Just when I thought I was sorted...

Sparks474

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2015 E 350 Coupe
Any advice from the experienced within the group would be appreciated. I hope to be in a position very soon when I can buy a new, or nearly new
merc. I always thought it would be an E series, probably a coupe, certainly a CDI and hopefully a 350cdi. But then I read 'Honest John' from the daily telegraph who warns of the dangers of owning modern diesels for more than 3 years, i.e. the 'inevitable wear' of the particulate filter, turbos and fuel pumps particularly if your not doing loads of miles and the extortionate prices of replacing these parts. So, if I intend to keep this motor for 10 years minimum, and resale value is not an issue, should I not just go for petrol?.
And also, for the price of a new E series coupe I can probably get a 1 year old CLS (a long held dream) with a 2 year warranty but are they that much more to maintain and repair than an E Coupe. Thanks for any advice.
James
 

brandwooddixon

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Sure there are expensive items requiring maintenance on a diesel now that didn't exist even 5 years ago, but really the choice is down to the sort of mileage and driving that you'll use it for.

No matter what our diesel supporters say a diesel is financially a better choice for those doing higher mileages. The diesel particular filters require regular out of town driving for relatively long periods in order to help them regenerate (burn off the soot that they collect). They will also clog up more quickly if you cut corners and use engine oil that isn't sold for diesels (they produce less ash than oil for petrol cars when burnt, which also collects in the dpf, but can't be burned off). The price differential, in the UK, between petrol and diesel must also be taken into account.

They can manage mega mileage, but so too can a well looked after petrol, also when purchasing new you'll find that some diesels, for some manufacturers, will take nearly 10 years to pay back the difference in purchase price over the petrol equivalent for the average motorist.

The CLS is based on a slightly modified E class platform and shouldn't really be any more expensive to maintain than an equivalent E class, although insurance may be different.
 

television

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The CLS is a car owned by many but we do not get many faults on them, even though there are more 211's sold the ratio of faults on the CLS is lower I would say.

I have printed off 10 papers for the CLS faults and 150 for the 211

What kind of driving are you doing, motorway,local, it can make a difference as to what way to go
 
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Sparks474

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Thanks for the responses - the car will be a 'retirement' car I suppose - so the good news I won't be flogging it about doing loads of miles - maybe 7000 per year, 50% motorway. I've been driving motorway 'luggers' for years and have long wanted a decent drivers car and a motor to look after - and a E 350 CDI coupe seemed to press every button. Don't know why I'm now hesitating.
 

Naraic

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For your interest...Mercedes have Class...BMW are series.
 

st4

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Thanks for the responses - the car will be a 'retirement' car I suppose - so the good news I won't be flogging it about doing loads of miles - maybe 7000 per year, 50% motorway. I've been driving motorway 'luggers' for years and have long wanted a decent drivers car and a motor to look after - and a E 350 CDI coupe seemed to press every button. Don't know why I'm now hesitating.

The same basic engine is in the CLS as the E coupe.

Personally, I'd go for the CLS, its better looking, nicer inside and does have rear doors which are handy.
 

brandwooddixon

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I too would have said petrol for that mileage, but we have a problem with availability.
A quick search on MB website shows that in the dealer network, out of 228 CLS, less than 2 years old and less than 30,000 miles only 24 are petrol!

For your mileage I'd be wary of a car fitted with a diesel particulate filter as you need a regular, reasonable run at out of town speeds to give it a chance to regenerate (burn off collected soot).
 

Pappilo

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If you decide on the E class and are buying new, make sure you hold out and buy the facelift seeing that you plan to keep the car for minimum 10 years. Also for your mileage, I say petrol.
 

gizze

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Sparks474

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Thanks for all of the replies. I had been thinking along the lines suggested - i.e. petrol, CLS etc but its good to have views confirmed by yourselves - especially when your spending more on a motor than you ever had done in your life.
On some of the specific points:
Television; that's an interesting point about better reliability for the CLS - I have difficulty getting that stupid idea out of my head from when I was younger - 'the more expensive a car, the more there is to go wrong!
Naraic: What can I say - it's an embarrassing mistake! (although at one time I did consider a 520d....for a very short while)
st4: Your right, two doors are always a compromise.
brandwooddixon: Yes I have looked at that ad, only 500 miles, it's a lot of motor for the money and probably still some room for negotiation.
Pappilo: Yes I knew about the facelift - but I thought it wasn't until 2013/14, it was inevitable that the E Class coupe would be made to match the CLS and C Class style front.
gizze: You're right - the problem is that when you have decided on a Mercedes - you are then spoiled for choice, like a kid in a toy shop - especially when I've been living with Vectra C's for the last few years. I also agree about indie servicing - live near Durham and have two, what appear to be, decent ones within reasonable distance.

As a matter of interest I looked up the Insurance groups, for an E coupe 350 CDI group 41 and for a similar CLS group 46. Obviously these can vary but it shows the amount of difference.
Thanks again for all the replies, its appreciated - I'll load some photo's when I get it.

James.
 

Troon

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A big one
I have printed off 10 papers for the CLS faults and 150 for the 211

Interesting statistic, compare with a) MB sales of 170k W219 CLS vs 1.5m W211 E; and b) that reliability survey that had E first and CLS last (all down to the V6?)
 

Steve@Avantgarde

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If you listened to the advice and opinion of the numpty that is "honest john" then you would buy nothing other than a Fiat Panda or a Honda Jazz. The guy knows very little about modern cars or how they operate and some of the advice he gives is truly appalling, I'm not sure how they get away with printing such stories and calling it "advice".

Rather than scaring yourself witless on all these potential failures that might never happen maybe you should weigh up the cost of petrol vs diesel engined cars on the basis of the mileage you will cover on the 10 year ownership?

It is true that on some DPFs can block if they are not being driven enough to be regenerated but buying a diesel to do mainly urban driving is a false economy and not driving the car to which it is designed for.

As regards maintenance on a CLS vs E Class then there is very little if anything in it and if your dream is to have a CLS then go for it.
 
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Sparks474

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Thanks for the straightforward advice Steve.
'Honest John' did offer some fairly good advice on the legalities of the clamping & parking lot scammers, then you just presume he knows a bit about the other things he comments on!
CLS it is!
 

Steve@Avantgarde

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Thanks for the straightforward advice Steve.
'Honest John' did offer some fairly good advice on the legalities of the clamping & parking lot scammers, then you just presume he knows a bit about the other things he comments on!
CLS it is!

No problem. Ive never been known for tippy toeing around!!
 

Cardinal Biggles

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Well Im a CLS fan. I considered the E class coupe, but when you look at the CLS and drive it it's a completely different vehicle to the E class. It also has a visual presence on the road which I like - even when its parked. Unless you are thinking of taking grandkids and hordes of stuff on outings then the E class might be a tad big.....

I'm also not doing the mileages I did when I was working, but I went for diesel as a) I like the engine and b) I love seeing that 40+ mpg figure on the computer when on a run. As an ex MB group vehicle I got a good deal, and dont feel that I paid any sort of a premium for diesel cf petrol.

You can check on running costs by looking at MB fixed price servicing prices on the web. I've found them reasonable over the first 3 years, given a bit of haggling with the dealer. Once its out of warranty you can save, say, 40% going to an independent specialist garage. There's not a lot to fiddle with on this sort of car, it more or less sorts itself out for the stuff you used to pay engineers to twiddle with. I dont know if the E class uses different oil, but the all-synthetic oil in the CLS is £80 more than a basic oil that you might use in an oil change on a lesser car.
 

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