What to buy ?

iain sherriff

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C class (looking for)
On the look out for a C class............

Past Mercs have been W114 280ce (REALLY should have kept that), W124 280 coupe, number of W123 estates.
Have been BMW for the last 12 years (E39 535 and presently 540 Sport Touring).

Now looking for C class, under £2000, petrol, must be estate (for dog) and leather(for dog hair!). I don't do a high mileage (maybe 6/7k a year) and am 68, so engine size is not overly important.

What do I choose and what do I specifically look for

TIA :)
 

John Laidlaw

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Sorry should have looked more closely at my link, cloth seats and worse still, manual box! Thought it was cheap. Good engine though
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Avoid the 4 cylinder petrols as they are the M271 engine with cam gear made from Brie. The V6s are much better on the other hand.
 
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iain sherriff

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I said "petrol" because higher mileage diesels can be so expensive to fix ...................... am I right to exclude diesels in the MB arena ?
 

A.J.

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UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
I said "petrol" because higher mileage diesels can be so expensive to fix ...................... am I right to exclude diesels in the MB arena ?

In light of the current lobby against Diesels I think you are right to exclude them :D
 
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iain sherriff

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Horrible dirty smelly things !
BUT if MB ones are reliable it would give me more options :)
 
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iain sherriff

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hmm... just looked at a C class and don't think the back space is big enough for the dog ................. so looks like an E class is required.

Does that alter any of the previous advice I have here ?
 

LostKiwi

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'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Horrible dirty smelly things !
BUT if MB ones are reliable it would give me more options :)
You'll be hard pushed to find anything more reliable than the M112/M113 powered MBs. The M112 is the 2.4, 2.6, 2.8 or 3.2 litre V6. The M113 is the 5.0 V8.... About the only common issues are crank sensors, crank pulleys and cam cover oil leaks/breather issues, none of which will break the bank.
The pick is probably the 3.2 V6. Not significantly worse economy than the 2.4/2.6 but much more torque and as with all that family turbine smooth and refined.

The later M272 V6 is less reliable but more powerful and economical.
 
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iain sherriff

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This one has no visible arch bubbling or other visible faults. Advisories for brake flex and anti-roll bar bushes.

"Mercedes C320 SE Avant-garde estate 2003, silver with black leather and graphite inlay.
Full service history, new mot, 137000m, auto, petrol, command sat nav, electric heated
memory seats, air con, park sensors, many more extras, a really nice example of this
rare model."

£1595
 
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iain sherriff

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Do E class rust as bad as E class ?
 

00slk

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I can velch for the E Class, good space in the estate and the petrol engine V6 and V8's are fabulous and as LK says wong break the bank with the common issues.
I don't think the 03-07? Rust as much ss the previous model.
 
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iain sherriff

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sorry ................ as much as E class !

I went to see the one I posted above and it looked OK. Then I saw one in a Sainsbury's car park and it was SOOO bad it has put me off E class all together
 

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