BMW high performance and pinpoint accurate steering but in closing the Mercedes C-230 has proven to be a more refined, more comfortable and higher quality car with a manufacturer that will always make it right.

My C-230 is not for sale and I expect that one of my children will be safe and comfortable driving it as dads hand me down in another 4 years or so. We all feel safe in this car and putting performance and comfort aside, I feel good knowing my wife and children are in a Benz, even a baby Benz