Mercedes C-Class Buying Advice Needed Please

Vx-Man-G

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Hey all,

Just to introduce myself, my name in short is "G", im very new to all things Merc. Always had massive love for Merc C-Class, the 2009 onwards version.

Anyway, long story short, always been a Vauxhall nut, and now at a stage where my dad is getting too old for a Vectra so his choice is either an Insignia Diesel Auto, or he has a liking for the C-Class Merc Diesel Auto.

So....
Just after some advice please.
We're looking at a 2010 Merc C-Class 2.1 C200 CDI Auto.

What kind of things go wrong with these and what should I be looking out for as a buyer, who knows nothing about them?

The ones I am looking at have around 70-80K with FSH, is that high got a 2010 Merc?

Also, all of them appear to be fully loaded, Nav, PDC, Leather, CC, etc.

The ones I have my eye on are an SE Executive (??), but the BlueEfficieny one. Are they as popular as the Sport, or are they ones to avoid?

Any help ASAP would be massively appreciated.

Many thanks.
G.
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
That version of C class is generally pretty good with few real issues.
The only thing to watch for is Artico seat material - its an artificial 'leather' which can be prone to cracking. If possible look for real leather trim as opposed to Artico.
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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Thank you, how would I know if it is Atrico or real leather? Also, whats the MPG like on these?
What about model? Is the SE Exec CDI decent, or is it bottom of the rack? I have no idea how the models work on the Merc's.
 

John Laidlaw

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The SE will still be nicely equipped in 2010 MY
As LK has said Artico faux leather can be hit and miss but you'll know bad examples when you see them. You will either see cracking or even a white mould like 'powder'.
If it has neither then it's leather or a good Artico example.(given you're looking at a 7 year old car the crap ones will have manifested their faults by now!)
Engine is good generally - models of that age suffered premature injector failure - again that should have been taken care of.
I think you will experience a real lift from your VX days, good luck
If you see any you like post links on here and we can comment, and even if you get the VIN numbers we can look those up for you and get a data card which will tell you what extras or standard equipment is there
You should see mid 50s mpg on a run and 30s town
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
As above if you get the VIN number we can decode the option list.
From that we can tell you if the car has leather or Artico.

The full option list (for pretty much all years) is here:
 

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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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The SE will still be nicely equipped in 2010 MY
As LK has said Artico faux leather can be hit and miss but you'll know bad examples when you see them. You will either see cracking or even a white mould like 'powder'.
If it has neither then it's leather or a good Artico example.(given you're looking at a 7 year old car the crap ones will have manifested their faults by now!)
Engine is good generally - models of that age suffered premature injector failure - again that should have been taken care of.
I think you will experience a real lift from your VX days, good luck
If you see any you like post links on here and we can comment, and even if you get the VIN numbers we can look those up for you and get a data card which will tell you what extras or standard equipment is there
You should see mid 50s mpg on a run and 30s town


Brilliant, thank you.
We are new to Auto's and new to Merc's, but certainly wasnt on the radar until last night when we started looking.
The three we have seen are all SE CDI (Executive) BlueEfficiency, they all have pop up display, I have no idea if this is facelift or model specific so please comment (here is a web image of what I mean, but not the actual car: http://www.autoweb.co.uk/media/images/24627118/mercedes-benz-c-class-diesel-saloon.jpg).

It has Heated Leather, Sat Nav, F&F PDC, CC, Alloys, etc.
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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Is there anything fundamantal mechanically I should be looking for? Do these have a cambelt, cam chain? Whats the service or belt change internals? Do they had DMF's, EGR problems? Manifold blockage issues! Can you tell im owning a Vauxhall at present :).
 

LostKiwi

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As far as I know all MBs have chains. They do have DMFs in manuals (but you'd get an auto right? They're soooo much better).
EGRs are no worse than other vehicles and manifold blockages? What are they???? ;)
 

John Laidlaw

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Yip chains - I believe the engine you'll be looking at is the OM651 which can suffer chain stretch or failure which would be an expensive fix
Check with any potential sellers if there is history of replacement which should have been done
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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Yip chains - I believe the engine you'll be looking at is the OM651 which can suffer chain stretch or failure which would be an expensive fix
Check with any potential sellers if there is history of replacement which should have been done

...if not....?
 

A.J.

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As above if you get the VIN number we can decode the option list.
From that we can tell you if the car has leather or Artico.
Not always the case LK, my option list it says 728A - LEATHER COMBINATION - GRAY, but it ain't, It is that b****y Artico.. One of the reasons I went for this car was because it said Leather. I now have a small crack in the drivers seat base so I now will have to have that replaced. Do beware, if you look closely it doesn't actually look like leather. :(
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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upload_2017-6-23_12-31-12.png
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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This is the only pic I have of the seat, I asked the owner to sent me a picture to show me the state of the leather. He says its mint, or at least in very good condition.
 

John Laidlaw

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...if not....?
Front end of the engine has to come out to have it done if it's looking stretched or worse still ready to snap- so a very labour intensive fix making it very costly.
Search for threads on here about it to be prepared. Try not to worry too much there are loads of those engines in loads of cars so not that many have gone wrong ! Just worth checking is all
 

John Laidlaw

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This is the only pic I have of the seat, I asked the owner to sent me a picture to show me the state of the leather. He says its mint, or at least in very good condition.
Looks good in that pic - I'd have said Artico but not sure
I've had Artico before by the way which was absolutely fine
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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All sounds great, just got to convince my dad to move from a Vectra/Insignia to a Merc.

Whats sort of money shout I be looking to pay? Its a 2010/60 CDI Exec SE (BE) with between 70-80k on the clock, FSH, etc.
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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Also, is that type of millage high for this type of car?
 

John Laidlaw

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Also, is that type of millage high for this type of car?
No not high at all, that's probably below average for the type of use these cars can have ( ex lease or company)
Not sure on the price to be honest, I'd check we buy any car and add a bit for the dealer if that's how you're buying
 
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Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

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Right you lovely people. I have talked my dad into, at least, going to have a look at this Merc. Its a private sale so hopefully we can judge the type of people they are and assess if its a good 'un or not. Ill be keeping my phone handy to keep reading this thread. If you do have any other comments and notes, please do let me know before then as im keen to listen to your professional advice, being current owners. Thanks.
 

Craiglxviii

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970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Get the VIN so we can check out the options.

The engine is a little clattery (for MB) but pretty smooth and quiet when compared to the GM diesel lumps.

Power delivery is smooth but a bit revvy. The 7G- TRONIC autobox is as smooth as butter.

The Executive is similar I believe to the old Elegance trim level? That is, softer springs and standard ride height. The Sport is similar to Avantgarde with 25mm lowered suspension, stiffened springs and light colour interior trim.

The car is a very nice place to be... beats an Insignia hands down.

Just a suggestion... there are many E220 212 pre facelift around, at quite reasonable prices...
 

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