1996 C220

I've just sold my 94 C220 (4sp auto) after having the car for almost 2 years (117000 mls on clock). These cars are not as refined as you may expect. The

220 engine is quite harsh at high revs and not very quiet either (the C180 seems more refined and quieter) however, it is very economical on fuel and I regularly returned 32 - 34 mpg. Look carefully for signs of rusting around the wheel arches - I've seen quite a few C classes with problems in this area. My car had a full MB dealer history when I bought it and I would rate reliability as only average. Problems I had with mine in 26000 mls of driving were - Electric fuel pump, General protection relay, Engine mountings (collapsed - they are hydraulic), Steering idler arm, steering ball joints, front coil springs, front and rear disk brakes, over sensitive alarm, rust around wheel arches. Cost of servicing at MB dealer is very high. My servicing / repair costs from a MB trained specialist were £1,300 over the 22 months. If I were thinking of buying another C class I would look for a 6 cylinder model as they are much smoother.