Still Love my C-230K! - UPDATED 5/17/04

Author's Rating:

Pros: The look, acceleration, handling, and fun of driving STILL can't be beat!

Cons: STILL expensive to replace 17 inch Z-rated tires after 26,000 miles.

The Bottom Line: 
MB has done it all - a superb machine at a relatively low cost, without sacrificing quality, or the prestige of the name.

Author's Review
I've owned "lil emmy" (my 11-year old daughter named 'her' that, to differentiate from my husband's benz ("big emmy") for 2 1/2 years, and I still love going out to get in it!

I have had to have left front shock towers struts replaced, twice, on the car. The only reason for this, I think, is that I drive too fast in the parking garage at work, and when going down the ramps between floors, I must be hitting those left turns harder than I thought! I feel like a NASCAR driver, only making left turns!!

I just bought the third set of tires for this car! Z-rated tires are not cheap, long-lasting tires. On the last 2 sets, the original, the first purchased set and now this second purchased set, I have been trying Michelins and Bridgestones. So far, no clear winner.

I just got to use the Tele-aide feature last week. While driving to work, I had a blow-out on one of our major highways. I drove over to the right side (from the left most lane of course!), and pushed the button. Within minutes, an MB tech called my cell and said he was stuck in traffic and wouldn't be able to get to me for more than 2 hrs., so he was handing me off to another MB dealer. That guy called me, and was at my car within 20 minutes. He changed the tire, wrapped it in plastic (to keep the trunk clean), and that was that! I drove immediately to Costco and invoked my road hazard provision. After a few days, the tire came in, and was replaced free of charge.

While I was waiting, the Tele-aide people contacted me via the Tele-aid controls and through my cell, to ask me the status of my repairs, and to 'check-up' on me, and see if I was o.k. I was completely impressed. My husband was out of town, and this could have been a difficult situation, but as it was, less than one hour later, and I was good to go.

I have driven this car to FL from GA several times to visit my parents, and I feel completely safe at all times. God forbid, I have an accident, all the safety stuff will, hopefully, kick in, and 1. save me, and 2. call the necessary help!

The only thing I would do differently with this car is to order the power seats. Then you get memory seats and mirrors. It's a pain to have to readjust a car after someone else has driven it. Luckily, this doesn't happen too often - I don't let anyone else drive!!