I'm looking to join the Mercedes family and have been looking at either a 1999 or 2000 C230 kompressor. My Dad owns a 1998 E320 and has experience with Mercedes. He tells me it will be too expensive for me to own becaude of the high cost of maintenance of these cars. So i come to all of you to help me out and inform me of any costs you experienced while owning your mercedes. Im just wondering about regular owning costs like changing spark plugs, oil changes, etc... My Dad always take his car for maintenance to a Mercedes dealer and said it costs him $700 to change his spark plugs for example. I think this is outragous, cant this be done on your own? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

There are some expensive parts on all Mercedes, however, a '99-'00 C-Class will cost less to maintain than say, your fathers E320.
All Mercedes are more expensive to maintain than Hondas, Toyotas, Fords etc. You must be prepared for an expensive repair from time to time, unless you have a warranty. I've found many people won't consider a Mercedes with out a warranty, and this is not with out cause.
That said, check this link to Edmunds for standard maintainence costs. Obviously you will save money if you DIY. However, your example with spark plugs is not a good one. It is a chore to change spark plugs on an MB. Several on this forum will have a pro do that job.
Good luck.

 

I have a 2000 C230 Kompressor and just had to lower control arm bushings done, 120K service. It cost $1600 through a non-dealer that specializes in MB and they have a lower labor rate than the dealer. I am also putting in Koni shocks, springs and Eibach sway bars to upgrade the suspension. i may have to replace the ball joints replaced if they really need it. Overall, I have great luck with the car. Once a car gets to over 100K, things just need to get a replaced. A normal maint is not that big of a deal. But to "change spark plugs" for $700? They are also changing fluids and you need to have MB fluids for transmission, differential, coolant, etc. and they charge BIG bucks. DIY is always cheaper, if you know what your doing. Make sure the car has had all of the fluids changed on a regluar basis. Many people don't replace the fluids enough and that can cost more down the road. Good luck.

 

I also had the transmission control unit replaced at 120K as it was leaking, that was also in the $1600... I am also in the process of replacing the sway bars, shocks, and springs to improve the suspension and that costs about $1500 installed. I may also have the ECU reprogrammed and upgrade the pulley for more HP and Torque for about $1400 installed (SpeedtuningUSA provides the parts, local shop for installation). There is a service bulletin to have the sway bar bushings replaced as they are squeaking. I may have to replace the ball joints, but this all part of owning a car and having that much milleage. I don't want to pursuade you either way, don't get me wrong, if you take care of the car, it will take care of you.

Needing brake pads cost about $100 a set for fronts or rears, brake rotors are about $100 each. The brake rotors don't need to be turned, just replaced after normal wear. But that happens on all cars. But brakes is needed for all cars. I have only replaced the rotors once. The fronts need it sooner than the rears. You can get Porterfield brake pads and slotted or drilled rotors, but make sure you get high quality rotors that don't need to be turned. Some aftermarket rotors need to be turned, so do some investigating before you purchase, otherwise get the OEM rotors.

If you drive the car hard, things wear out and break... :-)

Always have a sense of humor when getting parts. :-)

If the transmission is not maintained, it costs about $2,500 to rebuild it and it takes about 2-3 weeks to have it done, so be prepared. A lot of people don't change the transmission fluid and that is the reason why many people have it rebuilt at around 120K-130K.

I did have the Kompressor clutch replaced at around 100K miles. I also had the driveshaft coupler replaced at around 35K miles due to driving it hard. Other than that, no other problems. Just always have around $2K a year should be enough just to be safe. Some years less money, some more.