Hello,
I've found a 2003 C320 wagon with under 40,000 miles I'd like to purchase. This would be my first Mercedes and I'm very excited. It seems the main "con" I find when researching is the cost of repairs (actually for all Mercedes). Can anyone give me a general idea just how much more I can expect to spend. For example, I spent approximates $1000 for my 10 year old Nissan. How much more will I be looking at for this car? Thanks in advance, Chris

 

I have a 2002 C320. The smartest thing I did was to purchase a bumper to bumper warranty ($2200-5000). Since the factory warranty expired, I had to replace an alternator, battery( Not covered(,ESP steering sensor, driver airbag connector (not covered), hornand engine mounts. The total cost of all that exceeds $3500. Actually all I had to pay was $330 for the battery and $200 worth of deductibles. When you get to 50k miles, the dealer will push fuel filter, brake/coolant flush, new spark plugs/wires, differential flush, oil/filter/lube - all that for $1200. A front or rear brake job is $500 (reasonable for new rotors and pads)

Also, I now have an engine that misfires, I have 1-2 bad coils. The dealer wants to sell 12 sparkplugs four wires and 3 hours labor for $700. The they will check the coils. I will change the plugs for irridiums and a new set of karlyn OEM wires myself (actually I will only change the suspected wires), I have an independent MB mechanic that will troubleshoot the faulty coils (known to got outevery 40-50k miles)

My advice here is: Don't buy it without a warranty. Get one that covers everything with a small deductible (zero preferrably). If you buy your car from a dealer, make sure that he gives you brand new key fobs.

My car is reliable and fun to drive. It just turns out that once a year it spends 2 weeks in the shop....I just wait for 4-5 complaints since it costs me a $100 for repairs and I get 8 days @ $65/day for a rental

 

Thank you for such a detailed response! Very helpful!!!

 

Uh, what kind of nissan was that, and where can I get one?

Blue

 

It's not a mercedes, but has been a wonderful car. It is a '97nissan maxima GLE.