I have been thinking about buying the 2003 C230 for awhile now and was pretty much convinced it was the better car out of the three I was looking at ( C230, RSX Type-s and th Eclipse) But in recent post I have seen that there are alot of problems with this car and when I looked back into the archives I've seen worse. Since you are all owners what is the consensus is this car worth buying or am I making a mistake and should go with the Rsx or Eclipse. Please reply soon I'm thinking of buying this week. Thanks. Buy the way great forum.
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The c230 is an awesome car. It has the same solid benz feel as any other benz and is just great for the price. I assume you've test driven one already.
My c230 is great. Haven't had any problems whatsoever except for my passenger side vanity mirror that was shattered during delivery, but the dealer dispatched "mobile service" to my house and replaced it under warranty. I've only had it for about a month now, but everything seems fine.
It seems like a few people on this board did get some lemons (which every car maker on this planet will have and I've seen worse!), but from what I've heard most people haven't had any problems at all. Plus, most of the problems experienced are fairly minor and are completely covered by the warranty, which I beleive Mercedes has the best.
But like I've said before, a car is only great if you've driven it and it feels great to you. Get the one that you feel the most comfortable in and behind the wheel - that counts the most. Even if you have an overly expensive or high performance car but it feels like shit to you when you are behind the wheel means nothing, and certainly makes no sense in spending the $$$ for it.
Good luck and let us know what you decide on.
My c230 is great. Haven't had any problems whatsoever except for my passenger side vanity mirror that was shattered during delivery, but the dealer dispatched "mobile service" to my house and replaced it under warranty. I've only had it for about a month now, but everything seems fine.
It seems like a few people on this board did get some lemons (which every car maker on this planet will have and I've seen worse!), but from what I've heard most people haven't had any problems at all. Plus, most of the problems experienced are fairly minor and are completely covered by the warranty, which I beleive Mercedes has the best.
But like I've said before, a car is only great if you've driven it and it feels great to you. Get the one that you feel the most comfortable in and behind the wheel - that counts the most. Even if you have an overly expensive or high performance car but it feels like shit to you when you are behind the wheel means nothing, and certainly makes no sense in spending the $$$ for it.
Good luck and let us know what you decide on.
Ice777, good post!
Yes, the car is great! I've owned it for about 3 months now, no problems at all (knock on a wood).
In my personal opinion RSX sucks and has so much problems that you won't believe your eyes. Just go to: http://forums.clubrsx.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=55
The most common one is blown engines that are not covered by the warranty.
If you want a car to race, get an Acura or Firebird, if you want a safe, reliable, nice car, get a Benz.
Benz is a Benz, and Acura is Acura, nothing more to say...
Yes, the car is great! I've owned it for about 3 months now, no problems at all (knock on a wood).
In my personal opinion RSX sucks and has so much problems that you won't believe your eyes. Just go to: http://forums.clubrsx.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=55
The most common one is blown engines that are not covered by the warranty.
If you want a car to race, get an Acura or Firebird, if you want a safe, reliable, nice car, get a Benz.
Benz is a Benz, and Acura is Acura, nothing more to say...
I've not experienced anything negative with my 2002 yet. I love german cars and feel like they are the finest vehicles on the road. Recently I have owned a 98 Volkswagen GTI VR6 and a 99 BMW Z3 Coupe. The GTI was purchased new and was nothing but trouble. I was willing to live through the problems but the service department has so horrible I finally gave up and sold the car. What a shame because I really liked the car.
The Z-Coupe was a step up and was a total blast to drive. Unfortunatly, it too was plagued with annoying little quirks. Little items were always breaking or warning lights were always having to be reset. Service was decent but I saw far too much of them for my liking.
Next was the c230K. This car has everything the others were lacking. It is built SOLID. No silly lights coming on for no reason, nothing needing service. I have driven A LOT of hatchbacks and this is definately the finest one I have driven to date. Have you driven one with the 6 speed yet? What a true pleasure to drive. I like mine a little more every day.
The Z-Coupe was a step up and was a total blast to drive. Unfortunatly, it too was plagued with annoying little quirks. Little items were always breaking or warning lights were always having to be reset. Service was decent but I saw far too much of them for my liking.
Next was the c230K. This car has everything the others were lacking. It is built SOLID. No silly lights coming on for no reason, nothing needing service. I have driven A LOT of hatchbacks and this is definately the finest one I have driven to date. Have you driven one with the 6 speed yet? What a true pleasure to drive. I like mine a little more every day.
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my experience with the c230k has also been great. I didn't review the Eclipse but I did look closesly at the RSX. In terms of trouble the RSX type S has seen far more issues than the c230k. Fit and finish of after-market (like the spoiler) has been horrible (everybody I know that had the spolier put on has been back to the dealer). I have also heard about bad engines with the RSX.
Many people report reluctance to go the "extra mile" from Acura/Honda dealers like you get from Merc dealers.
For my money the c230k was much less risk and has a much better dealer network and warranty than the RSX.
My opinion is review the c230k vs. the eclipse and rule out the RSX.
Many people report reluctance to go the "extra mile" from Acura/Honda dealers like you get from Merc dealers.
For my money the c230k was much less risk and has a much better dealer network and warranty than the RSX.
My opinion is review the c230k vs. the eclipse and rule out the RSX.
IMO - the C230 is a nice car. but let's give credit where it's due...
As far as the ACURA RSX is concerned:
2002 - Car and Diver Ten Best, along with the Honda S2000 and Honda Accord. Not too shabby to have 3 cars on that list.
2002 - Wards 10 best engines...
" For Honda Motor Co. Ltd. this year, it wasn't so much a matter of would one of its engines win — it was which of its engines would win. The still very-independent-thank-you company prides itself on its reputation for standard-setting engine development, and 2002 finds Honda in a sweet spot, awash with a generation of great new engines."
2002 - AJACS Car of the Year (Best New Sports Coupe)
IMO... An Acura is a safe, fun, and reliable car !
You're right though..... that an Acura is an Acura... and thank god for that !!
As far as the ACURA RSX is concerned:
2002 - Car and Diver Ten Best, along with the Honda S2000 and Honda Accord. Not too shabby to have 3 cars on that list.
2002 - Wards 10 best engines...
" For Honda Motor Co. Ltd. this year, it wasn't so much a matter of would one of its engines win — it was which of its engines would win. The still very-independent-thank-you company prides itself on its reputation for standard-setting engine development, and 2002 finds Honda in a sweet spot, awash with a generation of great new engines."
2002 - AJACS Car of the Year (Best New Sports Coupe)
IMO... An Acura is a safe, fun, and reliable car !
You're right though..... that an Acura is an Acura... and thank god for that !!
How could you even consider an acura rsx type s over a c230? Sure the type S is 200hp, but at 8000+ rpm, and it only has 140 lb-ft of torque.
You would have way more fun with a supercharged engine. And the eclipse is much to heavy to only be in the 200hp range. Not to mention all the technology that goes into a benz.
The only other car in under $30k category worth considering is the 350Z!!!
You would have way more fun with a supercharged engine. And the eclipse is much to heavy to only be in the 200hp range. Not to mention all the technology that goes into a benz.
The only other car in under $30k category worth considering is the 350Z!!!
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We just purchased our C230 Saturday, and we LOVE it! OK, let's face it, there are Eclipses and RSX's at every stoplight. My sister in law purchased a BMW 330i, and those are EVERYWHERE. What other car in this class has the eye catching ability of this baby Benz?? NONE! Also, the other two cars you're looking at are FWD. RWD is much better for handling and stability, which is why you'll never see a FWD (front wheel drive) Mercedes or BMW. FWD is cheaper to manufacture. Get the C230, and you'll see.
Thanks for all the insight guys. I finally took one for a test drive the other day and when I came back (one hour later) I was sold. I don't know what it is about the car if it's the looks, the feel or if it was the orientation on the cars extras that took just about as long as the test drive itselfbut it blows the others away. For a difference of couple of grand you get a real car with everything I could possibly want in a car and it helps that there isn't one on every block. I'm taking car of some finally things and expect to put down a down payment this week. I'll let you guys know how things go. Thanks for all the help.
awesome choice man, you'll love it!!
I tell ya, it's these test drives that get people hooked,
so we've got to find a way to STOP THE TEST DRIVING :twisted: !!!! hahahhaaa j/k...
anywayx, glad to hear that you chose the better car and I hope that you'll love the MB experience!
I tell ya, it's these test drives that get people hooked,
so we've got to find a way to STOP THE TEST DRIVING :twisted: !!!! hahahhaaa j/k...
anywayx, glad to hear that you chose the better car and I hope that you'll love the MB experience!
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