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The first Mercedes-Benz C-Class was given the clean task of the original Baby Benz, the 190, to forget. That did not work at all, and the first C is therefore not nearly as iconic. An additional advantage: even virgin copies are still relatively affordable almost 30 years later, according to our used car range.
The first generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class – internally referred to as W202 – entered the market in 1993, received a minor facelift in 1996, a larger one in 1997 and was replaced in 2000 by successor W203. Today we find a pre-facelift copy from 1995 in our used car range, which can be recognized as such by, among other things, its orange flashing lights. They betray most clearly that the C is a child of the 90s, in which the color of light was often determined by the tint of the lens through which it shone.
The W202 generation is the last Mercedes sedan that still qualifies for the moniker in some sense Baby Benz, because shortly after its introduction, the first generation of the Mercedes A-class appeared, which was now allowed to fulfill the role of entry-level Mercedes. As a D-segment sedan, the C-class is the successor to the 190, which was the first to bear the nickname from 1982 to 1993. That car accounted for almost 1.9 million sales during its eleven-year career, but make no mistake: the Germans managed to sell almost as many copies of the W202 in total – and that in four years less time.
From the first generation C-class, Mercedes-Benz chose to come up with a new one every seven years. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that the W202-C disappeared into the collective memory as ‘just a C-class’, while many still remember the 190 just fine. That makes the car that we find in our offer today all the more fun. If you drive in front of this, you will take bystanders back in time.
Alloy wheels and a tilting roof to top it off.
Sports suspension
That while we are not really dealing with anything special here – until you see the mileage. It is a C200 with a 2-liter and 136 hp four-cylinder in the nose. That engine sends its power to the rear axle via a 5-speed manual transmission. Although an automatic transmission may better suit the pretensions of a Mercedes, the Esprit version does mean that this C is on a sports suspension. That leaves the car lower than a ‘regular’ C200, which certainly improves its appearance.
The further condition of the car does the rest of the work that earns it a place in this section. With only 37,682 (demonstrable, according to the advertiser) kilometers behind it, the Mercedes still looks absolutely beautiful. We do not find any wear or damage on the inside or outside. Add to that the fact that the complete maintenance history is available and it is easy to find out whether the car has not been stationary for too long. If that is the case, it could cause a lot of worries – no car gets better from standing still for a long time.
If the C-class has already received the necessary care, we can imagine that someone will enjoy it for many years to come. The relatively simple technology has not had to wear much and the lack of electrical frills of the fairly basic version ensures that there is little to break. Partly because of this, the asking price of €7,944 is justifiable, although you have to be charmed by the model to spend such an amount on it. But say for yourself: when was the last time you saw a C-class like this?
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl