Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class For Sale: 8,416 Cars From $995

Used Mercedes-Benz C-Class For Sale: 8,416 Cars From $995

What to look for when buying a used Mercedes-Benz C-Class? The Mercedes-Benz C-Class compact luxury cars replaced the 190 range of compacts in 1993 as the smallest offering in the Mercedes lineup at the time. Most C-Class cars sold in the United States are built in Germany or Mexico and the car is now in its fourth generation. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is often referred to as a "luxury compact" and as an "executive compact." Body types range from two-door coupes to four-door sedans and five-door station wagons. The first-generation C-Class came in 1994 in both four-door sedan and five-door wagon styles. The car introduced the new letter-number naming scheme used by Mercedes-Benz through to today, with the C-Class being the overall model range and the C followed by a number designating the car's engine. The C 220, for example, was a 2.2-liter four-cylinder version of the C-Class offered at the C-Class' introduction. The C 230 replaced that with a slightly larger engine and the C 280 became the higher-end offering for the C-Class with its straight-six cylinder engine.

Diesel models have a "D", "TD", or "CDI" after the engine displacement numbers (ala C 250 D, C 250 TD, and C 220 CDI. The diesel designation denotes the engine type as diesel (D), turbodiesel (TD), or common rail direct injection (CDI). An automatic transmission was standard in the United States and a manual transmission was an option. A four-speed automatic began the first-generation and was replaced halfway through its lifespan with a five-speed automatic. The second-generation C-Class entered the market in 2001 and saw the first coupe version of the car introduced. All-wheel drive was also introduced in some models with this generation. Engines varied depending on model year, but largely carried over from the previous generation with the exception of diesel engines all becoming the CDI variety. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class became sportier with the adoption of six-speed manual transmissions as the norm and automatic transmissions becoming an option.

The third-generation C-Class was introduced in 2008 and saw modernized body styling, simplified engine range options, and a more luxurious finish. Several specialty models for fuel efficiency were introduced under the BlueEFFICIENCY brand and sports-centered models under the AMG nameplate were now designed exclusively for the C-Class. In the 2015 model year, the fourth- and current-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class was introduced. A brand new platform for the vehicle was introduced with it and makes extensive use of aluminum and high strength steel. It began production in Alabama for U.S. A cabriolet model (convertible) was introduced with this new generation. Engine options were reduced to a turobcharged four-cylinder and a turbo six-cylinder for gasoline options and with 4Matic (all-wheel drive) becoming standard on all C-Class models. Common consumer complaints are found with the 2007 C 230 for its engine, which can fail spectacularly. C 300 and 320 models are often noted for sometimes bad quality control on body parts, especially in the interior. Usually in the 2010-2014 model years. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class otherwise has a better than average reputation for longevity.

I鈥檓 generally wary of in-car voice recognition systems. Even when they manage to handle my British accent, they鈥檙e usually so convoluted a process getting anything done, you鈥檙e better off going to old-fashioned way with buttons and touchscreens. The Mercedes assistant, though, was a pleasant surprise. You can issue navigation instructions in several ways, either calling out the whole address - which the car seamlessly understood - or asking for a more general search, like the nearest Starbucks. MBUX doesn鈥檛 demand specific command language, either: I could say 鈥渘avigate to鈥︹€?or 鈥済et me directions to鈥︹€?or whatever seemed most natural. Follow-up commands, like searching for a gas station along an existing route, can often be near-impossible to do with voice control systems, but were no issue in the A220. Like Alexa, meanwhile, you can ask general knowledge questions. That may seem like a gimmick, but actually proved to be pretty useful: queries that would typically require my pulling out my phone to get the answer to, I could do more safely by voice.

鈥淗ey Mercedes鈥?also ties into the car鈥檚 HVAC and other systems, so you can do things like adjust the temperature by voice, too. It鈥檚 not the only geeky feature I found unexpectedly rewarding. 1,150 Multimedia package - floats turn-by-turn directions over a real-time view of the road ahead, and proved surprisingly helpful when trying to figure my way through unfamiliar routes. Sadly it can鈥檛 actually project those AR directions onto the windshield, but it鈥檚 not hard to imagine a future version that might. If it wasn鈥檛 already clear, I was far more impressed than I expected to be by the 2019 A-Class. My suspicion had been that it would be a fairly calculated car, effectively a way to lure new owners to the brand but then quickly propel them up the ladder to more expensive models. Instead, I find myself asking whether it could actually steal a few entry-level C-Class sales. If you want the Mercedes badge, and the styling, and the luxury tech interior, but don鈥檛 actually need all the rear space of the larger sedan, there鈥檚 a lot to recommend this smaller, nimble car. Sure enough you can send its price spiraling up if you go heavy-handed on the options, but demonstrate a little restraint and you can still get a decently-equipped sedan at a fraction of the price of Mercedes鈥?larger cars. That鈥檒l teach me to be so cynical.