We are contemplating purchasing a 2005 Mercedes C230 Kompressor with 22,900 miles from a local dealer.We like the smooth ride, handling, the look, and the instrumentation and much more,but we have never owned a Mercedes before and do not know whatmaintenance costs we can expect. We also do not know much about thereliabilityof Mercedes and their longevity. We typically drive a vehicle for at least 8-10 years.

If you would,please answer a few questions for us. What does the maintenance/service warrantycover? What are"A and B" service? How does maintenance on a Mercedes compare (cost wise) to other vehicles? Reliability? Fuel economy? Would you recommend a higher grade of fuel exclusively? Would you purchase a Mercedes C230 again(if you own one now)? Also, this car has the integrated phone feature, will it work with Sprint?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

 

I just purchased a 2005 c230k from a dealer this past tuesday and I am quite pleased.

- Reliability: I think you could get a long list of answers for this but I can say that my mom bought a 190E in 1986 and I used it up until the time I was in high school in 1998. I think the only problem that car ever had was an exhaust issue and a bad ABS sensor. Other than that, everything worked well.

-Warranty goes until 50k and according to what I have read, there is no longer an A and B maintenance service for the 2005+ models, nor is maintenance free.

- Cost of ownership is hard to estimate unless you give a baseline the compare it to. It will be more than a Honda but less than a Porsche.. =)

I will let others chime in on this. Its a great car, it reminds me in little ways of my old 190E, solid, fun and luxurious.