pov spec Merc C180's what are they like?

[scooters]

May be taking on one of these as a back up daily - any opinions? I know the 190 but have never owned or driven a C180...it is pov spec L with an auto box.

[Albert Ross]

They rot like fuck.

[scooters]

They rot like fuck.

 

 

yeah, that's what I have heard - this one however has been well rustproofed and the worst has been cut out and welded so it's not too bad - TBH if I get 6 months use out o0f it I'd be happy

[Cavcraft]

Rot, not especially well made or exciting to drive and rot.

 

On the plus side parts are cheap and when you've done with it it'll probably go for decent money as an export, especially if automatic.

[RoadworkUK]

Not economical, either, and prone to all kinds of bushes and mounts going soft up front. And the rear lights remind me of a Belmont.

[scrappylad]

My parents had a P-reg C180 Auto for the last 11 years, trading it in back in May.

 

Brilliant car, 130 thousand trouble-free miles in addition to the 20k miles it had when bought, usual rusty bits coming through on arches but not as bad as most & it was VERY economical. Never had any suspension problems, only occasional fault was the windscreen wiper operation, cured with WD40.

 

The C180's are a bit sluggish from standstill, but are okay once on the move & a sensible drive.

 

Dependable & a good one still looks the part.

[overheadvalve]

/\ /\ Agree with scrappylad, i had 2 C180 Esprits, a black L reg one and red N reg one, neither were *too* rusty. One of the jacking points did go onthe black one, i sold it for around £375 last year on Ebay to a Polish chap, he was very happy.. The economy was great for a large car with a 1.8, there not *that* heavy though. I got 42 mpg on an economy run back from France a few years ago, in my red 'un I had to i ran out of monies

 

Handbrake was erm... different, i never did get the hang of it still don't know how to use it properly tbh. The manual box wasn't as bad as some would have you believe either. Steering wheel was poverty plastic and too big. The single wiper was very expensive to replace,When it's icy dont just put the wiper on to clear the screen if it's stuck it will fook the mechanism up there are loads in scrappy's now, get yourself a spare, it would be the firat thing i did if i were to get another one.

Look great lowered with large 17" AMG wheels, mind with a 1.8 it's a bit all fur coat and no bollocks as it were.

I like 'em.

I think i remember there was a large batch of late models which were a cancelled order from Saudi (iirc), they do rust badly because they were waiting at the dock or somewhere "in storage" for months, iirc.

They do feel like a quality motor to me.

[scooters]

this is a very early one - an L plate. Rot wise they seem to be a it hit and miss - mind you , what early 90's cars are there without some issues that way - the only ones I have had that don't were Volvos or bigger Pugs.

 

large steering wheel and slow isn't a problem - old giffer's car and I'm used to big wheels (sherpa - no PAS).

 

It's a bit 'bowling club' but no issue with that. Always go the Meteor for fun

 

thanks for all the tips - single wiper mechanisms - pants - the only decent one is on the BX other cars I have had with one XJ40's spring to mind were never that good

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I agree with you about the XJ40's wipers.

 

The mother of my brother's girlfriend had a new one of these in white. I thought it was a bit grim to be honest, but I was comparing it with an XJ40 which is perhaps unfair. It will be much more economical than the Jag. She sold it in the late 1990s when it was orange with rust.

[RENOMAD]

I ran a 1995 C180 ten years ago as my daily...I had 3x 190s before that. I would say that build quality wasnt a patch on the 190s, but to be fair I felt it was in a different league for comfort/ergonomics etc..Remember the 190s was a 70's design essentially...So which would I buy,,,,,mmm,,,find a low mileage 190

[Volksy]

I had a new pov spec one as a company daily, A Manual 180 Esprit I think. Was rather dull to drive, and the gearbox/handbrake combo was a pain. Was from the age when EVERYTHING on a Merc was an option, so was rather sparsely equipped to say the least.

[overheadvalve]

Dual zone heating! I remember mine had that, not aircon but better than your average car. The rear seats folded down flat~ish (was an option iirc) and the turning circle was bloody brilliant, the suspension gave a real planted feel when driving erm.. at relatively high speed on dual carrigeway's it was good on fast sweeping bends. Seats were a little firm, feck it just buy one, actually i fancy another one.....

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

They're not a bad car. the 16v engine is as strong as a horse and in many ways they''re very old fashioned - no expansion bottle on the 180/200, just a rad cap on top of the rad. Merc manual boxes are NOT awful. Awful was a cable change Maxi - the Merc box was like a 2.0 Capri - a bit clunky but not annoying.

Autos are not sealed for life on these so need a fluid change. The rust on these is normally cosmetic - arches, bootlid etc. I've seen a few early ones (L/M reg) which are actually pretty tidy. Not as well made as the 190, but a better car overall.

[trigger]

I've driven quite a few C-Classes but not for a long time though, All i remember is that the manuals were a right sod to drive because of them having a foot brake instead of a handbrake making them near impossible to do a hill start in, Autos were much better.

 

These days most of the ones i see are on the back of lorries waiting to be exported from Britain.

 

Oh and IIRC they didn't make a "L" spec, They came in Classic, Esprit and Elegance model, The Esprit having a tartan kilt as a seat fabric...

[overheadvalve]

this is a very early one - an L plate. Rot wise they seem to be a it hit and miss - mind you , what early 90's cars are there without some issues that way - the only ones I have had that don't were Volvos or bigger Pugs.

 

large steering wheel and slow isn't a problem - old giffer's car and I'm used to big wheels (sherpa - no PAS).

 

It's a bit 'bowling club' but no issue with that. Always go the Meteor for fun

 

thanks for all the tips - single wiper mechanisms - pants - the only decent one is on the BX other cars I have had with one XJ40's spring to mind were never that good

Please check the jacking points, insert a flat blade screwdriver into the plastic thingie (jack locating point) in the sill, pull out the centre section and the plug should come out, if it refuses to budge chances are it's well rusty, this happened to mine on my black one, i was a little disapointed by that.

Catalytic convertors they go on the 180, mine needed a new one at mot time, it filled the exhaust up with bits of cat and i needed the lot. It was about £600 retal, i got one from a scrappy for £70.

(Spelling? f.k.)

Edit: I've just remembered, i've had three, not two! The middle one was a silver C180 Elegance auto, with a very blue interior. It had done 203,000 miles when i sold it. I let a work"mate" use it for about 2 months, it came back with no petrol, dirty and the interior was covered in dog hairs ....never again, feck that

[ashmicro]

I had a C180 Classic and a C280 Sport, both 1998. There wasn't a pick of rust on either of mine, although they were ony 4/5 years old when I had them. While the 180 was no ball of fire it was quick enough, and the 280 was a laugh. The C230 Kompressor is good fun, although for some odd reason this model seems to come in only strange colours. I had actually bought a C43 AMG, but my mate who owned it before me crashed it before I could take delivery.

 

Best feature of the W202 - the button on the dashboard that makes the rear headrests fall over. This is very funny to stoned people (so I'm told )