₦airaland Forum

Eyop: LOL AU hanson. Well it is getting cheaper by the day. What can you say about the specs? Is the Elegance preferable than the Sports?

Just like i would always tell you that the esprit (Thats what i have in w202) is more sportier and preferable to me than any other spec, because of her shorter stiffer strut and precise steering , the sport in the w204 is more preferably to me as well because of her stiffer stronger suspension and driving dynamics. That star(Mercedez Ben logo) at the front grill is a plus for the sport model. see first diagram above.
The elegance is nice too but i'm not in for it. I always like my ride with an air of desirabe diffrence and distinction

check out the w202 esprit, facelifted model.

Eyop: My brother if you have the cash,you can still go for it. It is never a let down because it's a modern design with new technology compared to the W202. I love 2008 series too but it doesn't look rugged enough for me.

The w204(2008) has a great deal of improvement performance wise and in fuel efficiency and even in the expensive aura of the interior. It blends innovation in modern technology with a very sharp contrast with the w202.

If you drive the w204 on a full tank of fuel , for good efficiency, luxury and performance, you would never want to go back to w202 if not for the reliability sake. Infact the air of aura that visited you in her interior would make you fret over w202 each time you go in there. Besides, they are fewer on the roads cos many cant afford it, at such as you cruise along you are the young executive king of the road at that point, other vehicle will pave way for you for the respect you command even if you may not have a dine in your pocket, such prestige that is accorded this ride could be very satisfactory.

Gee2728: House pls advice, apart from looks is there any advantage of upgrading from a W202 C230K to a W203 C230K. Pls dnt mind the fuel consumption cos am very ok with the gas mileage of the W202. Tnx.

Just a little up in performance and fuel efficiency with a sleek; smarter; sportier looks; luxuriously gadgeted expensive interior but with a little up too in maintenance with less reliability. A smaller engine displacement producing a greater performance. see comparison below. Note also that mpg is in uk mpg:

w202 Engine Specifications and Gearbox Displacement 2,295 cc as against w203 Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 1,796 cc
Valves 16V DOHC (4 valves per cylinder) as against same Valves 16V DOHC (4 valves per cylinder)
Torque 280 Nm → 207 lb-ft (2,500 rpm) as against Torque 260 Nm → 192 lb-ft (3,500 rpm)
Power Output 193 bhp (5,300 rpm) as against Power Output 192 bhp (5,800 rpm)
Top Speed 143 mph (230 km/h) as against Top Speed 147 mph (236 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 8.40 sec. as against Acceleration 0-60 mph 8.20 sec.
Average Mileage 29 mpg as against Average Mileage 32 mpg
Highway Mileage 38 mpg as against Highway Mileage 44 mpg
City Mileage 20 mpg against City Mileage 22 mpg

Gee2728: Bros hmmm na wa ooh. Those BMW pple dnt tell us the truth, am not sure that C350 will out gun a 335i. Those beemers are very understated that's y a F10 M5 will bash an E63 AMG series 2, jaguar XFR, porches panamera S in a straight drag race to 150mph. Thesame reason a 760LI will punish a S63 AMG series 2 both on a track and drag race. Thesame reason a dodge VIPER SRT (V10) will strugle to beat a mere bmw Z4m(V6) around a track. So those beemers are sleeping rockets not to be trusted.

Ok , i was comparing them within the same model year, the 335i you mentioned is an e39 model not e46 model that is commensurate to the w203 model. Definitely the w203 c350 would always beat the e46 330i of equivalent model. the c350 bluefficiency does 0-60 mph in 6.00 sec. with a 306 horsepower engine coupled with a Top Speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) with some level of luxury too, while the 330i does Top Speed of 155 mph (250 km/h) and Accelerate 0-60 mph in 6.50 sec. with a 231 horsepower engine

The e39 could be compared to the w204 but then the competition became too steep between this two German brothers after then, such that BMW as usual press their heart to be producing cars that would always outdo the MB of same model year performance wise.

how come the cars aint forthcoming anymore?

smartchoice: I said pot not port...its on the high pressure metallic pipe in the Engine bay, close to the compressor

Pls forgive my oversight, i dont think i know this components. Someone else might know it.

Trace ,pls can you help out?

smartchoice: a potlike structure on the hoses/pipe

Hello smartchoice, i'm sorry, its either i dont know or i dont still get it. When a port is mentioned , my mind run to something similar to the network port or usb port in a computer hardware system, and the logical ports too in programming syntax of open source codes of linux, unix servers/systems or even windows etc. i have been trying to imagine near similar thing here but wouldn't still get it. Though, i believe an elaborate explanation could solve this puzzle.

Did you mean the "connectors" on the hoses that terminate at the compressors; or the condensers; or the filters?

Austyn44: @ AU.Hanson. Tnx a lot man. Wow! Ur analysis has put all my confusion to rest. Am goin for the W202 C180 99/2000 model. Tnx once again, am really grateful.

You're welcome. I bet you, you'll enjoy the ride so much. it will save you a lot of money too as well far more than her jap counterparts if you are living in Nigeria with our bad state of roads-Now this is a secret.

N/B: One more thing yet, just get a scanner alongside with it, even if its a cheap ODBII scanner(if MB own becomes too expensive, its just about 35k). Reason? A socket or fuse may just dislodge or suffer partial contact due to our bad state of roads, and the mechanic may tell you its an injection problem, and that may make you start spending unnecessary money on injection systems when it wouldnt still work out, they may start tampering with things and wire; hence causing you serious nightmare in a problem free ride; eventually turning it a problematic car for you. Take wisdom here and you'll be surprise that you could drive a whole year without maintenance issue apart from regular yearly oil change/servicing if using the recommended synthetic oil. Good luck

smartchoice: Congrats man!
To the ? again...the ac system has two ports in the engine bay area....or maybe one can't remember but what is the effect of removing it?

thanks man

Ok! when u said ac system , it becomes an entity comprising of the compressor, condenser, hoses, fan, evaporator etc, then i get lost. Are u referring to the compressor?

my w202 c180

w203

Austyn44: @ Au Hanson. Congrats on ur the arrival of ur new baby.

Am still undecided as to which one is better btw a MB c class 180 1999 model and 2000/2001 model. Pls any info ll be appreciated.Tnx

Thanks man.

The w202 c class model started in 1994- 2000 with the facelifted models from 1997-2000. so there's isn't a significance difference between 1999 and 2000 model.

while the w203 started from 2001- 2007; the w204 from 2008 and till date..your 1999 or 2000 model is probably one of the most reliable MB ever produced better than her earlier predecessor w202 of same model because the wire harness issues, the bad actuator(were actually recalled), etc These issues were resolved in this model. Infact some of the engine components that were shared with the w201 like the power steering pump, ABS system, the clutch module mechanisms and so on and so forth were all completely revised for good and a better built MB. Infact even the nuzzle module too were completely modified, though they can all fit into each other, alongside the pumpers and side skirting or running board giving it a more sportier look and responsive than her predecessor. My early model c180 esprit carries the facelifted body of the late w202 except the front bumper which i change but couldnt find same to replace..and i love it so much. infact i changed the nuzzle system, the wire harness, the clutch mechanism, plugs wire too to that of the facelifted model. NB,The w202 on her own is far more efficient than the w201

The w203 on the other hand, have more sportier and sharper chassis,even sportier than the BMW 3 series, and are more responsive and fuel efficient than the w202 of same category number( i.e w203 c180 to w202 c180 and so on) with more electronics and an expensive aura but not as reliable as the w202. Its more up in maintenance than the w202. You can drive the w202 for a whole year without fixing anything if you have kept it in order but not so with the sleeky sportier fuel efficient performer w203. Also, the engine of this car w202 cost just 60k naira,far more cheaper than that of the w203 and u would never have any reason for a replacement cos it can last almost for ever so that dosent even cross my mind.

So now the choice is yours as to what you are really looking out for ..As for me i have one of the most efficient w202,the c180 and i enjoy it , i love it but at the same time i'm attracted to the w203 late models[i][/i] , i always have ecstasy each time a clean one drives pass me-i'll still go for the c180k or c200k of the w203. After all, with my w202 c180, i have done a top speed of almost 200km/h (my bigger tires of 215/65/15 aided me to achieve this fits else the top speed of this car is 193km/h but the speedo carries 240km/h) how much more the w203 6 speed manual transmission of a top speed of about 223km/h and 234km/h respectively for the c180k and c200k, though the speedo carries 260km/h in both cases.
see pics of my w202 facelifted body wt non facelifted bumper, also the w203 late model

For speed enthusiast, go for the w203 c350 and you'll never regret it , cos you could achieve 0-60 mph in just 6.4 seconds (as against 9.7 sec for the w203 c180) wt 7 speed auto and 6 speed manual tranny, with a very fair mpg of about 21 cty and 40 h/w(as against 25cty 48 h/w for the c180) for this 6 cylinder ride with a top speed of 250km/h, she beats a lot of the so call 8 cylinder rides in other automobile, not even the BMW 3series of her category can stand it. If my pockets swells , i'll pick this too for journey sake and oppression on the h/w

Following , and sifting the shaft from the seeds. We should all be admitting our errors and learning from our mistakes. No one is perfect. You cannot say that you have never misinformed for ones, and only to realise sooner or later that you should have debunked that crap..though they may be gray areas too that may need some kind of debating as well.

smartchoice: @ Au Hanson longtime...given your assertions about w202 AC system I will like to know the effect of removing a pot out of the two gas pots in the AC system?

Thanks Bro, i just had a new baby then, and i have been working hard as a nurse; nanny; cook; father; an husband, not an easy task doubling this way-Though its been a wonderful and knowledgeable experience, thank God i learn this one perfectly well too. I can now coach others as well.

Digressing to the point on focus, I am not sure that i understand this question? Can you expatiate further?

viazi: @ AU HANSOB thanks

You are welcome brother

Ikenna351: This should have been the first question in this matter.

Ikenna.

If its not factory fitted, expect the dragging effect with a 1.8 litre engine, else check your performances components and clean them up or replace the bad ones. Anyways, that's a topic for another day

[quote author=Gee2728][/quote]Of course, it is not easy to achieve these mpg in our densely populated cities. It's only of recent , that i started achieving, 18-21mpg and atimes i achieve 27mpg , that's when the roads are really free and i manage to drive steadily about 80km/h in few cases with my c180. But while travelling , i really use to achieve between 30-39mg on our highways. Who cares about mpg anymore

Gee2728: I no go lie, that V6 of the C240 sounded rly sweet.

Enjoyment galore! How did you feel the expensive aura of the c240 interior?

Gee2728: Next up was a straight on drag race, and not surprising 2 me the KOMPRESSOR was off and gone again, no matter how hard I squeezed the C240 I cld not match up.

Of course the 4 cylinder c230 w202 and w203 Kompresor does it faster than the 6 cylinder w203 c240. Also, both in performance and fuel economy. https://www.nairaland.com/973601/reliability-mercedes-benz-c240-c320/1#973601.46

viazi: @all, I am planning of getting a 1999 C280 sport. I love this car and its gonna be my 1st Benz. How ever, I reside in Abuja and am a lawyer, I do a lot of driving around the town in hot sun and thus I need a very good AC for the hot weather. Can this Benz AC withstand Abuja heat. I need sincere and honest advice.

These were the face-lifted models of the w202, most of the shortcomings of the earlier models were corrected here.From my experience, these cars have one of the most effective functional ac system and can withstand very harsh temperature than her predecessors and some of todays newer cars. Just make sure that no one tampers with her cooling system, if possible, just get an MB scanner or any other scanner(preferably ODBII) for it to avoid trial and error mech. At such, this car is one of the most reliable MB and hardly do breakdown.

santakris: If you are driving automatic, just shift your gear to neutral (N). And don't panic. Hold on to your steering firmly till the car stop.

Wrong! the car will over-shout and only God knows what could happen to your gearbox.

It happened to the left passenger front tire of my Benz 190 some years ago, though i was scared of the loud bang and the freaky sound of the tire on the coal tar, i only remove my leg from the accelerator pedal and the car just roll to a halt on its own as i pull over. I didn't struggle with the steering, because it wasn't taking my hand-you know thats is one thing good about M.Benz.

For auto tranny, once you remove your leg from the accelerator, the car will definitely decelerate to almost a halt so the idea of disengaging your auto gear to neutral wouldn't be necessary and is uncalled for.

Note: Then i use to use fairly used tires and when over pumped the pressure inside the tire in the hot afternoon in a highway speed will leave no room for expansion, i never knew anything about tire pressure, anything vulcanizers pumped in there was what i used(your manufacturers recommended tire pressure is very necessary, you must stick to it-its written on you fuel fillap cover)

santakris: If you are driving automatic, just shift your gear to neutral (N). And don't panic. Hold on to your steering firmly till the car stop.

Wrong! the car will over-shout and only God knows what could happen to your gearbox

Billyonaire: There is no need for all these uproar, only ignorant persons dread this very much. The good thing is that this was discovered so pre-emptive actions will be taken in time to eradicate the virus from the T-cells if the child is to test positive. ARV drugs once administered on the baby will terminate much of the T-cells before its cultured to reproduce en masse.

Like I said, there is nothing much to worry about here, knowledge takes away fear.

But money accomplishes it though

[quote author=A-town]If she wasn't pregnant/had no child, why was she lactating? Am I missing something?[/quote]She could have had candidiasis, that could also lead to seldom lactating as well; or she could have even aborted pregnancy sometime sooner, who knows?

But, she is just wicked, of all persons , the little innocent toddler. May God have mercy on that innocent infant and save that child from HIV, IJN.

tommysparks: @ elite. moving from a toyota 01 model to a c240/320 is like moving from outskirts of town to the heart of the city. it comes with its associated cost, u will have to up your maintenance budget for instance if u want to change oil u will need 8ltrs of mobil1 or total quartz9000 thats about 16-18,000 naira which in your camry u probably use 4ltrs of regular oil that cost about #3,500. and there is also a slight diff in fuel economy and the parts of c240/320 are double that of 01 camry pricewise. so be prepared but repairs are not always regular but we will be glad to welcome u to the benz family, but like i said its like moving from the outskirts to the heart of the city.

@Elite, since you are moving from 2001 camry to benz , i will advice that you go for the w202 c230 kompressor if you are looking for power and reasonable maintenance cost

Gee2728: guy forget that c320, jst find urself a well looked after 'God's hammer' c230 kompressor and u'll be loving benz all ur life.

or the w203 of the c200kompressor you wont regret this, and the w203 is sweeter, have very sharper chassis than the w202 but a slight up in maintenance than the w202 though very moderate too than the c240/c320

I bet you you would almost have a better output in performance with the w202 c230kompressor/w203 c200Knompressor than the naturally aspirated engines of the c240 , even with a better fuel economy as well, with a very good return in fuel economy of the w203 c200 as well compared to the c240/c320. The 6 cylinder c320, this car carries 24 spark plugs with better performance even yield better economy than the 6 cylinder c240 MB

Look at these, compare them NOTE THE ECONOMY ARE IN UK MILES PER GALLON.This will explain it all. You can see the 4 cylinder w202 c230 kompressor giving you a better takeoff(Acceleration 0-60 mph at 8.40 sec.and can sustain that fits followed by the w203 c200Kompressor with sportier chassis) than the 6 cylinder c240 of Acceleration 0-60 mph at 9.50 sec:

W203 BENZ C240
Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 2,597 cc
Cylinders 6
Valves 18V (3 valves per cylinder)
Torque 240 Nm → 177 lb-ft (4,500 rpm)
Power Output 170 bhp (5,500 rpm)
Kilowatts 123 kW
Gearbox 5-speed Automatic
Performance and Economy
Top Speed 144 mph (232 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 9.50 sec.
Average Mileage 26 mpg
Highway Mileage 36 mpg
City Mileage 18 mpg

W203 BENZ C320
Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 3,199 cc
Cylinders 6
Valves 18V (3 valves per cylinder)
Torque 310 Nm → 229 lb-ft (3,000 rpm)
Power Output 218 bhp (5,700 rpm)
Kilowatts 158 kW
Gearbox 5-speed Automatic
Performance and Economy
Top Speed 152 mph (245 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 7.80 sec.
Average Mileage 27 mpg
Highway Mileage 37 mpg
City Mileage 18 mpg


W203 C200 KOMPRESSOR
Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 1,795 cc
Cylinders 4
Valves 16V DOHC (4 valves per cylinder)
Torque 240 Nm → 177 lb-ft (3,000 rpm)
Power Output 163 bhp (5,500 rpm)
Kilowatts 118 kW
Gearbox 5-speed Automatic
Performance and Economy
Top Speed 144 mph (231 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 9.40 sec.
Average Mileage 32 mpg
Highway Mileage 44 mpg
City Mileage 22 mpg

W202 C230 KOMPRESOR

Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 2,295 cc
Cylinders 4
Valves 16V DOHC (4 valves per cylinder)
Torque 280 Nm → 207 lb-ft (2,500 rpm)
Power Output 193 bhp (5,300 rpm)
Kilowatts 140 kW
Gearbox 5-speed Automatic
Performance and Economy
Top Speed 141 mph (227 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 8.40 sec.
Average Mileage 29 mpg
Highway Mileage 37 mpg
City Mileage 20 mpg

W202 C180 FACELIFTED MODEL
Engine Specifications and Gearbox
Displacement 1,799 cc
Cylinders 4
Valves 16V DOHC (4 valves per cylinder)
Torque 170 Nm → 125 lb-ft (3,700 rpm)
Power Output 122 bhp (5,500 rpm)
Kilowatts 89 kW
Gearbox 5-speed Manual
Performance and Economy
Top Speed 120 mph (193 km/h)
Acceleration 0-60 mph 12.00 sec.
Average Mileage 31 mpg
Highway Mileage 39 mpg
City Mileage 22 mpg

KOMBE: I bought a c180 1998 model almost a year ago at the cost of 650k and must say that the ride is awesome with good fuel economy and low cost of maintenance. Not sure I will ever use any other car as the comfort is not comparable with any other ride of the same age.

But if you want a very moderate BENZ as in maintenance, compared to your 2001 toyota if not better than, go for the facelift c180-you would ever be happy with yourself. Why facelift models? Perhabs here, you are not faced with the risk of the wire harness issues predominant in the prefacelift models; also no danger of buying the one wt bad volatile actuator that was recalled too in the prefaclifted models, besides beautiful smoldered MB cars, one of the most reliable ever built,with the interior in and out and material.

I would never recommend a w203 6 cylinder benz w203 c240 to any body because of her maintenance ups and bad fuel economy , worst still the 4matic of these models- slightly higher in maintenance with poor fuel economy.

But for the enthusiast who are ready to foot such bills there's nothing wrong about that. If i still wanted to buy a 6 cylinder machine with naturally aspirated engine, it should be the c320 or c350. Atimes i cant imagine what lead Benz to produce the c240 machine with her kind of unreliability, not too good 6 cylinder performance and poor fuel economy

[quote author=t-die]Once the front suspension parts and new Rims arrive, I'll have them fitted, and then she goes in for a respray...

Am yet to decide on the colour... any suggestions??[/quote]For durability sake, maintain the same colour, you may add spices to it if you wish; this will help you a great deal too if you may wish to work on a dainted portion in future ..all you 'll ever need will be the colour code on your fuel fillap.

But then, give it to a good painter don't mind the price...

congrats

ZIM DRILL: this is the simple answer to the question asked

your got two choices

1 follow what user manual of your car says meaning they encourage you to change over certain covered mileage eg if was bought new change when it reaches 12000miles then at 23000 etc

2nd option is do it every year thats what most people in the UK

Here in UK some people take it to the dealer the dealer stamps the service book for those who dont want to heavy bills from the cars dealer they take it to normal garage to be serviced but one key thing is done you get all the reciepts of the things that got changed this will help you when you want to sell the car the buyer might ask for service history and you will show him/her all the reciepts

dont worry about the oil being black becoz it always turn into black

My brother God bless you, following these links, i would have almost repented from my usual one year interval of my neatly kept and well maintain c class because it usually goes dark at 6 months(usually pushed to 12 monthly interval) with mobil1 0w40 , and my 190 , hardly use and never went dark in 12 monthly interval..never had engine problems before.

These excerpts from Edmund confirms your hypothesis:

The “3,000-Mile Rule” is just one of many common myths exposed by Edmunds.com. Other oil myths debunked by Edmunds.com include:

MYTH: Nearly all cars should be serviced under the “severe” maintenance schedule. When manufacturers say “severe,” they generally apply to vehicles that pull heavy trailers, or commercial vehicles that can idle for hours at a time. Plain old stop-and-go traffic doesn’t automatically bump people into the severe schedule.

MYTH: Check the oil on the dipstick. If it’s black, change the oil. Experts say that oil is meant to get dark — it means it’s doing its job. Also, different additives can change the color of motor oil.

MYTH: Once you use synthetic oil, you always have to use it. “As long as the oil meets the service and viscosity requirements set out in your owner’s manual, you can switch back and forth as much as you want,” says Edmunds.com Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh.

For detailed explanations explaining all seven urban legends about motor oil, please visit Edmunds.com at http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/top-7-urban-legends-about-motor-oil.html.

Edmunds.com also provides tips on choosing the right motor oil for your car at http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/do-i-have-to-use-the-manufacturers-oil.html.

Look @ Prof Femi thesis objectively, then you would see the very truth in it..

who else can take on Government to do what is right , or to be reminded(assuming they have forgotten because of so much politics) of their responsibilities towards the academic sector than ASUU?

Who else has ever had the boldness to address these academic decadence? In the 80's the 'oyibos';the Indians; the British etc use to come to our colleges and elementary school to study(i remember having some of them as friends then). How many of them still comes any more? have you ever asked yourself why?

ASUU may have their own pros and cons, why not just fund education well as it is done elsewhere to produce genuine professionals for to days manpower? then compel ASUU to deliver?

Must our educational sector die in peasantry for all sort of absolute mediocre, while the politician keeps on appreciating their take home at the expense of the important things that should be done first , while we keep crying falling standard of education and send our children overseas to go and obtain the right education? How many can afford this. Why don't we give the right education here with all the resources that mother nature has blessed us with?

Put down the right infrastructures, tools and equipment and everything will fall in place. Sift out the wanting lecturers and build a research educational sector as obtain in serious minded societies , but not all these excuses that we have today as politics as the order of the day as the only viable business in place in Nigeria. Cant you see that the real sector is all almost dying out if nothing is done soonest to intervene situation? what other language does government understand order than strikes? Can they take responsibility for any other thing than politics?

Can we all be doing "politics biz"? If its not politics, it is not funded..what a mess...

smartchoice: There is most likely an electrical drain in the car which needs to be patiently traced, also there is a kind of rectification that may also need to be done on the alternator unless you're sure it charges your battery efficiently while the engine is running. (personal experience) (like Elvis said earlier the codes mean low battery power...if correct) then what do you need to do? trace the source of the problem it maybe a grounded wire, an inefficient alternator or even a worn out serpentine belt! But whatever you do, take it slow and don't be tricked into making unnecessary rapid changes of your car components!

_{it's good you have decided to post on the MB thread...am sure others will be willing to assist}

You have said it all, boy!!@ Arteta99, Take what he says. Check your alternator for undervoltage, else it will kill your battery overtime. Check for loose connections of the wire system leading to the alternator and to the battery(By now your battery voltage may even have dippened below 10V during startup).

mayor2013: Yes sir it is available too sir. Not withstanding too this very one can be turned too into an obd 1 scanner sir. Thnks for the question

Just got this email notification now.. pls how do you turn that to ODB1 scanner too? and where is your location?

Nice work, i love that zeal..which i were there too with you guys!!!!

Gee2728: 'As the last engineered MB' I agree with you, the seat in my 2000 W202 are without a crack like they came out of the factory last month. That car is built rly tough. Have seen a W204 that the leather on the door handle has started tearing, MB tech of late is mainly profit driven.

Even the w202 has a wider turning radius than the w203, 2.6m as against 2.7m, though the w203 has a sharper appealing chassis unlike her w202 predecessor. The speeds are almost the same in both cases

Eyop: Yeah i understand brother. I am a regular person too in Cotonou so i can still tell you that these vehicles are expensive. I am not going to argue on the issue of getting it at that amount because it all depends on the seller over there. Take for instance if that W203 has stayed for so long without a customer coming for it in Cotonou and the white man there has some consignment at the port,he may decide to fling that ride to enable him get some money to enable him clear his goods because it's a smart move as a business person rather than for him to incur charges.

I was in Cotonou some months ago and the same thing happened when my agent alerted me that there's a Benz that a Lebanese wants to sell at a very cheap price but unfortunately that wasn't the brand i was going for so that didn't scale through for me so it doesn't mean that it happens all the time.

But also bear in mind that these cars are gotten from either USA or Europe and we all know the prices online via various websites so for someone to tell you that he can get you a W203 version of Benz for #1.2million can most times raise red flag except for reasons like i mentioned above.

Thanks for the clearance, i guess this is likely it. I haven't been to Cotonou before to purchase a car, neither dreaming of it

Gee2728: One auto dealer on this NL was sounding a warning that if som1 approach u with a 2010 range rover sports for #2.5mil, run away quickly cos somthing is fishy. Even if its all clean and engine sound it may be s stolen car. Truth be told if u put a C200k(#1.2mil) side by side a C200k(#2mil) ur eyes will tell u the truth even if ur ears dnt want to hear it.

@ Gee, these men are men of integrity, wouldn't go into anything of such. I want to believe they have their own tricks , evry biz has a trick too

Eyop: My brother, i quite agree with you and is not as if you cannot see the vehicle with that budgeted amount but the question that you should ask yourself is what will be the condition of the vehicle (W203) you are buying? My own version of a clean ride will be different from another person's own. A certified clean ride is one that both the interior,exterior,mechanical,electrical etc will not require you to do anything and the mileage will be very reasonable. I have a friend that went to Togo to purchase a 1997 Mercedes C200 which landed Lagos Nigeria for #1,150,000 and the vehicle was super in all aspect because it was buy and drive.

You can even go online(some of the German used car websites) to find out the cost of some of these cars(a very clean one that has a good service history and will not require any further repairs) from there you can be able to know if your budget is realistic or not. In cotonou a very clean one will not land Lagos at that amount because the Lebanese selling cars will also want to make money from their sales and they won't invest so much money in a certified clean one to enable them sell very fast.

If for W202 then i am very sure that you will get a good one that is clean in and out but for a W203,i doubt if you can achieve that but all that depends on the individual buying anyway cos your own version of clean may not be clean to me. Mercedes Benz is not like a Toyota or any other Japanese that you can gamble with in terms of the mechanical and electrical features so my advice is get certified clean ride that your budgeted amount can carry. Good luck...

I'm baffled myself, because i use to know the price of these cars to be on the high side few years ago, not untill i called a dealership here in nairaland based in Lag(whom i wouldn't want to disclose name here) and he confirmed the 1.2 mill Bench mark, although we didn't make the purchase again due to several factors that came up. But what really informed my opinion was that of this friend who bought his and brought to my office to celebrate with me. I know what is a clean car i'm not new to it, and i know when a car is made clean, i can distinguish between repainted vehicles and follow come, but what further baffles me was that of a friend too who landed e36 bmw 318 for 320k as overall cost from Cotonou for his personal use, he is a dealer too. He further confirm that he could land w203 c200k for me at 1.2m mark price too. This is my puzzle, he knock off all my points that these cars are expensive; according to him that no body even wanted to buy them overthere, that Nigerians went for toyota, especially camry 98/99 model and the highlanders even when i pointed prices in some popular site of the autoworld to him. He disclosed that to be a waste of time and money for what could be found here at far less price so i rested my arguement afterall i am not a dealer...