1999 Mercedes-Benz C-Class consumer reviews

Too many options can go wrong with expensive repair costs. Single windshield wiper likely to fail, with $1k cost to repair. Good service, great style, fast.

1999, C280: I bought this car privately from a school teacher in 2008. She drove it from school parking lot to her garage. Big mistake. The air passages in the right head plugged solid. It cost me $1500 for the head job two months later. This car was meant to be accelerated and keep the sludge out of the top end. Since then in 2008, I have only had to replace the timing belt and tensioner pulley and bearing, Transmission seal at 145,000 miles $750.00, along with normal brakes, tires, battery, filters, etc.. I think that 1999 was an excellent year for MB C280. So is 2000. It has dropped drastically for 2001-2003. Here what I think made the difference for me, even though I changed the oil every 3000 miles with 5W30 and not the synthetic fluid every 7500 miles and used reg. 87 fuel rather than 93 after 146,000 miles on the car. I regularly change the transmission fluid, the brake fluid, the power steering fluid, and the coolant BASED ON THE TESTS EACH TIME I GET THE OIL CHANGED. It usually works out to every 25-30,000 miles. The car now has 168,000 miles on it. I park it in my garage each day. I believe PM maintenance is the key to keeeping the costs down on this beautiful car.

I have had this car since new, 11 years. Pro's: - great performance - great handling - great styling (for its time) - very reliable - great on gas for an 8 cylinder performance car (I just did 200 miles of highway driving and got 25 mpg driving an avg 73 mph on 11 year old car with original spark plugs! I could not believe it....I never measured it before. Car has no turbo or supercharger like modern AMG's etc.) - large trunk for small car - styling is timeless - durable - 11 year old interior still looks like new Cons: - expensive to repair like all Mercedes are (avg visit to MB dealer for me is ~$500...maybe twice a year) - the car is small (if you are tall its tight) - its not to be used in winter (some of the reviews criticize it for rust .... it's not a great idea to drive a rear wheel drive high performance car with high torque and low profile tires in the winter! I store it all winter)

This is the best car I ever had!!!! This is the best car I ever had!!!! This is the best car I ever had!!!! This is the best car I ever had!!!! This is the best car I ever had!!!! This is the best car I ever had!!!!

It's a rear-wheel tornado of a car. You MUST have snow treads in Chicago -- means you have to minimally change out tires 2x a year although you get 2x the life. Here are the pluses: Incredible handling and overall performance, AMG bragging rights, solid feel so you don't know how fast you're actually going (danger!!!), very driver-friendly 6-way seat w/ air-pressure back, lumbar and seat depth controls, durable leather, side air bags in front, total feeling of safety, excellent visability, winter mode tranny (starts you in 2nd)...the trunk is huge and the seats fold down you almost have a wagon, overall build quality fit and finish. MINUSES: I bought the car w/ 50,001 miles on it (JUST out of warranty) and here's what I've replaced: exhaust line & muffler (had to be imported from Germany - took 2 weeks of apologizing for the noise to my neighbors), front end lower arm joints and bushings, harmonic equalizer, wiper motor, 1 piece of the burl wood door trim ($231 by itself), front passenger door latch and I've had some rust: front passenger door where side molding holes are, passenger rear wheel well, and trunk lid at push-button. There are some cheap plastic parts, and I just noticed that one of the rocker panels is dislodged. And occasionally the electrical is quirky (lights come on for no reason). But I accept the "flaws" because for a 10-year old car in Chicago, people who ride in it with me are as amazed as I am. It has every option available in 1999, and the only one that never worked after I bought it was the hands-free phone because it was analog and they didn't have a digital convertor kit until the 2000 year. Today I think if I got another Benz I would seriously look at the new GLK.

I have owned this car in Chicago since 2003 and recently noticed rust appearing on the front and rear door panels due to the heavy salt usage during Chicago winters. I also noticed a few similar cars on the road with the same problem. I like the car very much, its handling, its performance, etc but will not recommend the car in heavy snow areas.

1999, C280: I purchased this car from a dealer where it was traded in by the proverbial 82 yr. old woman. Car was in perfect condition with 31K miles. So far, I have replaced the tires and the modulator of the climate control. Car runs smooth and has plenty of power. Easy to drive with great visibility. Winter mode on the tranny helps in Chicago winters. Brakes are powerful and precise. I think it is a great used car value for anyone wanting a little style, safety and panache in their vehicle.

These cars were a tremendous value for the mony. This particular year was the first for the V6 Poerplant. Bvased on the 430 V8, this small counterpart was every bit as smoot and quite. The power and handling caracteristics were similar to the Big Benz, and extended the great value offered in the predecessor the 190e. Way to go M-B!! Can't wait for the 2008!!

This is a 99 Mercedes Benz C230 with sports package. Here are the cons I have faced. The electrical system is not up to par. The SRS warning light stays on during winter and goes away now (spring). You will need a set of winter tires for this car (4 wheel drive not available back on 99). This car is consider upscale car which takes only premium fuel (regular is prohibited since this has a super charger). I am feeling heat with $3.60 a gallon premium fuel around Chicago land area now. Pro: The acceleration is good. The car is stable as I pushed the car 100+ mph/hr on several occasions (equip w/V rated summer tires). The front seats are comfortable with good support. The car has over 130K miles on it and still going. You need to maintain the car just like any other. The two sets of wheels/tires(summer/winter) forced me to check brakes twice a year as you swap them(rotate as well). The spark plugs are very easy to replace as they sit on top of engine. I used synthetic Mobile 1 oil twice a year and can be done by Walmart at around $50 each time(you need to bring your own filter as they don't carry it, you get credit back). The consumer report rated 1999 C230 V6 as good for reliability. I have an I-4 with supercharger. I can't say the reliablity as good for I-4 but I have not face large repair bills on this yet(I guess I am lucky compare to others). The newer C230 has worse ratings for some reason. I would not recommend to anyone if they are not ready to spent some money to upkeep the car. You may want to stick with Camry like anyone else if you are looking for superior reliability. It is all just for the name. Good luck to me going forward and people who is interest to buy this car.

An overpriced piece of junk. Brake job at 35+k miles was $1,000 at dealer. Front end work at 65k miles=much,much more. Turbo went at 85,000 mi. $4,500 and counting. Windshield washer motor, the first to go in my 40+ years of car ownership=$500. I had more repair work done on this "upscale" vehicle than any other car I have owned in my life.