When I was browsing the Autotrader listings looking for today’s Autotrader Find, I got really excited when I saw this one. A touring car! A European touring car! A true race car! Right here on Autotrader! FOR ONLY $5,000! Then, I clicked the listing, and I instantly became disappointed. And then I discovered why: Florida.
Let me present this car from the outside in. On the outside, it truly looks like a Mercedes C-Class that would compete in some European touring car-race series. It has the crazy-low body kit, it has the racing bumpers, it has the yellow headlights, it has all the racing decals, and it has low-profile performance tires. This thing looks mean, fierce, ready for competition. Find a 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class for sale
And then you get inside.
You know what modifications have been made to this car’s interior? Some of the trim is red. And it looks like they’ve put little Mercedes-Benz covers over the seat belts. That’s it. And although the ad only shows one image of the engine, it’s clearly the same story under the hood: This isn’t a touring car. This is just a 2004 Mercedes C230 sedan with 129,000 miles and some decals on it.
Offered by DK Auto Sales in Hollywood, Florida, this 2004 C230 admittedly looks really cool. It also has a clean, 2-owner Carfax report with a lot of services at Mercedes-Benz dealerships. But ultimately, it’s not the touring car I was hoping for: It’s just an automatic, 4-cylinder Mercedes sedan that probably gets people really excited at Cars and Coffee — until they look inside and discover the truth.
It’s $5,010, if you want it.
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Looks like it just mowed the lawn with that splitter. It probably won’t be bump friendly unless it has adjustable air suspension.
Mercedes of this vintage in my area have that same color headlight from age not because they’re pretending to be race cars.
This particular model car has garbage handling. Stay far away.
Clearly you do not understand the improvements made by all the decals. Also +5hp per decal.
It’s like someone was playing around with the design editor in Forza, but IRL.
Honestly, I can the disappointment at first, but then if you’re just looking for an interesting car to drive or a younger person who wants something cool for a reasonable buck, this fits perfectly. I think it’s pretty cool, but then again, I live in Florida, so there’s that.
The W203 is not interesting to drive at all, especially with the base 4-banger. It’s competent and precise, but lacks the bank-vault planted solidity of the W201 190E, nor is it anywhere near as chuckable as the 3-series-with-a-star W204.