Faults:

The car never broke down. I ran it for 8 years with no breakdown cover, and at 10 years old when I let it go it was still on the original battery, exhaust, starter (I just serviced it regularly).

Water-pump bearing became noisy at 175k and was replaced. MB sent the old one back to Germany to find out why it had started to fail in order to improve the design!!

General Comments:

Serviced it regularly and it just ate the motorway miles. This car was built like a tank. Gone, but not forgotten!

Faults:

Took the car in for service at the dealer it was purchased from. Every time I brought it in, they claimed it needed brakes. I did the brakes the first time, then declined the next time. The dealer continued to badger me that the brakes needed service; again I declined, and then took it to another shop, where they said I still have 70% brake surface left.

Right after the warranty went out, the transmission went out. Quoted $6,700.00 for a new transmission plus labor $1800.00, plus $200.00 in fluid and tax on the parts. Total bill almost $9,000.00. The car booked at $13,000.00. The car also developed oil leaks and leaves stains everywhere I park.

Again, dealer service claimed brakes needed to be replaced, but were replaced by a non Mercedes shop at large $$ savings. Dealer service just looked on the computer and saw the brakes were not done, so assumed they needed serviced. I was told by a friend in another state that Mercedes service reps get commission on what they sell. BAD BAD... shame on you Mercedes!

The car drives awesome, but horrible service at Mercedes, and horrible parts prices.

Wish I had purchased a Lexus.

Faults:

The car was pulling left. I had Mercedes install a camber kit designed for Australian roads. Camber from the factory is for Europe standards. This did not improve it much, but it could just be me not being used to the stiff sports suspension, which follows up every incline; more so than my Holden did. *UPDATE*; the camber kit did fix the car's steering perfect, those morons at Mercedes Benz didn't do the wheel alignment correctly.

Auto-close feature on the electric sunroof malfunctioned. Workaround was to hold the button. Sensor detected an obstacle in the sunroof, which wasn't there. Fixed this by applying more lube to the sunroof rails.

Driver's electric window makes a faint unusual noise when opening (down). So far no signs of it stoppering or struggling. Window up is fine.

Interior door pulling handle was snapped at the dealer. But this was fixed before taking possession.

Drive belt replaced at 60500km.

General Comments:

I waited for at least a month and a bit before writing a review.

This is my first German car (although made in South Africa) and I am not disappointed. The C200 is not fast, but it's not slow. It's got enough power for day-to-day driving. With momentum behind it, the car does go pretty quick when overtaking, thanks to the supercharger.

Interior is quite comfortable for a small sedan. Seats are ARTICO leather and seem to last. No marks in them yet. Mine are partially electric. Full electric is another Mercedes upgrade. Not much leg-room in the back for bigger people. I'm a fairly tall guy (187cm), and I have ample leg room in the front; my seat can even go back a little more.

This is the face-lift model, and the controls layout is very good. Many people complain about the position of the indicator/wiper stalk, but I don't see a problem with it. Foot (hand) brake is not a problem, as this is an automatic.

I was fortunate the previous owner optioned it with the Avantgarde package and the factory AMG sports upgrades. It really looks the part, yet at the same time you can tell it's not an AMG (which I find good). The car has other goodies not standard like; headlight washers, front & rear parking control, and sunroof. I use all except the headlight washers. It's a pretty useless feature in the city as there isn't any mud.

The climate control (which is not the standard Mercedes uses in this model, it's the Avantgarde upgraded) works very well. The on-board computer is easy to use, with the LED screen right there next to the speedometer. Purchasing the bluetooth Mercedes phone module to integrate with stereo is fantastic. It also integrates with the on-board computer LED screen, bringing up your phone directory.

The car is very smooth on acceleration, and the steering more precise than I anticipated (this could be due to the sports kit). I compared it with a 3 series, and can't say it's far behind the BMW steering. It goes very well around corners, and grips to the road.

The brakes are fantastic. I've had one sticky situation where the brakes saved me from an accident. My Holden would have seen me at the panel beaters.

The gearbox has a 'manual' shift setting. Shifting can be done via the steering wheel or gearstick. It's a nifty feature when overtaking, allowing to quick-shift down a gear. It goes pretty well. But for day-to-day, I leave the car in automatic 'comfort' mode. There is an S for, what the user-manual calls, 'Standard' mode. This changes the gear ratio to a sporty setting.

I must admit, the car is fantastic on standard asphalt roads. However, when I took it on a trip, I found it a bit too stiff for bumpy country roads here in Australia. The hard suspension follows the road camber quite hard (in Australian countryside, it slopes left quite hard). It was bit annoying having to 'fight' to keep it straight, and it had the bumpy ride thrown in.

Maybe I shouldn't say this here :-); the car does 160km/h like it was 100km/h. It just wants to keep going (I did it once only).

The car is a bit noisy and not entirely free from rattles. The purge-valve (environmental value) makes a ticking sound. I did some research and concluded it's not worth replacing as it's common reoccurring fault.

I haven't had to service the car yet, but when it's time I think my bank account will be lighter. I did buy an extended warranty for any mechanical issues.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with the car. It does put a smile on my face, and I enjoy it tremendously.

ONE thing I do strongly recommend is sign up with a w203 C-Class internet forum with lots of knowledge members. You will save a pretty penny for small DIY items and general advice. Try to buy authentic Mercedes parts via ebay or online sellers. You will save a lot through the years. Mercedes: $550+ for bluetooth module. Ebay: $185.

Faults:

Nothing broke so far, only drove it for 17K though. Touch wood.

General Comments:

Comfy, spacious, quick enough for me.

Bought it second hand, pretty expensive new, especially with all the extras.

Faults:

Car has a low vibration that comes from the rear end that starts at about 68 MPH. It is not enough to shake the car badly, but it is felt in the seat of your pants. Noise does not change even when you manually change gears, but does with your speed. My car is the seven speed automatic.

General Comments:

Car is pretty quick and has surprised quite a few all out sports car owners.

Handling is very confidence inspiring. Firm, but not overly harsh.

People think you paid a lot more for the car than you did which is not such a good thing sometimes.

Routine maintenance is a bit on the expensive side, but you have greater service intervals than the average car.