Hello - Potential Owner

[Paul Beer]

I'm currently looking for a new car as my wife and I are expecting our first child in December

As my wife doesn't currently drive and my current car doesn't have a boot (MR2 roadster), I have no choice but to change and will need to do so pretty soon before she can't get out of it. (I've had it for >10 years, so I'll be sorry to see it go).

Having looked at Auto Trader and noticed you can get a lot of older (~10 years old) Mercedes for your money. I'm very tempted to buy one (most likely an E class diesel, but possibly a C class or petrol) as they tick a lot of boxes (enjoyable, comfortable, not too much value left to lose, less likely to be mistaken for a hairdresser.).

I'm just starting my research but, in the first instance, I wanted to test my assumption that a well maintained example would still have a lot of life in it as a daily driver without constant breakdowns/repairs.

An example of the type of thing catching my eye is:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201607266201685

That's not at the top end of my budget, but I'm trying to be frugal as I hear children are expensive

 

[John Laidlaw]

Hey, welcome Paul
I think you're on the right track with that E if you want something fairly frugal
They're a lot of car for the money and will serve your family well for years
Keep with 6 cylinders, they're as smooth as butter and seem to offer less trouble
And yes children will empty your wallet regularly!!

 

[Mr Hatt]

Welcome Paul you are barking up the RIGHT tree, I have three E class 3.0L v6`s and they represent the best value available at this time, taxi drivers in many parts of the world use these until they have done 400 to 500,000 miles because they will do it with ease if regularly serviced, the W211 or S211 (estate) were made at a time when Merc were trying to rescue their reputation after many corrosion issues with previous models and accusations of shody standards at the dealerships due to complacency and arrogance, over engineering was Mercs forte and this model proved that point for the world to see.
I am retired from Bosch Automotive after 20 years service and five of those attached to a British Touring Car team as technical liaison, we designed & supplied 80% of the parts fitted to this model and to give you an idea, the high pressure fuel pump is made for a million mile duration as are most of the high value parts, the one thing that let them down was SBC braking, not because it breaks, it doesn't, but because it is programmed to switch off after a calculated number of activations, this has seen the demise of many cars due to the bill for replacement, cars used in cities can switch off as early as 150K miles motorway drivers get up to 300kmiles, that said, lots of clever specialists now offer a reboot to 0 for about £150 so with that out of the equation there are NO problems with the six cylinder models IF they are serviced in a decent indy, forget Merc dealerships, they miss diagnose regularly at massive cost to the owners.
One last note though, I have three and about to acquire an E500 which has led me to thinking I may part with one in your direction if it helps, PM me or call on 07514918597 if this looks interesting for you

 

[Mr Hatt]

Sorry forgot pic

 

[television]

Hello and welcome, a nice model as said, and looks genuine, the next generation come out in July 06 with no expensive SBC and a single battery system.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Lovely looking car that Hatt. Hello and welcome OP, I am looking to do the same changing my X Trail for an S211 estate, E320.

Don't go for the C, I can tell you from experience that it's just too small to comfortably house a family and accoutrements!

 

[turbopete]

Lovely looking car that Hatt. Hello and welcome OP, I am looking to do the same changing my X Trail for an S211 estate, E320.

Don't go for the C, I can tell you from experience that it's just too small to comfortably house a family and accoutrements!

agreed. its actually surprising how small a c class is. its no bigger than a Ford Focus!!!!

 

[exjagman]

Try to get a facelift model, Mine was a 2006 E320 cdi besides a break pedal switch and wear and tear items I had very little trouble, sold it to a friend at 123000 mls still running sweet when I got a newer one.

 

[Mr Hatt]

Or just facelift the one you get, its only bumper and grill, £300 from dronsfields

 

[Yugguy]

agreed. its actually surprising how small a c class is. its no bigger than a Ford Focus!!!!

.

I can get a lot more in my w204 saloon boot than I could in my mk1 focus hatch boot.

Our merc has easily swallowed all our stuff for the three of us for a week in Derbyshire.

I prefer its smaller footprint than an E, especially with long bonnet sue to rwd.

 

[Mr Hatt]

.

I can get a lot more in my w204 saloon boot than I could in my mk1 focus hatch boot.

Our merc has easily swallowed all our stuff for the three of us for a week in Derbyshire.

I prefer its smaller footprint than an E, especially with long bonnet sue to rwd.

What he does not mention is that all his stuff for a week in Derbyshire consisted of three mankini`s and a party four, holiday to remember that one

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I'm currently looking for a new car as my wife and I are expecting our first child in December

Having looked at Auto Trader and noticed you can get a lot of older (~10 years old) Mercedes for your money. I'm very tempted to buy one (most likely an E class diesel, An example of the type of thing catching my eye is:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201607266201685

That's not at the top end of my budget, but I'm trying to be frugal as I hear children are expensive

Good choice of model. I had a W 211 320 CDI with a 53 plate. Great car, and very economical (I preferred the IL6 to the V6 for that reason). If you can find one with folding rear seats, that is a bonus, particularly bearing in mind your reason for change.

Other than that, many of the other expensive extras do not seem to command a premium once the car is a few years old. Things like COMAND, parking sensors, sun-roof can all be found by patiently searching the used market. Go for an Avantgarde if you can find one - they have Bi-xenon lights as standard, and that is a big plus.

Good hunting.

 

[Mr Hatt]

Good choice of model. I had a W 211 320 CDI with a 53 plate. Great car, and very economical (I preferred the IL6 to the V6 for that reason). If you can find one with folding rear seats, that is a bonus, particularly bearing in mind your reason for change.

Other than that, many of the other expensive extras do not seem to command a premium once the car is a few years old. Things like COMAND, parking sensors, sun-roof can all be found by patiently searching the used market. Go for an Avantgarde if you can find one - they have Bi-xenon lights as standard, and that is a big plus.

Good hunting.

He is right you know, my silver saloon runs like a dream, gives 50 mpg at 55-60 and 7 speed gearbox is as smooth as silk at 200k miles with all the following on it;
SA code
- OWNERS MANUAL AND SERVICE RECORD - ENGLISH- SPEED-SENSITIVE POWER STEERING/VARIO STEERING- PARKTRONIC SYSTEM FRONT
PARKTRONIC SYSTEM REAR
HEATED SEATS FRONT/3 TEMP STAT
BLUETOOTH PHONE SYSTEM- MULTI CONTROL STEERING WHEEL/NAPPA LEATHER
CRUISE CONTROL/MAX SPEED WARNING
6 CD MULTI CHANGER/IN DASH
AUX INPUT SOCKET
ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENT
COMAND ONBOARD COMPUTER
DVD PLAYER/IN DASH SCREEN
SATALITE NAVIGATION INTEGRATED
DUEL ZONE AIR CON/CLIMATE CONTROL
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE MIRROR AUTOMATIC DIMMING- MOBILO LIFE/EUROPE SERVICE PACKAGE- MEMORY PACKAGE (DRIVER SEAT, STEERING WHEEL COLUMN & MIRROR)- NAPPA LEATHER STEERING WHEEL AND LEATHER GEAR SHIFT KNOB- REAR AC/HEATER CONTROL
AIRBAG LABLE - ENGLISH- ANTENNA FOR TELEPHONE D/E-NET- STEUERCODE WERK SINDELFINGEN/GRAZ- MOBILE PRE.-INSTALLATION (MTUS)- AUTOMATIC/TIPTRONIC TRANSMISSION 7-SPEED- EPS/ABS TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT WITH MILES IND. AND ENGLISH LEGEND- OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR LH AND RH FOLDING/HEATED/ELECTRIC ADJUST- COMAND DVD APS WITH SAT NAVIGATION- NAV GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND DISC- SUN VISOR WITH MAKE-UP MIRROR L. AND R., BE
L.E.D. PUDDLE LIGHTS- L.E.D. BRAKE LIGHTS/OPEN DOOR LIGHTS
L.E.D. INTERIOR LIGHTS
ANTI-THEFT/ANTI-BREAK-IN WARNING SYSTEM- DROP DOWN SONIC SENSORS/CAR LIFT SENSORS - HEADLAMP- WASH EQUIPMENT- BI-XENON HEADLAMPS FOR LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC- AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT APPLY
HEATED SCREENWASH EQUIPMENT
PRODUCT PROT.F.TRANSPORT VEH. W/O TIE-DOWN HOOKS- HIGH-CAPACITY BATTERY- EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE (MINI SPARE)- WOOD VERSION,BIRD'S EYE MAPLE BLACK/ANTHRACITE- BRIGHT SILVER METALLIC CLEAR COAT PAINT- AMARETTA/LEATHER/NAPPA/SEMI-ANILINE - BLACK/ANTH.- INTERIOR SAFEGUARD- ALTERNATOR WITH HIGHER CAPACITY (FFO)- FUEL TANK WITH LARGER CAPACITY- EXHAUST GAS CLEANING WITH EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY- EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES- COC PAPER EURO 4 TECHNOLOGY W/O REG. CERT. PART II- IDENTIFICATION LABEL UNDER WINDSHIELD- JOINT FLANGE, 4-ARM 120- J - VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY VGS 2 (550 NM)- ADDITIONAL SOUND DAMPING MAT- ENGINES WITH EXH.TURBOCHARGER WITH INTERCOOLER- ENGINE INCREASED PERFORMANCE 227BHP- DISPLACEMENT 3.0 LITER- V6 DIESEL ENGINE OM642- AMG MULTI SPOKE-DESIGN 18 ALLOY WHEELS ALL ROUND- AMG SUSPENSION UPGRADE
AUTOMATIC CHILD SEAT RECOGNITATION (AKSE)- BRIGHT SILVER METALLIC CLEAR COAT PAINT- V6 DIESEL ENGINE OM642

ALL THIS AND ITS WORTH ABOUT £2700 MENTAL!

 

[Craiglxviii]

Today I went to look at an 05 320cdi W211 estate. Metallic black, cream leather interior, most extras- COMAND, climatronic, parktronic, distronic etc. Good paint condition, nice and clean. I took along my trusty i980 and had a look.

Well. 5 issues with SBC alone, failure of left side hydraulic valves, failure to communicate with front SAM. I walked away.

How hard is it to find a W211 E320 estate in good nick for 3.5k or under, with nothing pricey looming on the horizon to fix? Apparently, very.

 

[Yugguy]

What he does not mention is that all his stuff for a week in Derbyshire consisted of three mankini`s and a party four, holiday to remember that one

Nah, numbies and a bodkan.

 

[anyweb]

welcome Paul, great surname. If you are interested in the W211 then try and get the facelift version, that version is distinguishable by the more v shaped front grill and the important fact that it doesn't use SBC brakes, I sold my W211 at a loss due to worries about the SBC brakes, and as you are about to have a kid, I'd recommend you don't have the same worries either, when you press the brake pedal you expect the car to stop.

SBC is a potential nightmare

 

[Paul Beer]

ALL THIS AND ITS WORTH ABOUT £2700 MENTAL!

Makes me feel a bit better about my car, which is basically 2 seats and an engine, only being worth about a grand! :lol:

 

[Paul Beer]

Today I went to look at an 05 320cdi W211 estate. Metallic black, cream leather interior, most extras- COMAND, climatronic, parktronic, distronic etc. Good paint condition, nice and clean. I took along my trusty i980 and had a look.

Well. 5 issues with SBC alone, failure of left side hydraulic valves, failure to communicate with front SAM. I walked away.

How hard is it to find a W211 E320 estate in good nick for 3.5k or under, with nothing pricey looming on the horizon to fix? Apparently, very.

What worries me is I'd probably spot none of those issues and be left with the expense!

 

[Craiglxviii]

What worries me is I'd probably spot none of those issues and be left with the expense!

Spend £80-100 on eBay and buy an iCarsoft i980 then. Excellent little bits of kit for reading codes and live system values. So far has steered me away from two lemon W211s both with major SBC problemos.

 

[Paul Beer]

Thanks again - this thread has been a very helpful thread so far.

Still can't get my head around the SBC thing, so maybe the easiest solution is to buy a slightly newer one, but there's still more research to be done.