2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Consumer Reviews

Great Car for the $$$

Written by: Joe on 06/06/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C32 AMG 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl S/C 5A)

Review

Where else can you get a car that will smoke a prior gen M3, get 4 doors and take the family out to dinner? Great engine, lots of torque and easy to modify.

Favorite Features

Strong engine (355 HP), lots of torque once supercharger hits. Light mods will make this a sub 13 second car in qtr mile (high 12s are easy with pulley). Stealth look (looks like std w203 C class until you punch it).

Suggested Improvements

Front end heavy understeering; costly to lower, tough to get traction on wet days; needs a Quaife to harness the tremendous power as ASR is nothing but electronic nanny; stereo is not up to par for $60 K sedan.

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True sportwagon

Written by: MBZlover on 06/01/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C320 4MATIC AWD 4dr Wagon (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I just bought a black on beige C320 4MATIC wagon with only 36000 miles on for under 20 grand! What a buy for such a great utility vehicle! However this car has so many aspects wouldn't normally find in an SUV or any form of utility vehicle for that manner. First off it handles just as good as my G35 coupe. Second it has a firm suspension yet delivers the true smooth ride of a Benz. Third it gets an average of 25 mpg on the highway and sometimes reaches up over 30! Fourth is the engine performance. Even with almost 40K miles on it the tranny is buttery smooth and the cars pick up is amazing! defenitely would not keep up with my Infiniti G35 but much faster than my previous Lexus RX300.

Favorite Features

Great power for a small V6. plenty of room for hauling anything. Refined, great build quality, 4MATIC provides good grip in all weather conditions

Suggested Improvements

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Love it

Written by: Loven the mb on 05/23/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor Rwd 4dr Sport Sedan (1.8L 4cyl S/C 6M)

Review

We bought this car with high hopes, well it has by far passed them all. We bought it new and it has never failed. Only regular maintaenance and oil changes. It now has about 100k on it and it still run strong. I now upgraded to a E500, but my daughter just got her license and she got the C230. Oh and the mileage is great! I get around 33 on the highway and 25 in town. I would buy this car over and over gladly.

Favorite Features

The MB badge, sound system, and seats fill you like a glove.

Suggested Improvements

None.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Fair

Written by: KL on 03/21/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor Rwd 4dr Sport Sedan (1.8L 4cyl S/C 6M)

Review

Very impressive, classy car. Always dependable, no mechanical issues since purchased in July 07. My only issues; this vehicle is zippy and performs fabulously on the highway, but a bit sluggish for a supercharged vehicle around town. I expected more power than this. You've got to put the pedal to the floor to get out of the way. I'm most disappointed in the front seats of this car as they have no lumbar support and built like cardboard. Not a good choice for long distance driving. I've had to add a lumbar support module to my front seat which looks rediculous and shabby in a Benz, but necessary. No lie, every passenger I've had in my car have complained about the seats.

Favorite Features

Style, sophistication, class, need I say more. Excellent fuel economy! Great car for a petite woman or man.

Suggested Improvements

Expected more out of Benz, comfort isn't here. Seats need to be restyled for comfort and support. I don't have back or spine issues but after driving 40 minutes, I complain of discomfort from the seats. There's also not enough leg room for a passenger over 6 ft tall. Bring a cushion, seats are hard.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Love It!

Written by: youngster1990 on 02/29/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C240 4MATIC AWD 4dr Sedan (2.6L 6cyl 5A)

Review

My parents bought this for me as my first car and I love everything about it. My best friend has an Audi A4 and she asked to drive my car and she said she enjoys it more than her car. The stereo is great. Leather is great. I just love this car! Makes my heart skip a beat (in a good way) when I accelerate onto the highway and passs people!

Favorite Features

4matic! Heated seats, leather seats. Stereo. Steering wheel mounted audio and menu controls. Adaptive cruise control. Cornering fog lamps.

Suggested Improvements

Make power memory seats standard instead of making people pay extra for them. And fix the front windshield. It fogs up way too fast and the defogger is obnoxiously loud. Needs better gas mileage! A little bit more backseat room

6 out 7 people found this review helpful

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Love this car

Written by: gabe on 02/18/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor Rwd 4dr Sport Sedan (1.8L 4cyl S/C 6M)

Review

I bought this car about two weeks ago, it had 36 grand on the odometer. So far this vehicle has far exceeded my expectations for a used entry level Benz. On my 250 mile trek back home from purchasing it, I got over 31 miles per gallon, and I loved every facet of the c230. My friend has a BMW 325i and he commented the ride better than his BMW, also the leg room in the front better than the BMW. He also said less road noise, and a few features the Benz had he wished the BMW had. The regular halogen headlight are phenominal, I mean super good, better than any other car I've ever had. The seats were great, power is fine and I just love this car. If you've never had one, get one, worth it

Favorite Features

The smooth sporty ride is fun, I wake up ready to drive this car even when I have nowhere to go. Love the stereo, Harmon Kardon. Great road feel and the look of a Benz gives you a pride of ownership second to none. I have found no faults with anything, just make sure you put good tires on it.

Suggested Improvements

Bigger motor is always acceptable, but the double edged sword rule plays there also. Big motor, bad mileage.

7 out 8 people found this review helpful

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Solid Performance But Few Thrills

Written by: JNT on 02/15/2008

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C240 4MATIC AWD 4dr Sedan (2.6L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I have owned the car since new. In mainly city driving with some long distance trips, I have averaged 21.4 mpg over 13,500 miles. The only repair was a fuel filler door that did not lock. The car has been very dependable and is a comfortable long distance cruiser (up to 28 mpg on the highway). 4matic is great in the snow even with the standard all season tires. My main complaint is that the engine lacks low end punch. Once on the highway, performance is acceptable but not thrilling. If you want performance, don't buy the 240, move up to the 320. (I did not like the 230 because of the compressor whine; simply a matter of taste.) Headroom improves significantly without the sunroof.

Favorite Features

Solid handling; smooth, quiet highway ride (feels planted like a larger car and is not affected by cross-winds or semis); heated seats and 4matic.

Suggested Improvements

More engine power; quieter climate control fan at start up; front spoiler hangs low and requires caution when parking; side mirrors are too small.

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Quality and service..or lack of

Written by: Dietmar on 11/06/2007

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C240 Rwd 4dr Sedan (2.6L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Car was not prpared properly. and pulled to the right, Dealer said he could not repair the alignment unless the customer complained. Several item, such as the automatic tempeature control not working--it was not calibrated at the factory. The automatic transmission leaked because a gasket was used that was not compatble with the fluit. The proper gasket was of a different color and the situation could have been corrected while the car was in for service. MBUSA told me that they do not repair it until it actually leaks. Remember we have a situstion here where we know it WILL LEAK it is only a question of when. For a company like Mercedes, this shure is a lousy attitude, Next car: BMW

Favorite Features

Good ride and handling. Today, on a 200 mile trip I averaged 29.3 mpg

Suggested Improvements

Better quatlity. Eats tires. Need to get top management at Benz more involved.

1 out 6 people found this review helpful

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Excellent Benz

Written by: turksoldier on 09/28/2007

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Kompressor Rwd 4dr Sport Sedan (1.8L 4cyl S/C 6M)

Review

I have this car for 4 years and no problems at all. It is so much fun to drive. Pick up is excellent, road handling is excellent. I wish we have nicer highways in NY. Very good gas mileage. Maintenance free service was excellent ( I am just over 50K now) This is not a car for snow unless you want to slide all over.

Favorite Features

Performance, interior quality, gas mileage, transmission

Suggested Improvements

Better standard music system

14 out 15 people found this review helpful

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Nice Ride!

Written by: Great Car on 09/17/2007

Vehicle

2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C240 4MATIC AWD 4dr Sedan (2.6L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We bought ours used w/39k miles on it. The car is beautiful, well maintained. I have one problem with an ESP/BAS warning and this appears to be affecting the operation of the sunroof. Hopefully this can be corrected by the certified warranty. The car feels as solid and safe as any car I've driven and after I got finished with it this weekend you can't tell its not new.

Favorite Features

The overall look, classy interior. For those of you complaining about the back seat, it has a bigger back seat than my Crossfire!

Suggested Improvements

Cupholder awful, same issue w/ Crossfire of which Mercedes is a builder. I hope the BAS/ESP is not going to be a problem. My Crossfire's light comes on from time to time and it can easily be reset. There should be a reset on the Benz if there isn't a real problem. Its a complicated car to learn.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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