Hi,

I'm new to this forum and about to purchase used 2001 C240 and have some questions.
The mileage is around 61,000, outside paint and the body is in good shape, one owner with clean title.
The upholstery is in good condition except the driver’s seat has around 3inch torn and front windshield has small bullseye. I’m located in Southern California, and about to pay $14,500, which is Good condition in Private Party Value at KBB.

Before I make the commitment to buy, I asked my mechanic to check the car for me.
He said overall mechanical condition in the car is excellent and all instruments are working fine.
But he mentioned the two problems.
The Smart Key Problem.
The remote function of lock, unlock is not working but working fine in the ignition.
According to the Seller, he had this problem before and corrected problem couple of times, but it repeats.
He thinks that it may be the battery issue on smart key…
But my mechanic thinks that since the problem repeats, it may not the battery problem, it could be the problem in the smart key itself or the receiver needs to be replaced. Or something further…
My Mechanic mentioned that it could lead to big issue, since there are built in Alarm, if the problem is lead from malfunction of alarm, it could shut off the ignition to prevent start the engine.
And he cannot fix this problem but only the MB dealer can do it.
The Malfunction, "Reduce Engine Oil Level"?
The Warning light "Reduce Engine Oil Level" comes on when the engine is hot and when you drive up and down in hill. Also, when you scroll through information screen, it shows as 1 Malfunction.
But, if you turn off the engine and turn on, it disappear…
According to the seller, he recently did oil change at the MB dealer and he thinks that they may overfill the oil.
My mechanic also agrees to that statement, and if that is the case, it will disappear, if we drain off some oil.
If the oil level is correct and still shows message, the sensor may need to replace.
My mechanic said, it is not a big issue.

My question is…
1) Is $14,500 is fair price to pay for this car with Smart Key and the “Reduce Engine Oil Level” issue?
2) Does any one had problem with Smart Key and or “Reduce Engine Oil Level” issue as above and what was the solution for that? And how much it is going to cost me to fix it?

Can anyone shed some light on this? Your input is greatly appreciated in advance!

burryo

 

$ 14,500 may be a fair price but not with the unresolved issues you mentioned. I would want to find our more about the repairs and why, if it was under warranty when repaired, why he didn't return the car until they fixed it for good. Does MB have any responsibility at this point to correct the problem? If not, I'd find out the cost of repair on a worst case senerio and tell the buyer to absorb this repair in the sale price. 2001 had some issues with electronics and you may be buying yourself some headaches. Hope not.

 

Two issues I would like to address. The oil level indicator can be wrong at times. Why? as if you are not parked on level ground, it could show too high or too low. If you check it as soon as you turn off the engine, you also get a false readintg. I have this "feature" on my 99 C280 and seldom use it, as I have a dipstick.

The key. if the battery of the car has been disconnected, the key has to be reset. Or the batteries in the key are weak. These keys are electronic and as such, they either work or don't work.

The price is very good, but there are some issues. Buying privately has its advantages, but if the seller is not upfront, and this one is, you might have to throw a few bucks into the car.

I recently bought a 79 W107 450SLC for $3200, way, way below the price for a car in this condition, The owner wanted $4500, still way, way, below what a car sells for. Rust free, body and frame, everything is there. The heat and cruise didn't work. The owner had every service record since 85. The top end of the enginer was rebuilt in 95 as well as the tranny. Most importantly the car ran very well. It had $144K miles on the DOHC V8. I drove it home 1120 miles and no incident. We haggled for an hour and I finally got it for the $3200, as informtion I have bee offered $10K for the car as is. I won't sell it.

Still I had to spend around $2K for maintenance items on the car. NOT a lot of money for a collector car and gem at that. So the moral of my story is, any used car is going to cost you money for some repairs. People sell their cars for 2 reason, it needs work or they can't get the trade in at the dealer.